BloodSoakedHimbo @ass-williams81 - Tumblr Blog

Mar 20

"Déjà Q - Squared" Ch. 3: “A Matter of Perspective”

Written by: @ass-williams81

Word count:

Summary: Captain’s Log, Stardate: 43610.4:

After completing a delivery of dicosilium to the Tanuga IV research station our away team has received an update from Dr. Nel Apgar on his efforts to create Krieger waves, a potentially valuable new power source. It also just so happens to be Q's first day as Acting Ensign...

Captain’s Log Supplemental: Commander Riker has informed me that Dr. Apgar was the only one aboard the space station when it exploded. We remain in orbit investigating the accident.”

It wasn’t the first time Captain Picard had found himself in a predicament as uncomfortable as this one and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. He had to admit, however, that having his own first officer being charged with suspicion of murder was not how he had anticipated their previous mission would go.

From the moment Captain Picard attempted to greet Chief Investigator Krag he could tell the investigation would be a grueling one. Krag was a terribly no nonsense man right from the start. Which was something Picard typically appreciated in a person, but in the inspectors’s case it was to an outright egregious degree. Krag was such a tough nut to crack to the point that it was actively a detriment to everyone involved. Especially for . Krag’s sole purpose for beaming aboard the Enterprise had been to take the Commander into custody, and it was getting them nowhere fast. To say he was insistent upon having Riker beamed down to Tanuga IV for a proper interrogation was frankly an understatement. Demanding was a much more appropriate descriptor. It was clear to everyone involved that he was not one to back down. Fortunately enough, however, neither was Captain Picard.

“Captain, you will turn him over to me for interrogation, now.” Krag’s voice was harsh and demanding as he looked Picard right in the eye, his face steely and devoid of expression.

Picard calmly leaned back in his ready room chair unfazed. “Interrogate him here.” He said locking eyes with the Investigator and refusing to give an inch.

Krag huffed in frustration and pressed his hands into the cold glass of the desk as he leant his weight against it. Not quite enough to invade Picard's personal space, but enough to make it known he didn't take too kindly to being challenged. “We must recreate step by step, moment by moment, all the events leading to the explosion. We will require access to all the witnesses as well as the data from the labs’ ground computers.” He straightened up and looked down on Picard after a breath of silence. “It would be… impossible to accomplish here.” His face remained unreadable but his voice revealed just how pleased he was with himself at the statement.

The Captain didn’t give him even a second to revel in it.

“Perhaps not.” Picard said tapping his Combadge, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Mr. Data, will you report to my ready room?”

“Aye, sir.” The Android replied.

“We may be able to assist you in recreating these events.” It took only a few moments for Commander Data to make his way to the Captain’s ready room, and Picard maintained eye contact with the investigator the entire time, not backing down. “Commander Data, this is Chief Inspector Krag.” Data and the investigator nodded, exchanging polite greetings. “Commander, by taking testimony from the away team and from witnesses provided by the investigator, would it be possible to program the holodeck to recreate what happened on the science station?” Questioned Picard.

Data Considered it for about half a second. “It would require construction and design specifications, full orthographic representations of the Krieger equipment, as well as visual representations and voice analyses of the persons involved…but it is possible.” He replied.

Picard returned his attention to Investigator Krag with the slight quirk of a brow. To Krag’s credit, he relented fairly quickly. It would seem that even he could admit that he had been outmanned and out witted. “Very well. Arrangements will be made to provide you with all available information. I shall return shortly with our witnesses.” His voice remained calm and collected, with only a touch of exasperation.

That worked well enough for Captain Picard, as he rose from his seat and addressed both men. “Commander, will you escort Investigator Krag to Transporter Room Three?” He assumed a slightly more diplomatic air to his mannerisms but the tone of his voice left no question as to who had won this battle.

Just as Data was about to lead Chief Investigator Krag out of the ready room the doors behind them swooshed open. The whole room stopped and stared as Q stomped full speed into the room. He pushed past Investigator Krag without so much as acknowledging him at all. “Jean-Luc! — I demand to know the meaning of this!!” He bellowed, advancing on the Captain behind the desk. Krag hesitated at the door a moment as he watched this strange man bark his grievances at Picard. For just how affronted he was by the man’s blatant disregard for, not only him, but everyone else in the room, there was one thing about him he found irritatingly admirable. He sure knew how to make Picard’s resolve weaken, even if only for a fraction of a second.

Picard let out a calming breath as he once again took his seat after recovering from the initial surprise. “I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about, Q…” He assured him with a deep frown. Krag decided not to waste precious time sitting in on what was obviously a personal quarrel, so he turned on his heel and followed Data out onto the bridge. Leaving the two men to resume their… interesting conversation. He paused only to spare a disapproving glare at Commander Riker as he passed by.

It was then that Picard noticed Q had been clutching something in his fist. The former Q leant further into Picard’s space as held up the bundle of grey fabric right in front of his face. “I’m talking about THIS!!” He shrilled, waving it about.

Picard had to pause and let his brain process what was transpiring in front of him…as well as allow his steadily rising temper to soften. “Your uniform?” He asked incredulously. It wasn’t so much a question but rather a statement of fact. “You stormed into my ready room during a very important conversation, all so you could complain about your uniform?”

“YES!“ Q wailed. “I was under the impression I’d joined Starfleet, not enrolled in ‘The Wesley Crusher Wardrobe Exchange Program’!” He tossed the garment on the desk with visible disdain. He folded his arms and stared down at the little grey pile as if it had personally offended him. “Explain, immediately!”

Jean-Luc closed his eyes and held the bridge of his nose. He took another calming breath, one of many, all of which did nothing to stave off the headache he miraculously got only when Q was around. “Q—” his voice was calm yet audibly tired. “I don’t have time for this. If you haven’t noticed, I am in the middle of a very important investigation, and I don’t…”

“Huh?... Oh yes, that.” Q interrupted, obviously only half listening. “That's all I’ve heard all day. Word travels fast on a starship apparently! He couldn’t have done it, though… Obviously. Now about this uniform, can’t you see? The color is dreadful!!”

Jean-Luc quickly held up a hand to silence him. “Now wait just a moment. You said he couldn’t have done it? Is that true? I thought you couldn’t tell us anything about the future?” Despite his earlier irritation, the Captain couldn’t help but let a glimmer of hope shine in his hazel eyes. Although, he really should have known better. Especially when Q was involved.

“Well, your future, my past technically…” Q wasn’t one to let much pass him. He was well aware of the spark of hope lit within the captain. He’d seen that glint in his eye before of course, but it was rare for that look to be directed at himself. It almost made him feel bad to have to burst his bubble….Almost. “But no. Not for the most part. This time doesn't count though, since I genuinely don’t know whether he actually did it or not. In any timeline.”

Jean-Luc looked Q in the eye with a raised brow. “But, I thought you knew everything?” He asked only half teasing.

Q couldn’t quite hide his slight amused smile as he held the Captain's gaze. “You greatly overestimate my morbid interest in the going ons of your silly little ship.” He crooned flippantly. “I don’t keep tabs on you all the time! I had much more pressing matters to attend to.” Q was the first to break eye contact taking the seat provided. He lounged back as much as the chair allowed and began boredly fiddling with his new human nails.

Jean-Luc didn’t even try to hide the roll of his eyes. Q wasn’t looking anyway. “Yes, I'm sure, but if you don’t know what actually happened, why are you so sure he couldn’t have done it?” He asked, sitting back a little more comfortably in his chair. Might as well…

The Captain was taken back by the bark of laughter Q let out in response. “Oh please, Mon Capitaine! You can’t possibly believe that neanderthal has enough intact brain stem to carry out premeditated murder.” Q snickered.

The last bit of that hopeful glint faded from the Captain’s eyes at that. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t insult my crew to my face, in my own ready room.” He sighed.

“What!? I did say I didn’t think him capable of such a thing! I was vouching for him! You should be pleased, Picard.” Q exclaimed in protest.

“I would hardly call that ‘Vouching for someone’.” He didn’t actually expect Q to listen to his request. He had certainly made a habit of doing quite the opposite in the past. Somehow, however, he had managed to subceed his already low expectations.

“Trust me…” Q drawled, sitting up, folding his hands over the desk and resuming his place invading The Captain’s personal space. “It is for me.”

Jean-Luc, having quickly gotten to having his personal space invaded, didn’t even flinch. “Well I certainly hope you never have to vouch for me.” He said with about as much sarcasm as his professionalism would allow him. “Q, don’t you have any more pressing matters to attend to?” He said, hoping to cut their little meeting short. As …stimulating as their conversation was, Jean-Luc had much more pressing matters to attend to himself, and he was beginning to tire of Q’s antics.

Q shrugged. “Not Particularly.” He said as he sat there batting his eyes and feigning innocence.

The captain hummed in acknowledgement. He wasn’t buying it for a second and he wasn’t about to let it slide either. “As I recall,” he started, making sure his authority was audible in his voice. “I gave you a direct order to enroll your sons in school. That has been taken care of, I take it?” He was almost entirely certain it had, in fact, not been taken care of.

The former omnipotent entity blinked a few times in surprise. Captain Picard knew instantly he had been correct and he now had him right where he wanted him. “You really were serious about that, huh?”

“Quite.” Picard Deadpanned rising to his feet with an air of finality. “Well… I suggest you get to it. I’ve heard it's quite a bit of paperwork. It could take a while.”

"You know,” Q scowled, pointing an accusatory finger at the other man. “I don’t like the way you said that.” In response, Picard motioned towards the door. He wanted to end the conversation quickly at this point and he figured it was time for a more direct approach. “Alright! Fine!” The other exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surrender. He could take a hint. More or less. He pushed himself away from the desk and rose to his feet, turning to leave. Much like Krag had done earlier, he hesitated at the door. “We aren't finished with this conversation by the way! You will address this sooner or later!”

Picard stood up as straight as he could, hands folded behind his back. “You are dismissed —Ensign.” Q huffed indignantly as he marched himself out of the room.

As the door slid closed behind the other man, Jean-Luc stood there, his eyes glued to the space he used to occupy. He let out a breath he was unconsciously holding and let the remaining tension bleed from his body, his shoulders visibly sagging. Dealing with Q often felt like that. After spending any stretch of time in the same vicinity as the former immortal entity, Jean-Luc would feel his steadily rising irritation come so close to boiling over. Then Q would vanish just before he could properly lose his temper. Unfortunately Jean-Luc had been foolish enough to believe that things would be at least a little different now that he was mortal. Now it seemed he had a whole host of new problems to deal with. ‘I have no idea what I’m going to do with him...’ He thought to himself. It was in this same line of thought that the Captain came to an alarming realization.

His previous anxieties concerning the investigation were all but forgotten. He wasn’t calm by any means, but his mind felt sharper than before. He felt as if he was better equipped to take on the arduous task of clearing his First Officer’s good name. It seems his ridiculous conversation with Q had sufficiently distracted him enough to allow his mind to clear and his nerves to dissipate. ‘Perhaps there is still use for you yet, Q.’ He thought with mild amusement. Jean-Luc, still with so much to do yet, set his amusement aside and crossed the distance of his ready room and stepped out onto the bridge.

Now the real work begins.

It had taken quite a bit more insisting on Captain Picard’s part for Q to actually consider his order. Let alone act on it. It wasn't until Picard had to resort to raising his voice at him did Q finally concede. So he scampered off with his tail tucked between his legs to fetch the boys, grumbling the whole way. Although to be fair the boys were doing very much the same as they trudged on, single file as if all three of them were on death row.

“This is stupid…” Q Junior huffed under his breath. He seriously would rather be anywhere than being perp-walked to his forced academic imprisonment. He could practically feel the ball and chain wound tight around his ankle as he walked dutifully behind his father. His shoulders were slumped and his feet dragged heavily over the hallway carpet. Junior looked behind him at the younger boy to see if he was in any better of a mood. He was not…

Trelane met the older boy's eyes from under half lidded, big, sad, brown eyes. “Agreed,” he muttered, “utterly ridiculous...”

Q let out a thoughtful hum, doing his best to refrain from rolling his eyes. “Yes,” he said in a low drawl, “and yet complaining isn't going to change anything. Captain’s orders and all.” He waved his hand about, the gesture just as flippant as his tone. Their theatrics were starting to grate on him a bit. As far as he was concerned they had nothing to complain about. At least they didn't have to slave over the paperwork involved.

The littlest Q crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. “That’s all well and good, but why are you going along with this? What is the point? It all rather seems like a waste of time.” Trelane had been so vexed he had lost his accent halfway through his complaining. Q wondered why the boy bothered to keep up his little fake accent now that he was no longer in his chosen form. Upon further thought, Q couldn't say he minded much. It oddly enough fit him rather well, in a very amusingly endearing way.

“The point,” he chided, letting the previous thought slip away, “is that we need a place to stay. And if we want to stay here, unfortunately, we have to follow their rules. No matter how moronic they may be.”

Q Junior felt a slight chill run down his spine. “You don't really think Picard would abandon us over something as dumb as that, do you?” He questioned. His voice was quieter even as he made a valiant effort to keep any sense of trepidation from seeping in.

Junior's question actually gave him pause. Did he think Jean-Luc capable of such a thing? Would he drop them on some random planet and leave them to fend for themselves? He found he wasn't entirely sure. He would be lying if he said he could blame him if he did. “As much as I would like to say I highly doubt that, quite frankly, we cannot afford to be proven wrong…” Junior nodded in understanding. More to himself than to his father. In all honesty he couldn’t blame the Captain either. So the three of them kept trudging along and as they came upon the door leading to one of the on-ship classrooms. Q sped up his gait, eager to get the whole ordeal over with.

BANG!

Q stumbled backward, nearly toppling both boys clutching his nose in a single trembling hand. “You alright!? What was that?” Junior said as he and Trelane helped the elder Q right his footing. Q waved them off without a word, lightly blotting his nose making sure it hadn’t started to bleed.

The door Q had just run face first into, slid open and in the doorway stood a woman, short and stout, who looked just as frazzled as the brown haired man felt. “What on Earth?! Sir, are you alright?...” The three of them turned at the sound of her voice. It took a moment for the group to regain their bearings before any of them could properly respond.

“Oh, um… yes well,” Q coughed soundly as he tripped over his words. Not for the first time as of late. Before becoming human, rendering Q speechless used to be quite the achievement. Now it seems it's becoming a common occurrence. “I’m fine… I just —forgot I couldn’t do that anymore…” He said, still slightly dazed, the last part under his breath.

Realization visibly dawned on her. “Oh! You must be Q.” She said with a slight giggle. Only after making sure he was truly ok. “Captain Picard warned me you would be coming. Eventually.”

Q rolled his eyes. “Of course he did.” The portly woman smiled and ushered the three inside. Q Junior moved to follow behind the others but stopped dead in his tracks as he, just barely, caught a glimpse of Wesley Crusher as he turned the corner down the hall they had just come from. He looked more worse for wear than the last time he saw him.The boy’s shoulders were slumped and he had a deep frown where a once boyish smile had been. Junior noted how upset he looked and decided it didn’t suit him at all. Junior looked back at his father and Trelane as they made themselves comfortable with their new host. A sly smile crept up on the boy’s face. Before the opportunity passed him by, he slunk away from the group and out of sight. Surely they wouldn’t notice he wasn’t there, he thought as he took off down the hall. They hadn’t been paying much attention anyway…

“The Captain warned me you might try to skip out on this little meeting. I’m so glad you decided to make an appearance.” The portly woman waved Q and Trelane over to her desk in the center of the room. She offered them the chairs in front of them, of which there were conveniently only two.

Q leveled her with a roguish glare. “Trust me, it was not for lack of trying.” He bemoaned as he took his seat.

The woman waited until Trelane plopped himself down as well before giving a response. “Regardless, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Q, my name is Mrs. Campbell. I teach the third grade class.” She gave the boy a winning smile hoping to make an amicable first impression on her soon to be new student. “I’m happy to see that you brought your boys along. It’s a pity your eldest couldn’t stick around.” She had only been vaguely aware that Q’s eldest son wasn’t in the room with them. She’d just barely caught him slipping out into the hall, but hadn't thought much of it.

“It’s just Q actually. I would say ‘Mr. Q was my father’ but I don’t have one. As for the boys I’m sure they… Wait, what do you mean, couldn't stick ar—” Q stopped his rant half way through. “Junior?... Junior??” He swiveled around in his chair, this way and that, finally noticing the teenager’s disappearance. “Where did he go!? He was just here!!” He cried.

Trelane just looked over at Q and shrugged. “He left.” He stated matter of factly.

Q sat there blinking in surprise, but only for a moment before turning on Trelane. Despite the anger he felt, his tone was even and calm…at first. “And you didn’t think it at all important to LET ME KNOW?!?!” Q’s Voice raised to a bellow causing Trelane to shrink back in his chair.

“I’m sorry…” Trelane demurred with what appeared to be a sliver of fear. Q, despite his initial irritation, couldn’t seem to stop himself from feeling pity for him. So he damned his new-found inability to mask his emotions as he sighed heavily and let his face soften a bit. The gesture was not lost on the little boy. He beamed back at Q once he realized he wasn't truly angry with him. “He couldn’t have gone far!” He exclaimed, hopping out of his seat. “Don’t worry Q! I’ll go fetch him!” With a flourish and a skip in his step he sped off full speed out the door.

“Trelane, WAIT!” Q shouted. “Get back here this instant!!” Q wasn’t one to do much real physical exertion, so by the time he even thought to follow after him the boy was long gone. He looked out into the hall but was met with nothing but empty corridors. He wiped an irritated hand down his face. “Jean-Luc is not going to like this…”

Q flinched slightly at the feeling of a hand landing gently on his shoulder. Mrs. Campbell flashed him a small amused smile. “It’s alright Q, they aren't needed for this. I can have a security team search for them.”

Q was a bit baffled at the shorter woman’s understanding. It set him at ease, which in and of itself made him a bit uneasy for other reasons. “Let them go. It’s probably for the best,” he grumbled, allowing himself to be led back into the room, “because when I get my hands on those two…I’m going to kill ‘em.”

Junior trotted down the hall at full speed, bobbing and weaving through the few officers and civilians that were peppered throughout the deck. For a time he thought he’d missed Wesley somewhere along the way, but he didn’t let that deter him. He had his sights set on finding the other boy and he was going to accomplish his task. Even if he had to search that entire deck or the next. Q Junior was a lot of things, one of which being incredibly persistent.

Lost in this thought, he almost missed Wesley as he turned a corner just out of sight once again. The former Q sped up his step and followed after him. The boy had stepped into an empty turbolift. “HEY!” Wesley looked up at the sound of Junior’s voice. “Wait up!” He called for the turbolift to hold the doors open with an intrigued, if not a little confused, grin.

Junior skidded to a stop just before he could collide with the other teen. He muttered a quick thanks as he rested doubled over, hands on his knees. He was gulping down air like his life depended on it, and for the first time the thought occurred to him that, yes, it kind of did. “Oh hey, are —are you ok?” Wesley asked, resting an unsure hand on the other’s shoulder.

He waited until the former immortal entity finally stopped wheezing enough to reply. “Y-yeah, I’m good…” Junior stood up straight and shook off the rest of his exhaustion. “I’m just now realizing that I’ve never actually ran before.” Junior watched as Wesley’s face turned from mild confusion to the same bright smile he’d seen almost two days prior.

“Really?” Wesley asked with an amused chuckle.

Q smiled back at the other boy. “Well, at least not with actual functioning lungs.” He took his place by Wesley’s side as the other called for the turbolift to resume. “Wesley, right? Long time no see.” Junior had just about recovered his usual self-assertive temperament. Truth be told, he hadn’t forgotten Wesley’s name. In fact, the other boy had made such an impression on the former Q. There was just something so achingly magnetic about him that made him rather hard to ignore. Of course, he couldn’t let the other boy know any of this. He preferred to keep his deck close to his chest. At least for the time being.

“Right.” Wesley smirked. Wesley, to his credit, was particularly observant. His social skills usually, while not inept, were typically somewhat lacking. Yet he was an incredibly bright boy, and he could plainly see right through the other boy’s ruse. Wesley was becoming increasingly aware that Q Junior was a lot of things. Subtle was not one of them, but he decided to keep that particular thought to himself and let it slide. At least for the time being. “What’s it been, day and a half?”

Q Junior let an amused huff of air escape him. “Something like that…Anyway where you headin’? And what was with the kicked puppy look?” He questioned averting his eyes, trying his best to sound only half interested. He strolled slowly about the turbolift, doing an awful job of pretending the various panels and blinking lights were of much greater importance.

Wesley’s smile slid slowly off his face. “You could tell?”

“From the other end of the hall.” Junior deadpanned. “If you were any gloomier, you'd've had stormclouds hanging over your head.” Junior chuckled cluelessly.

Junior’s smile fell as well at the sound of Wesley heaving a deep sigh. “You caught me.” He turned his attention back at the other boy to see the same perplexed expression that made him chase him down in the first place return to his face. “Sorry, I’m just kind of worried about Commander Riker. I just know he didn’t do it. I just know he didn’t!”

That caught Q Junior’s attention over everything else. “Do what?” He asked with interest he could no longer hide.

Wesley sighed under his breath. “I don’t know if I should tell you that.”

“Oh c’mon!” Junior begged. “You can’t just leave me hangin’ like that! Besides, who am I gonna tell? For once I’m—” He paused for a moment, searching Wesley’s gaze. For what? He wasn’t entirely sure. “For once I’m kind of nobody. Here at least.” He added the last part in the hopes of sounding a touch more confident than he felt at that moment.

Wesley called for the turbolift to halt once again and thought for a minute. He felt at war with what he knew was probably the responsible thing to do, and what he saw in the other boy's face. On one hand, it might have just been a moment of weakness on Q Junior’s part and he was still just trying to trick him. On the other hand, what if not? Despite everything he knew about the Q as a species, something deep in his gut was telling him he could trust the other boy. After all, Junior had followed after him just to see what had him looking so blue. That fact hadn’t been lost on him. In the end that gut feeling won out. “Alright.” He said finally. “Commander Riker is being interrogated under suspicion of murder, but I’m almost certain he couldn’t have done something like that! He couldn’t have…”

Junior was just short of astonished. All that doom and gloom all because of blind loyalty to his superior officer? Junior had only met him once back in the Captain’s ready room, and from that meeting alone he couldn’t say he harbored and fond feelings for the Commander. Quite frankly Junior didn’t really like him at all. If it were up to him he’d probably let him take the fall. Likely having deemed him not worth the effort of finding out whether he was actually guilty or not. There was a small sliver of what could only be described as guilt sparking in his newly human chest. “So…” Junior coughed lightly trying to alleviate the tightness that accompanied that spark of guilt. “You’re on your way to figure out what happened, right?”

A twinkle of determination gleamed in Wesley’s bright brown eyes. “Yeah actually. I was just heading to the bridge now.”

Junior, satisfied with some of the light returning to his eyes, flashed the other boy with a mischievous grin. Something Wesley would be wise to grow accustomed to. “Then what are we waiting for? Computer, resume turbolift!” Junior ordered copying Wesley’s words from earlier. Perhaps a bit louder than was truly necessary.

“You know you’re not allowed on the bridge right? You’re not a part of Starfleet.” Wesley warned with a concerned look directed at the other teen.

Junior just scoffed at this. “Neither is my dad, but he gets to play ‘Ensign’!” He stepped right in front of Wesley, leaving him no room to step around him. “I’ve got some very specific skills and knowledge not found anywhere in your silly little Federation.” The lift doors wooshed open and it was only then did Q Junior step out of Wesley’s space. “Face it Wes, you need me.” Junior smiled at him before turning away and sauntering out onto the bridge.

Wesley had only had very basic information and even less real interaction with Qs, but there was one thing he was sure of: a Q never takes ‘no’ for an answer. So, seeing no way he could really stop him without getting security involved, he followed Junior and hoped his superiors wouldn’t be too upset. The two spotted Data and Geordi leaning intently over one of the consoles, they didn’t seem too pleased about what they were observing. Wesley motioned for Junior to let him take the lead, and in spite of himself Junior relented, which was likely a wise choice on his part.

“Hi Commanders, have you found anything?” Greeted Wesley as the two boys joined the group at the console.

Geordi sighed, seemingly in great need of a distraction. Whatever was on that console didn’t bode well for Commander Riker. “Hey Wes. Well, it looks like… What’s he doing here, Wes?” He turned his attention to the other boy. He had been glad for the distraction but, to put it bluntly, he did not have the energy to deal with this situation. Especially with the smugness just radiating almost palpably off Junior.

“Indeed, Wesley. As you know, only Starfleet officers are allowed onto the bridge. Children are especially prohibited.” Data chimed in.

Geordi sucked in a breath and let it out in a rush of air. “Data’s right, he’s got to leave—”

Junior sidestepped the other boy, standing toe to toe with Commander La Forge. “Hey I might be a human teenager now, but I’m still—”

“What he means to say—” Wesley interjected, “is that we think he can be useful!”

Geordie shook his head. “Wesley, we don't have time for this.”

Data laid a calming hand on Geordi’s shoulder. “Actually, Geordi, they may be correct. As a Q, Q Junior likely has a multitude of knowledge that we are not privy to. Child or not, he could be an invaluable asset.”

Junior’s eyes lit up. “Thank you! See! Now I get why Dad’s so fond of you Android!” He backed away and both boys looked at Geordi expectantly.

Geordi could feel all eyes on him as he took the time to genuinely roll the idea in his head. He knew Data was technically right, but he also knew that if he made the wrong call it could very well blow up in his face. Despite this, he relented. Mostly for Wesley’s sake. “Fine, but you're responsible for him.” The two beamed at him both relieved and happy. He cracked a slight smile back at them and for a moment he convinced himself that he did make the right call. “But Captain Picard is not going to like this…” He added for good measure.

“So what did you guys find?” Wesley asked.

“Take a look.” Geordi stated, he and Data resumed their places at the console making sure to make enough room to accommodate both boys. “The Tanugans are right. Something was fired at the reactor core just before transport.”

Data nodded in agreement. “The energy signature would seem to indicate a phaser-like blast.”

Wesley could feel that old familiar frustration bubbling up in his chest. “Well, it wasn't the Commander’s phaser. It couldn't have been. There’s another answer,” He defended indignantly, “we’re just not seeing it.” Wesley looked over at Q Junior. Junior met his gaze and gave the other boy a thumbs-up and a curt nod. for no reason other than to offer a bit of casual support. Wesley appreciated the gesture none the less.

Data observed the boys’ behavior with an inquisitive look. He noted how easily the two seemed to click after only knowing each other for such a short amount of time. He found the whole thing fascinating, but seeing as how they had much more pressing matters to attend to, he filed the information away for further study. “Was there anything else in the lab capable of creating this kind of energy discharge?" He inquired, getting back to the problem at hand.

Geordi shook his head lightly, “Not that I saw. Besides, how do you account for the fact that it came from Commander Riker’s exact position?” Questioned Geordi. “Damn it, I should’ve stayed with him.” He huffed and turned on his heels away from the console followed closely by the two younger boys.

Data was about to follow after them as well when a series of beeps caught his attention. “Commander.” Worf beckoned to his superior officer. “Sensors indicate a radiation burst on deck thirty-nine outside cargo bay twelve.”

“Source?” Inquired Data.

Worf hit a few buttons on his own console to confirm but came up short. “Unknown, sir.”

“Computer, identify type of radiation.” The android commanded, politely as he always did.

“Emission is not consistent with any known radiation.”

The console beeped once again. “It is subsiding, sir.” Both men turned to observe the console, now with far more questions than answers, and a whole new problem to deal with.

Geordi and Wesley stood hunched over, studying the site of the sudden radiation burst. The site was relatively small but the damage was extensive. Q Junior threw an arm around both of their shoulders and peered down at the sizable tear that had been punched in the wall. Whatever it was, it was capable of putting a hole in solid durainium. “That's a pretty gnarly hole. Although I’ve seen worse of course.” Junior reckoned sounding mostly bored. Junior had only been accompanying him and Wesley for a few minutes and already his patience was wearing thin. He was seriously reconsidering his previous decision.

Wesley tactfully chose to ignore Geordi’s obvious irritation and turned his gaze to his superior. “What kind of radiation could do this? Make any sense to you?” Coaxed Wesley. He hoped giving him his undivided attention would distract Geordi some.

Geordi gently shucked Junior’s arm from his shoulder, ignorant to the melodramatic pout he shot back at him. “I don't recognize it. Not even the main deflector puts out that kind of spillage.”

Junior cut in with an ostentatious scoff. “It could be any number of things.” He started, crossing his arms smugly, looking between the both of them. “I know of at least a hundred different kinds of radiation that could do this kind of damage. Even more that could straight up atomize this ship,” He held up a hand, “like that…” he snapped sharply never taking his eyes off them.

Geordi considered just exactly what Q Junior was actually saying. He thought perhaps this was what Data and Wesley had been talking about when they said he could actually be somewhat useful. “Do you think you could help us narrow it down?” Asked Geordi.

“Or where it could be coming from?” Wesley put in, subconsciously following his elder’s train of thought.

Junior hummed theatrically, tapping his index finger lightly against his bottom lip. “Now there’s a question that might yield some actual results! We should start there, maybe we could—”

“You won’t be doing anything.” The three of them whipped around at the sound of a forth voice in the room. Q Junior’s face went white at the sight of his father standing behind them with his arms crossed and a scowl etching creases deep in his brow. “You’re coming with me young man.” He ground out through gritted teeth.

His son shook off the initial fear and replaced it with indignance. “Not now Dad! We’re in the middle of some very important work here!” He protested gesturing to the giant hole in the wall.

Q spared only a fleeting glance at the hole and gave it and his son a dissatisfied sniff. "Work that you have no business sticking your nose into!” He chided as he took a hold of Junior’s arm. Not hard enough to hurt, but just enough to pull the boy away and get his point across. “Now come along.” Q was about to drag Junior out of the room before Wesley caught his attention. His voice was a touch meeker than both Qs had heard it before.

“Actually, Q?” Q cocked an eyebrow, urging him to go on. Wesley swallowed his uncertainty and did just that. “Junior was able to provide us with some valuable insight… Do you think maybe he could stay?” The boy pleaded.

Q said nothing at first. He glanced over at Geordi who, after a beat, nodded his silent approval. Q continued to hold the room captive as he thought over the recent turn of events. He allowed his temper to simmer down as he realized with some slight embarrassment that he wasn’t truly angry with his son. Annoyed and worried, sure, but not angry. “Oh, well,” Q played it off, “as long as he’s at least making himself useful, I…suppose he can stay,” He stated flippantly, “but not right now.” Wesley and Junior were moments from celebration but were quickly snapped back to reality.

“—But!?”

“—But!?” The boys keened in perfect unison.

Both adults felt the urge to laugh at the two teens, though they both exercised equal amounts of restraint. “Unfortunately, I need him to help me finish some much more tedious and wholly unnecessary paper work.” stated Q. “After that he’s all yours. Now come along.” Q about-faced and waved his son to follow.

Q Junior shrugged. “Alright fine lets just get this over with.” With a quick wave goodbye to Wesley and, to a lesser extent, Geordi, Junior jogged ahead to step in line with his father.

“Watch it kid, you're not completely in the clear yet.” Q snickered. “You're just lucky Trelane was easy enough to track down. —He ran off after you, but he didn't make it very far. The poor thing got lost somewhere on the opposite end of the deck.” He explained. He wore an amused smirk on his face. It was then that Q Junior knew his father had forgiven the both of them.

“Did he cry?” Mused Junior.

His father let a genuine laugh slip past his full lips. “Only a little bit. At least now he knows he could have just asked the ship's computer for directions…”

Q Junior didn’t get a chance to make it back to Engineering until the following morning. Accompanied by his father this time, of course. Geordi and his team were already under considerable stress concerning the unexplained radiation bursts and they were in no mood to be babysitting Q or his son. To their surprise, however, both Qs were relatively well behaved and even helpful. Although Q Junior spent most of the time following Wesley around and offering minimal input.

Another bout of radiation struck the ship, resulting in a full evacuation of sick bay. Once the danger subsided Geordi and his team made their way over to assess the damage. They all gathered around watching as Data, Wesley, and Q knelt in front of the radiation site. “This is definitely the same radiation that penetrated deck thirty nine. Highly focused,very powerful, but of unknown origin.” Data reported looking up at Captain Picard before rising to his feet.

“Partially unknown,” Q piped in, standing to Join Data. “Junior and I have narrowed down quite a number of causes, but nothing conclusive yet.”

“Regardless,” Geordi asserted, “if this should happen near the engine core or the antimatter containment tanks we’ll be in big trouble, Captain.”

“Do you have any theories?” Inquired Picard.

Wesley moved to join the group from his place further assessing the radiation damage. “Captain, Data’s noticed something that’s too strange to be a coincidence.”

“The two radiation events aboard the Enterprise occurred five hours, twenty minutes, and three seconds apart. The science station exploded yesterday at almost four times that interval.” Data explained looking between Captain Picard and Beverly.

“There’s a .0014-second variance we haven't been able to explain yet.” Offered Wesley.

Commander Riker had been standing by listening to the others discuss the damage… more or less. His mind was mostly occupied with his own problems. The interrogations were not going well for him. Not well at all. With the help of the holodeck, each witness was able to recreate their own version of what transpired between the Commander and Dr. Apgar. Will had been able to give his side of the story, but the testimonies of Dr. Apgar’s widow and his assistant painted him in a particularly damning light. The situation was beginning to turn irrevocably bleak. All evidence pointed to Will as an adulterer and a murderer.

So with all sense of hope dwindling, his attention had piqued at the mere mention of the science station. “So you're saying there’s a connection between the radiation bursts and the explosion.” He questioned trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

Data shook his head. “We do not have the evidence to support that conclusion at this time Commander.” he advised. The last glimmer of hope faded from Riker’s blue eyes.

“If they're right we should be able to predict the next event.” Mused Beverly.

“We're expecting it in just over five hours.” Geordi agreed.

Captain Picard gave a curt nod, being satisfied with their report for the time being. “Well take every precaution to protect the ship’s vital areas. If we haven't identified the source before the next time interval —we’ll leave orbit.” Picard turned from the group and headed for the door. “If you perceive any further danger, please advise me immediately.” He ordered, his voice trailing off behind him.

The group stood by for a beat in collective silence. Wesley was the first to break it. “We’ll figure it out for you, Commander.” He assured him genuinely, even if he was growing increasingly uncertain of the validity of his statement. Riker sighed heavily and left, giving Wesley a half hearted, though appreciative, look before he strode out of the room.

“Well I highly doubt that, all the evidence they have against him is already enough to land him in the slammer.” Q said snidely as soon as the door shut behind the Commander.

The group all whipped around to glare at him. “Q!!” They all chided in unison.

Q just shrugged. “What?! I’m just trying to be realistic! I highly doubt anything we might find will be enough to make any real difference one way or the other.”

“Well we have to at least try.” Geordi scolded, backed by Data and Wesley.

Junior saw the raw conviction that radiated off of the three of them. It was so strong that it made something stir in his newly human chest. “You know what? The blind bi-ped’s right, maybe it’s much simpler than we think. Something we’ve been overlooking.” He turned his attention to Wes who nodded approval. Q had noticed that his son was directing most of his attention towards the other boy. He found the behavior odd, even for Junior, but he decided it was best not to think about it too heavily.

“Fine…” Q griped. “What about the planet we’re orbiting? Is there anything down there directly related to the science station?”

Data looked thoughtful for a moment. “There is the lambda field generator.”

“Ok, well what does it do?” Junior allowed himself to let a sliver of excitement bloom in his chest. It wasn’t much of a revelation, but they could all agree that if felt as if they might finally be getting somewhere.

“Well it's supposed to send out harmless energy pulses up to the science station to be converted into Krieger waves. If it worked, that is.” Explained Geordi.

Q Junior hummed in understanding, musing to himself under his breath. “But what if it does?” The rest of the group leveled him with a barrage of confused expressions, but the boy was quick to wave them off, choosing to switch gears instead. “Is there anything that could link those energy pulses to the enterprise right now?”

Wesley had an idea. "What about the holodeck?” He offered. It was a bit of a shot in the dark, but worth vocalizing nonetheless.

Junior blinked. “What about it?”

Data, naturally, was the one to answer, picking up on Wesley’s train of thought. “The Holodeck has been programmed to recreate the science station down to exact specifications.”

“So essentially, what was in the original lab is right here, down to the last detail?” Asked Q. Geordi nodded. He was about to say something else, but the sound of the boys shouting took him aback.

“—That’s it!!”

Captain Picard was fuming.

He had been doing everything in his power to give Will his best shot at getting through this whole ordeal. Not only that, but he also had a freshly human Q and his teenage son invading his Engineering team to worry about. The captain was beginning to feel truly helpless at this point. He paced about his ready room as Deanna stood and watched him uneasily. “I don’t see any alternative. Do you?” He grit out turning to Deanna and trying to keep what was left of his composure.

“We both know Will’s innocent!” Reasoned Deanna affronted.

“Of course he’s innocent!” Picard snapped, agitated but not unkind, resuming his pacing. “But as a Starfleet Captain, I can’t allow myself the luxury of yielding to personal feelings.” He sighed lightly and slowed his pace to a halt. He let his agitation melt into resolution, truly finding no alternative. “The evidence warrants a trial. — I’ll have to allow extradition."

Deanna stood silent for a moment. “Do you think there’s enough evidence to prove his innocence?” She asked finally, already knowing the answer.

Picard shook his head. “...No.”

Before either of them could let the gravity of the situation sink in they were interrupted by the sound of the Captain’s communicator followed by Data’s voice.

“Captain, I believe we have found the source of the radiation. Can you join us on the bridge.”

“Acknowledged.” The Captain answered, and the two left the ready room.

Geordi, Data, Q, and the boys all gathered around the same console that started their whole investigation. They waited patiently for their captain to join them. As he did so he nodded to Data to report on their finding. “As you know, Captain, we are looking for a phenomenon that reoccurs every five hours, twenty minutes, and three seconds.”

“The interval between radiation bursts.” Picard confirmed.

Data nodded dutifully. “We have found one such phenomenon on the planet’s surface.”

Geordi directed the Captain’s attention to the console screen displaying the exact design and function specifications of Dr. Apgar’s equipment. Much to Picard’s confusion. “It’s the field generator that Apgar used during his research. When it’s fully charged it automatically emits an energy pulse and then takes five hours, twenty minutes, and three seconds to recharge itself.” Geordi explained.

“It must have been left on after the explosion at the lab.” Wesley piped in looking over at his captain.

Captain Picard stared with intrigue at the scene in search of more concrete answers. “But why would a generator be affecting the Enterprise in this way?”

Data leveled him an understanding look with the quirk of one pristine light brow. “It should not be. It is a harmless lambda field generator.”

“But we knew that somehow it was related to our radiation bursts and then the pieces just started falling together.” Geordi agreed before a small smile crept up on his face. “Actually,” he intoned, grabbing Captain Picard’s attention. “It was Junior who really put the pieces together.”

The Captain looked at the boy with a small level of astonishment. Junior looked away as he could practically feel the Captain analyzing him from where he stood. Then he spoke. “Q Junior—” Junior’s head whipped over to Captain Picard, at the mention of his name. “Good Work.” He stared in silence as Picard gave him a half smile and a quick nod of approval. He thoroughly hadn’t expected to be acknowledged for his help let alone praised for it. The poor boy didn’t exactly know what to do with it all.

Q did as it would seem. “Yes, Mon Capitaine,” He sing-songed, throwing an arm suddenly around his son. The action caused Junior’s balance to falter, but Q plainly ignored it; “and thanks to my son, we now know what is causing the bursts and why the science station exploded.” He declared with enthusiasm as he gave Q Junior, who was currently trying to worm his way out of his father’s grasp, a firm half-squeeze.

Picard shook his head and turned away from the happy little family to get the rest of the report he’d asked for. Wesley caught his attention as he tried to hide a satisfied smile of his own. He coughed soundly and put on his best attempt at a serious expression before reporting. “And we also know what killed Dr. Apgar…”

As promised, Geordi and his team had finally solved the mystery of what happened on the science station.

Before his death Dr. Apgar had claimed that, although he and his assistant were very close to a breakthrough, they unfortunately had yet to create Krieger waves successfully. A claim that would be proven irrefutably false.

Geordi and his team had finally identified the source of the radiation damage plaguing the ship. The replica of the lab that resided in the holodeck had been so meticulously recreated. So much so, that the Krieger-wave converter that Dr. Apgar claimed didn’t work had been taking the harmless energy pulses put out by the field generator on the planet’s surface, and converting them into highly focused Krieger waves. Krieger waves that had been randomly striking different areas of the ship as they orbited the planet.

With this new information, Captain Picard and his crew set out to prove what really happened, and to prove Commander Riker’s innocence once and for all.

In each of the testimonies Picard witnessed there were three things that remained unchanged. Dr. Apgar’s devotion to his wife, his desire to give her the fruits of his labor, and his irritation at the away team’s early arrival. Dr. Apgar’s apparent deception, all the extra dicosilium he’d been requesting, and the fact that he wouldn’t have earned much profit from his dealings with Starfleet, who were only interested in a new power source, suggested that he had much bigger plans for his Krieger wave converter.

He had been building a weapon.

It was more than likely that he had been worried that the away team’s early arrival had meant Starfleet was becoming suspicious and that he would be cut off. That anxiety and seeing his wife wrapped around the Commander had proven to be a deadly combination.

Geordi and his team hypothesized that Dr. Apgar energized the converter at the moment of commander Riker’s beam out, in the hopes of making his death look like a transporter accident. The team got right to work on adding their own recreation of the final events just as commander Riker described them. They then aligned the holodeck facsimile to automatically process the energy charge from the planet and reflect it, just as the original converter did before the explosion. With all that done Geordi joined Captain Picard, Riker and Deanna in the holodeck for one last round of depositions. Q was also allowed to sit in on the depositions, who of course brought Junior along much to the Chief Inspector’s dismay. Although after a quick explanation from the Captain, Inspector Krag yielded with minimal objections. They all watched the deposition with bated breath as Dr. Apgar activated the converter. Just like clockwork and just as they had speculated, the energy pulse hit the transporter beam and reflected back to the reactor.

The lab, Dr. Apgar, and the accusations against Commander Riker all went up in sparks…

Jean-Luc waited patiently in his ready room. The ship had left orbit of Tanuga IV and was heading for another planet by the name of Emila II. He sat contentedly, knowing that the rest of his crew were busy bustling about. All of them happy to put the whole ordeal behind them. Q was among them, having just resumed his position in Engineering.

Q sauntered through the door, snapping Jean-Luc out of his reverie. “Good Morning, Jean-Luc,” Q cooed, standing before his captain, “You asked to see me?”

“Yes, I just wanted to congratulate you on your work during your first few days in engineering. Your contribution proved to be quite invaluable.” The Captain answered with a polite half smile.

Jean-Luc motioned for Q to take the chair across from him, which he did so in the most unprofessional manner possible. Q made himself at home, lounging back in his seat with one leg draped over his knee and his hand clasped comfortably in his lap. “Oh! Well…thank you.” Q crooned. “It's about time someone recognized my many talents, and to think the good doctor had been the one to kill himself!” Q jeered with a flighty laugh. “Although…” as he let the bubbles of laughter begin to dissipate in his chest he thought quietly to himself. “If you ask me, my son is the one you should really be congratulating. He was the one who actually figured it out.”

Jean-Luc nodded. “I’m compelled to agree with you. —You must be very proud.” His previous polite smile began to chip away leaving the very beginnings of a genuine amused smile in its wake.

That last statement shook Q and he wasn't sure what to do with a genuine compliment, even one directed at his son as it was. “Yes well, the answer was so deceptively simple you would have figured it out eventually. Junior just ended up asking the right questions at the right time.” The truth was that he was proud of Junior. He always has been, but human body or not they were still Q and that fact brought with it a certain standard to be held to. Q always strived to push his son to be the best he could be and uphold that standard, and as such, he made an effort to coddle his son as little as possible. Unfortunately, sometimes that meant he didn’t always know when to uplift Junior for his accomplishments. Their current state proved to blur that line ever that much further.

Jean-Luc remained relatively unfazed by Q’s reply. He knew how Q could be, cryptic and prone to deflection. So he ignored his vaguely dismissive response. “Indeed —While we’re on the topic, did you ever get around to enrolling your sons in school?” Asked the Captain instead.

Q nodded his head a bit too aggressively, a bit awkwardly even. “I sure did… and you were right, it did end up taking a while.”

Jean-Luc nodded back, a fair bit more confidently than Q had. “Good —while I am grateful to Q Junior for assisting us with our investigation —I hope I don't have to explain why I cannot have Q Junior or any other children running around on the bridge.”

Q let out a huff of laughter letting the leftover tension seep from him. “That’s only fair,” he shrugged, “I'll try to keep the little beasts at bay.”

Jean-Luc gave him another appreciative smile. “That would be appreciated. —With that out of the way, I also wanted to notify you that you will be starting your next assignment later this week.” He informed the other man. As he did so, the Captain procured a PADD from his desk and held it out for Q to take.

Q hummed apathetically, leaning over the desk and idly taking the PADD from Jean-Luc’s waiting hand. “And what’s to be my next assignment, Mon Capitaine?” He asked only half looking at what was on it.

“Sick bay.”

Q’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. He shot up from his relaxed position and stood over the desk, looming over Picard much like he had done a few days earlier. Only this time Jean-Luc’s composure did not falter. “I thought you just said I did a good job!? Now you’re pawning me off on that quack doctor of yours?” Q turned away from Picard and crossed his arms indignantly. “...Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.” He huffed.

Jean-Luc rose from his seat with a smirk. “Then you better enjoy what time you have left in Engineering, hmm?” Q whipped back around, a truly affronted expression playing across his face, mouth slightly agape. “You’re dismissed, Ensign.” Jean-Luc doubled down, motioning for the door.

Q huffed. “You know, sometimes I think you enjoy watching me suffer.” Picard held onto that a mused smirk even as he stood firm, urging Q to take his leave. Just before he could step foot out of the ready room he called out to his newest acting ensign. Q stopped in his tracks and half-turned back, curiously waiting for Picard’s reply.

“Keep up the good work. Ensign…”

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

And here we are!! The first "episode" as it were! I chose the episode "A Matter of Perspective" because it was the first episode directly after Deja Q. I hadn't quite realized how dialogue heavy this episode was, so writing this took a bit a bit longer than expected. I hope you enjoy reading regardless, and let me know if you like chapters this long or if I should focus on brevity in the future. Future chapters will vary in length so don't be afraid to let me know what you like!

~See you out there!…

Previous | From the beginning

#star trek #star trek the next generation #star trek voyager #q star trek #geordi la forge #data soong #q junior star trek #jean luc picard #beverly crusher #wesley crusher #star trek the original series #star trek trelane #star trek tos #star trek tng #worf #will riker #deanna troi #guinan #q jr #q continuum #qcard #wesley/q junior #qrusher

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