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Subject: Q-Cut, A Star Trek Daydream
From: joerossi@io.com (joerossi)
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 16:37:32 -0600

Q-Cut
   
   His sudden appearance inside her quarters startled her, but Capt.
Kathryn Janeway, of the U.S.S. Voyager,  being the consummate Starfleet
official that she was, composed herself almost immediately  and demanded
of her uninvited quest "Who the hell are you and what makes you think you
can just beam into my quarters?"
   Raising an eyebrow, he said "That depends on you. I could be a dream
come true" He leaned towards her. "Or I could be your worst nightmare."
   "I'm in no mood for riddles." Janeway touched her com badge. "This is
the Captain. There is an intruder in my quarters."
   "Security is on their way," she warned him.
   "I'm truly frightened," he said sarcastically.
   Such bravado annoyed her, yet she found him oddly arousing.
   Two security officers burst into her quarters, phasers drawn.
   With a nonchalant flip of the wrist, the stranger appeared to freeze
the officers in place. The two stood perfectly still,  phasers still
drawn.  Janeway's mouth fell open, and  her eyes grew large as a
realization filled her gut with both a new sense of hope and a queasy
apprehension.
   "Q!" she uttered.
   "Mon capitan."
*  *  *
    "Q, you . you could get us home," she said with pleading, hopeful eyes.
   "Now why would I want to go and do something like that? We're having
such fun over here on this side of  the galaxy." 
   "Why wouldn't you?" Janeway pressed.
   "You don't want to know," he said more seriously.
   "If you had an ounce of compassion "
   "If I had an on ounce of compassion, I'd fling you another 70,000 light
years from where you are now to the deepest darkest regions of uninhabited
space to keep your pathetic, miserable little species from  meddling
around where you don't belong. Fortunately for you I don't."
   "Don't what," Janeway asked.
   "Have an ounce of compassion."
   "Then why are you here?"
   "I was bored," Q dead panned.  
   Frustrated, Janeway turned around and looked out of the window at the
stars. With her back to Q, she continued. "I've read the reports about you
Q."
   "Don't believe everything you read," he said with a hint of anger.
"Especially if its from"
   Flash. Janeway and Q were suddenly on board the U.S.S. Enterprise in
the ready room of Capt. Jean Luc Picard where Picard  and Mr. Data
happened to be in the midst of a discussion.
   "That man!," Q declared, pointing an accusatory finger at Picard.
   "Fascinating," the android remarked.



   Picard scowled at his nemesis. "Q, what is the meaning of this?" 
   "Capt. Picard," Janeway injected before Q could respond. "My ship, my
crew, we've accidentally been transported  to the Delta Quadrant, over
70,000 light years away."
   "And she wants to take a short cut home," Q inserted. "Humans, always
looking for the easy way out."
   "This is just like you Q," Picard said. "Playing with people's emotions."
   "Oh puhhleeezzzzz," Q said.
   Flash.
   Picard and Data were gone as was the Enterprise. They were at her home.
"I've changed my mind, Q explained. "It's that Picard, he always manages
to make me feel so ... guilty. I've decided to let you return home."
   "But my ship, my crew."
   "What! What gratitude. I give you an inch; you want to take a mile.
Look you can have a choice-either stay here, or go back with your ship and
your crew. Which is it?"
   She looked at him long and hard.
   "You know what it is!" she finally said.
   "Fine," Q said, and Janeway found herself in her quarters back on
Voyager. She was alone.
   "So is this how you play your games Q?" she shouted at the empty room.
She looked up. "Is this what you're about. Isn't this your infamous modus
operandi. Testing humanity. Putting us on trial. Giving us impossible
choices. Well, I won't be toyed with, Q, not me, not my crew. We won't
play your games. Do you hear me?"
   Q didn't answer.
   But Janeway knew. She could feel it in her gut.
   He heard.
   And he'd be back.

   ©1995  Joe Rossi
-- 
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