The Doctor And The Enterprise D ------------------------------- Chapter One ----------- The Enterprise rocked under the onslaught. The Romulan Warbird was winning the battle, but at a cost. Its warp engines had been disabled in a lucky shot, compliments of Mr Worf, and the Warbird was now incapable of firing torpedoes. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander Riker and Lt Commander Data were dead. They had been in a shuttle returning from an away mission on the planet Mukorine VI, when the Warbird had decloaked and begun the barrage starting with the shuttlecraft. The duty officer on the bridge was Commander Deanna Troi. She had ordered the transporter chief to lock onto the shuttle and beam it into bay 3, but the chief had failed. It was not her fault, the Romulans had been to quick, and Deanna was forced to bury her grief for the moment. The severity of the attack had stunned her and, in those brief seconds, the Warbird had turned on the Enterprise. The first shot had hit the impulse engines, the second took life support from decks 3, 4, 7, 12 and 20. the third hit had been unlucky for the crew of the Enterprise in cargo bay 2, when the outer door had disintegrated, before the atmospheric forcefield had been engaged. Lt Worf had managed to get some photon torpedoes launched, before the Romulans took care of that, and had hit the Warbirds engine. His phaser fire had taken the torpedo launcher out of action, but it was not going to be enough. "Bridge, we've got another problem," Geordi called up from engineering, "The warp core has gone critical. We're looking at a core breach in two minutes. I can't shut it down. Recommend we separate the saucer section." "I can't separate Geordi," replied Deanna, "the computer's just gone off-line. Besides which the Romulans will just pick it off as target practice. Can you eject the core?" "No. The computer has frozen the manual over-rides, and I can't get to the computer to release them." "Understood. I'm sorry Geordi." Deanna paused, unsure of what else to say. "I know counsellor. It wasn't your fault. It's. . . It's been an honour to serve with you." Geordi said, his voice was quiet, but clear, over the noise of the battle. "Shields have failed." came the voice of the Klingon standing behind her. "Deanna, I agree with commander La Forge, the honour is to serve." "Thank you Worf. I. ." Before she could finish her sentence, an explosion threw Worf across the bridge and her forwards into the Op.'s station. Shaking her head to clear it she looked up at the viewscreen to see a second Warbird uncloaking. [I'm sorry Imzadi] she thought, [I've failed you], and the second vessel opened fire with a volley of torpedoes. The first hit the deflector dish, sending a shudder throughout the whole ship. But it was the second missile that received Deanna's fullest attention. It sped across space, covering to distance with, seemingly, a slow arcing action, and plunged through the viewscreen. The bridge exploded in a fiery wash... ...and dissolved into the clear yellow-on-black grid of the holodeck. Deanna looked up from her kneeling position and frowned. She looked blank for a few seconds, then asked the question with the obvious answer. "Where did I go wrong?" The computer bleeped at her. "Unknown. Please rephrase question." "I know." said a voice from behind her. She had been so wrapped up in the simulation that she'd failed to her the familiar clunk-hiss of the holodeck door. She turned round to face Will Riker, who had a small smile on his face. "Pardon?" She asked. "I said, I know." he replied. "You were in shock of seeing the Warbird attack so viciously, and also grieving for your lost comrades. Those few seconds proved disastrous." "So what could I have done?" she asked, feeling slightly annoyed at herself for the mistake. "Under the circumstances, nothing." Will said, with an infuriating air of calmness. "That sort of situation, and the actions you take, have to be instant and instinctive. But that's something you can only get from experience. Don't dwell on it, you'll only use hindsight and that will only make it worse next time." "Next time?" shot Deanna, already beginning to dwell on the experience. "What next time?" "Hey come on, calm down, it's over. Sure you failed this time but next time, and there will be a next time, you'll remember this and behave differently." He grinned, "I thought you were the counsellor, not me." She looked at him incredulously then grinned, as those last words registered. "You're right. God I could do with something to eat. Something very, very chocolatey." She continued to smile as she walked towards Riker, "Care to join me?" "Er, no thanks. I'm not depressed, I didn't just blow the Enterprise apart." His grin widened. "Ooh you beast." she said, giving him a playful shove, "Just for that, you can sit and watch me eat a large chocolate sundae." She laughed and they both went out of the holodeck making their way to Ten Forward." Ten Forward was not busy when Deanna and Will entered. Guinan looked up as they sat at the bar. "You look happy." she noted. "It's not every day you get to kill the top three officers of a starship." Deanna said, throwing a sidelong glance as Riker before laughing again. "Mortally wounded. Dying, and she jokes about it." said Riker with a pained expression, before grinning. Deanna explained to Guinan the incident from the holodeck and soon all three were laughing. She ordered her dessert and moved to a table to eat it, or rather, to savour it. Riker sat with her talking about the holodeck program. Deanna turned and smiled at Will Riker. "By the way, I was looking at Beverly's script for her new play. I think you would be great in the leading role." Now it was Rikers turn to smile, "She doesn't give up, does she? Okay I'll do it - on condition you play the mad old woman." "Done, I think. I'll tell Beverly later, when we meet for lunch." She finished off her dessert and said, "That was wonderful, just the thing after a hard mornings battle. And now I'd better be off, I've got a meeting with the Captain about the morale of the crew for the last three months. I'll see you later.", and with that she got up. Riker stood also and his communicator beeped. "Commander Riker, report to the bridge please." came to voice of Jean-Luc Picard. Riker tapped his badge and replied acknowledgement, then turned to Deanna. "Are you up for poker tonight, say 1900 hours?" "Sure, prepare to lose your shirt." she said, with a smile. "I'll catch you later." and he followed her to the door, smiling to Guinan as he went. He stopped when he noticed a pre-occupied expression on her face. The words "grave" and "solemn" came immediately to his mind. "Guinan?" The concern in his voice made the bartender look up. She smiled her enigmatic smile, one side her mouth twitching up. "Sorry commander, I had a feeling...", she let the sentence trail off, "What did you order?", she smiled up at him. He smiled back, and shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't, Thanks anyway." and turned to leave. He glanced back to see Guinan looking speculatively at him. Mystified, but not really worried, he carried on out of the lounge and down the corridor to the turbolift. In his ready room, Captain Picard sat on the couch reading a book. It was a thriller by an author Beverly Crusher was fond of. She had lent him the book saying, "Try it, you never know, you might like it." but as yet he couldn't seem to get into the story. Now if it were Dixon Hill..., he thought to himself. He put the book down, and paged Will Riker to the bridge. The book could wait, Starfleet could not. Entering the bridge he relieved Lt Commander Data of the centre chair and sat down. Riker followed Troi onto the bridge, down the ramp and sat in his chair. Jean-Luc Picard turned to Deanna. "I'm sorry counsellor, our meeting will have to be postponed for now. Starfleet has ordered us to the Neutral Zone. Apparently the Romulans are just sitting there waiting." "Waiting for what?" asked Riker. "Starfleet has no idea. They received a report from a Ferengi trading ship that at least one Warbird was sitting, powered down, on their side of the zone. Starfleet wants us to investigate the mystery." * * * * Beverly Crusher walked into Ten Forward looking for Guinan. "Just the person I want to see." she said. "Guinan, I'm looking for somebody to play a small part in my play, and you would be perfect." Guinan looked bemused, "The mad old woman, am I right?" Beverly was astonished. "How did you...", she stopped, "Deanna told you!" she added with mock accusation. "No she didn't. Well, in a way, she did." Beverly rolled her eyes and shook her head, laughing. "Would you do it?" she asked, smiling. Guinan thought it over for a few seconds, then replied "Why not, although I warn you, my acting skills are quite limited. Its been a while since I had to do any." Beverly Crusher laughed again and, thanking Guinan, left. The daily routine of life aboard the Enterprise continued as normal. No-one was aware of a figure, without a spacesuit, sitting on the top of the saucer section of the ship grinning to itself. * * * * In another part of space, in another universe, a small blue box floated through the void. To the unobservant it could have been just another piece of space debris dumped there by an ignorant freighter pilot or some other person equally as ignorant. The TARDIS spun slowly, heedless of anything around it, its occupants also unaware of anything but the events taking place inside. "Doctor, why did you have to stop here, of all places, to repair the TARDIS? Anyway, what's wrong with it?" "Pardon, Sarah?" came a muffled voice, followed by, "Try it now." Sarah sighed and flicked a couple of switches, without much enthusiasm, and waited for a bang or fizzle. She wasn't disappointed as three seconds later there was indeed a bang, and a fizzle, and a thump. "Hey Doctor, what was that thump? We didn't get one of those last time," she said with a smirk on her face. A blackened face, with a puzzled expression, surrounded with a mop of curly brown hair looked over the edge of the console and said, "Ouch, that hurt!" Rubbing his head, the Doctor stood up. "That shouldn't have happened. That definitely should not have happened. Did you use you flick the correct switch?" "Yes, just like you told me. This one, and that one." Sarah pointed, adding "So what's wrong with the TARDIS?" "She's not been feeling well since that business with travelling back and forth through time on Nerva Beacon, so I decided to park up somewhere and give her an overhaul. You know, a sort of 12000 miles or 750 years service." He grinned, teeth flashing, and continued "Rassilon only knows, she could do with it." "Rassilon only knows?", queried Sarah, "Who's Rassilon when there're at home?" She was getting bored hanging around in space, asking "And why couldn't we have stayed on Earth to do this 12000 year service?" "Earth has a gravity, which would upset the delicate adjustments I will need to make to the Time Rotor later." He grunted and groaned then continued, "And to answer to your other question, Rassilon created the TARDIS with some help from the rest of us - erm - _Them_ - the other Time Lords. I suppose on Earth your terminology would be HEAVEN only knows. The answer to your next question is Omega." The Doctor was once again under the console fiddling, so the last sentence was muffled. Sarah worked it out, then asked "So who created Time Tra- Oh, I see." "There, that should do it." came the response from the console base, the Doctor straightened and played with a few switches and dials. The Time Rotor, housed in the central column, started to glow, while the column shuddered into life and started to rise. "All done, well for now." said the Doctor and flicking the switches again stopped the central column. "Doctor, what does this blinking light mean?" she asked. The Doctor looked over the column at her, "What light is that Sarah?" "The label says 'Vortex Instability' and the computer screen says 'Warning : universe integrity failing. Dimensional shift occurrence probability 29%. Doctor the probability reading is getting higher. 33%, 47%, 62%..." The Doctor looked astonished, "That's not possible. Quick press the button marked 'Vortex Over-Ride!" and he rushed round the console to look at the computer screen. The reading had reached 89% when Sarah pressed the button. Both Sarah and the Doctor staggered, as if they were dizzy, then righted themselves. The TARDIS started to shake, the reading now 95%. Then the shaking stopped. The screen now read; DIMENSIONAL SHIFT OCCURRENCE PROBABILITY 100% TRANSFERENCE COMPLETED "Doctor, what happened?" The Doctor was tapping at the keyboard, trying to get an answer to the question Sarah asked. The TARDIS computer screen flickered and printed out the data. He read slowly, digesting the information, and his frown got deeper. Then he turned to Sarah, looking perplexed. "Somehow the Vortex and TARDIS circuits became out of phase. The old girl was becoming less a part of the vortex in this universe and more a part of another, somewhere else. The universe integrity is like a cell membrane, but infinitely more strong, and to protect herself from the pressures from two non-phased universes the TARDIS re-phased with the universe on the other side of the membrane. That was the dimensional shift, the dizziness, we felt at the last moment. The shaking was the old universe realising the problem and trying to pull us back." "So we're alright then" Sarah said. The Doctor looked her in the eyes and replied, "No. The 'Vortex Over-Ride' button forced the TARDIS to stabilise and phase with the universe she was most a part of." He pointed to the computer screen where the message flashed. DIMENSIONAL SHIFT OCCURRENCE PROBABILITY 100% TRANSFERENCE COMPLETED "Transference Completed? To where, Doctor?" she asked. She looked back to the computer saying, "Well, we might as well see where we are." With that she twisted the Scanner switch. The scanner showed a screen full of stars, but Sarah couldn't recognise any. "We'd better see if we can't sort this problem out, and get back home." the Doctor said. "I think we should move round this universe a bit and take some readings that might indicate what caused the dimensional shift, then I can work out what will be necessary to reverse the process." He moved back round the console and began setting the co-ordinates. Satisfied with the location, he engaged the time rotor. Outside the TARDIS, there was a Voice, but the TARDIS ignored it, and with a thunk followed by a groaning wheezing sound, the small blue box faded away. "Fascinating." said the Voice, and it too disappeared. * * * * The Enterprise warped through space, heading for the neutral zone. On the bridge all was peaceful, but with an air of tension. "Mr Data, how long until we reach the neutral zone?" Picard asked. "Twenty three minutes, seventeen seconds, at present speed." came the concise reply. "Counsellor, it would appear that we have some time before reaching our destination. Perhaps we could have that meeting now." said the captain, turning to face Deanna. "Certainly captain." she answered, and both getting up they headed into his ready room. Riker moved round the bridge towards the tactical station and spoke to Worf. "How's the weapon status, in case we need it?" "Photon torpedoes fully loaded. Phaser banks ready. Shields are at full strength, sir." the Klingon replied. "Let's hope we don't need them." said Riker quietly. * * * * "Captain to the bridge, please." came Rikers voice in the ready room. The captain and the counsellor moved onto the bridge as Riker informed them they were two minutes from the zone. "Very good, Number one. Helm, drop to impulse. Let's take it nice and casually. We're just here to take a look." The starfield around the Enterprise slowed and popped back into place as the warp engines switch off and impulse took over. The space around the ship was empty, the invisible barrier between normal and unwelcome space somewhere in front of it. "All stop. Yellow alert. Scan for Romulan vessels." ordered Riker. The captain looked impassive, not daring to hope the scans would prove negative. "I am picking up one Romulan ship on the other side of the neutral zone. There are no other ships in the area. There is no neutrino activity to suggest any cloaked vessels." stated Data. The android touched a few more buttons on his console. "Sir, the Romulan ship seems to have a fluctuating power source. I have no ideas as to the cause." "Mr Worf, open hailing frequencies." and turning to Riker added, "They may be having problems with their engines. That might explain their presence." "Open sir." came the comment from Worf. "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the USS Enterprise. Romulan vessel, we have noticed what appears to be a problem with your power systems. Were you aware of this, and do you require any assistance?" "This is the Romulan Ship Gretexin, Sub-Commander Yarkon speaking. Yes we are aware of the problem, thank you. We do not need any assistance at this time, but we are having difficulties maintaining our position without impulse, or warp, engines. We are presently drifting into the neutral zone. Our warp engines occasionally kick into life, but we fear that should they do this while we are this close to the border we might end up in federation space." "Understood. If it should become necessary we could tow you back to the Romulan side and by cutting our tractor beam whilst moving would give you a forward momentum that would push you further into Romulan space thus preventing your transition in federation space by accident again." replied Picard. "That would be most welcome, should it become necessary, captain. I hope it does not. Gretexin out." The screen went blank. "They are planning something captain." said Worf with a growl. The captain looked for conformation from Deanna. "I sensed no deception on her part. In fact she seemed quite gratified that we were here, as if our offer of help would save her crew and herself from the indignity of humiliation from her superiors." "Very well. We'll wait here until they arrive in federation space or they fix their problem." said Picard. * * * * Time passed. The crew of the Warbird worked at their problems, trying hard to keep the ship stable. The crew of the Enterprise went about their work. On the bridge Data sat in the centre seat, Picard was in his ready room reading his book, Riker had left to see Geordi about the possibility of towing the Romulans home. At Ops, Ensign Faragher checked her console. "Commander, the Romulan ship has moved into the neutral zone. At the moment they are not under power." she reported. "Understood ensign. Please inform me if the engines power up." the android replied. "Aye, sir." The console bleeped. She looked down and turned to the commander, "Their warp engines have come on-line sir. Current speed, warp eight. They will be in federation space in approximately eight and a half hours if their speed stays constant." On the bridge of the Gretexin sub-commander Yarkon tried in vain to disengage the warp drive. She knew that to pass into federation space would be tantamount to committing suicide, but she still had a mission to complete. Meanwhile the Gretexin sped ever closer to the other edge of the neutral zone. The figure sitting on the saucer section smiled, as it knew the future that was to come. "Future," it thought, "future, present, past. Such outmoded concepts. Perception was in the mind of the beholder." The figure sitting on the metal surface smiled. Commander Data informed his captain of the change in circumstances. Jean-Luc Picard waited patiently for the Warbird to arrive, knowing he would have to cross the neutral zone in order to help the Romulans. He hoped he wouldn't regret his decision. In another part of space, the TARDIS hung, motionless, while inside the Doctor worked on his figures. He had taken readings from three other locations, and was correlating the data so far. "One more location I think." He said, looking up at Sarah, "Then I'll try and get us home. I think I've almost worked out where the problem lies, it's just a matter of getting the data to show where the weakest point between the universes is." Sarah looked at him, with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Shouldn't that be 'universi?" she asked. "Universi? I don't know, should it?" He replied, not looking up. Sarah sighed and sat down on the floor, waiting. The doctor straightened, moved round the console, pressed some buttons and the central column shuddered and rose. The familiar groaning accompanied the movement and Sarah wondered where they would end up, and when. The Romulan Warbird sped through space, eating the distance at a phenomenal rate. The crew worked frantically to stop the ship and finally managed it. The ship dropped out of warp but continued to coast with momentum, and as such was carried over the invisible line of the border. Sub-commander Yarkon hailed the Enterprise, which hung scant kilometres away, and explained the situation. She hoped her officers were ready for the mission. "So you see captain, we had to dismantle the cloaking device, the warp and impulse engines, and weapon systems in order to bring the ship under control. I formally request help from the federation, in towing us back to the Romulan side of the neutral zone in accordance with sub section 67 paragraph 9 of the Treaty of Algernon." and she quoted, "Any vessel wilfully requesting help in an instance of non-violent, and/or non-provoked communication whereby the said vessel shall power down all drive and weapon mechanisms shall be accorded the status of asylum until such help is no longer required. Help to said vessel is at the discretion of the recipient of the request. The neutral zone may be traversed in such times of asylum. The asylum will end when the vessels are in territory pertaining to be their origin." "Asylum is hereby granted for the duration of the period requested as help." Picard replied in his best diplomatic voice. He began issuing orders to tow the Gretexin back into Romulan space, knowing the journey would be long and tense. Sub-commander Yarkon smiled once the viewscreen was off. "Transporter room, activate." the mission proper was under way. Picard would be sending his team of engineers over to help sort the apparent failure of her systems, hoping not to have to tow her all the way to Romulan space. In the meantime she would be the grateful, but troubled commander. In a deserted corner of the lowest deck of engineering there was a whine, hum of a transporter confinement beam and a few seconds later, three Romulans stood looking around. "Alright, let's get to work." said the senior one, and they split up. They went to various panels and started removing them, twisting controls, pushing buttons and generally sabotaging anything in sight. They had just finished and moved out to a jeffries tube when a wheezing, groaning, trumpeting sound echoed throughout the deck. On the bridge, a siren sounded, signifying an intruder alert. The display showed deck 42, the antimatter storage pods, had an object and two lifeforms present. Worf hailed a security team and ordered them to meet him there. On deck 40, the Romulans moved up a jeffries tube towards deck 36, where they would take control of man engineering. * * * * The Doctor looked at the scanner and then opened the doors. He and Sarah went out, looking for somebody to talk to. The Doctor wanted some answers to his questions about the nature of this universe, in the hope that would shed some light on the problem with the TARDIS. "Sarah, look at this." He said. "This appears to be an antimatter/matter fusion reactor. The two are mixed to give a controlled explosion which drives this ship. Such an explosion could give a ship tremendous speed, probably faster than light." "I thought that the light speed barrier couldn't be broken. Doesn't Einstein's theory say something about time travel and light speed being impossible?" she asked. "Well, Albert could never get to grips with the conversations we had. He was always so literal, never looking beyond the light speed horizon." Just then he noticed the display. "This panel says the ratio of antimatter and matter is 8:3. Surely that can't be right. It ought to be something like 3:2, or even 1:1." He started tapping buttons, trying to get a formulae on the screen to verify his suspicions. "Doctor, should you be doing that?" Sarah asked nervously. "No he shouldn't!" came a gruff voice from behind him. The voice spoke again, "Move away from the panel and put your hands where I can see them." The Doctor sighed inwardly, (why did this always happen to him?), and turned round. Sarah turned round also, hands in the air, to face Worf, his phaser pointed at them. One of the security team moved past the Doctor to look at the display. "Looks like he was altering the intermix formulae." he said. He tapped his com-badge, "Engineering, check your intermix ratio, we may have a problem." He turned to Worf, "It's a good job we're not at warp, we'd have been blown sky high." "I realise how this must seem to you but we've only just got here. We found those reading like that. I was trying to correct them when you burst in here brandishing your guns." the Doctor said. But Worf wasn't listening. He gestured with his phaser, saying, "This way! You can explain to the captain later." And with that he led them to a turbolift. Chapter Two ----------- Captain Picard was not impressed. His ship was being sabotaged, he was towing Romulans across the neutral zone and now Worf had reported that the saboteurs had been captured, caught red-handed at the antimatter storage pods playing with the settings. He decided to let the invaders stew in the brig before interrogating them. Lt Worf marched the two intruders to the turbolift. Once inside he ordered it to deck 38. The lift complied and within a few moments the doors reopened. The security team led the way towards the double doors of the brig, and through into the containment cell. The intruders were frog-marched into the cell than the security team withdrew. "Computer, activate forcefield." said Worf. There was a brief flash and a ching sound, then the Klingon and his security team left the brig. "Doctor, now what do we do?" asked Sarah Jane. She hated being imprisoned, and isolated from the safety of the TARDIS. "Well I'm going to rest and think about the universe shift. If we don't sort it out we'll be stuck in this universe. Think about it. No more Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans." The Doctor said, musing over that last sentence. "I can live without seeing a Sontaran again. Field Major Styre was enough to put anyone off Sontarans for life." "Sontarans are often enough to put anyone off life for life." the Doctor joked. "How can you joke at a time like this?" Sarah asked incredulously. "It helps me concentrate." and with that he lay on the bunk and closed his eyes. Sarah sighed and sat on the floor with her back to the wall. Soon she was sleeping, but the Doctor, eyes still closed, was wide awake. He had partially worked out the problem of the TARDIS's shifting. Looking over to the young ensign on duty he saw him reading something off the computer screen in front of him. The doors opened and he turned, and was hit in the chest by a phaser beam. Stunned, the ensign fell off his chair as a Romulan entered. He looked around. "This is the detention area, not main engineering. Come on we need to move up some more." and without a second glance he and his companions moved back into the corridor. The Doctor was off his bunk in a flash, hands going into his volumous pockets in search of something particular. He nudged Sarah's foot with his own as he found the object of his search. The sonic screwdriver would be useful now. Sarah woke with a start and seeing the Doctor standing she scrambled to her feet. "How'd you manage that?" she asked indicating the stunned officer. "I didn't. Some aliens came in, fired at him and left." He set the Screwdriver at a level and pointed it at a place where the forcefield and wall met. With a small high pitched whistle the sonic screwdriver found the correct frequency and the forcefield was switched off. Sarah ran towards the doors, while the Doctor strode over to the ensign and checked him. "He'll live." he said, and sat at the computer terminal. He looked for an interface to warn somebody about the aliens looking for engineering. He found what looked like one and began tapping some keys. "What are you doing?" Sarah asked impatiently, "We have to get out of here and get back to the TARDIS." "In a minute, I want to send this message to the captain of this vessel first." Sarah sighed and gave the Doctor a resigned look that said, fine let them know we've escaped, it will make the chase so much more fun. At that point the large grey doors leading into the brig opened and Jean-Luc Picard, Lt Commander Data and Lt Worf entered. Worf was the first to see what had happened. "Don't move!" he barked, making Sarah jump. "Raise your hands slowly and come away from the computer." The Doctor looked dismayed, but complied. "Data, see what he was doing." said Picard more quietly. Data moved to the terminal. The message on the screen read; To the Captain of this ship, Greetings, I am known as the Doctor, and I am not a threat to you. You have, I believe, a bigger threat on board. Whilst my companion and I were in your brig a trio of humanoid aliens came in. They fired a stun weapon at the young man on the floor, looked around and left looking for main engineering. They had the bearing of Vulcans, but were more emotional. The Doctor ###/# # ? # #/### Data called Picard over to the terminal. "Put them back in the brig for now." he said to Worf, then moved to join Data. He read the message and said one word, "Romulans". He went over to the brig forcefield. "You wrote the message." it was a statement, "What did you hope to gain from it?" "Yes, I wrote it. Gain? There was no hope of gaining anything, simply a desire to inform you of things that might be of interest to you." was the reply. Just then the intercom beeped. "This is Lt Farish of the Romulan Star Empire. I have control of your main engineering and if you do not co-operate with my demands I will start killing your crew, starting with the blind man. I want Captain Picard to come to engineering immediately, alone and unarmed, to hear my demands. Captain, I give you ten of your minutes to get here." The intercom went dead, and Picard looked at the Doctor and Sarah. "You've got to believe me captain, I haven't the time to explain at the moment, suffice to say that we are on your side. Let me help." The Doctor said, "When this is over I'll explain everything." "Captain, this could be a ploy by him just to get free again. We only have his word. They had escaped when we came in and re-caught them." Worf said. Picard agreed and turned to Data. "Commander your opinion?" he asked. "A moment please captain." he turned to the Doctor. "You are known as the Doctor?" he asked. The Doctor merely nodded. Data continued, "Is this the first time you have been aboard the Enterprise?" The Doctor looked at Data and stood up. "Yes. No. I have been aboard an Enterprise, I don't remember the designation, but it was commanded by a captain called Kirk." Picard looked at the Doctor sharply, then back to Data. "Captain, I have accessed the logs of the then Captain, James Tiberius Kirk. He made a reference to a machine called the TARDIS which bears a resemblance of the box found on deck 40, where these two were located. He also refers to a being called the Doctor. The physical description matches this persons attire. I believe this is the same man." Data reported. "Data, that was over a hundred years ago. How could this be the same person?" "Not known captain. The description did mention that the person was not human. Perhaps he is from a long-lived race." came the reply. "Very well. Commander Data I will release these people into your keeping for now, and when we have dealt with the Romulans I'll convene a meeting to get the facts. In the meantime I have an appointment in main engineering. I will keep a channel open. Monitor it and if it should be necessary for me to need lockouts, or other computer functions, I recommend you transfer all command functions elsewhere. Use your ability to alter voice patterns if you have to. I don't want the Romulans getting anything." He turned to Worf, "Lt Worf release the forcefield." Worf did so and with the Doctor and Sarah free, Picard left for his meeting. In main engineering the Romulans waited. They waited for Picard. They waited for a signal back from the Gretexin. Most of all, they waited to return home with their prize. The Enterprise was a magnificent prize, But obtaining it intact was going to be tricky. But, mused Farish, as the Ferengi 62nd Rule of Acquisition stated: The riskier the road, the greater the profit. This ship could give him a lot of profit. Commander Geordi La Forge lay unconscious on the floor near to the dilithium chamber. There was blood weeping from a cut on his forehead and his VISOR lay by his feet, in two pieces. An ensign lay nearby, also unconscious. The Romulan who had made the demand to meet Picard paced back and forth in frustration. None of the controls worked, Geordi had seen to that. The Romulan would have killed him for that apart from the fact that his sub-officer had thrown La Forge across the deck. Geordi had slammed into the railing that circumvented the dilithium chamber, hence the broken VISOR and blood. The doors of the turbolift opened on deck 36 and Picard strode out. He headed towards engineering slowing as he approached the room. Rounding the corner gave the Romulans a start, which pleased the captain: they were jumpy, unprepared for him, he thought. "You are the captain?" said Farish. "I am" short, concise. The captain wasn't about to waste words with a Romulan who thought he could get away with this hijack. "First, you will release the command functions of this deck to me. Secondly you will transfer all command functions enabling access to your library computer to Sub-Commander Yarkon." stated Farish. "Firstly, I can't. Without the correct lockout sequence I can't re-enable command functions. Secondly, I cannot release library access from here. I can only do that from the bridge." Picard responded, hoping Data was on the case and acting as planned. He looked about and noticed the bodies of Geordi and the ensign, hoping they weren't dead, and was playing for time. He wanted to remove the Romulans from this deck and get a medical team down here. "You are lying! The captains authorisation overrides all others." Farish was adamant. "On the contrary, I'll prove it. Computer, relocate and re-enable all engineering command functions to this location, authorisation Picard, Epsilon, seven, nine, three." "Command functions cannot be relocated to your location. Please state correct release codes." the computer said. Picard looked at Farish, "You see. " He looked up saying, "Computer, transfer access of library computer to the Gretexin." "Library transfer cannot be implemented. All transfer operations must be programmed from the bridge." came the reply. "Then we will go to your bridge. Picard, move!" shouted Farish. The three Romulans and one human moved out of engineering and walked down the corridor to the turbolift. "Tell me Farish, Have you killed any of my crew?" Picard asked, appearing to make light conversation. "Not yet. The blind one and the other are stunned. But if I don't get what I want I shall start by killing you." He replied. Several decks away, Data sat in his quarters, accompanied by the Doctor and Sarah Jane. He was listening to the captains discussion with Farish, looking for clues to be able to render the hijack inoperative. "Tell me Farish, Have you killed any of my crew?" Picard. "Not yet. The blind one and the other are stunned. But if I don't get what I want I shall start by killing you." Farish. Data understood the captains meaning and tapped his com-badge. "Doctor Crusher, report to main engineering please. Minimum of two casualties. Commander Riker, the captain and the Romulans are on route to the bridge." The Doctor looked at Data appraisingly. "You are android." he said, then added, "Tell me Commander, Is your neural net multitronic or positronic?" "Positronic. I am one of two such constructs. My creator was Dr Noonien Soong." Data stopped and turned to face the time lord, "But we are not here to discuss me, we are here to discuss you and the reasons why you are here." "You are correct commander. Do you mind if I call you Data?" "It is my name. I have no feelings towards your usage of it." Data responded. He tapped at the keyboard of his terminal. The Doctor stood up and moved behind Data to look at the screen. "Could you disable the lift they are in?" he asked. "I could, but the Romulans would notice and might decide to harm the captain. I could not take the chance of that happening." "Can you generate forcefields at strategic locations and when the captain passes one if them, energise it. That should effectively trap them." "Again, I could. The problem lies with the turbolift. The destination is the bridge and that turbolift goes right to the bridge. There is no way that the captain could stop it without the Romulans detecting it." "Is there any way you could stop the turbolift from here and get the computer to say something like this lift has a malfunction please move to lift such-and-such to resume your journey. That way you could use forcefields as a trap." Data considered the Doctors suggestion then tapped his com-badge. "Data to commander Riker." "Riker here. Go ahead Data." "Commander, The Doctor has suggested an interesting plan of action." He went on to describe it briefly. Riker, sitting in the captains chair on the bridge, thought about it quickly then replied. "Execute the plan Data, it's the best we have at the moment." "Aye sir." Data began tapping keys with astounding speed. In the turbolift, Picard and his entourage staggered as the lift came to an abrupt halt. "Picard what is going on. This is a trick of yours to try and capture us." Farish said. He raised his disrupter and pointed at Picards chest. The computer beeped and spoke. "This lift is suffering from a malfunction. It is no longer able to move. Please vacate the carriage. Turbolift one is able to reach the bridge. This car will be taken out of service until such time that it can be repaired." The doors opened. "Computer, What deck have we reached?" Picard asked. "The car is now on deck four." answered the computer. Picard turned to the Romulans saying, "Deck four is where the cargo bays and the main shuttlebay are located. It is a short walk to turboshaft one. Shall I lead?" "Move. You are stalling for time and it will not help you. This ship will be taken to Romulus, where the secrets of the federation will be learnt." Farish said. He pushed Picard out of the lift and the other two Romulans followed, looking about warily. Picard recovered from the shove and proceeded down the corridor. "What ever you're planning Will, or Data, make it so." he thought. He turned the corner and thought he'd heard a snap whine of a forcefield. "So that's you plan, Number one." he thought approvingly. He turned the corner and headed down another corridor. In his quarters Data sat looking at the computer screen. He had his finger poised over a button, that would activate a forcefield, and waited for the optimum time. His display showed the captain turning a corner with the Romulans about one metre behind. Picard passed under a corridor construction arch and Data tapped the key. On deck 4 the captain stopped when he heard the forcefield activate right behind him. He turned and saw Farish walk into it. The Romulan recoiled from it in shock and stared at Picard. One of the other Romulans was quick on the uptake and ran back to the corner. He was flung backwards. He had run full speed into a waiting energy wall and was now unconscious on the floor. The third Romulan simply stood accepting the situation. "Throw down your weapons. There is no way to escape." said Picard. The Romulans, believing this to be true, complied. Farish looked disgusted. "You may have won this skirmish, but you still have to repair your ship. Meanwhile the Gretexin is fully operational. Sub-Commander Yarkon could destroy you where you stand." Picard ignored the threat and tapped his com-badge. "Picard to Riker, well done Number one." "Actually captain the idea came from the Doctor and Data." came Will Rikers voice, "What do you want done with the Romulans?" "Beam them into the brig for now. I'll decide what's to be done later. I'll be on the bridge shortly. Go to red alert and keep an eye on the Gretexin, She's fully powered and probably armed to the teeth." Picard redirected is speech to sickbay, "Doctor Crusher how is Geordi?" "Geordi, and Ensign Gharrjine, are fine. Do you have a moment to meet me here?" Beverly asked. "I'll be there in a moment. Picard out." he looked at Farish as the three prisoners dissolved in the sparkle of a transporter beam. Once they were gone he saw and heard the forcefields deactivating. Two security men came round the corner, and upon seeing the captain was not harmed, one of them bent and picked up the discarded disrupters. Nodding to the men, Picard moved to the turbolift and descended to sickbay. Beverly Crusher looked up at the sound of her door sliding open. She smiled when she saw the captain walk in. "Are you hurt in any way Jean-Luc?" She asked, concern on her face. "No. I was lucky." he corrected himself, "We were lucky. It could have been much worse." "Hmm. Geordi just had a small cut to his forehead, probably the result of his VISOR breaking. Ensign Gharrjine was hit be a disrupter on a low stun setting. He's going to be fine also." "Can we replicate another VISOR for Geordi?" asked Picard. "I've already done it. Geordi will be discharged within the hour, after we've checked his VISOR functions correctly. I'd advise 24 hours to get over the ordeal. It's only really so he gets some rest." "Okay But I'll need him to sort out the sabotage by the Romulans as soon as possible. Meanwhile I need to talk with another Doctor." The intercom beeped in Data's quarters. Picards voice issued from it. "Commander Data, would you and the Doctors party report the conference room please." "Aye sir, On our way." Data replied, "Doctor if you would follow me." "Certainly Mr Data." said the Doctor, "Come on Sarah, interview time." "Great. Just what I need." she retorted. The Doctor smiled, stood up, and followed Data out of his room. In the conference room, Picard sat at his customary place at the head of the table. Will Riker was on his left, the seats on his right empty for the Doctor and Sarah. Deanna was further down the table on the right. Geordi was in on the meeting, at Picards request, although he was relatively subdued. Beverly Crusher was also there, to check on Geordi and to check out the Doctor when he arrived. She was talking quietly to Deanna about her play, while they all waited on the arrival of Data and his charges. The door from the bridge opened and Data entered, preceded by the Doctor and Sarah. Picard rose, as the Doctor approached, and held forth his hand. "Doctor. Good of you to join us." he said, shaking the others hand. "Well, we were passing the door and just decided to pop in and say hello." The Doctor smiled disarmingly, but warmly. "I understand I have you to thank for the capture of the Romulans and the release of my ship." he said. They sat. "I only did what I could, with what little I know of your ships systems." replied the Doctor, "Mr Data implemented the actual operations of the plan." "Thank you. Now, I think we have some time on our hands for the moment and you offered some explanations. You mentioned Captain Kirk earlier, let's start from there." "About a year ago, according to my chronometer, I happened to materialise on board a starship called Enterprise. She had suffered through a magnetic storm and become translocated into my universe. I met Kirk, Spock and the rest of his crew. They encountered an alien species called Sontarans and I helped them escape from the battle fleet they met. We got to work repairing the ships damage, finding out the cause of the dimension jump and worked out a way to return them back here." "Data, what is the time difference between that meeting and this one?" Picard asked. "One hundred and one years, seven months, fifteen days." he supplied. "As long as that eh?" said the Doctor, "Doesn't time fly when you're having fun." he smiled again, then continued. "The captain, in an effort to thank me, implemented Article 110. " He was interrupted by Data. "Confirmed sir. Would you like to hear the recording?" "Please, Mr Data." Picard said. Data started speaking, but the voice was not his own. It was the voice of, the then Captain of the Enterprise, James T. Kirk. "The individual known as the Doctor is to be considered a citizen in full standing of the Federation and is to hold the honorary rank of Commander in Starfleet. Standard identification patterns as follow." Data spoke again, in his own voice, "The remainder of the message is the scans made by Dr McCoy, Chief Medical Officer, Starfleet. Serial number -" "Thank you Mr Data. That's enough." he turned to the Doctor, "Well Commander, I think we should begin the pooling of information and find out how to get you back" "Agreed. Although I think a more pressing problem is the repair of your ship." Just them the duty officer on the bridge paged the captain. "Captain, the Gretexin has pulled away and is coming about." "Sound red alert. Battle stations." The party in the conference room broke up. "Captain, " Beverly said, "I'm relieving commander La Forge from duty while he recovers from his ordeal, and readjusts to his new VISOR." "Very well doctor, we'll have to do without him for now. Number One, who's the duty officer in engineering at the moment?" "Lt Barclay" Riker told him, "I'll make him aware the Geordi won't be around for a while." Picard nodded and left for the bridge. On the bridge ensign McKnight, the duty officer, checked the shields, weapons and communications were operational. The bridge staff entered and took their seats. "Report ensign McKnight." Picard said. "We were towing the Gretexin when she went to full impulse and broke away from the tractor beam. Then she came about. We have ceased forward movement, the heading back to federation space is programmed in. All weapon banks and shields are fully operational. We are a million kilometres from the enemy vessel, and at full impulse we are 1.4 hours from federation space "Mr Worf, open hailing frequencies. Mr Data inform engineering that we will need warp speed as soon as possible." "Hailing frequency open sir." Worf said. "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the federation starship Enterprise. Gretexin, are you suffering with another engine malfunction?" Picard decided to play the situation down, pretending that the incident with the Romulans hadn't taken place. The viewscreen flicked and the face of Sub-Commander Yarkon showed. "We are not having problems, you are. We are now fully operational and withdraw our request for asylum. You are in the Neutral Zone and are in breach of the Algernon Treaty. We are now exercising our right to defend that treaty. Surrender your ship immediately or we will be forced to destroy you." "Commander, I do not understand your hostility. We freely gave aid and now you want to destroy us." Picard hoped he was showing the right emotions. He was desperately trying to formulate a plan, and was hoping his senior staff were doing the same. "Your understanding is not important." Yarkon sneered, " Your surrender is required, immediately and unconditionally." "Very well, " said Picard, having the glimmer of a plan, "I request a short time to inform my crew. Shall we say fifteen minutes." "Shall we say five minutes." said Yarkon, in the same tone of voice as Picard. "As you wish." was the reply. Picard looked at the viewscreen as it flicked back to the image of the Warbird, then he turned. "Conference." he said, leading the way towards the back of the bridge. Picard sat at the conference table. Riker, Troi, Data and the Doctor were there. Sarah was in her quarters, having been shown the way by Beverly Crusher. Geordi was also in his quarters making minute adjustments to his VISOR. "Options please." said Picard. He had thought of using the tractor beam as a repulsor beam but Data had informed him that the plan would not work without sufficient power from the warp engines, and they were off line due to the sabotage. "Could we use the metaphasic shielding program of Dr Crusher to supplement the shields?" put forward Riker. "No sir. That shielding program only prevents radiation, such as solar radiation, from penetrating to the ship. It would be ineffective against photon torpedoes or disrupters." "Is there any way we could bypass the matter antimatter reaction chamber and still go to warp?" asked Troi. "There might be a way," data mused, "but it would require approximately fourteen hours to implement the suggestion. We would have -" "Thank you Data, but we don't have time for the explanations now. Any thing else?" Picard asked. "Yes." said the Doctor. He looked thoughtful, as though contemplating a difficult equation. "Doctor, you have a suggestion?" asked Picard. "Yes. I could attempt to place my TARDIS around the Enterprise and then return to federation space." he said. "How could you do that? Your box is inside our ship. You can't fit the Enterprise inside that thing." said Riker, disbelief evident on his face. "Don't be deceived by appearances commander. My TARDIS is much bigger on the inside." he turned to the captain, "Captain, I believe this to be the only option." Picard thought for a moment then looked at the Doctor. "Very well, proceed." "I'll need about two minutes. Can you transport me directly to my TARDIS. Oh, I'll need the engines completely shutdown. The field around your engines would upset my TARDIS, she's quite fragile at times. "Understood. Transporter room 1 lock on to the Doctor and beam him to Deck 42." Picard watched as the familiar whine sounded and watched the Doctor fade away. Picard stood and the meeting was at an end. He walked back to the bridge. The Doctor rematerialised beside the TARDIS. He looked at it and put out his hand to pat it. Okay old girl let's do it, he thought and walked inside. A few seconds later the groaning thump, followed by the trumpeting wheezing sound could be heard and the tall blue box vanished. On the bridge of the Romulan craft, Sub-commander waited to see what Picard would do. Suddenly a blue box appeared on the screen beside the Enterprise. It hung in space for a moment then disappeared. A moment later so did the Enterprise. On the bridge of the Enterprise Jean-Luc Picard looked at the viewscreen with fascination. The screen showed several images overlaid with each other. There was a swirling vortex, with a furious storm raging inside it. There was a large room with stone walls, ivy covered, stone pillars and a stone seat. There was a reflection of the Enterprise bridge and a picture of the Enterprise warping though space. Only Data was able to distinguish all the images, not that they made much sense to him. To Picard, they were just random flickerings and wild colour splashes. Then the viewscreen was clear, showing a starfield. "Mr Data, what's our position?" Picard asked. "According to the navigational computer we are in federation space. We are currently in orbit of Jouret Four." the android replied. "Jouret Four? Isn't that where the Borg attacked the New Providence colony?" asked Riker. "Confirmed sir." said Data. There was a groaning sound from the conference room and Worf ran to the door, drawing his phaser. The door opened and the Doctor walked through. "I've moved us away from the neutral zone. This planet is deserted, and the space about it is quiet. It should be an ideal place to stop and repair your ship." he said. "Thank you Doctor. Mr Data will you begin cataloguing the faults with the ship and then start work on the repairs." Picard said. "Aye sir." Data got up and moved to the engineering station at the rear of the bridge. Picard looked at the Doctor. "Doctor, could you tell us how this ship fit inside your, er, TARDIS. I am intrigued." he said. "The TARDIS is transcendentally dimensional." Seeing blank looks he simplified the explanation. "It's bigger on the inside that on the outside. The interior dimensions of the TARDIS don't occupy the same dimensions as the exterior ones." He was relieved when Data interrupted him. "Captain, I have located all the faults with the Enterprise." he said. Picard motioned for him to continue. "The matter/antimatter reaction chamber and two antimatter storage pods have suffered slight damage. They are not in any danger at the moment. The computer core in engineering has suffered minor damage from a disrupter blast. However some of the engineering subsystems are off line due to this damage. There is damage to the jeffries tubes leading from deck 42 to deck 36. Some of the systems in the tubes will need repairing or replacing. As a result of our tractor beam being disconnected by force, the emitter coils of the tractor beam have been burnt out. The sudden acceleration of the Gretexin sheared the beam causing a feedback into the deflector, also. All other systems do not seem to have been affected." Data reported. "Quite a bit of work. Pull any staff you need to assist in the repairs. Mr La Forge will be back on duty tomorrow." Picard said. Data nodded and turned to leave. "Captain, with your permission I'd like to help. I know quite a bit about computers and electronic systems." The Doctor said. Captain Picard thought it over and agreed. Data looked at the Doctor. "I welcome your offer of assistance Doctor, I would be interested in any information, or comments, you have." And with that they entered the turbolift. Chapter 3 --------- Out in the infinite reaches of space there is life. Not all life is the same, some lifeforms are limited by intelligence and technology. Some are not. The smiling figure sitting on the saucer section was from a race with no limits. Q smiled. Time to pay a visit on some old friends. Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Enterprise, sat in his ready room. He had just finished a report to Starfleet command, and was trying, for the fourth time, to get into Beverly's book. This time he was having some success, the book was indeed getting good. The door chimed and Picard groaned inwardly. "Enter." he called out. The doors stayed shut. He repeated the word, the doors stayed closed. He got up and went to the doors, which opened at his presence. There was no-one at the door and Picard stepped back, the doors closing. Strange, he thought, and turned back to the couch... ...to find somebody sitting reading his book. The figure had his back to the captain, but when he spoke Jean-Luc felt icy fingers crawl up his back. "Mon Capitan. I've missed you." said the all-too-familiar voice of Q. "Q. What are you doing here?" said Picard, trying to shake the feeling of dread. "Me? I just popped on for a chat, I'm going through a phase. I'm being social. I thought 'I know, I haven't seen Jean-Luc for a couple of light-years, I'll pop in when I'm in the vicinity and see how he is.', and so I'm here." "Merde. That's ALL I need." Picard thought. Just then the intercom beeped. "Captain, This is the Doctor. I thought you'd like to know the deflector is now operational, as is the tractor beam. We're moving on to the computer core now so you might find helm and navigation play up for a while. We'll try and keep the core off line as short as possible." "Thank you Doctor. Proceed." came the reply. "That didn't sound like Doctor Crusher." Q said. "It wasn't. We picked up a stowaway who is proving very helpful. He has the rank of commander in Starfleet." Picard said. He moved over to the replicator, saying "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." when he turned back to Q, The entity was gone. Oh No, thought Picard, Now where is he. In engineering Data and the Doctor were preparing to switch off the computer when Q flashed into being. The Doctor looked at the grinning figure and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had the feeling he knew who this was, or at least who he had been. Data looked up from his work and upon seeing the omnipotent being raised one eyebrow. "Q, may I ask what you are doing here?" he said. "Just looking around Data. Don't mind me." Q said and sauntered off, walking through the dilithium chamber. He disappeared from sight and reappeared in the far side of the chamber, then clicked his fingers and vanished in a flash of light. "Show off." said the Doctor to himself. This might turn out to be a problem, he mused. Data looked at the spot where Q had vanished, then turned to the Doctor. The Doctor looked back to Data. "Data, who was that?" he asked. "That was a being known to us as Q. He is, or claims to be, an omnipotent being from something called the Q Continuum. We have had dealings with him in the past, none of which were welcomed by captain Picard. Q has put us on trial for being 'a grievously savage race'. He has tempted commander Riker with the power of the Q. He has transported us to Sherwood forest amongst other things." "Sherwood forest? You mean he translocated you across the dimensions to middle-ages Earth?" queried the Doctor. "No. He created the forest and placed us in the creation. We were to play the part of Robin Hood and his merry men. This was resolved by the captain and we were returned to the Enterprise. Q has the ability to freeze time when it suits him, and restore it when he has finished with his games. He is quite an intriguing entity." "Freeze time?" queried the Doctor. "That is an analogy which describes the event adequately." Data said. "Freeze time, Hmm." mused the Doctor, "This might be what I've been looking for. I'll need to tread carefully around this 'Q' person." The Doctor turned back to Data asking, "Was the computer core badly damaged?" "No. The Romulans seemed to concentrate their efforts on the engineering systems only." Data replied. An ensign walked over to Data enquiring if the iso-linear chips she had were the correct ones. Data confirmed the fact and she wandered off in the direction of the core. There was a dull thump from the core access room which sent the Doctor and Data running to the room. Smoke billowed out of the room. The Doctor slowed but Data walked in, collected the ensign, exited the room and put her down gently. He tapped his com-badge and called for a medical team. "Medical emergency to engineering." he said. The Doctor was already kneeling beside the ensign. He put his hand across her forehead connecting her temples with his thumb and fourth finger. She moaned and shook spasmodically, then was still. The Doctor had a look of intense concentration on his face as Dr Crusher walked in. "What's going on? What happened Data?" She asked. The Doctor released his touch and fell backwards, landing hard on his rear. Shock was evident on his face. He waved a hand towards the ensign saying, "She's not in any pain, she's only in shock. There doesn't seem to be any physical injuries." Beverly Crusher ran her tricorder over the inert body marvelling at the readings. "She seems to be in a self-healing trance. But you're right, there are no injuries. How long will she stay in this state, and can we move her?" "Yes you can move her, she'll be totally receptive to any treatments and movements. The trance will last until she deems it suitable, or about 24 hours, whichever comes first. She might feel a bit dizzy or nauseous at first, her body isn't used to the trance function, but it'll pass inside ten minutes." replied the Doctor. Beverly ran her tricorder over Data and then the Doctor himself. "Data you're alright. You, however Doctor, have a hairline fracture at the base of your skull, a large bruising to the diaphragm muscles, a slight respiratory problem and a small blood clot in the left ventricle artery of your right heart. I'd like for you to come to sickbay and I'll patch you up." She looked back her tricorder and continued, "There also seems to be a chemical imbalance in the brain, possibly caused by shock. I'd better treat that too." She stood up and gestured to her medical team. "Please escort the Doctor to sickbay. Place the ensign on a stretcher and take her too. We'll keep in there for a day or so until she recovers." She turned to Data, who acknowledged the authority, and moved off after the medical team. In sickbay the Doctor sat on a bio-bed whilst Nurse Ogawa treated him. Beverly walked over to him. "How did you get all these injuries?" she asked politely. "The hairline fracture was a present from a man called Nyder. The bruising was from one of his officers trying to take something from me. The respiratory problem was probably from the gas shell, and the blood clot I'm not sure of, but it might have been the result of my run-in with the Loch Ness Monster." he said, knowing she'd have trouble believing that. "And the imbalance?" she asked, the last statement not sinking in fully. "I think, on reflection, it's from the contact with the ensigns mind. Something I saw there unnerved me for a moment. You'll probably find it's gone now." Beverly scanned him, and to her amazement he was right. The chemical imbalance she'd seen earlier was gone. "I used my own self-healing to correct it. It also gave me an insight into what caused it. " He said. Nurse Ogawa turned to her superior, "I've finished. Was there anything else you wanted me to do?" "No thank you Allysa. I'll take over from here. Could you just check our other patients, then you can knock off." Allysa Ogawa nodded and left. "So what caused it?" Beverly pressed. The Doctor was in no mood to talk about it and told her so, politely. Then he get up from the bio-bed. "Am I fit to leave the infirmary?" he asked. Beverly concurred and he left, leaving her mystified. The Loch Ness Monster? Did I hear him right? The Doctor returned to his quarters to find Sarah sitting at the table reading something off the computer screen. She looked up when he entered. "Where have you been, I've been worried!" "Sorry Sarah, I've been busy with Data trying to repair the computer. In fact I'd better be getting back soon. I stopped by to see how you're doing." "I'm fine, just tired." she noticed the faraway look in his eyes, "What's up?" "I don't know." he admitted, "There was an incident in engineering and I made contact with a powerful mind, only briefly, but it was somehow familiar. Some-one from my past but I can't remember who." "Does it matter? It'll probably come to you. Tell you what, why don't you go and play in engineering and I'll return to my quarters and get some rest. You aren't happy unless you've got your hands inside somebody else's electronics. Just don't forget your sonic screwdriver." These last words were said with a grin. "Maybe you're right. I'll see you later.", and he and Sarah left the room. Sarah walked down to her own quarters, stopped outside the door saying, "Be careful Doctor" and then went inside. The Doctor carried on down the corridor to a turbolift, and upon entering it descended to deck 36. Data was still there when the Doctor re-appeared. "Doctor, how are your injuries?" Data inquired. "Fine. Your Dr Crusher has done a fine job. What's the damage inside the other room?" "There seems to have been an incendiary device attached to the main computer terminal which has damaged the terminal and part of the core nearby. Otherwise there is no serious damage. The repair time has been increased by 3.7 hours." "Which systems were damaged in the blast?" asked the Doctor. "There was damage to the navigation sub-system, the lateral sensors and the cargo bay transporter systems." "Will any of these systems cause any problems to the normal running of the ship?" "No. The lateral sensors may be a problem but I do not foresee any major problems with the other systems." The Doctor and Data had been working on the problems, both new and old, for nearly 7 hours when Geordi walked in to engineering. "Hi, Data. How's it going?" He acknowledged the Doctors presence with a brief nod. "The computer core is functioning at 92 percent. The Doctor has been most useful. He has found a number of small bugs in our system, which have been corrected. The computer core should be fully operational in 2.1 hours. The antimatter/matter ratio has been corrected and the warp engines are on-line and functional. How are you?" "I'm fine now," Geordi said, grinning, "Just a small knock. Let's see what else is left to do." He turned and walked to his desk, the Doctor and Data following. "Have you sorted out the systems in the jeffries tubes?" Geordi asked. "Lt Barclay has reported that the repairs are almost complete. He estimates another 30 minutes work." replied the android. "It would seem that you've almost completed the repairs. If you don't mind, I'll just look things over and see if there's anything else that need doing while we've got the time." "Commander La Forge, If you've no objections I'll leave you to it. I've been working quite long hours recently and could do with some rest." the Doctor said. He glanced toward Data, adding, with a smile, "We're not all gifted with the ability to shun sleep." "Of course Doctor, Thanks for your help." said Geordi, meaning every word. He added, "Captain Picard is having a briefing at 0800 tomorrow. He asked me to ask you if you'd be there." "0800 tomorrow. Sure, I'll be there. Good night commander. Data." He nodded to them in turn and left for the turbolift. In his quarters, the Doctor was having a troubled sleep. His dreams were of a grinning man in a Starfleet uniform. But there was something wrong with the uniform - it was changing. It was becoming less of a uniform, and more of a gown, a Chinese gown. But not a night-gown, more like an old fashioned gown worn by a distinguished gentleman. The man reached forth has left hand, holding something in them. In his dream state the Doctor also reached out, and the man - still grinning - dropped a small bundle into the Doctors hand. Then he vanished, just fading away before the Doctor, leaving a ghostly laugh behind. The Doctor woke up, and looked at his hand. Nestled in the palm was a deck of playing cards. Sitting up, he scanned through the deck, noting the cards to be perfectly normal. Except the Queen of Hearts looked different. He was reminded of the children's story back on Earth: Alice in Wonderland. The Queen in his hand was an image of the queen from that story, and he'd seen that image before. A long, long time ago. When he'd struggled to win against a person calling himself The Celestial Toymaker. [Of course. THAT'S where I've met him before.] [This could be trouble, I'd better warn the captain.] [ Where's his guardian gone though?] [ Has he disposed of her?] [ He'd better not have!"] The thoughts flashed across his mind. Firstly he'd find out where the Guardian was, but he'd have to be careful and not give himself away too soon. Crossing to the centre of the room he called out, "Doctor to captain Picard." there was a brief delay followed by the familiar voice of Jean-Luc Picard. "Picard here. What can I do for you?" "Captain, Could you re-schedule the meeting this morning for sometime this afternoon? I'm going to be unavailable for the better part of the morning." "I don't see why not. Would 1400 hours be acceptable to you?" "Perfect. Thank you." and he broke the communication. "Computer. I want this room locked. No one is to be allowed access while I'm in here. Not even the security chief! This room can be scanned whenever they want, but NO communications are to enter or leave this room. I shall be in a trance, which if broken incorrectly could cause my death. Do you understand?" "The locking mechanism for the doors can be over-ridden by any of the senior staff. This function cannot be disabled." The doctor sighed and contacted the captain again, expressing his wishes to be allowed un-interrupted solitude for a mornings meditation. The captain agreed, ordering the computer to accept commands of this nature from the Doctor, and to comply with them. The Doctor restated his demand on the computer and sat down in the middle of the floor crossing his legs. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. The exhale of breath was slow, and was matched by the rising of his body from the floor by several inches. The Doctor uncrossed his legs and lay flat on the cushion of air while his mind searched the space nearby for a familiar mind. The thoughts drifted out, passing through all the lifeforms onboard the Enterprise. One mind reacted, but so swift was the contact lost that Deanna Troi thought she'd imaged it. The Doctor moved his mind out further... In Ten Forward, Guinan was talking to Deanna. She noticed a flicker float across the telepath's face but it was gone, almost before it had started. Just then she felt another mind link with hers, gently probing. She instinctively sent a wall up, following it with a sharp stab of thought. Then the other mind was gone. Guinan looked speculatively and excused herself from Troi. She moved into her small office and waited. In his quarters the Doctor opened his eyes. He'd been in the trance for a little over an hour, and was pleased with the results. He rose from the floor and ordered the computer to release the restraints he'd imposed, then strode out of the room. He made his way to the turbolift and asked the be taken to Ten Forward. A few moments later, he was standing outside the lounge trying to get his bearings on that mind he'd touched. He turned and walked to a door nearby and pressed the door chime. The door slid open to reveal a dark skinned woman sitting at a desk. "Come in, Doctor. I've been expecting you." Guinan said. "Thank you." He paused, then added, "You have me at a disadvantage." "I am called Guinan." the bartender said simply, indicating a chair for the timelord. He sat and gave her a questioning look. "When I touched your mind I felt that you were somebody different. I was searching for a person known as The Guardian." "That is a term I haven't gone by for a long, long time. Yes I am She. I am the guardian of the 'exiled one'." "Then it is him? The last time I encountered him, he called himself The Celestial Toymaker. But I didn't sense you then." "There was a small temporal flux in the prison, and before I knew it, He'd escaped. I was able to limit his escape though. He never made it into the correct dimension." Guinan said. "I know. He lured the TARDIS into that other dimension forcing us to play his games. By a feat of will I was able to beat him. The dimension was sent into oblivion, or so I thought." "No, not oblivion. He returned to the prison, but this time the temporal flux shifted the whole prison into this universe. It broke, sending him into another dimension and me onto a world in this dimension. I thought that was the last time I'd see him, although I didn't stop trying to locate him. Then about four years ago he turned up on this ship in a different guise. He sent the Enterprise across space to meet the Borg. That's when I met him and I've stayed on this ship since. He seems to have a liking for this ship. It's a plaything for him, he hasn't changed in that respect." "The Borg?" asked the Doctor, "Who are they?" "The Borg are a cyborg type lifeform. They attack and assimilate cultures in to their own. They are essentially humanoid but with mechanical grafts. They attacked the world I was on and nearly killed my people. We were scattered throughout space." She said, With a touch of bitterness in her voice. The Doctor noticed the term "my people" but didn't comment. "These Borg sound a lot like the Cybermen from my universe. I need to know what he's going to do. He's smart enough to know who, and what, I am." "That I don't know. In this universe he has the ability to shield his mind from me." Guinan said. "I think your going to have to talk to him." "If he hasn't changed that much, his objective will be to try and return to my universe. That's what he wanted last time. As you know, That can't be permitted to happen!" said the Doctor. He got up. "I'd better see the captain and warn him, then I'm going to contact him. What does he call himself in this universe?" "Q. It serves his purpose as well as any other he's had. Good luck, Doctor. I have the feeling you're going to need it." The Doctor left the room and proceeded to the conference room for his meeting with the senior staff. He wasn't sure what to tell the captain but from what Data had said, the captain was already aware of Q's temperament. That would make it easier. The meeting had broken up and the Doctor was having a quiet word with captain Picard. "So you see, This Q being is, in actual fact, a being exiled from my planet. We thought the prison was secure but we were wrong. He cannot be allowed back into my universe, and I cannot imprison him here without help from my people." "So what you're saying is that we have to deal with the problem." Picard said. "Unfortunately, yes. I think I can reduce the power he has here but not to any great extent." Picard was deep in thought for several second before replying. "Very well. Let me know what you need to do. I'll just have to live with it." The Doctor left the room, walked across the back of the bridge and into the turbolift. The door chime rang in Sarah's quarters, and she was surprised to see Deanna Troi walk in. "Hello Sarah, I thought you might be bored sitting around and wondered if you'd like a tour of the Enterprise. We have a rather nice arboretum, and the holodecks can simulate any environment you like." "Yes, please. It is difficult being cooped up with nothing to do. Normally we land somewhere unpleasant and get taken prisoner. Then we get split up and have to sort out the mess we're in, find each other and get back in time for tea." "Get back in time for tea?" Queried Deanna. "It's an Earth expression, at least my Earth. It means, well, erm...." she trailed off not knowing how to put it. "It means, to get the job done in the minimum of time and fuss. To successfully sort out any problems and still get away from it to somewhere safe." Deanna finished for her. "Sort of, yes. In my time, before I met the Doctor, I was a journalist. I reported on things that were not-quite-ordinary. I was reporting on some missing scientists and ended up in middle ages England being attacked by thugs, bandits and aliens." "Aliens?" "Sontarans. Ugly, squat beings that were actually cloned from a clonebank and bred for war. I met one again not long ago. He was surveying the Earth as a possible site for a battle fleet base. It was quite a long time in the Fu..." She stopped short, as if realising that this could be the future for these people as well as her own. "I'm sorry, I always talk too much. Even the Doctor says that sometimes." "That's alright, I understand. Shall we?" Deanna indicated the door. Sarah was reminded why this attractive woman was here and, picking up her jacket, they left the room. Deanna explained a little about the function and running of the ship, occasionally probing about the TARDIS, although Sarah gave as little information away as possible. They came to the Holodeck on deck 11 and Deanna turned to Sarah. "Do you have any preference as to where you'd like to go?" Deanna asked. "Er, no. Why?" "The holodeck can re-create almost anywhere. As long as the file is in the computer that is." "No. I don't have a particular place in mind. You choose." Deanna turned to the computer terminal on the wall and tapped a few buttons. The computer replied that the holodeck was now programmed and ready. Deanna led Sarah into 20th century London. The doctor had returned to the TARDIS and was walking the corridors. He passed several unmarked doors before coming to the door he wanted. The label said: Computer Archive store. The Doctor opened the door and entered. The room was about as large as the console room and fairly sparse except for a chair and a terminal. He sat down in front of the computer and began pressing buttons. The screen filled with text, which the Doctor skipped past, and finally came to rest on a file. The text on the screen told the Doctor what he already knew. But a footnote added something to the file that the Doctor hadn't been aware of. He smiled to himself and stood up. He switched off the terminal and left the room. A few minutes later he was standing outside the TARDIS, locking the doors. He moved away from the small box and out of the cargo bay. Back in his quarters he gave the computer his order to seal the room and went into his trance. This time he did not send his mind through the ship, but rather, he directed it out to an entity called Q. On the bridge Riker sat in the centre seat, while Jean-Luc Picard sat in his ready room. There was a familiar voice and Q popped out of thin air. "Ah Jean-Luc. Nice of you to drop in. I thought we might play a game..." Chapter Four ------------ It was just as Sarah remembered it. Deanna and she were walking through Hyde park looking at the scenery. "Is this a correct representation of London?" Deanna asked. "Sort of. I didn't get much of a chance to see London, I was always out on assignment. Until I met the Doctor, that is." "The Doctor's different, isn't he? I can't get many emotions from him, it's as if there is a wall I can't see over." "How do you mean? Can you read minds?" "No. Full Betazoids can, I'm only half Betazoid. I can only sense feelings and emotions. But I don't pry into peoples mind to get them." "Oh. That must be very difficult when there are lots of strong emotions all around you. How do you manage to turn yourself off to them?" "It took years of practice on Betazed. But sometimes it does overwhelm me." "I often wondered what it might be like to be telepathic, but I don't think I have the type of mind to be able to cope with the intrusion of other peoples thoughts." "Have you and the Doctor travelled to many places together?" asked Deanna, trying to change the subject. "Yes. Since I stowed aboard the TARDIS I've seen lots of other worlds, met lots of leaders of planets. I've been possessed, hypnotised, tortured, shot at, kidnapped. The list goes on." "Possessed? What was that like? How did it happen?" Sarah thought back to the visit to Metebelis 3 and the spiders. She shuddered, saying, "I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind." "Of course." Deanna said. The two women carried on walking through the park. Overhead the clouds gathered, as if a storm were coming. Birds called from the trees. Sarah looked on without much interest. She wasn't really a city girl at heart, preferring the quiet of the country. "Could you show me somewhere from this universe?" she asked. "Certainly. Did you have anywhere in particular?" "I'd like to visit the planet below us. I mean the actual planet rather than in this holodeck room. I read in the computer that the colony that lived there was destroyed. I'd like to see what this Borg race did." "Why?" asked Deanna. "I don't know. I read about the Borg, how they'd just scooped the colony off the face of the planet. I was interested about what the planet looked like." "I'll ask the captain," Deanna said with a small smile, "I'm sure he won't mind." * * * In his ready room Jean-Luc Picard stood looking at Q. The omnipotent being had his familiar smirk which was beginning to annoy the captain. Just then Will Riker requested the presence of the captain on the bridge. Picard moved out of the ready room leaving Q frowning at the apparent dismissal. "Oh! This just won't do, Jean-Luc." Q said to himself, and then vanished. On the bridge Riker relinquished the chair to his captain. "Commander La Forge reports that the repairs are complete. Unfortunately we only appear to have a maximum speed of warp 8.2. He requests that we head for the nearest star base so that he can check out the entire system. He thinks there may be an underlying fault with the engines that he can't locate as yet. He'd like to use the facilities of a star base to run several diagnostics that can't be done while we're in orbit." "Very well, Number One. Contact counsellor Troi on the planet and then proceed to star base 126. Warp 5. Mr Data, how long will it take to get there?" Before Data could answer there was a flash of light. Data turned to look at Picard, but it wasn't the android sitting there. "Mon Capitan" said a familiar voice "Q!. Where's Commander Data, and what are you doing here?" Picard said, irritation evident on his face. "Me?" asked Q innocently, "I'm here to meet some old friends, nothing more. I am allowed, aren't I? " "Nothing more?" said Riker, his voice full of disbelief. "There's always something more when you're about." "Oh, I'm sorry." Q added, "I forgot the magic words. Permission to came aboard Captain?" "Permission denied. Get off my ship Q!" Picard shot back, "We don't have time for games." "Games? Hooray. Let the Games begin." Q said merrily, and then with darker undertones, "Watch out Jean-Luc, Things aren't all they seem to be! The universe is in enough trouble as it is, without you blundering your way around. I'll go, but I'll be back." "Not if we have anything to do with it!" Worf growled. "Ah Worf, You're developing a sense of humour at last. Pity you don't have the brains to match." then Q grinned. Looking at Jean-Luc he said, "The pieces are set, the players are ready. The dice are impatient. It begins!" and was gone. The now familiar burst of light accompanying him, but his voice came from out of thin air, "Double six to start." * * * Deanna and Sarah were standing on the surface of the planet. Sarah looked around, aghast at the sight. Deanna pointed out where the colony had been, now just a huge hole as if somebody had scooped out a handful of soil. "How did they do it?" asked Sarah. "We don't know. All we do know is, one moment we were receiving transmissions from them, the next we weren't. When we investigated we found this. No trace of the colony or the 900 or so population has ever been found." Deanna was quiet for a moment, offering a small prayer for the souls of the colony. Sarah, too, was silent. When she spoke it was with a quiet voice, tinged with regret and sorrow. "It always make me wonder if humans should be out in space if there's so much violence and suffering about. Wouldn't it just be safer to stay on Earth?" "And do what? At this time, in the growth of just your planet, The population would be too much for one planet to sustain. Even two hundred years ago there wasn't enough food for the population. Only by venturing out into space did your species have a chance of life. Had humans stayed on Earth, there would now be artificial islands at least as big as, what was then America, in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. There would have been huge undersea complexes specifically built to house the population." Deanna paused for thought then continued, "No. only by expanding to Mars and then the rest of your solar system did humans have any hope of survival. You speak of violence: the Federation is a peaceful organisation. We try to spread peace wherever we go. We have a Prime Directive which forbids us to interfere with the cultural or racial development of a species. We don't have a battle fleet, at least not one for aggressive motions, it's purely for defence. You speak of suffering: there will always be suffering. No matter how hard we try, some-one, somewhere is suffering. We don't ignore it or capitalise on it, we search it out and help relieve it. Sometimes we can't, but if there were no suffering the ambition or drive would be lost. What would we strive for if everything was perfect? If wanting and needing were non-existent then humans, and some other species, would stagnate." Sarah looked humbled. "You are right. In fact you sound a lot like the Doctor. I just wonder what life would be like without the hurt." "Uninteresting." said Deanna with a slight smile on her lips. She hadn't meant to lecture Sarah on the shortcomings of humans as a species, or to make excuses for the disaster which faced them on the planet. She'd felt bitter and sad about the loss of so many lives that the words had tumbled from her lips without really registering in her brain. She apologised to Sarah for the outburst. Sarah accepted the apology and suggested that they beam back. This place was also beginning to depress her, even more than Skaro had. * * * On the bridge Picard was quietly wondering what Q was playing at. The being didn't usually turn up and play games without a good reason, or moral justification. Something about this visit niggled at the back of his mind. The Enterprise was still on course for starbase 126, or so the instruments dictated. At first Picard thought only he could hear the noise, a click-click-click. It seemed to be all around him but at the same time only inside his head. Click-click-click. No, thought Picard, it was more like a rattling rather than a clicking. The rattling noise was followed by a pair of quiet thuds. Data looked down at the floor and picked up two dice. "Commander Data, what is it?" asked Picard, who had noticed the motion of his second-in-command. "It appears to be a double six Captain - though where these dice came from I have no idea" replied the android. "Thank you" came the voice of Q, and a hand appeared out of thin air taking the dice. "Your turn, Jean-Luc. Try for a high number." and with that the hand vanished. The dice appeared in Picards open palm. "Captain, That would seem to be the voice of - " Data began. "Yes Mr Data I know." snapped the captain. He threw the dice onto Rikers chair with disgust. "I don't have time for this Q!" Q's voice echoed across the bridge. "A one and a three. I'm very disappointed in you, Mon Capitan. In his quarters the Doctor was trying to contact the entity calling himself Q. Finally he gave up. Obviously there was something he was missing. His conversation with Guinan came back to him: He has the ability to shield his mind from me, she'd said. Perhaps that was the problem. He rose from the floor where he'd been sitting, cross-legged, and started pacing the room. There was a quiet rattling and two thuds. Looking down he saw a pair of dice resting on the floor. the spots showed a six and a three. Picking them up he wondered aloud where they might have come from. "There're mine." a voice said, and a hand reached out of the space beside the Doctor and took them from his hand. The Doctor turned slowly and regarded the person standing before him. "And you are?" he asked. "Q" the other man supplied. The Doctor let out a satisfied "Ah" and moved away from Q. He reached the couch and sat, gesturing for the entity to do likewise. Q strolled amiably over and perched himself on the arm of one of the chairs. "You intrigue me Q. I'd like to know a bit about you." The timelord said, as a way of opening the conversation. "Really, and I thought all humans were dull and uninterested. What would you like to know?" "Let's start with the basics. Name, place or origin, that sort of thing." "Name? Q. Place of origin? The Q continuum. That sort of thing? Pass." "The Q continuum? What's that?" "It's a place that is nowhere and yet everywhere. It crosses the barriers of time and space and thought." "Interesting, whose thought?" "Mine, and those of us who dwell in the continuum. There are lots of us. You interest me, sir. I can't read you as I can these other humans. I don't even know your name." "I am generally known as the Doctor." "Ah, so you're the person who fixed the computer. Didn't take you long, did it?" "No really. Most of it was fairly basic and elemental circuitry." "Hmm, somebody who knows his way around the ship and thinks of it as basic. You definitely have piqued my curiosity. I'd like to know more about you Doctor." "Then we have something in common. Tell me Q, how do you manage to do all the fancy things I've been told about." asked the Doctor. If he could get Q to reveal himself a little at a time he might find a way to deal with this person. "Like what?" Q counter-asked, amused at the question. "Like the trip to Sherwood Forest for example." "Oh, that was easy. All I had to do was rifle my way through Picard's mind and pick it out of his thoughts. Then I simply made it a reality. Child's play." "What do you use as a power source?" "The power of thought. It's the most basic and powerful force in the universe, or should I say multiverse. Crossing the barriers of dimension and thought is something that we in the continuum discover at a very early age. Then it's simply a process of refinement." The Doctor was beginning to see how it might be done. Reaching out carefully with his mind he touched the sub-conscious of Q, and was rewarded with a momentary flash of surprise. "How did you do that? There's something very peculiar, yet familiar, about you." Q asked. He was worried that somebody might actually be able to connect with his own mind - someone not from the continuum. "It's fairly simple when you know how. Can't you do it?" the Doctor asked. Q sent his mind out towards the timelord, but came up against a huge wall. It was so huge that he couldn't see any edges. It was so dark - almost black - that it frightened him. Well, to say frightened would be taking it a little too far, considered Q. It was more like a puzzlement that nagged at something in his mind. Somewhere, a long time ago, he'd come up against a mind like this, if only he could remember where. Q cast his mind out again and suddenly it came to him, only to disappear again. Disappointed with his failure Q asked the timelord some more questions, hoping to get the answers his mind wanted. But the Doctor was wary of the attempt and evaded the questions, responding with useless information, all the time trying to probe Q's mind further. "There is no actual door into the continuum, it's more like knowing where it is and just willing yourself to be there." Q said in response to one such question. As they talked, trying to give little away, yet get a lot back, Q learned that the Doctor was from a different universe, that he had a home planet - although he refused to tell Q where it was. In return, the Doctor learned that Q was an exile from another universe and that he'd made a point to play with lesser beings, as he put it. He would dearly like to return, if only to see how his race was getting on without his superior knowledge. "What is the significance of the dice?" the Doctor asked, changing the subject. "It's a game. I roll the dice, and make my move. You roll the dice and make your move. If you break the rules I'll tell you." "What are the rules?" "Oh no, that would be telling, now wouldn't it?" "How can I be expected to play if I don't know the rules?" "Picard doesn't know them, but he's still playing nonetheless." Q held out the dice and deposited them into the Doctor's palm. "Your go, I believe." The Doctor reached out his hand and took the dice. On the bridge there was a silent flash of light and Riker vanished. Picard turned just in time to see Worf also vanish. Damn you Q, Picard thought, bring my people back. The dice looked inviting, as if pleading to be thrown. With a sigh the captain picked up the dice and rolled a one and a two. The sky was overcast, a deep blue with tinges of green dotted about. Trees lined a long, straight, dusty road. Riker blinked in surprise as he and Worf appeared in the middle of the road. They looked about and saw no-one. Only the faint rustling as the wind passed through the branches. Riker walked over to the line of trees at the right-hand side. Beyond them was a mist. As Riker put his hand out to touch it a voice called out of the air. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Q advised. "Q, what is this place? Why have you brought us here?" Riker demanded. "Tut tut, commander. All I am permitted to say is that the road leads two ways. One way is freedom, the other..." Q trailed off. "The other leads to death?" Worf asked. "Oh Worf, you're have such a way with words." "Well, does it?" Riker put in. "Not exactly. The other leads to a test of your skill and imagination. Worf had better stay behind because he doesn't have any." Q said. Worf growled deep in his throat but Riker held up a hand to forestall any comments. "Which way is which?" he asked. "There is no way to tell. It's all down to the roll of the dice." and the voice was gone. "Great. I suppose we'd better get started." Riker led the way down the road with Worf beside them, keeping a lookout as they walked. The dice felt ordinary to him. Looking around the room the Doctor strolled over to a table and rolled the dice across its surface. They clattered and came to a stop showing a five and a four. The Doctor picked them up again and looked around. Q had disappeared while the dice had rolled. The conversation had gone quite well, all thing considered, and the Doctor had learnt a great deal from Q. He put the dice in his pocket and walked from the room. The TARDIS stood in the conference lounge where he'd left it. Picard had joined him there after seeing the timelord stroll across the rear of the bridge. "Doctor, two of my crew have vanished. I know Q is behind it, but I'm at a loss to know how to bring them back." "That's something I was going to work out. If I can locate the source of his power - for want of a better word - I might be able to block it. But we'll have to move carefully, we don't want to leave any of the crew in danger. It will have to be done when we know they are all safe." he paused in thought, then asked, "Has you seen anything of Sarah?" "Not since the meeting." Picard replied. He glanced up to the ceiling, "Computer, locate Sarah Jane Smith." "There is no record of a Sarah Jane Smith onboard the Enterprise." came the pleasant voice of the computer. "Computer, locate the Doctor" the Doctor said. "The Doctor is in the conference lounge." "What was that for?" asked Picard. "I just wanted to make sure the computer was aware of me being on board. I noticed that it said Sarah wasn't recorded as being aboard." "I noticed that. If she's not on record as having come aboard then somebody or something has removed that record." "I think I had better start work on this device." the Doctor suggested. "Can you organise a search for Sarah, or at least her record?" "I'll get Data and Geordi to start immediately." replied the captain. The Doctor walked up to the TARDIS. Taking the key from his pocket he opened the door and went inside. Picard moved back onto the bridge and instructed the android to start searching for Sarah and then went back to his seat to contemplate the disappearance of his crew. In the TARDIS the Doctor was pulling circuit boards from the console. He examined each and making a decision either replaced it or added it to the growing pile of boards. Satisfied with his collection he picked them up and moved through the inner door towards his workroom. The workroom, or laboratory as the Doctor liked to think of it, was a large, tidy place. Tools were neatly hung from the walls above benches. There was a small door in one wall which led to a bare room with a table and on the wall was a camera, connected to a viewscreen in the workroom. The walls were covered in roundels, common to the design of the TARDIS. Setting the boards from the console gently down on a bench he proceeded to pull open drawers and cupboards. Soon another pile of bits filled the bench and then the Doctor began assembling them. It took the better part of two hours to fix the components, bits of wire, circuit boards, and a large connector together. He placed the various parts into a small metal framework and made the finishing touches. He stepped back to admire his contraption. "But will it work?" he asked himself. He walked over to the small room carrying the structure and placed it on the table. Turning to one of the roundels he pushed and was rewarded by it moved aside to reveal a connector, the mate to the one on the framework. He grasped it and pulled, causing a length of cable to feed from the wall. Making sure the connection was fast he walked out of the room and closed the door, locking it with a brief motion on the keypad situated beside the door handle. Then he moved up to a bench where the viewer was located and slowly turned the power up on the equipment. The screen showed the machine shuddering slightly and then be still. Readings on various meters and dials showed activity, but only just. The Doctor turned the power up some more and suddenly there was a puff of smoke and a muffled bang emanating from the screen. He looked sharply at the screen and saw it was fine: the machine in the small room, however, wasn't. Quickly he turned the power off and had to wait for the all-clear from the door locks before being able to enter the room. Worf and Riker continued to walk along the road, their feet stirring up little dust. There was a scream from just ahead, although neither man could see where it originated. Trusting to his instincts Worf ran ahead closely followed by Riker. Suddenly they were no longer on the road but were in a castle courtyard. High above them the ramparts were lined with bodies, as though a great battle had already been fought. The scream echoed again, seeming to come from a door off to the right. "Let's be careful." Riker suggested. "Remember, Q is probably behind this." The scream called out for a third time and Worf's hand shot to his belt for his phaser, but it wasn't there. Looking about he found a small curved sword and picked it up. Riker picked up a similar weapon, slightly longer and straighter, and moved forward cautiously. The door was ajar, behind it was a darkened room. Riker motioned to Worf, who positioned himself to one side. Riker gripped the handle and pulled the door open with a quick jerk. Light streamed in from the courtyard, igniting the darkness, and Riker could see a gigantic spider-like creature. Backed into a corner was a young woman, who Riker recognised. It took a minute for the sight to sink in the he rushed into the room. Worf followed close behind and started to hack at the spiders legs.Riker was chopping at the head carefully, to avoid being bitten, and eventually succeeded in piercing an eye. Panic gripped the creature and it tried to back off, but Worf had done a good job. Three of the legs were broken, dangling uselessly, and a fourth was severed. Riker, sensing the beasts panic mounting, threw his sword into the other eye but it glanced off a mandible and clattered to the ground. Worf saw the attempt and threw his sword to his commanding officer, whilst simultaneously rolling to the ground and scooping the others fallen weapon. Riker had seen the sword coming and caught it deftly. He lunged towards the creature again and the sword passed into its mouth and stuck there, protruding slightly between the jaws. There was a choking scream as the creature started to fall over. A few minutes later it was dead. Riker turned to the terrified woman and helped her across the room and out into the courtyard. Once there he realised where he'd seen her before. "Miss Smith, what are you doing here?" "I don't know." Sarah managed to say, in between huge gasps, "I was sitting in the room you gave me when suddenly I was here, in this castle." She paused to collect her thoughts and to get her breath back. She had been almost too scared to scream, the sound not wanting to emerge. Riker led the to a rough seat at the edge of the courtyard and she sat gratefully. "What happened then?" Riker asked "Then a man appeared, I don't know where from, and told me there was something he wanted to show me. He led me to that room - " she shuddered at the thought of what she'd found, " - and the thing dropped from the roof and blocked the doorway. I screamed, that much I do remember, then you were here." Riker was silent as he cursed Q for doing this. Worf had been looking about and found the drawbridge; it was raised. He moved over to one side and saw the release mechanism, pulled it and there was a clatter as chains rushed out of the wall, pulled by the lowering bridge. Sarah jumped at the noise and spun around, fearing something else was going to happen. Riker also turned and saw what Worf was up to. He gave a curt nod of approval as the exit banged down onto the far side of the moat. Worf walked back towards Riker and Sarah and spoke. "The bridge seems secure. Shall we cross it?" "Yes, let's get out of this place and find a way home." Riker answered. There was a noise. "Look!" Sarah shouted. She pointed at the portcullis that was lowering itself. Riker leapt to his feet and rushed to it, but Worf was faster. Grabbing a large pole from nearby he rushed to the metal grill descending and jammed the pole in a runner, and letting the other end dig into the ground. The portcullis stopped with a groan several feet from its normal resting place, the pole holding firm. Riker turned and beckoned Sarah over, then the three of them stooped under the iron grid and stepped onto the drawbridge. They had just reached the other side of the moat when the moat, drawbridge, in fact the entire castle vanished. "Where did it go?" Sarah asked in amazement. "It was never really there." was Riker's response. Worf just growled the name of Q under his breath. The door opened and the Doctor walked inside. The machine was slightly charred and two of the circuit boards were ruined. The Doctor looked on, upset at the loss of his boards, then disconnected the supply and carried the machine out of the room. He put it on a bench and began stripping it down so that he could replace the boards. Eventually he decided that he would need some help from the captain in replacing various parts and stood up. Meticulously he walked around the lab switching off the test gear and then walked back to the console room. He left the TARDIS, locking it behind him, and strode onto the bridge. "Doctor, how is it proceeding?" asked the captain. "Not well. I've had a few problems. A flash in the pan, you might say." Data looked up from the science station, a puzzled expression on his face. "A flash in the pan? Accessing..." "Never mind Data, it's an Earth saying." The Doctor said, grinning at the thought of the android working it out. "Ah." said Data, and then he turned back to his work. Picard hid a smile and said, "We have not been able to locate your companion as yet. Mr Data is currently running a test program to see if the computer has been compromised in any way." "Fine. Could I see you for a moment?" Picard nodded and strode towards his ready room. The Doctor followed the captain. The door hissed closed behind him and he walked up to the desk. He sat without being asked, rummaging in his pockets again. The object of his search was a small, very crumpled, paper bag. Dipping his fingers into the bag he pulled out a green jelly baby and popped it in his mouth then, realising he was being selfish, offered the bag to Picard. "Now then Doc-" began Picard, but he was distracted by a small bag being held across the table. Unsure of the bag, its contents, the strange man holding it, he was astonished to see this man lifting his legs to place his feet on the edge of the table. Frowning, Picard looked in the bag to see a multitude of small sweets of varying colours. He picked a yellow one as the Doctor said, "I'd like to know all you can tell me about this Q character." "Erm.. yes." said Picard, chewing on the sweet, "There's not really much I can tell you." He went on to outline the events that had previously occurred, from the encounter at Farpoint Station to the latest meeting. "The last time we saw him was approximately two months ago. He said he was here to check on a young woman who was a member of the continuum." The Doctor was silent for a minute then he leapt to his feet, popping another jelly baby in his mouth. "Well, I can't sit around all day, I've got the TARDIS to fix, puzzles to solve and machinery to construct. Jean-Luc, I'll need some spare parts for the TARDIS. Can you rustle up these for me." He handed a piece of paper to Picard, and started towards the door. "The replicator should be able to cope with this. It won't take long." "Good. I'd like to have this thing sorted out as soon as possible. Then I can see about getting us home." He strode through the door leaving Picard feel as though something important had happened but no-one had told him what it was. He looked at the dice that had appeared in front of him and picked them up. Rolling them across the table they skidded to a halt showing a double five. On the dusty road Riker and Worf walked, accompanied by Sarah. They were silent as they contemplated the events that had just happened. Sarah had recovered from her initial bout of shock and was thinking about the man who'd appeared to her. "Who is this Q person you mentioned?" she asked. "Q is a being with great powers. He delights in testing us. When we first met him he put us on trial." Riker replied. "On trial for what?" "For being a grievously savage race, or words to that effect." "What was the verdict?" "I don't know. Q said he would be watching us and then he disappeared. I think he was moderately impressed with us as we are now." "So why does he keep testing you?" "Because it amuses him to see us jump to his tune." Worf broke in. The road now seemed to curve to the right and before long there was a sight that Riker's mind couldn't get to grips with. Ahead of them at a distance of about 200 feet stood a pair of doors exactly like those on turbolift. Reaching them Riker was astounded to see that was exactly what they were. Worf walked all round them and reported that they were indeed turbolift doors, but they weren't connected anywhere. Riker walked up to them and obediently they parted to reveal the inside of a turbolift. Riker looked inside and satisfied his mind that the inside was just as it should be then stepped through the doors. Worf and Sarah accompanied him and the doors closed. "Bridge." said Riker. the lift shuddered and moved upwards gracefully. The doors parted to show a view of the bridge and the threesome exited. The bridge was still and empty. "This looks like the bridge of the Enterprise, but can we be sure?" Worf said. He prowled down the ramp to the command centre and seated in the captain's chair was Q. "Ah Worf, so good of you to join me, and commander Riker and the lovely damsel in distress. Welcome." Q rose and executed a florid and extravagant bow. Sarah smiled to herself at the gesture. "Q, where's the rest of the crew?" asked Riker. "Such eloquent rhyming from the mouth of a poet. Needless to say they will be along shortly. First, however, I have a question to ask you." Q resumed his seat and looked towards the viewscreen. "Tell me commander, Do you know where I might find this person?" Riker turned his head and gazed at the screen. From behind he heard Sarah gasp as the Doctor floated lifelessly in space... Chapter Five ------------ Sarah looked on in horror as the lifeless body of the Doctor drifted away from the ship. "You've got to do something!" she exclaimed. "There's nothing I can do from here." Riker said, by way of an apology. He turned to Q, "Bring him back onboard Q." "I would, but you see he's not really there. I tried looking for him but I can't find him. That's why I asked you the question." "That was horrible. It was just a despicable trick to get us to tell you." Sarah blurted out. She had been close to tears at the sight, but now she was regaining her composure somewhat and anger was replacing grief. "Oh I forgot. You humans are such emotional beings. You grieve over the slightest of things; a lost puppy, a dead pet." Q said. His voice began to take on a mournful, yet mocking, tone as he spoke. "Yes we are emotional. We have feelings. We care for others, even people we don't really know. It gives us strength and allows us to touch the lives of strangers. But at least we don't play cruel tricks just to get a laugh, or a kick." Sarah strode towards Q meaningfully, but the entity just clicked his fingers and she found herself on the other side of the bridge. Worf had been silent and stationary all this time but now he moved towards the conference lounge. The doors opened with a swish and he looked inside. The room was bare. Only the table and chairs were visible. "Commander, this is not the real Enterprise." he said. "Of course it isn't Worf." said Q. "I decided to get my own ship. I call her the U.S.S. Continuum. Registration number Q.C.C. 0001-Q. What do you think of her Riker?" "I think it's boring. Ordinary. I would rather travel in a bucket." Riker said in an offhand way. "The Enterprise could run rings around this ship. "Oh really? We'll see about that. Very well Riker, you may leave. I'll show you who's ship is the best." Q gestured angrily and Riker, Worf and Sarah vanished. "Run rings around my ship... We'll see." Captain Jean-Luc Picard sat in his chair on the bridge. Commander Data had just finished his report on the non-existence of a computer log entry for Sarah Jane Smith when a flash of light deposited the missing people in the middle of the bridge. "Number One, are you alright?" "Apparently so captain. Q decided to finish with his game and start a new one." Briefly Riker told his captain what had transpired, and what was going to happen. "Well done commander. I think we'd better check on the complement of the ship." He directed his voice upwards to the communications pick-up in the ceiling, "Computer. Are there any members of the crew unaccounted for?" "The current crew count is one thousand and forty seven. There are no crew members missing." the computer replied. Picard nodded and then looked at Data. "Commander, would you inform the Doctor of our position and tell him we are ready." Data acknowledged the request with a curt nod and walked towards the conference lounge. The Doctor was in the TARDIS, with the spare parts Picard had ordered up for him, and was re-testing the, now working, machine. The results flowed across the terminal on his workbench and he nodded with approval. Switching off his machine he waited for the all-clear before removing the apparatus from the test room. Cradling the devise carefully he walked back into the laboratory and placed it on the bench. He tidied the room up before leaving, then exited the room and made his way back to the console room. Leaving the machine on the floor near the base of the control console, he opened the doors and stepped out. Data had just appeared from the bridge and upon seeing the Doctor relayed the message from the captain. "Excellent Mr Data. Wait there a moment." said the Doctor and then he dashed back into the TARDIS. He returned a few seconds later carrying the machine. "Might I enquire as to the nature of this apparatus?" Data asked politely. "Not yet. I don't want our trump card being shown too early." was the reply. He put the machine on the table and directed it towards the TARDIS. The Doctor and Data strode onto the bridge and saw a similar ship on the viewscreen. The stars flashed past the other ship indicating a high-warp chase. "It's a race." Geordi said, in answer the Doctor's unspoken question. "Q challenged us to a race to a nearby system just to prove his ship's better than ours. Personally I think he's going to cheat." "That would be consistent with his normal behavioural patterns." Data noted. "The only question that we have to ask is, What does the loser get as a prize?" murmured Geordi. "A handshake and 'thank you for taking part' is what I always got." Sarah said. The Doctor smiled and asked how she was. "Oh you know, the usual. I get beaten up, or scared half-to-death, or shot at, or bombed, or tortured, or possessed. Just the run-of-the-mill stuff. while you get to meet the aristocracy and sort out their problems." She grinned and the Doctor was relieved. If she could make light of what had happened then she wasn't really hurt. One of these days he was going to give her the holiday he'd promised. The ship ahead suddenly veered of to the right and Riker barked a command to the ensign at the helm to follow it. A brief moment later the ship was back in the centre of the viewscreen, and slowly the Enterprise gained on it. The Doctor moved round the bridge and stood before the captain. "Captain, when we finally get this Q person on board I'd like for you to get him into the conference lounge so that I can talk to him." "Understood Doctor. I'll see what I can do." The Doctor then moved out of the way and let the captain continue to race the ship. "Captain, we are at warp 9.7. That's our top speed. The engines are red-lining as it is." Geordi reported. "We aren't gaining fast enough. Is there anything we can do to increase our speed?" "No sir. If we push the engines any further they'll go into auto-shutdown." "I see. Reduce speed to warp 9.5. We've lost the race this time." The helm complied with the order and the ship on the screen began to increase its lead once more. "Captain, are you forfeiting the race?" came the voice of Q. "We have to. Our engines can't take the strain anymore. Congratulations Q, you've won." "Oh that was too easy. I'll have to think up something else." "Perhaps you would care to join us in the conference lounge for a moment - to discuss the prizes." Picard offered. Q accepted and with a flash of light the ship vanished from the screen. Picard stood and walked towards the doors, tugging at his jumper. Riker followed him, closely followed by Worf, Data, Geordi and the Doctor. They filed into the lounge and saw Q sitting at the head of the table dressed in an Starfleet examiner's uniform. He looked up as they entered, and upon seeing the Doctor his eyes widened. "Doctor, so good of you to show up. I've been admiring your box. It has an interesting architecture that quite puzzles me. Perhaps you might allow me to see inside." Certainly. If you'd like to step over here I'll open the door for you." The Doctor gestured to the TARDIS but refrained from moving. Q stood and walked over to the TARDIS stopping at the door. He looked questioningly at the timelord who fished out his key and inserted it into a lock contained on the machine. Twisting the key caused the machine to hum quietly, but the doors refused to open. "That's odd. The doors should have opened. Just a moment." Said the Doctor. He twiddled a knob on the control panel of the machine and a sharp whistle emanated from the machine then died down to the quite humming noise again. "No, it definitely doesn't want to open." Impatient, Q decided to take matters into his own hands. Lifting his hand he gestured, but nothing happened. He gestured again, still nothing. "What have you done?" Q cried, alarmed. "This device is actually quite an achievement. It has effectively removed your abilities to manipulate space and time. What I have done is set up a dimensional space/time dampening field around you. Nothing you can do will break it, and the only way out is for the machine to be switched off. If I wanted I could leave you here for all eternity." the Doctor said, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. Q walked away from the TARDIS only to be brought up short by an invisible barrier. "Oh yes, there's also a form of forcefield. It wouldn't do to let you walk out of range, would it?" added the timelord. He turned to Picard, "Jean-Luc, could I have some time alone with Q, please?" Picard nodded and he and his senior staff vacated the room. Q looked at the Doctor with intrigue. The Doctor, however, looked on with pity and regret. "What are we going to do with you Q?" "What do I care. As soon as I am free of this I shall create havoc for you until the end of your days." "You tried that once before and I was forced to help stop you then. It looks like I must do it again." "What are you talking about?" "You seem to have forgotten. I'll tell you what I know and you can stop me when you start to remember. But before I do start I must do something." The Doctor looked up and spoke to the computer. "Computer, cease all recording of events in this room until otherwise instructed." "Please enter access code for requested function." replied the computer. The Doctor thought for a moment and then supplied a code. It was one he had stumbled across when helping Data fix the computer core, and he hoped it would work now. "Code verification check initiated, please wait... code verified and accepted. Recording has ceased." The Doctor pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, collecting his thought into order. Q sat on the floor heavily and waited. Presently the Doctor opened his eyes and spoke as though he were reading some ancient text. "In the beginning there was chaos. Rassilon decided to bring about order. Eventually he did and, with the help of Omega, created time travel. Omega was cast into a black hole by the force of the supernova exploding, where he lay trapped in a universe of anti-matter believing himself to be exiled and forgotten. There was another being at that time whose thirst for power and domination was almost greater than Rassilon could overcome. But Rassilon prevailed and the other one was cast out of society. He was banished, exiled, to a prison of great cunning. The prison was wrought from the very fabric of time and intersected with dimensions even Rassilon had not known existed. The exiled one was placed in the prison and given a guard. The guardian was there to ensure the prisoner did not try to escape. If he did, she was told to alter the destination so that he could never return to his home planet. Time passed and the prisoner drifted throughout space, time and dimensions. At some point there was a crack in the prison - a temporal flux in the universe - which allowed the exiled one to escape. The guardian, realising what had happened, carried out her orders and stopped him from reaching his destination. Trapped in a small dimension, he began to create illusions using the power of his mind. He lured unsuspecting travellers into his dimension where he forced them to play his games. If they lost, they became subservient to him. If they won they were allowed to go on their way. Winning was not easy, especially since it would involve the destruction of his small universe along with anybody, or anything, inside it - including the winners. At some point he snared a being, accompanied by two friends. The ensuing battle of minds was great and eventually the captive, an old man, won. The dimension exploded sending the exiled one back into his prison. The old man, however, was extremely clever. He engineered a way to exit from the small universe without losing his life, or that of his companions. The aftershock of the exploding dimension followed the prisoner back to his prison and shifted it into a far distant dimension, where another universe existed. The resulting shock of the journey was enough to break the prison entirely and allow the prisoner freedom. The guardian was set free also, and she spent a long time tracking the exiled one down. Are you getting all this?" The Doctor stopped for a moment to allow the information he'd imparted to sink in to Q's mind. Q nodded and signalled for the Doctor to continue. "I managed to piece the rest together with some help from people in this universe." the Doctor said, and then continued with his narrative. "The exiled one found that the power of his mind was enhanced by elements of this new dimension. There were others in that dimension and they decided to call it The Continuum. The exile decided to call himself Q." Q started at that. Suddenly all recollection came back to him. He remembered Gallifrey, the time of chaos, Rassilon, the Guardian. The Guardian! "Isn't it strange how over the years words change?" the Doctor said conversationally, as though he could see Q's mind racing to the conclusion. Guardian, Guardin, Goudin, Guidin, Guidan, Guinan! Q was stunned. Guinan was a descendant of the Guardian. "Do you mean to tell me that the Guardian has passed the knowledge down through the generations to Guinan?" Q asked incredulously. "No. Guinan IS the Guardian. She told me that when she met you for the first time on this ship that you and she recognised each other, but were not sure from where. That's because the information of who she was had slipped to the back of your mind and was of no importance to you. Well, I say that is was of no importance to you, what I mean is that both you and she had changed. Altered your appearances, you might say, and that was the reason you failed to recognise her." "No. I recognised her from a previous meeting we'd had many years ago. I forget exactly where or when, but we'd had our differences then and I think the shock of seeing her on board this ship clouded my recollection of who, or what, she really is." Q said. He paused as he collated the information imparted by the Doctor, then spoke again. "You said that this Rassilon person brought about order. What was I - the exiled one - charged with?" "Interference with other sentient lifeforms, wilful destruction of public property, subversion of minor races leading to their ultimate destruction. Need I go on?" "No, I don't think so. So, the exiled one was imprisoned and cast out of the universe. Then after a long while I emerged into the universe, dimensions away from Gallifrey. What are you doing here then Doctor, and why now?" "I don't know. I had been effecting repairs to the TARDIS when somehow I was shifted across the dimensions into this universe. I do know, however, that I cannot stay here. There is an imbalance in the weight of this universe and that the longer I stay here the more damage I unknowingly do to it. I must find a way to return to my own universe and dimension before the damage becomes irreversible." "Then you can take me with you. I could go back to Gallifrey and begin again. You know it makes sense, after all, I can effect changes in the universe - even the multiverse - and help us get back home." Q sounded keen, almost eager to help. The thought of being able to return to Gallifrey and continue his work there was becoming an obsession with him. He had already begun planning what he would do once he returned. The Doctor gently probed Q's mind and disliked what he found. "No, Q. I will not return you to Gallifrey. You were exiled for a very specific reason, and until you carry that out you can never return. I'm sorry, but there are standing orders issued to all timelords that if ever they met you they were to say that, and if all else failed to take their own lives and prevent any possibility of your return. You know, deep down, what that reason is and you must - in fact you are compelled to - finish that task first. Even if I were able and willing to take you back you wouldn't get very far. The High Council would sense your presence in my universe and simply exile you back here, or back into another prison, until you had carried out the task." Q hung his head, knowing the Doctor was telling the truth. The task was not really a great deal, but it hung about his neck like a heavy weight. "You are right, I must stay. I do not know when the task will be completed but I will stay until it has. How will the timelords know when it is done?" "The Guardian has implanted in her the knowledge of how and when to contact Gallifrey. She does not know how, why or even what the knowledge is, and neither you or anybody would be able to extract the information from her. When the time is right, she will know." the Doctor replied. " I will leave you here for a while to contemplate your future and the task. From what I have seen here I don't think it will be long before you are ready." The Doctor rose from his chair and slowly walked out of the room. On the bridge Picard sat waiting. The bridge was quiet, everyone was subdued. To have a powerless Q aboard started to give people ideas about retribution. The doors to the observation lounge opened and the Doctor walked through, slowly and deep in thought. "Doctor, is everything alright?" asked Sarah. "Hmm? Er... Oh, yes. I was just thinking of the enormous task that lies ahead." "For you, me or us?" she pressed. "For humanity, in any dimension or universe. So much to do and so little time." "That's always been the problem. Not enough time." Sarah said. She tried to inject a note of humour into her voice but the Doctor didn't seem to have noticed. He moved down the ramp and came over to the captain. "Captain, I would appreciate it if you could forget Q was on board and helpless and continue with your mission at hand. I think Q is going to have a slight change of heart about humanity in general. I gave him a lot to think about and he seems to be considering my words carefully. Could you see that no-one enters that conference room until I am sure he's ready." "I can't really do as you ask. Q is responsible for the deaths of thousands of beings, from all over the galaxy - probably even the universe. The Borg invasion is one of the most prominent examples. If there is any chance of having him stand trial for his crimes then I must make the arrangements to do so." "You don't really have any choice, unless you plan to keep me here as a prisoner." "You are a commander in Starfleet, and have not broken any rules or regulation that I am aware of. I have no reason to keep you here." "The equipment holding Q in the stasis field in composed of parts from my TARDIS. Without them I cannot leave, and I do not think your replicators could manufacture the necessary parts without first scanning the originals. To get to the originals I would have to switch off the forcefield and disassemble the machine. Once it has been turned off Q is free to go. Which do you propose to enforce?" "You do not leave me with a great deal of choice. I will need time to consider the options. If you'll excuse me, and my senior staff, I'll convene a meeting." Picard turned to Riker and asked for the senior staff to meet him in the ready room in ten minutes. Riker nodded and issued the command. Ten minutes later they were together in the ready room. Worf and Data stood near the door. Riker was seated near Picard's table, with the captain taking the obvious seat behind the table. Troi, Beverly and Geordi sat on the couch. Jean-Luc Picard sipped his tea and placed the cup back on to the table. Clearing his throat he began the meeting. "As you are all no doubt aware, Q is aboard the ship. At the moment he is trapped by a forcefield of some kind, built by the Doctor, and is powerless. The Doctor asks that we let him go and carry on with our mission. I am reluctant to do so. As I have said, Q is powerless and we have the possibility of bringing him to trial. Comments please." There was silence as the crew digested that speech, then Riker spoke up. "As I understand it, the Doctor is using parts from his craft to keep Q here." Picard merely nodded. Riker continued, "Could we duplicate these parts whilst the machine is operational?" "I do not think we would be able to get a true assessment of the components." Data said, thoughtfully. " I believe the machine is emitting a high distortion field covering space and time. These effects would interfere with the scanning of the machine." "Data's right." Geordi put in, "The machine would need to be completely switched off in order for the computer to lock on to it. Effectively, it would be like transporting it, just to get a precise look at what it is, and how it's constructed." "Could we transport Q and hold him in the beam until we've scanned the device?" Troi asked. "No. You see counsellor, in order for the transporter to lock onto Q we would need the forcefield surrounding him to be deactivated. The moment that's gone we'd lose Q as well. If there were a way to transport him out from within the field it would have pretty much the same effect. As we transport him the containment field would interfere with the forcefield. The strength of the forcefield would effectively be dissipating, therefore he'd just wink himself out of the beam." Geordi explained. "Can any of us enter the field?" Beverly asked. "I don't know, to be honest doctor." was La Forge's reply. "Why?" "I was just wondering. If one of us could get inside the field without interrupting it, we could stun Q. I could make a hypo-spray that would knock an elephant out for a week, if need be. Once Q's unconscious it'd