textfiles/sex/EROTICA/A/anotherq.txt

There'll Never Be Another Q
	
	Emily Tarrant stretched, listening in satisfaction as her bones
squealed and popped out their stiffness.  She gazed at the console in
front of her and grinned:  another perfect statistical series.  This was
going very well--at any rate, she'd have her thesis finished in no time. 
Then, on to her doctorate.  She could see it all now:  "Ladies and
Gentlemen of the Federation Council, may I present tonight's keynote
speaker, the esteemed, very established, and quite beautiful, Doctor Emily
Tarrant."  She could hear the deafening applause!
	Of course, that was a long way off.  For now, all she could do was
concentrate on her work and hope that it caught the attention of the
Federation anthropology council.  As the Enterprise's resident expert in
Exobiology (not counting Commander Data, of course)  she was always
expected to be furthering her research, even if it meant using up her
off-hours to do so.  After all, the directive of the Federation was to
"seek out new life, new civilisations"  and Tarrant wanted a piece of it.
	She glanced at the console again, and decided to leave it as it
was for today.  After all, too much work would leave her foggy and
unfocussed, and that was to be avoided.  "Computer, what time is it?"  She
spoke to the air.
	"It is currently  2030 hours,"  the female voice chimed. 
Hmm...nine-thirty.  Was it too late to go to Ten-Forward for a drink?  Naw....
	She got up, stretched again, and stopped in front of the mirror
for a quick look.  Not too bad, she decided.  She ran a comb through her
long, wavy red hair and brushed a hint of mascara over her lashes.  That
would have to do.  She bent to run a cold cloth over her forehead and the
crook of her neck, and when she straightened, there was a man in the
mirror behind her.
	"Damn!"  She jumped violently.  Then peered closer.  "Q!  Damn
you--are you trying to kill me?"
	"Nonsense!"  The man in the mirror was, of course, standing behind
her.  "I rather enjoyed watching you primping--so tell me, who was it for?
 That android?"
	Tarrant colored.  How did he know about that--of course, he knew 
everything.  "We aren't together any more.  In fact, Data isn't even on
board at the moment."
	"Really?"  The man called Q raised one dark eyebrow.  "Where is he?"
	"He's doing a teaching term at Cambridge University, on Earth." 
Tarrant spun around.  "And what the hell does it matter, anyway?"  She
poked him in the shoulder so that he swayed a little, off balance. 
"You've got some nerve, scaring me like that!  Why are you here, anyway?"
	Q was suddenly stretched on Tarrant's bed, his head at the foot of
it, and his feet among the pillows.  Her stuffed panda was resting on his
chest.  "I 've been watching you, my dear--you've been working entirely
too hard lately."  The panda did an odd little dance in mid-air.  Tarrant
grabbed for it and it spun away, out of her reach. "Why so intense all of
a sudden?  You know, you work entirely too hard for one so young.  Now,
when I was young--"
	Tarrant snickered.  "When you were young, Q?"  She snatched for
the bear, caught it, but only because Q allowed her to.  "When were you
ever young?  For all I know, you could be thousands of years old!"
	Q was behind her, one arm snaking around the front of her body to
wrap around her  waist. "You know, I am thousands of years old!"  His
voice was tantalisingly near, and he smelled of something warm and spicy. 
"I know things that no human will ever know--I've seen things that no
human will ever see--I could take you places that would literally blow
your mind!"
	Tarrant burst into tears, and Q's arm around her waist tightened. 
"Was it something I said?"  He sounded dismayed.  "I assure you, I didn't
mean to upset you or anything."  He turned her around to face him.  "Why
the crying?"  
	"I don't know what to do anymore!"  Tarrant blurted.  She wiped
her face on her sleeve.
	"Ah...."  Q's face registered interest.  "We've spoken about this
before--about your unusually high psi powers.  Are you still experiencing
problems?"
	"Yes!"  She almost shouted the word.  "I've been trying to
concentrate on my work here, and doing the best job I can, but it doesn't
work that way!  Everything I do seems to pale in comparison --"
	"--to what you are truly capable of,"  Q finished grimly.  He
thought for a moment, chin in hand.  "Truly, my dear--I can't stand to see
you suffer any longer!"
	He snapped his fingers imperiously, and Tarrant shimmered out of existence.

	When she finally re-formed, she was in a vast room, with
elegantly-arcing ceilings inlaid with precious artworks and friezes. 
There were no seats or tables in the room, yet she got the impression of
some sort of council chambers, or some seat of government.  "Where am I?" 
Her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.
	"You are in the council chambers of the Q,"  the voice at her side
replied.  
	Tarrant turned to see Q there, standing behind her.  "Why have you
brought me here?"
	"I wanted to show you...things...."  His smile told her nothing.
	"What kinds of things?  Have you brought me here to harm me?"
	"I would never harm you."  He motioned to the front of the room. 
"Come--have a look."  He pointed to the ceiling.  "Those were done by the
shape-shifting douds of Deneb Seven.  The freizes are created by
thought-energies, emanating from the inhabitants of the planet.  Such
thought energies as you have, my dear--to make thought into matter!"


Emily couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.  "Have you brought me
here to show me something?"
	Q smiled his not-quite-smile.  "In a manner of speaking, I
suppose.  I would rather call it--"
	He broke off as the air was splintered with an immense and awesome
voice. "Q!"  The voice seemed to emanate from inside Emily's own head, and
echoed everywhere in the vast room.  "Why have you brought a mortal into
these chambers?!"
	Q thrust Emily behind him in a swift move.  "She is unusually gifted-"
	"SILENCE!!!"
	Emily started to shake, and if Q hadn't been grasping her arm
firmly, she would have fallen to the floor in fear.  "I meant no harm--I
only wished to show her how we live."  Q's voice sounded...afraid...Emily
thought, and that was something that she had never heard from Q.  He
rarely, if ever showed fear of any kind; he had no need to .  He was
omnipotent, capable of great power beyond her comprehension.  
	"YOU HAVE REPEATEDLY DISOBEYED THE CODES OF THIS CONTINUUM.  YOU
HAVE REPEATEDLY BEEN WARNED ABOUT YOUR CONDUCT.  YOU HAVE PERSISTED IN
YOUR FOOLISH CONSORTATIONS WITH THE HUMANS!"
	"Truly--I was merely--"
	"SILENCE!!!"  There was a distant rumbling; Emily couldn't discern
from what direction it was coming.  It seemed to buckle the walls of the
magnificent structure inwards as it came, forcing the construction to bow
to its superior will and force.  She could feel, for the first time ever,
Q starting to shake from complete, unadulterated terror.  Besides her
incredible psi powers, Emily Tarrant was also a very gifted empath, and
she could feel what others felt, just as Counselor Troi did.  Right now, Q
was very, very afraid, and Emily wondered why, but she knew it wasn't
good.  They were in very serious trouble, and he had no idea how to get
them out of it!
	"FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT IT HAS BEEN DECREED THAT YOU WILL BE CAST OUT
OF THE CONTINUUM --FOREVER!!!  GO, AND TAKE THE HUMAN WITH YOU--NEVER
ENTER HERE AGAIN!"
	There was a brilliant white flash, and Emily was suddenly in her
quarters.  She had landed half across her bed, and grabbed it now to
steady her churning head.  She felt nauseous and disoriented, as if she
had been thrown out of time.  The room was spinning around her, and she
held very still, afraid that she might be ill if she moved too quickly. 
The carpet was comforting underneath her as she slid down to the floor,
panting, willing her heart to return to its normal rhythm.
	When she raised her head, she saw Q in front of her.  He was
crouched on the carpetof her quarters in an abject pose, his face in his
hands.  She crawled over to where he was and put her hand on one of his
shoulders.  "Q?"  
	He raised his head slowly, and the look on his face really scared
her.  His features were set in an expression of deep sorrow and disbelief.
	He looked like a man who had lost his immortal soul.
	"Q?"  she said again.
	"Emily...."  His voice was hushed, afraid.  He raised his gaze to
look at her.  "Please help me...you're the only one who can help me now."

	"You should eat something--you are going to be hungry."  Emily
held up her bowl of Andorian fruit stew.  "You liked this the last time
you tried it--please come and have some with me."
	"No."  Q was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.  His face
was empty, sad.  "I don't want to go on, you know.  I can't face life like
this."
	"Don't be ridiculous!"  Emily got up from the table.  "Surely
you're overreacting!"
	Q rolled up on one elbow as Emily sat on the edge of the bed. 
"No--I've been human before, Emily!  I got thrown out of the Continuum a
few years ago, and as a punishment they made me human.  Of course, it was
just a trial thing until I learned my lesson--and I did!  I swear, I
learned my lesson!"  He frowned.  "But, no matter how hard I tried, I
couldn't make it as a human--I wasn't any good at it.  I kept getting
myself and everybody else in trouble, and then the Calamarain came and
threatened the ship."  He lay back with a sigh.  "It was a big mess."
	"The way I hear, you sacrificed yourself to save the Enterprise
from the Calamarain,"  Emily said quietly, touching his cheek with the
back of her hand.  "And that selfless act gained you admittance back into
the Continuum."
	"Yeah,"  Q admitted grudgingly.  "It won't happen that way this
time, I can assure you."
	"Well, so far this time has been different from the last time,
that's true," Emily allowed.
	"I'm doomed,"  Q said, gloomily.
	"This time, you didn't appear suspended in the air, baring your
assets to the bridge crew!"  She tried to smother her grin,and failed.
	Q sat up.  "That's not funny!"
	"What?  So you were naked--so what!"  She enjoyed teasing him.
	"At least you didn't see it," he said.
	"Actually--"
	"Oh, no---"
	"Actually,"  Emily continued, "I've seen the log tapes of it.  I
couldn't believe it at first--there you were, suspended in the air and
mother-naked--"
	"That's enough,"  Q moaned, covering his head with the pillow. 
"Let me die in peace!"
	Emily slid up until she was lying next to him.  "I have an idea,"
she said.
	"I can hardly wait."
	"Since you're human now--well, why don't you and I do a little
exploring together.  I'm due for some shore leave, anyway.  You may not
like being human, but that's what you are now, so why not explore some of
the nicer parts?"
	Q took the pillow down, his interest piqued enough to ask, "Like what?"
	"Have you ever been to Earth?  On a roller coaster?  Have you ever
eaten ice cream?  Pizza in the middle of the night just for the hell of
it?  Gone dancing in a club crowded with aliens on DS9?  Wind-surfing on
the Pools of Heaven on Durtinla 6?"
	"No, to all of the above."  Q gazed at her for a moment. 
"Although we did take that little trip to Dronogar, for the New Moon
Festival."  He was smiling.  "Remember?"
	Emily blushed.  "How could I forget?  Too much neisroi and I make
an absolute fool of myself!"
	"I didn't think you felt particularly foolish," Q said softly, his
hand caressing the side of her face.  "You didn't taste particularly
foolish, either, come to think of it."
	"Q, please!"  She twisted away from him.  That topic was too near
other things, things that she couldn't--wouldn't--remember.  She couldn't
allow herself to get attached to him--he wasn't human!
	"I am now," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her slowly, gently,
his warm, moist mouth caressing hers with infinite skill.  He shifted his
weight until he was leaning over her, his arms around her, and deepened
the kiss, pressing her against him.  
	Emily didn't resist--she was simply unable to push him away.  For
some reason she was--and always had been--extremely attracted to him, as a
moth to flame.  He was just so...innately sensual ....  Emily wasn't quite
sure how omnipotent beings such as the Q expressed physical affection--if
they even had such a concept--but she knew that she would very much like
to find out....
	She slid her hands up his broad shoulders, curled one of her legs
around his.  His hands were gentle and patient as he lifted away her
clothing, his mouth insistent and probing as he kissed her, starting a low
flame of desire , a flame that licked at the edges of her soul.
	Emily planted dozens of tiny kisses on the side of his neck and
down his shoulders, pressed her mouth to his forehead, his temples, the
corners of his mouth.  She gasped aloud when he slid down and began to
caress her intimately, his lips and tongue giving her incredible pleasure.
 She seemed to float out of herself, arching her back and hips up to his
questing mouth, aching for him to caress her deeply with his tongue as he
was suddenly doing, and ....
	...oh, God, he was so skilful, and if he didn't stop, she was
going to lose control...
	"Emily, please love me,"  he whispered, sliding up to press the
taste of herself on her mouth.  "You are the only one who can help me now."
	She surrendered to his body, drawing the engorged length of him
inside her, cradling his aroused body with her own.
	"Yes,"  he whispered, "love me...please love me."
	Before she surrendered to her own pleasure, she could have sworn
she heard him crying.



	"What is this place?"  Q and Emily were standing in the middle of
a large, paved square of asphalt, and ranked around the square were all
sorts of carnival rides:  ferris wheels, a carousel, things that twisted,
and things that twirled, roller coasters, and rides that dropped you from
forty storeys in forty seconds.  There was horrible music playing: 
screechy, loud and tinny, and the air was redolent with the pungent smells
of popcorn and cotton candy.  
	"It's an amusement park,"  Emily explained.  As she was on shore
leave, she was dressed casually, in a light cotton sundress, a cotton bow
holding back her hair.  Q was wearing a typical pants-and-shirt outfit,
which made him look shockingly human.
	"Yes, I know that--but what do you do here?"
	"You have fun!"  Emily pulled his arm, dragged him towards a
nearby ferris wheel.  "Let's get on this."
	"I am not getting on that,"  Q planted his feet and refused to move.
	"Don't be such a baby!"
	"Emily--"  His expression softened.  "I realise that you mean
well, my dear, but--"
	"You are not getting depressed again--I won't have it!"
	"I have been drummed out of the Continuum--"
	Emily felt the anger boiling near the surface.  "Fuck the Continuum!"
	"It was my home!  I was omnipotent--you don't understand, I was a
god!  The universe was my backyard!"
	People were beginning to look.  Emily steered him away, stood
behind a concession stand, out of the main press of the crowd.  "I know
you still haven't adjusted--"
	Q yanked his hand free of hers.  "You know nothing, Human!"  He
stared at her, his dark eyes blazing.  "I was a god, I could do
anything--and I lost it all!"
	"Because of me."  Emily dropped her head.  "Perhaps it wasn't such
a good idea, coming here--"
	Q was silent, his dark eyes still blazing with anger.  Emily
realised that it was very difficult for him, being human--it was a
tremendous adjustment, just to integrate all the elements of normal life
into what had previously been a god-like existence.  It must be horrible
for him, and here I am trying to get him on a carnival ride--what was I
thinking?  She sighed, amazed at her own stupidity.  "I'm sorry--I don't
know what I was thinking."
	"Perhaps if we went somewhere a little less crowded,"  Q said.  He
took her elbow and began leading her in a direction away from the
amusement park, towards a winding stream, and a cunningly constructed
boardwalk that seemed to sprout out of the hillside.  The two walked in
silence for some time, Q looking neither left nor right, Emily casting
about her mind frantically for something useful to say.  
	They reached the bank of the river and Q let go of her arm to
throw himself down on the grass, in a cross-legged sitting position.  "I
can't do this,"  he announced without preamble.  He turned to look at her
as she sat beside him, tucking her dress neatly underneath her.  "The last
time I was human--"
	"The time you showed up naked,"  Emily offered, trying in vain to
coax a smile from him.
	"I couldn't do it."  He dropped his head.  "I have to find a way
to make them..."  He tore at a handful of grass viciously, tossed it away.
 "You don't understand, do you?"
	Emily blinked, completely lost in watching some small sailboats
carving a course in the river.  "What?"
	"What I was trying to do--when I took you to the Continuum."  He
rolled over onto his stomach and peered into her face intently.  "I was
going to petition the Q to allow you entrance into the Continuum."  He
frowned at the ground in front of him.  "It was a mistake.  I seem to keep
making those, don't I?"
	Emily was silent for a long moment.  "You know, Q--that was a very
nice thing you did for me--or tried to do."
	He grimaced.  "Fat lot of good it did me--oh, Q the wonderful, Q
the magnamonious, Q the generous."  He bit his lip viciously.  "Q the idiot."
	"Now you're feeling sorry for yourself."  
	"I'm such a joke, though, aren't I?  I mean--before, at least, I
had my powers!"  He laughed mirthlessly, a hollow sound.  "Of what use am
I now?  I have nothing, I am nothing!"  He rolled onto his back, stared up
at the clear summer sky.  "I may as well die and get it over with."
	"You sacrificed your powers, your future, your life, because you
thought I had something special, and you wanted to share it with the
others in the Continuum."  Emily was speaking carefully, measuring out the
words, not looking at him.  "And they punished you for it.  Well, there's
only one thing to do!"
	Q allowed a glimmer of hope to touch him.  He sat up, tilted her
lovely face up with his hand.  Not for the first time, he felt the
all-too-human pang in his chest when he viewed her utter loveliness. 
...Emily...."And that is?"
	Emily grinned.  "Appeal to a higher authority."
	Q laughed.  "You'll excuse me if I'm not on intimate terms with
God right now!"
	"I wasn't talking about God,"  she said.  "This is on a
more...humanoid level."
	"I don't like the sound of it already."  Q slid his hand around
the back of her neck, pulled her face to his and kissed her mouth softly. 
Emily closed her eyes and arched against him in pleasure.  Even without
his omnipotent powers, he was still some kind of man....  "But since, we
have nothing to lose, we may as well try it."

	"WHAT?!"  Captain Picard was not happy, Emily could tell that. 
She forced herself to stay in her seat and not race from his formidible
temper.
	"It's the truth--"
	"The truth?!"  Picard's elegant, philosophical face was twisted in
rage.  "The last time he became human he nearly tore this ship apart!  And
then, when he finally regained his powers--"  Picard gestured violently at
Q, who sat meekly on the sofa,  "--he appeared on my bridge, on my ship,
with cigars, women, and a damned Mariachi band!"
	Q shrugged.  "So I have a sense of humor--you would do well to
cultivate one yourself, Jean-Luc!"  He wagged a finger at the captain, a
spark of his old personality coming back.
	"And as for you, young lady, I'll have you know that I can have
you put on report for consorting with that--that--person sitting over
there!"  Picard was nearly apoplectic.
	Emily got up, appealing to the captain.  "Sir--you know as well as
I do that our directive is to seek out new life--well, isn't Q a new life
form?"
	To this, Q grinned and waved at Picard.
	"I would like to say, sir, that we have risked this ship and the
crew for far lesser things than this in the past.  I don't see why we
can't help him--if we refuse to intervene, I'm convinced that he will
attempt to destroy himself.  And you can't let that happen!  Yes, there
have been times when he's been a downright pain in the keister--but there
have been times, sir, when he has aided you tremendously--not the least of
which was that most recent hole in space that we encountered."  Emily
finally ran out of breath.
	Picard frowned.  "You know what he is, don't you?"  He gestured at Q.
	"Come now, Jean-Luc, let's not be nasty!"
	"You!  Be quiet!  I could have you thrown out an airlock!"
	Q was astonished--or at least looked it.  "Jean-Luc!  Such
	"He is a clown, and a buffoon!  Everywhere he goes, trouble
follows!  I would have thought that you might have had more sense,
Commander Tarrant!  Getting mixed up in this will only bring you harm!"
	"It's because of me that Q got kicked out,"  Tarrant said quietly.
 She walked over to the replicator in the Captain's ready room.  "Do you
mind, sir?"  When Picard waved his hand dismissively, she said,
"Computer--a pot of coffee, mocha java, strong--hot."  She waited while
the requested item appeared, arranged on a tray with cups, and carried it
all over to the ready room table.  The smell of fresh, hot coffee was
tantalising, even to Q, who leaned forward in his seat.
	"I think you had better explain,"  Picard said, a new respect for
Tarrant dawning in his hazel eyes.  He turned to Q.  "And you--had better
sit there, drink your coffee, and be quiet."  He frowned at Q, a
speculative glance.  "You saved this ship and crew from the fate that your
Continuum had dictated--if it hadn't been for your intervention with them,
we would all have been destroyed, and the whole of mankind with us."  He
stirred some cream into his coffee disconsolately.  "It seems I do owe you
a debt, Q--as much as I hate to admit it."  He turned back to Emily. 
"Commander--your report."


	About an hour later, Emily poured the last cup of coffee for
herself, added cream and sugar, and stirred it slowly.  Captain Picard was
leaning on the table, his chin in his hand, staring at the computer
monitor in front of him.  "So you say that these douds have powers equal
to, or rivalling, the Q Continuum?"  He frowned.
	Emily nodded.  "Correct.  You remember, a few years ago--"  She
thought for a second, "Stardate 43152.4--a doud calling himself 'Kevin
Uxbridge' blinked out the lives of fifty billion Husnock, with nothing
more than a mere thought?"
	Picard nodded slowly, glanced over at Q, who had fallen asleep on
the ready room couch.  "Yes...I do remember.  But, I still don't see how
that can help us."
	"Some time ago, Q confided in me that the Continuum and the douds
go back a long ways--it seems that the douds performed some kind of vital
service for the Continuum, something that was beyond the Continuum's
power, and in return, the Continuum have made a policy of never rejecting
a doud request for assistence, no matter how large, or how trivial.  It
seems that they have quite a cosy relationship--when I was in the Council
Chambers of the Continuum, Q pointed out some very beautiful friezes that
were on the ceiling--apparently the douds created them."
	"Q confided this to you?"  Picard raised an eyebrow.  "It would
seem, Commander, that your relationship with Q goes a lot further than
mere appearences would attest."
	Emily nodded.  "As does your own, sir."
	Picard colored, blustered for a moment, trying to find something
appropriate to say.  "It's true, he has rendered assistence on several
occasions, but there were also times when he was truly a pain in the
backside!"  He leveled a look at Emily.  "And you, young woman, are
entirely too attentive to things that do not concern you."
	"He didn;t say why the douds and the Continuum have such a cosy
relationship.  I gathered, however, that their powers are nearly
identical.  That's how Q put it, anyway."
	At the mention of his name, Q awoke and sat up.  "How I put what?"
 He picked up his coffee cup, realised that it was cold, and put it down
again.
	"Q, exactly how was it that the douds helped the Continuum?" 
Picard had gotten up from the desk and was circling Q like a bird of prey.
	"I--ah, I couldn't really say."  He tried to look apologetic, and
failed.  A spark of the old Q was re-emerging.
	"Q!"  Picard glared at him.  "You might remember that you are no
longer the omnipotent being that you once were.  All that has gone on here
has been for your own good, and because of some.arcane sense of loyalty on
my part that I'm not entirely sure isn't grossly...misplaced!  Now tell me
what you know."
	Q sighed deeply, got up and stretched.  "Can I have a Starfleet uniform?"
	Picard shook his head wordlessly.
	"Oh.  Well, it was worth a try."  He rocked on the balls of his
feet for a moment, hands clasped behind his back.  "I'm not sure you want
to hear this, but I'm also not sure that I can hide it any
longer--especially given that most recent directive from the Q about
anihilating all you humans."
	"The one that caused that rip in space," Picard reminded him.
	Q nodded briskly.  "Precisely.  You see, Jean-Luc, all others in
the Continuum are not like me--"  He held up a warning hand.  "Please, no
unkind remarks that you'll regret later!"  He grinned at Emily, and she
was shocked to notice (for the first time) that he had...dimples!  "There
are those of us who, for a very long time now, have considered human
beings to be one of the supreme mistakes of the Universe--as I'm sure I
told you at our first meeting."
	"Farpoint Station,"  Picard said.
	"Yes!  Full points!  I had, at the time of our first meeting,
fallen out--shall we say?--with several other of the Q.  As my punishment,
I was directed to intercept your vessel and determine your worthiness, as
you no doubt remember.  If I deemed you unworthy, I had the authority to
wipe your entire species out of existence at any moment that I chose."
	Picard was livid.  "What ever gave the Continuum the idea that
they could be our judge, jury, and executioner?  Who gave them the
authority to determine that we be 'wiped out of existence'  as you so
quaintly put it?"
	Q looked definitely uneasy.  He cast an apologetic glance at
Emily, who was completely absorbed in his tale.  "Several billion years
ago, life as you know it began on your planet.  This is common knowledge
to you now, passed down for endless centuries in your schools and your
books.  What you do not know is that the Q Continuum, working in
cooperation with the douds of Delta Rana IV, first seeded life on your
planet some several billion years ago.  It was an experiment to see if our
combined efforts could create a species of humanoid diminuatives of
ourselves--lesser versions, if you will.  And we succeeded--else you would
not be here today."
	Emily was white-faced and staring.  "Are you telling me that
you're...God?"  
	Q laughed, but it was a laugh of reassurance.  "Oh no, of course
not!  Nothing like that--really, my sweet, relax!"  He touched her cheek
tenderly.  "But we did have the ability, both our species, to do that sort
of thing.  However,  when your race began to venture out into the galaxy,
I was assigned, as I've said, to determine your worthiness."
	"So the combined efforts of the Q Continuum and the douds of Delta
Rana resulted in the creation of the human race,"  Picard said.  "Am I
correct in assuming that without the douds, the Q couldn't have done this
thing?"  His eyes were gleaming with the pleasure of solving this
compelling mystery.
	"Correct.  There was an essential element--a 'flavor' if you will,
that the douds possess, and we do not.  I can't go into it--it's
impossible to explain in a manner you would understand.  And I'm not being
condescending when I say that, Jean-Luc, truly I'm not.  It is merely the
truth."
	"I believe you," Captain Picard said, albeit grudgingly.  He paced
the carpet for a few seconds, head down, deep in thought.  
	"It seems as if the Q owe the douds of Delta Rana a great deal,"
Emily said.  "The question is, how can we get the douds to help us?"  She
went to Q, took his hand in both of hers.  "How can we get you back to
your old, obnoxious self?"
	Q shrugged.  "Without destroying the universe?  I don't know."
	Picard looked up.  "If I understand correctly, Q--"  there was a
pronounced note of distaste in his voice,  "that without your intervention
on many occasions,"  the note of distaste grew,  "our race may well have
been written off as a bad mistake."  He sighed.  "So it seems I owe you
more than first anticipated."  This was said with the air of a man who
would have rather have sipped nacelle exhaust.
	"I always believed in you, Jean-Luc!"  Q crossed the room in two
strides and wrapped his arm around the captain's shoulder.
	"Let go of me."
	"Of course, Jean-Luc.  Anything you say."  Q retreated to the
couch and sprawled upon it.  "So where do we go from here?"
	The captain sighed again.  "Since it seems I am honor-bound to
help you, our next course of action would be to set a course to Delta
Rana.  We have to pay a call to the douds."  He grinned at Q, a grin of
pure delight.  "Let's hope they're on good terms with you, eh Q?"
	Q chuckled, got up to follow Emily and the captain out of the
ready room.  "I have no doubt, " he said cheerfully.  "They aren't the
Calamarain!"

	Riker looked up as the Captain returned to his centre seat on the
bridge.  Emily Tarrant slid into her seat opposite Commander Data, and
immediately locked in a heading for Delta Rana IV.  
	"It is good to see you again, Commander."
	She looked up, into pale android eyes.  "Hi, Data--it's good to be back."
	"I trust you had an enjoyable shore leave?"  His long fingers
danced over his board, correcting the course heading that Emily had just
set in.
	"It was interesting,"  she admitted, and turned back to her work.
	Riker watched until Q had traversed the length of the bridge and
was seated in the spare bridge seat, next to Counselor Troi.  Then, he
slowly got up out of his own seat, stretching his big body, and strolled
over to Q.
	"Hello Q,"  he said, pleasantly.  "Lovely day in the neighborhood?"
	Q's face puckered with the effort of trying not to laugh.  "I
wouldn't know , Riker--how's the subjective reality in your own puny brain?"
	"You know, Q,"  Riker continued conversationally, "the last time
you were human, I never got the chance to properly..."  The big Alaskan's
blue eyes twinkled with mirth, "...savor it."  Riker stroked his beard,
looking down on Q.  "You talk a good line--how are you at Anbo-Jitsu? 
There's a ring in the gymnasium--what say we go a couple of rounds, you
and I?"
	Q stood up.  He was at least as tall as Riker.  "Physical
aggression, Riker?  You shock me--are you sure you're not turning into
Worf?"  He cast a glance at the big Klingon who stood like a monolith
behind the Tactical station.  "Come on, Worf--let's play fetch!  I'll toss
a copy of Moby Dick for you to munch on!"
	Picard turned.  "Q!"  
	"Yes, Mon Capitan?"
	"Sit down!"  He turned to Riker.  "Ease off, Number One. 
Besides--if we fail to convince the douds to intercede, you can smash Q
around the Anbo-Jitsu ring as much as you like."  He smiled sweetly,
looking ahead at the viewscreen.
	"Jean-Luc--I protest!"  Q sputtered, and sat.



	The Enterprise was still quietly warping towards Delta Rana IV
when Emily Tarrant went off-shift and returned to her quarters.  Q had
decided to stay on the bridge , monitoring their progress from there.
	She let herself into her rooms, and slumped gratefully on the bed
to pull off her boots.  She wasn't physically tired, merely emotionally
worn out.  Everything had been such a roller-coaster, for the last few
days.  She was learning how demanding it could be to have a relationship
with an omnipotent being--or, in this case, a formerly omnipotent being.
	She stripped off her uniform and tossed it into the cleaning
processor, took a quick sonic shower, and slipped into a loose pair of
cotton pants and a loose tunic.  She pulled her long hair impatiently back
into a twist and secured it with a fleece circle.  Then, ordering some hot
herbal tea, she carried it over to her console and sat down to record her
personal log.
	"Commander Emily Tarrant's Personal Log.  Stardate--"
	The doorchime sounded.  "Come."
	She looked up from her workstation to see the tall, slender figure
of Commander Data.  "May I come in?"
	"Data!"  She was inexplicably glad to see him.  "Of course!"  She
turned off the recorder, and went to sit on the couch opposite him.  "What
brings you here this evening?"
	"I noticed on the bridge earlier, that you seemed very sad about
something.  Counselor Troi says I am getting very skillful in determining
the moods of others.  You know that I consider you my friend, so I was
concerned for your well-being."  He smiled his gentle, tentative smile. 
"Would you like to talk about what is bothering you?  I consider it my
duty as your friend to inquire in this manner--"  He broke off as Emily 
hid her face in her hands, suddenly sobbing.  "Emily!"  Data leaned
forward, real concern in his voice.  "What is wrong?"
	"Oh, Data--I don't know what's wrong with me!"  She buried her
face in the front of his uniform.  And she proceeded to tell him
everything about Q, and all that had happened, including how afraid she
was that she had ruined their friendship, hers and Data's, forever.
	Data held her close, one gentle hand against her hair.  He
breathed in the sweet fragrance of her, and remembered all the wonderful
times that they had had together.  He cherished each one of them, for
their own intrinsic flavor, and because he and Emily had been together. 
Data knew that Emily had other men friends, and that she had other
relationships.  He also understood that he (in his own way) cared for her
very much, as much as he'd cared for Tasha.  Unlike humanoid males, Data
wasn't subject to jealousy, and he had no desire to "own" Emily.  He knew
that in order to interrelate as fully as possible with another, one first
had to let them go.  He knew that Emily and Q had been together...just as
he and Tasha had been together.  But it didn't matter.  He cared very
deeply for her, and if Q also cared for her, then that was alright as
well.  Data had none of the emotional trappings that other men had.  In
this case, he blessed his android self.
	"Emily," he said, when he had persuaded her to finally stop
crying.  "I am your friend.  I will always be your friend.  You know that
I will listen to you when you need to talk."  He shifted his position so
that he was looking into her eyes.  "I am glad that you found something in
Q that you could cherish.  And he in you."
	"Oh, Data..."  Emily sniffed, wiping her wet face with a
handkerchief.  "There is so much good in him, that nobody else ever sees! 
I had to try and help him--it's my fault that he got kicked out!  And you
of all people should know that he can't live like a human--if the douds
can't help him, he may try to end it, like he did last time.  I couldn't
bear the thought that someone lost his life because of me."
	"You must not distress yourself.  Please try and rest a little
this evening.  I am sure that as soon as there are positive developments,
you will be notified."  Data rose to go, but not before Emily had wrapped
her arms around him in a long hug.  
	"Thank you, Data--as rational as always,"  she whispered, kissing
his cheek.  She drew back and looked at him for a long moment.  "Thank you
for listening to me.  You're such a good friend."
	Data nodded wordlessly and exited Emily's quarters.  For some
reason that he could not fathom, there was a hard lump in his throat, and
his eyes were strangely stinging.
	Some time in the early morning hours, the Enterprise reached Delta
Rana IV.
	The doud, 'Kevin Uxbridge' (as he called himself in his humanoid
form)  appeared on the bridge of the Enterprise and stood for a long
moment, staring hard at Q.  The entire bridge was silent.  Troi had made
an earlier attempt to read the doud, but his mind was too powerful, and
her empathic senses were useless.
	"Q."  The doud, in the physical semblance of an elderly man,
circled Q methodically.  "You attempted to induce a human to join you."
	Q nodded.
	"And were cast out as a result?"
	Again, Q nodded.
	"This is most unfortunate.  Your interest in the human race is
most commendable...you show promising beginnings of a workable morality." 
He turned to Captain Picard, who stood by, silent.  "This one is what the
Continuum regards as a 'maverick'--a rogue, if you will.  It chafes him to
have to exist according to the dictates of the Continuum masters, and so
he does things as he sees fit.  Sometimes he is correct in this, and
sometimes not."  The old man spoke quietly, with a certain ageless
self-assurance that spoke of there being all the time in the world. 
"However, as we have had to assure them time and time again, the Q
Continuum is not the only force in the Universe.  Not the only force." 
The doud's manner was strangely sad, possibly he was remembering his own
inadvertant crime against the Husnock.  "This Q shows an interest in the
humans, and it bothers others in the Continuum, who see the humans as a
threat."  He turned, and rested ancient eyes on Picard.  "For in time, you
too will grow in wisdom and in knowledge, and there are those of the Q who
do not wish to see the student outgrow the master.  No, indeed."  He
circled Q again, with interest.  "So you see, his crime was to introduce a
special one into the Continuum because he honestly believed it was the
best thing to do."  The doud stopped in front of Q.  "You will not lie to
me,"  he stated.
	"I promise, I'll be as honest as--"
	"You will tell me the truth."  The doud's voice had grown in power
and resonance.  "You realise that there is none other in the Universe can
destroy the Q, but the douds of Delta Rana IV."
	Q swallowed hard.  "Yes."
	"Did you bring this one--"  Emily Tarrant appeared suddenly on the
bridge, dressed in her night-shift, her hair tied up in preparation for
bed. "--to the Continuum Council Chambers, to enlist her membership in the Q?"
	"Yes."
	"Why?"
	Q put his arm around Emily's waist as she came and stood near him.
 "Because she has formidible psi--far above the norm for humans.  She has
a superior morality, and an excellent mind.  She is worthy of the Q."
	"Indeed."  The doud regarded Emily with a kindly eye.  "Is what he
says the truth, young woman?"
	"Yes--sir...yes, sir, it is, sir."  
	"Then he acted out of unselfishness and in the best interest of
another."  'Kevin Uxbridge' raised his head.  "  I demand that this Q be
returned immediately to his former status in the Continuum--this I request
under the ancient agreement of Selwyn-Denos-Rana!"
	There was a flurry of metaphysical activity:  time was sucked and
pulled, space was distorted.  A host of greatly-varying voices spoke from
all around them.  "We are required under the oath to grant your desire,
doud of Delta Rana IV.  He is restored."
	A flash, and Q was Q again.  Another flash, and Q was Q in a
Starfleet Captain's uniform.
	"Q!"  The voices rang out again. "Return to the Continuum for
instruction immediately."
	A flash, and Emily and Q were outside, gliding in free space just
over the port nacelle of the Enterprise.  "I have to go now, my dear," 
his arms held her close to him, and she could feel the difference.  His
humanoid-seeming flesh throbbed with unearthly power, and his eyes were
gleaming.
	"I know."
	"I will come back, you know--from time to time."
	Emily nodded, tears running down her face.
	"What's this--crying?"  Q lifted her face in his hands and kissed
her, a deep, sensuous, soul-searing kiss that infused her with a heady
taste of his power.  "Where-ever you go, I'm there--every breath, I'm
there.  I'm always with you, Emily--"
	And he was gone.


	Several weeks later, Emily Tarrant came out of Sickbay on a
routine checkup, and ran into Commander Data.  She didn't see him coming
until she was face-first into the front of his tunic, laughing and pulling
herself off of him.
	"Commander Tarrant--it is good to see you!"  Data smiled, a
genuine grin.  "I trust you are feeling better?"
	She nodded, feeling a little foolish.  "Yes--I do feel better,
Data."  She looked up and down the corridor.  "Are you busy right now?"
	"As a matter of fact, I am just coming off-shift."
	"You remember when I told you about Judo?"
	Data nodded.
	"Wanna come to the Holodeck with me?  I could use somebody to help
me with my throws."
	Data raised one eyebrow.  "You wish me to help you?"
	Emily nodded.  "I can think of nothing I would like better."
	Data smiled, offered his arm.  "Very well.  Come and throw me
around the holodeck, Commander."
	"Delighted, Commander."

			THE END!!!