Subject: NEW Prophecy Part One 1/? (TNG w/some DS9; Q/f, R/f) [PG-13] From: meghanelizabeth Date: Fri, 02 July 1999 08:28 PM EDT Message-id: <7ljlf6$qke$1@nnrp1.deja.com> All types of feedback wanted (except flames!). Reply to drvickiann@startrekmail.com Title: Prophecy Part One: Q Conspiracies Author: Meghan Elizabeth Series: TNG with a little DS9 Part: NEW 1/? Rating: PG Codes: mini-crossover with DS9; Q/f, R/f Summary: A secret of the Q Continuum is about to be revealed and Q is sent to investigate. He gets more than he bargained for when he falls for Picard's new helmsman, Lieutenant Commander Victorianna Leonard, who is not who she appears to be. Their relationship has its share of pitfalls, including some secrets of Q's past threatening the life of his new love. (Starts just after "First Contact" and ends shortly after Voyagers' "The Q and the Grey.") Disclaimer- Paramount owns all but Victorianna Leonard, Q's father, Gerard,and all other people places, ships, not mentioned anywhere in the Star Trek universe before. THE BEGINNING A little boy of about twelve stood with his mother and brother, watching some strange creatures play with sticks through a big window his mother called the Guardian. The creatures resembled his present form slightly, but they walked hunched over. They wore rags for clothing and their hair was long and matted. They spoke to each other in grunts. He turned his nose up at them in distaste and was about to tug on his mother's skirt to tell her he wanted to leave. His brother stopped him. "Why are you always so impatient Q?" his brother asked him. "This is boring. Let's go somewhere else," Q replied. "Mother says we have to stay," replied his brother. Suddenly, in front of them, the sticks came to life with a bright fiery blaze. "You see, Q, these creatures are more than they appear to be. Remember that, my son. They do not yet realize their full potential and will not for years to come, much like we did, many eons ago. Do not forget that," his mother told him. She knelt down in front of him, her beautiful face creased with worry. "If you remember anything I taught you, remember this. Yes, the Q are more evolved than species, but these beings possess many things we do not. They continue to amaze our scholars with their abilities. They have evolved at an accelerated rate. True, we know what they are just now learning, but with their intelligence, they are evolving faster than we expected. They are truly more than the sum of their parts. Do not become like your father and look down other life forms. Do not become arrogant like your father. Promise me this, Q." "Ah, mom, why do you always yell at me instead of Q? He never gets in trouble," Q replied. His mother sighed. "Your brother doesn't act like your father. You do. And I'm not yelling. Do you understand me, Q?" The boy with unruly, wavy black hair nodded. "Yes, mother." Q looked at his brother, who was pushing his straight blonde hair out of his face. Q scowled at his brother, who returned the sentiment by sticking out his tongue. Their mother scolded them, "Stop it you two. Now, let's get home before your father misses us." THE BEGINNING OF THE END A group of men and women sat at a large rectangular table. At the head ofthe table was a large, ornate chair in which sat a man in 21st century judge's uniform. The man had dark hair mixed with grey. Since this man could not age, it was more a matter of distinction than age. "Why have you called us here?" a tall, thin blond man asked. The man at the head of the table answered, "I have asked you here to discuss the situation of Victorianna Troi. She has been transferred to the Enterprise-E. There is now a high probability that they will scover her identity, especially with her sister on board. Her identity cannot be discovered. She must be eliminated." A man with unruly, dark, wavy hair in a Starfleet captain's uniform sat on top of Starbase 17, staring out at the stars. A woman in a similar uniform, with bright red hair, sat beside him. "Why weren't you at the meeting?" she asked him. "I was otherwise occupied," he replied, looking bored. "Don't tell me. You were off causing trouble again. Your father finally decided what to do about the Leonard girl." "And what is that?" "Well, obviously, her identity cannot be discovered. I think he's going to kill her." "Kill her? For being born?" "The project cannot be discovered!" "I don't give a damn about the project! He cannot play God and decide who doesn't live up to his standards!" "You're just saying that because he doesn't approve of your work with humans. I can't say that I do, either. I never did understand what you see in them. They're nothing but a bunch of useless-." "Will you be quiet? What is he going to do to her? When?" The woman, her arms crossed across her chest, said nothing. "Tell me!" "I don't know! He didn't tell us. I don't know why you're getting so upset about this. She's only a human. Actually, she's half-human\half- Betazoid, but that doesn't matter, she's still a mere mortal." The man vanished in a flash of light. The man who had previously been on Starbase 17, appeared in his father's subjective office. "Q says that you have decided what to do about Victorianna Troi." "Yes, I have." "Well?" His father began to pace. "Her identity cannot be discovered. If it were, the Continuum would fall. Therefore, the only option we have is to eliminate her." "In what way?" His father smiled. "As we speak, she is responding to a distress signal from Omicron Theta. A mysterious plasma storm will cause her shuttle to crash. The Enterprise will continue to wait for her at Starbase 17 and by the time they realize where she is, it will be too late." His father began to laugh. Q smiled outwardly, but inside he felt sick. His father had gone completely insane and Q was the only one who could stop him. Chapter 1 Lietenant Commander Victorianna Leonard stood on the grounds of Starfleet Headquarters. She had left the awards ceremony early. She had received the President's Award for Distinguished Medicine. It was for her work on Betazoid Telepathy. That didn't matter though. Victorianna was thinking about the last time she had been here in San Francisco. Eight years ago. *Wow* she thought to herself, *it's hard to believe it was that long ago.* She had just graduated from the Academy and had been assigned to the U.S.S. Goddard. She was going to be a doctor on a Federation starship and had never felt happier. Until she'd gone home. Her fiancé hadn't gotten home yet, so she had started packing. Gerard, her fiancé, had come home before she had finished. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked her. "I've been assigned to the Goddard." "You're not going. You're staying right here." "No, I'm not. This isn't an optional assignment. I have to go." "You're not going." "Yes, I am," Victorianna replied, her voice shaking. "You'll have to resign," Gerard told her, his voice ice cold. "I am not resigning!" He stepped toward her. She had been putting a picture of her parents in her suitcase. When Gerard stepped toward her, her hands started to shake and she dropped the picture. The glass shattered on the floor. Swallowing, she stammered, "I-I'm not resigning." Gerard hit her with the force of a thousand bricks. Victorianna flew intothe dresser. She could feel blood dripping out of her nose and the side of her head. She heard the door slam and a voice yell, "Sweetie, where are you? Your father and I-." Her mother walked in the bedroom her eyes wide. "Get away from her!" her mother told Gerard. Mrs. Leonard went over to Victorianna and asked her, "Are you all right?" Mr. Leonard entered and stood by Gerard, his eyes threatening Gerard. Mrs. Leonard helped Victorianna pack her things and led her out the door. Mr. Leonard turned to Gerard. "If you ever come near her again, you'll wish you were dead." Victorianna had healed her physical wounds in the shuttle to Starbase 17, where she had met the Goddard. It had been eight long years. She was now getting ready to leave for Starbase 17 again, where she was meeting the Enterprise-E. She was to be the new helmsman. Victorianna was a first class pilot and had even been decorated for it. She had been preparing for months to get ready for the Enterprise. Admiral Davidson had told her that her transfer had been requested by Jean-Luc Picard. Obviously, he high expectations of her. She just hoped she could live up to them. "Captain, Starbase 17 requests that we pick up a diplomat and take them with us to Starbase 79," Data told Picard. "When is Lt. Leonard due?" Picard asked. "Two hours," Data replied. "Very well. Come, Number One, and we'll greet our visitor," Picard replied, walking to the turbolift. Picard and Riker stood in transporter room one. *Why is it taking so long?* Picard thought to himself. *The diplomat should have arrived before we got here.* A shape shimmered on the platform and who appeared, but a very pregnant Lwaxana Troi, followed a few seconds later by her valet. Picard gulped. "You're looking, well, Mrs. Troi." "Don't give me that , Jean-Luc, I know ho you really feel about me!" she snapped, stepping off the platform with the help of Mr. Homm. She walked right past Picard and went over to Riker. She took Riker by the shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. "Hello, Will. You're looking fit. Would you show me to my quarters?" Riker nodded, smiling. Lwaxana sauntered into the corridor, followed by Mr. Homm and Riker. As the door shut behind them, the transporter chief muttered, "Women." Lt. Leonard's shuttle was nearing the planet Omicron Theta, she was passing it on the way to Starbase 17. She checked her instruments before she took a quick nap before meeting the Enterprise. "Wait. What is this? A distress signal from Omicron Theta? That's impossible!" She checked her sensors. There were signs of a wreckage on the planet. She put the shuttle on auto pilot in a standard orbit. Leonard grabbed her med kit and went to the transporter. "Damn." A plasma storm in the atmosphere was interfering with the transporter. She would have to take the shuttle down. Mysteriously, as the shuttle bounced around in the atmosphere, her power drained and the shuttle started to spiral towards the planet. "Captain, we are receiving a distress signal from Omicron Theta. It is from a Federation shuttle," Data reported. "Set course for Omicron Theta, warp five," Picard replied. "Course laid in, sir. We will arrive in twenty minutes." "Engage." Back on Omicron Theta, a man in a Starfleet captain's uniform stood beside the wrecked shuttlecraft. He had just activated the distress signal on the craft. He knelt down beside Lt. Leonard and pushed back a strand of her hair. That's when he saw the deep gash in her forehead. He felt her pulse. No wonder it was so weak; with all the blood loss she had suffered. The man squinted in the scorching sunlight as if he could see if a ship was enteringorbit. "Hurry up, Jean-Luc!" he said impatiently, running his fingers through his almost black, slightly wavy hair. He looked down at Victorianna and saw that she was no longer breathing. A single, solitary tear rolled down his cheek and hit the hot, dry ground, sizzling as it vaporized almost immediately. He snapped his fingers and Victorianna Leonard's rhythmic breathing resumed as if it had never stopped, as did her heart. The man smiled to himself and vanished in a flash of light. The Enterprise was now orbiting the planet Omicron Theta. Captain Jean- Luc Picard shifted in his chair on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-E."Mr. Data, please scan for life signs," the captain ordered. The android obeyed and replied a few seconds later, "Sensors detect one person on the surface, a half-Betazoid/half-human. Very weak life signs. I've picked up a comm signal. It's Lt. Leonard. I suggest beaming her directly to sickbay." He swivelled around in his chair, waiting for the captain's response. Picard nodded. "Agreed. Picard to Dr. Crusher, prepare for to receive an emergency transport of Lt. Leonard," he told the doctor over the comm system. The captain then glanced at Counselor/Lt. Commander Deanna Troi. "Counselor, please accompany me to sickbay," he said, standing. As the two of them walked up to the turbolift, the captain tapped his communicator. "Transporter room 1, beam Lt. Leonard directly to sickbay." Once they were in the turbolift, Deanna turned toward the captain. "I don't understand how Victorianna Leonard could be half-human. My mother is aquatinted with the Leonards and they are both Betazoid. It doesn't make sense," she told Picard. The captain nodded and replied, "Her uncle Stephen was on the Stargazer and he talked about her often. I spoke to him a few years ago and he mentioned that she was valedictorian of her class at the Academy. That's what got me interested enough in her career to request her transfer. Stephen never mentioned that one of her parents was human. If Victorianna is well enough, we'll see if she knows anything about this." The doors of the turbolift opened and they walked down the corridor to sickbay. When they arrived, Dr. Crusher was tending to Lt. Commander Leonard's wounds. The doctor turned and smiled when she heard the doors swoosh open. "She had a few broken bones and lost a lot of blood, but we've taken care of that. She'll be fine, though. Here, I'll revive her." Beverly gave her two cc's norep. The woman sat up, her eyes wide. "Where am I?" she asked. "You're on the Enterprise," Beverly said, smiling, trying to comfort her. Picard looked at her closely. Now that he saw her face to face, he saw a striking resemblance between her and Counselor Troi. Victorianna's hair was thick, curly, and golden brown, like Deanna's, and fell halfway down her back. Her eyes, instead of brown like Deanna's, were blue. *Guess it's true what they say, you travel far enough and you'll run into yourself* the captain thought to himself. Picard was unsure of how to word what he was about to say. "Victorianna, Counselor Troi here, whose mother is aquatinted with your parents, assures us that they are both one hundred percent Betazoid, but our sensors detected you as half-Betazoid/half-human. Do you know anything about this?" Leonard looked stunned. "What? I was adopted, but I've always thought I was one hundred percent Betazoid.. Sensors have always said the same. I don't understand this," Victorianna replied. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a man in a Starfleet captain's uniform appeared. "Q!" Picard said, his voice void of any positive emotion. "What are you doing here?" Q smirked. "Patience, mon capitaine. I may have some answers to your questions." He snapped his fingers and Picard, Data, Troi, Worf, Riker, Crusher, and Lieutenant Leonard appeared in the conference lounge. "Q, what is this?" Picard demanded. Q held up a hand. "Now, Jean-Luc, hold your horses," the omnipotent being scolded. He snapped his fingers and this time, Lwaxana Troi, and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Leonard appeared. "Jean-Luc, what am I doing here?" Lwaxana asked. Then she noticed the man standing beside Picard. "Q! I should have known. You know you're lucky Jean-Luc saved you last time." She stood up, her arms outstretched, her hands ready to tighten around Q's throat. Q cringed slightly, recalling of how she had been allowed by the Continuum to keep the powers he had given her, in order to teach him a lesson. She was one intriguing mortal. Q then rolled his eyes. "Lwaxana, shut up and sit down!" he said, snapping his fingers as he spoke. Lwaxana was now sitting in her chair, bound and gagged. "Armph! Qumph! Leph meph goph!" she mumbled underneath the gag. Data cocked his head to one side. "I believe she is trying to say 'let me go'," he concluded. Picard nodded, "We know Data." Wishing he didn't have to remove the gag, he reached over, took it off and untied Lwaxana. Then, he turned toward Q and asked, "Q, what are you doing?" Q signed, summoned all his strength, and began to speak. "Dr. Crusher here discovered that Vicki Ann is half-Betazoid/half-human." Alacia Leonard started to interrupt but Q stopped her. "Let me finish. The reason the sensors picked it up this time isn't because of your so- called 'new' sensors, but because I let you. Now, the reason Vicki Ann is a half-human/half-Betazoid is because the Continuum decided to 'borrow' a child from a Betazoid mother to try and raise it as a Q. To cause as little trouble as possible, we took her just after it was conceived. Once we discovered the child was half-human, the head of the project wanted us to keep the child until she was fully developed. Then, she was left on the doorstep of the Leonards so that she would not be 'contaminated' by a human parent. It was his decision, so we all went along with it. Victorianna is the daughter of Lwaxana and Ian Andrew Troi." Lwaxana stood up. "Q, you really do keep topping yourself. I'd ask you what gave you the right to invade my body and steal my child but I know what you'll say: superiority." Q, feeling just the slightest microscopic bit guilty, cringed at Lwaxana's anger. "Yes, Lwaxana, superiority," he said mockingly, trying to hide his guilt. Vicki Ann's cheeks were wet with tears and her eyes were bursting with anger. "How could you do something that immoral, that indecent?" she asked Q. "You will find that Q and his Continuum have no morals," Picard said. "Q, why didn't you tell me about this before?" Lwaxana asked him. Q cleared his throat, "Well, you see, I-uh- was sworn to secrecy." Worf snorted. Q's face shifted from his facade of calmness to mock surprise. "Why, Worf,what's this sudden animosity I sense?" Then he turned serious. "The importance of this secret forced me to keep my mouth shut." "Do you know why I crashed?" Vicki Ann asked. "No." Q replied Vicki Ann, her powers way beyond that of even the most powerful of Betazed, sensed he was lying. She called him on it. "You're lying." Q, obviously surprised, said, "Okay, those of us in the project realized we couldn't hide her identity forever. The head of the project decided that we would eliminate her and make it look like an accident. Now that you all know, I guess it's pointless to kill anyone because we can't kill you all." Riker muttered, "Gee, maybe the Q have morals after all." Alacia and Michael were in complete shock, as was everyone else. Q quickly conferred with Alacia and Michael, who agreed to let Q teleport them to Betazed and allow Vicki Ann and Lwaxana to get aquatinted. Q snapped his fingers and everyone was where they were supposed to be. "Perhaps you should show your sister to her quarters on deck 8," Picard suggested to Deanna. Deanna nodded and motioned for Vicki Ann to follow her. Vicki Ann saluted the captain and followed Deanna. Picard shook his head and sat down at his post on the bridge. Once they were in the turbolift, Deanna laughed and said to Vicki Ann, "This is going to be quite strange for a while. My-our- sister, Kestra, died when I was a baby. I've never really known what it's like having a sister before." Victorianna glanced down at the floor uncomfortably. "I'm sorry never knew about any of this before." "Your quarters are right down the hall from Commander Riker, so if you need help adjusting, I'm sure you'd be glad to help." Vicki Ann smiled. "Are you two friends?" She asked, sensing Deanna's fondness for Riker. Deanna smiled slyly. "Yes, it was once much more than that, but we're just friends now." After Deanna showed Vicki Ann to her quarters, they went to Ten-Forward so the two of them could talk. Before Vicki Ann was even introduced to Guinan, the bartender stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Guinan," she said, smiling. Vicki Ann shook the hand Guinan held out. "I'm Vicki Ann, Deanna's-," she started, but Guinan finished for her. "Don't tell me-sister?" she asked. Vicki Ann, obviously surprised, replied, "Yes. How did you know?" Deanna smiled. "Guinan has a sixth sense that none of us understand, but we all trust it." "And you two look alike," Guinan added. Deanna ordered two hot fudge sundaes and then turned toward Vicki Ann. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed that you liked hot fudge sundaes, probably because I do." Vicki Ann laughed. "I love hot fudge sundaes!" Someone behind them said, "Q was telling the truth about you two being sisters!" Vicki Ann turned around to see who it was and ran right into a tall, handsome man. By the looks of the pips on his collar, he must be the infamous Commander Riker. Deanna had mentioned him in the turbolift. Vicki Ann had sensed that there had been a relationship and asked Deanna about it. Riker and Deanna had once been involved, but were just good friends now. Vicki Ann knew of him from her last post. The senior officers there had gossiped about other officers, especially those on the Enterprise. Her friends were always talking about how he had given up so many command positions to stay on the Enterprise. She could sympathize; the Enterprise was magnificent. She didn't want to leave either. She smiled at him and stuck her hand out. "Hi, I'm Vicki Ann. You must be Commander Riker," she said, catching him off guard. Riker smiled inwardly as he shook her hand. If she's that knowledgeable, she'll make one hell of a fellow officer. He'd have to assign her to his next away team; her observational skills would be invaluable on an away team mission. "Yes, as a matter of fact I am Commander Riker. But, unless we're on duty, you can call me Will." Then he turned toward Guinan. "Finnegan's Wake, please." Deanna winked at Riker as she carried the sundaes to a table near the window. "Would you join us, Will?" she asked. "Sure," he replied, getting his drink and following Vicki Ann to the table. Riker decided immediately that he liked Vicki Ann. She reminded him of Deanna, although just a bit. Vicki Ann was younger than her sister and besides the obvious physical differences, she reminded him of a young, brash lieutenant he once knew named William T. Riker. For some odd, unknown reason, Riker felt as if he'd known Vicki Ann all his life. He felt completely at ease around her, despite her many telepathic and empathic abilities. He could easily fall in love with her; maybe he already was. "Hey, Deanna, I'll bet Q will regret meeting up with your mother again," Riker said, laughing. Deanna turned toward Vicki Ann. "Mother and Q met years ago and things did not go well," she said. Vicki Ann nodded, not wanting to pursue the subject. Then, at the same time a strange, sinister looking man entered Ten-Forward, Vicki Ann slumped forward onto the table. Immediately, Riker stood and walked over to Vicki Ann. "Are you all right?" he asked. Vicki Ann, sick to her stomach and head spinning, whispered softly, "I don't know." "We'll take you to see Doctor Crusher," he said, helping her to her feet. Vicki Ann's legs wobbled and she fell to the floor. Riker, about to help her up, was startled by a man standing over her. The man bellowed, "Victorianna Leonard Troi, you stand up this instant!" Vicki Ann glanced up, "Gerard, why have you come back to haunt me?" she said in a strained whisper. Gerard laughed and smiled, if it could be called a smile. "Why, darling, did you forget that we were betrothed?" End of section 1 Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Share what you know. Learn what you don't.