======== Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative Subject: TNG Astionic Apprehensions (P/C) From: Joan Ging Date: 8 Feb 1996 04:43:26 GMT Here it is! The whole story, chapter 1 through 4. Thanks to the support of a few fellow writers and readers, I am putting the rest of the story on. Hope you enjoy it, please write to comment and critique it. Astionic Apprehensions By Joan Ging Chapter 1 A middle-aged man, thin and stern-faced, walked briskly down the dimly lit corridor. His mind was swarming with a thousand little jobs he knew would fill up these few moments of free time. He habitually turned and entered his quarters, the door swishing shut behind him. He missed the cloaked figure looming mysteriously in the corner of his room, cowl pulled low over his sunken face. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the old captain himself." Jean-Luc Picard jumped with a start and whirled around. His heart beat ever so slightly faster as soon as he recognized the voice. "Q. What the devil are you doing here? I thought I told you never to interfere in Starfleet again. And certainly not on my ship," he added, spitting the words out with the contempt that he felt. Q stepped out of the darkness and pulled back his hood. He folded his hands in front of him and eased himself down into a chair. That forbidding smirk set permanently into his face was all too familiar to Picard. More than once this entity had meddled in his affairs at the most inappropriate times, and had treated the human race as if it were something he'd find on the bottom of his shoe after walking through a garbage heap. He wanted nothing else right now then to pick him up and kick him in the seat of his pants. The only problem was, Q was much more powerful than Picard, and was more likely to turn around and kick him back twice as hard if he even attempted it. As if in response to his thoughts, Q waved his hand and they were suddenly surrounded by a wagon train and a hot dusty desert. "A little change might do you good, Captain. You look in need of change." His smirk grew wider as he watched Picard circle around with a look of annoyance washing over his face. He patted his sleeves and billows of dust shot into the air. Picard coughed a bit and stepped back. Not only was this the stupidest scene he had ever been put in, he was almost sure it had absolutely nothing to do with Q's . . . "problem." "What do you want, Q?" The captain's impatiant tone showed that he was neither impressed nor amazed at what had just taken place. More than once, Q had whisked him and his crew off to some ridiculous place. The last was to play a war game with his first officer, Comdr. William Riker. Picard had been left without a crew on a ship which was completely immobilized . "Oh, just a talk. It's been so long since I've seen you! I thought we had some catching up to do." He was covering something, that much Picard knew. He waited for the man to continue. Q's eyes shifted nervously around, avoiding to meet Picard's. "Captain, what would you say if I asked you for help?" Picard studied him in disbelief, but realized the sincerity of the question. Q suddenly seemed very human. He waited anxiously for Picard to answer. "Well, ordinarily Q I would say it was a trick and tell you not to slam the door on your way out, but . . ." Picard was unsure of how to continue. He still didn't feel safe trusting him. "It's the Astions. They've come back." A look of fear darkened Q's face just a shade. Picard was filled with the same fear. The Astions were more powerful than the Q entity. They were filled with pure hatred from the top of their sleek, metal heads, to the bottom of their bladed, metal feet. Their entire race was built entirely for defense purposes, nearly a robot culture. They have half human brains, but that only helped them develop ways to incorporate emotional responses towards the people they met. And their responses were never good. During the 22nd century, they had revolted against their creators, killing each and every one of the 14 million beings on the planet. They built themselves an enormous starship and sailed off into the universe, destroying everything in their paths. Picard shuddered as he remembered the mutilated bodies of the unfortunate shuttle passengers they had failed to rescue before the Astions had destroyed them nearly 30 years ago. The most horrible thing about them, though, was the fact that they had the power to control any living brain in existence. Hypnosis was something their creators had learned to put into machines just before the revolution. The Astions had been defeated once, but it took over 50 Starfleet vessels, all working together to stop them. Only 6 ships survived, and only 458 of the 1200+ crew. The Astions were banned and sent on their way. Later, someone claimed to have seen the remains of the Astion ship floating near a planet on the edge of the universe, completely destroyed. They assumed the Astions had gone with it, being unable to track them down. They had showed up again, sometime in the past 50 years, apparently as cruel as before. Picard recieved a first hand experience when the Astions attacked the medical starship, Pasteur. Picard grew sick with the thought of dealing with them again. "They are trying to take over my mind. There's know way I can fight back on my own. A while ago, I felt a nauseous feeling sweep over me. It wasn't too strong, almost like they were testing to make sure it would work. Then one of their faces flashed before my eyes, and they were gone." Now it was Q's turn to shudder. Picard had never seen such disturbance and helplessness in his face. "I live primarily by mental abilities. Without them, I have no chance of fighting back." "The same is true for us, Q. Without our minds, we would be unable to function." Picard considered his answer very carefully. "As it is my duty, I will help any race in need. However, if this is a trick, the moment I see it, I will not only kick you off my ship for good, I will have you ostracized from Federation Territory." Picard raised an eyebrow in emphasis. Q stood up and gave him a sturdy handshake. "This I won't forget, Captain Picard," and with that and a flash of light, Picard was back in his room and there was no sign of Q. He glanced at his watch. Exactly the same time as when he had left. One good thing about Q, he never wasted any time! Chapter 2 "If any of you have any suggestions on how to proceed, I would be most grateful." Picard searched the eyes of his senior staff. Data spoke up first. "Sir, I believe you said that their brains are only half human, am I correct?" Picard nodded in agreement, giving him a puzzled look. "In order for me to hypothesize sufficiently, I must know the consequences of this. What is the effect of the human side, and what is the effect of the robotic side?" Now it was the Counselor's turn to speak. "I have been studying past reports on the Astions, and the only results anyone knows of for their human side, is that they are able to process an emotion. Instead of just doing something, they can do it with intent. The one fault this provides is the fact that human emotion can sometimes interfere with decisions that require pure logic. Unfortunately, their computer side can be used to override the interference. If they know they are in need of a logical solution, they will use their robotic half." Deanna Troi stopped, realizing she hadn't helped too much with that statement. "Well, in any case, when we approach them we will all have to be very careful. If anyone feels sick or any other abnormality, notify me immediately and go straight to sickbay." The captain looked towards his chief medical officer Beverly Crusher for confirmation, which she gave. "I may be able to create an immunity shot which will prevent side effects like that, but I won't be able to stop them if they actually complete the hypnotics." The doctor, too, felt bad that she had only disappointing news to report. The others grew gravely silent, all contemplating the many unfortunate outcomes this situation might bring about. "Meeting adjourned," sighed the captain, knowing that no one else could give any options at present. "Number One, I'd like to see you in my ready room as soon as possible." "Yes, sir." Riker obediently followed him out of the conference room. When they were safely behind the privacy of closed doors, the captain expressed his reasons for the meeting. "Number One, I feel I should warn you ahead of time that if anything happens to me, I depend on you to relieve me of duty. I can't say whether or not it will be immediately obvious if I am . . . overtaken. Please be on the lookout. Don't be fooled by anything I say. If you see any signs --" Riker cut him off. "Sir, I understand. That goes without saying. I'll be careful." Picard eased a bit. He could always count on Riker. Suddenly Picard's comms. chirped. "LaForge to Captain Picard! Captain, we've got a coolant leak! I'm trying to get it repaired, it isn't too bad, but I've had to terminate the warp drives! I might have to call an evacuation for this section!" Geordi LaForge's screaming voice was barely audible over the hissing of the leak. Riker and Picard heard people yelling back and forth to each other. Jean-Luc couldn't believe it. He shot out of his ready room, Riker close on his heels. Of all the times this could have happened! . . . but there was no use in getting annoyed. Just as Picard was about to sit down in his command chair, his comms. chirped again. "Sickbay to Captain Picard! All of my equipment is malfunctioning! I've lost three lives already and I've got thirteen on the edge! Someone overrode the emergency program and locked it off!" Beverly was on the verge of tears. Jean-Luc slammed his fist into the consoles in frustration. Then he stopped. A rotten realization came flooding into his mind. It had to be Q. Who else could cause so much at once? Now he'd pushed Picard too far! Unfortunately, his suspicions were quickly denied. "Captain!" Gasped a voice from the turbo lift. Picard spun around to see Q staggering towards him, clutching his head. He had gotten within five feet of the chair beside Picard's when he doubled over in a heap. Picard fell to his knees beside him, as did several others. With shaking hands, Picard turned him over. Pure, unadulterated terror iced his blood. A small trickle of blood was running across his neck. As Picard examined the wound closer, he saw what he was looking for. Cut into the skin, just below his left ear, was a small triangle. The Astions. He closed the dead man's eyes to shut out the look of agony they held. Picard was suddenly thrown across the room with an incredible force. The lights on the bridge flickered and died. Riker shouted for emergency power, but recieved the answer of none being available. Picard was barely able to lift his head enough to see the viewscreen. Stars whizzed upward. The Enterprise had taken a nose-dive. Jean-Luc wasn't able to see much after that. He had blacked out. Riker crawled to the conn, trying to protect his left leg, which had recieved a nasty gash. He managed to level out the ship manually, an operation he had not done in years. Power had come back to the emergency systems as well. There were casualties everywhere and damage reports flooded the screen. Riker talked to each section one at a time, giving them instructions on how to deal with their problems. It took a few hours for Picard to rise from his stupor. Along with consciousness came a headache. It hurt so bad, he could barely see straight. He pulled himself over to the exasperated Number One, who was nearly finished with the repair commands, seeking the reassurance of a sturdy chair to lean on. His hand groped blindly for his comms badge. "Picard to sickbay. Doctor, I'm going to need some help." Jean-Luc knew he wasn't going to be any help unless he could think straight. He pulled himself up and stumbled into the turbolift. He could feel the room begin to spin. He hadn't seen the huge cut across his forehead. He was losing too much blood to stay conscious. As the turbolift doors open, his limp body slipped out onto the floor. If Beverly hadn't noticed the waver in his voice over the comms, she wouldn't have been waiting for him at the doors. Nevertheless, she had not expected him to collapse at her feet. A pang of fear shot through her as she dropped down beside him. His face registered no emotion whatsoever. Her medical team whisked him off on a stretcher, and Beverly followed, brushing a piece sweat-laden hair out of her eyes. She had been working double her usual load for over six hours already. Now the captain's life was in her hands. Now her friend's life was in her hands. She felt a new emotion creeping in. It was a passionate terror. If anything happened to him, she would never forgive herself. Losing her husband had been bad enough, but to lose Jean-Luc as well... For a moment, she paused, realizing how strong her feelings had become. She pushed the them aside, however, knowing it wouldn't help one bit. "Get me a neural scanner," she commanded, her officers scampering to comply. She swung it over his head, locking the feet into the floor in case they took another tumble. She strapped Jean-Luc's limp body down firmly, knowing that the scanner might cause muscle spasms in the brain. She began the slow, tedious process of removing damaged nerves and replacing them with simulations. Chapter 3 "I've managed to replace all the damaged chips in the computer system with backups. As far as I know, everything is operational again. I've checked and rechecked to make sure that whatever hit us didn't leave behind some sort of virus in the original chips which seemed undamaged. I found nothing." Geordi was pleased with himself for being one step ahead of Riker. It didn't happen as often as he wished. "Excellent, Lieutenant," commented a weak Commander Riker. He had just spent nearly half a day repairing almost every deck on the ship. Now the captain was on his death bed and he could barely walk after the incident on the bridge. "Commander, may I have a word?" Deanna's gentle voice broke him from his wallow in misery. She put an comforting hand on his back as she followed him out of the conference room. "Will, I need to relieve you of duty. You need rest from emotional strain, as much as physical." She could sense his immediate rejection of the idea very strongly. It was like a hammer in her sensitive Betazoidian mind. It wasn't always comfortable being an empath. "No, Deanna. Not now. I need to keep things under control until the captain is well. We can't afford another run-in like that!" His voice was growing louder and more urgent. Deanna watched his jaw muscles flex in frustration. "Will, you are unfit for duty. I am ordering you to go back to your quarters and remain there until further notice. If I hear from anyone that you have left, I will post security outside your door." She met his furious gaze with her own calm, decisive one. Riker spun on his heel and stormed down the corridor. Deanna sighed, hating to have to use that kind of force on him, but she couldn't afford to lose time arguing with him. She needed to help Beverly. Her frustration and love were overwhelming Deanna so much, that she had barely been able to concentrate on the situation at hand with the mysterious break down. She furrowed her brow as she started toward Sickbay. "Hello, Beverly. How is he?" She shuddered at the sight of the captain's pale face. It looked ghostly death-like. "Deanna, I can't seem to find where the worst of the wound is. There is something strange about it. I thought that it was just a concussion type wound, but there are some things which suggest otherwise. See here," the concerned doctor pointed toward the wound, showing a sharp cut, but it wasn't straight. As a matter of fact, it looked like someone had tried to cut a triangle into his head. "And then there's the brain's reaction to the wound. Instead of instant clotting, it allowed the cut to remain exposed for long enough to gain an infection. The other puzzlement is the fact that it doesn't seem to have started in one place. In fact, it doesn't seem to have started at all. Almost like it just appeared." Beverly's intense blue eyes clouded over as she searched the map of Jean- Luc's brain. "Is he going to be okay?" All this uncertainty began to make Deanna uncertain. Beverly looked up at her, on the verge of tears, not really wanting to answer. "I don't know!" She moaned. Deanna was surprised. She knew she and the captain shared a deep bond of friendship, but she was feeling a more intense emotion. She concentrated on it, and suddenly recognized it. It was a deep love, beyond the love of friends. Unfortunately, she also sensed that Beverly was avoiding the feeling, as if she were afraid of it. Deanna knew now was not the time to discuss it, but she was going to have to make Beverly at least acknowledge the feeling, or her relationship with him would be in danger. Without honesty, any relationship is doomed. "Doctor, Captain Picard is coming around." Dr. Selar, Beverly's Vulcan assistant, led the doctor to the bed where he lay. As Beverly reached the bed, she bit her lip, blinking back the tears which threatened to spill. She gazed down at Jean-Luc. He blinked at her and smiled. "He -- whoa!" Picard had tried to raise himself to his elbows but his throbbing head sent him down again. He massaged his temples, but gave it up, realizing it was only making it worse. He glanced at the doctor for an explanation, but instead saw a tear quietly slipping down her cheek. "What's the matter? Is there something about me you haven't said?" He succeeded in rising this time. He searched her gentle eyes for an explanation. "Jean-Luc, I almost lost you!" In a burst of emotion at the recognition of this, she flung her arms around his neck, clinging to him tightly. She nearly pushed him off the sickbed with the gesture. Jean-Luc was unsure of how to respond. The action took him completely by surprise, but he enjoyed the endearment. He turned her face and gazed into it. "I will never get lost with you around!" He smiled at her. They remained in their embrace, looking at each other. They jumped apart, however when Deanna cleared her throat behind them. Beverly and Jean-Luc both turned a fiery shade of crimson, avoiding the counselor's eyes. Deanna enjoyed a smile to herself, thinking that maybe she wouldn't have to help Beverly confront her feelings after all. Chapter 4 "So I see you have been banned to your cabin!" A laughing voice spoke from the living room of Riker's quarters. "Damnit! It was you! I couldn't shake that feeling from my mind." "Humans are too trusting! I keep telling you, I am immortal!" Riker spat at the man's contemptible humor. "You nearly killed us all! And that sick show of death. I ought to kill you!" Riker lunged forward. "There you go again, thinking I am just another pitiful mortal." Q sneered at the large man, watching him stumble forward as he stepped aside. Suddenly the door shot open. "That's it, Q. You will never, ever, be allowed into Federation Space again. I am confining you to the brig until we reach Starbase 12." Picard grabbed the snickering form by the collar and enjoyed the uncharacteristic satisfaction of sending him flying through the doors with the sole of his boot. The security guards grabbed him, wrenching his arms behind his back. But Picard wasn't stupid enough to think they had him. As he had expected, Q suddenly disappeared from the vice-like grasp of the two officers. "Good riddance. Humiliation ought to keep his ego dampened for a while." Riker turned to look at Picard and his jaw dropped. His forehead was absolutely clear of any sign of a blemish or wound. "Dr. Crusher sure can do a hell of a patch up job," he commented. "It never happened, Number One. It was a game of Q's. Check the time. It hasn't moved a second." Riker quickly asked the computer for time. Sure enough. "I'll never get used to him." "I hope you don't have to, Will." Later on, when the senior staff had collected for a casual drink in Ten Forward, Riker gave the captain a puzzled gaze. "So how did you figure out it was really Q?" he asked. "Data came to me with some information which a previous encounter with the Astions had provided. Though it was true that their signature was a triangle cut into the skin, it couldn't just appear. At first I thought it was because of their hypnotic powers, but Data told me that there was no known race that could inflict a wound mentally. In the report, the people said that they had seen the Astions cut the triangle themselves." Riker gave the captain an impressed gazed. He looked surprised, though, when the entire table began giggling without him. "What? I think I missed something." He surveyed the crowd with a confused look. "There was also the small detail Data reminded me of, Q is immortal." The table, including the captain and his first officer burst out laughing. They rose up on this happy note and decided to retire. As they exited Ten Forward, Picard pulled the doctor aside. "Beverly, I never thanked you for saving my life, and I'm grateful, even though the whole thing was a set up." There eyes connected and they both felt the strong connection. Suddenly the captain smiled. "Now, I'd like to show you just how much I appreciate you!" He leaned forward and kissed her passionately on the lips. She stumbled back a little, in shock, but soon she threw herself around him once more. And once more she had been a little to energetic. They toppled onto the floor. Jean-Luc let out a small groan of pain as he lay there, flat on his back, completely immobile. Beverly pulled herself over to him with a sincere look of concern. "Doctor, please refrain from this particular display of emotion. I won't ever be able to get up again, if it continues." She gave him a warningful raise of the eyebrow as she kissed him back.