Fellow Traveler

                 "Situation report, Mr. Vigo."  Ordered Captain Jean-Luc
            Picard, from the centre chair of the USS Stargazer.
                 "Their life support  systems are  almost entirely  shut
            down,  and  their  primary  reactor  going  critical.    I'd
            estimate  no  more  than  ten  minutes  before   detonation,
            Captain."  Vigo reported succinctly.
                 "Life signs?"
                 "Approximately a dozen lifeforms, sir, all located in a
            sheltered area near engineering."
                 With his left hand,  Picard tapped the communicator  on
            his armrest  console.   "Bridge to  transporter room,"    He
            spoke, "Lock onto the survivors on the Cardassian vessel."
                 After a  moments  pause, a  reply  came back  from  the
            transporter operator,  "Sorry, Captain.   There's  too  much
            interference from the engines.  I can't get a solid lock."
                 "We'll  need  to  take   an  away  team  over   there."
            Suggested Lieutenant Commander  Jack Crusher   "We can  beam
            over in environmental suits for added protection, and  bring
            pattern enhancers."
                 Security chief Joseph stepped  forward, and added,  "It
            should be a minimal away team.  Myself and perhaps one other
            officer."
                 "I volunteer."  Crusher stated immediately, "It was  my
            idea anyway."
                 Picard considered the proposal  for a moment.   Turning
            again towards his  helmsman, he asked,  "Safety factor,  Mr.
            Vigo?"
                 "None, Captain.  If this isn't done exactly right,  and
            immediately, the members  of the away  team will be  risking
            their lives for nothing."  Vigo  answered quickly.  After  a
            pause, he  continued,  "But  I don't  see  any  alternatives
            except letting them die."
                 "Understood."  Said Picard, nodding.  He turned to face
            Crusher, telling him, "Assemble your away team, Mr. Crusher,
            and please hurry.  We'll keep  a lock on you, but keep  your
            communicator open as well.  If we lose voice contact, engage
            the pattern enhancers and we'll beam you back immediately."
                 Crusher nodded  his  understanding,  and  then  he  and
            Joseph set off for the transporter room.

                                      *   *   *

                 The Cardassian vessel  was down  to emergency  lighting
            when Crusher  and  Joseph  sparkled into  existence  in  the
            engineering section.  Smoke filled  the air from burned  out
            circuitry.   Joseph scanned  the  area with  his  tricorder.
            "The radiation  level  is  extremely  high  in  here."    He
            reported.
                 "Can you get a fix on the lifeform readings?"  Wondered
            Crusher.
                 Joseph moved  the  tricorder about,  and  then  turning
            towards his left, he stated, "Most of the readings come from
            this direction."  He started  moving in that direction,  but
            then Joseph got a puzzled look on his face.  He began,  "I'm
            also getting readings from ..."  But his last statement  was
            cut off  by the  sound of  phaser fire  striking Mr.  Joseph
            square in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
                 Crusher's first instinct  was to rush  to his  friend's
            side, to see  how badly he  was injured,  but his  Starfleet
            training told him to duck and  get out of the line of  fire.
            It was a good thing, too, because an instant later a  phaser
            beam passed right through the point where his head had  just
            been.
                 "Starfleet scum!"   A voice yelled  out, "How dare  you
            board our vessel?"
                 "We're trying  to save  your  lives!"   Crusher  yelled
            back.   He squinted  through the  smoke, trying  to catch  a
            glimpse of his  adversary.  Whoever  was firing  at him  was
            almost completely hidden in the shadows.

                                      *   *   *

                 "I'm also getting  readings from ..."   Joseph's  voice
            issued over Picard's communications  panel before the  whine
            of phasers drowned him out.  Suddenly the channel closed.
                 "Captain," Vigo reported  immediately, "The  Cardassian
            ship's warp  core  has  become unstable.    It's  disrupting
            communications."
                 Before Picard  could reply,  his communicator  came  to
            life again, and the transporter officer informed him,  "I've
            lost the lock on the away team, Captain.  There is too  much
            interference from the  Cardassian engine core.   As soon  as
            they activate the  pattern enhancers I'll  try to beam  them
            back, sir."
                 "Make it so."  Picard answered.
                 "Sir,"  Vigo spoke up again, "I don't understand  this,
            but the lifeform readings have changed."
                 "Changed how?"
                 "I can  only  detect  the away  team.    No  Cardassian
            lifeforms are appearing on our sensors."
                 "Could the  sensors  be  malfunctioning,  or  for  that
            matter could  the  interference  from  the  engine  core  be
            affecting them?"
                 "It it possible, sir, and  I will run diagnostics  just
            to be sure, but  my instinct is that  the sensors are  fine.
            It's just too specific to be a simple misreading."
                 "What is going on over there?"  Picard wondered aloud.

                                      *   *   *

                 It took  a  few moments  for  Crusher to  realize  that
            something had changed.  His  adversary, who had been  firing
            periodic phaser shots at him, had suddenly stopped.  Crusher
            took a quick peek to see if maybe his adversary was sneaking
            up on him, but he was  nowhere in sight. Crusher decided  to
            take a risk and  crawl over beside  Joseph to determine  the
            security chief's condition.  A quick pass with the tricorder
            showed that  Crusher  had  to get  him  to  the  Stargazer's
            sickbay soon, or it would be too late.
                 Crusher  began   searching  around   for  the   pattern
            enhancers, and soon found the remnants their container lying
            charred on the deck near Joseph's unconscious form.
                 "You can save him, you know."
                 Crusher heard the voice but didn't know what  direction
            it was coming  from.   Then, in  a flash  of light,  someone
            appeared right in  front of Crusher's  eyes.  The  newcomer,
            from all appearances a human male, was dressed in some  form
            of uniform, but not one Crusher recognized.  It consisted of
            black trousers and a red and black pullover.  Four gold pips
            adorned his collar.
                 Taking one look at Crusher, the newcomer stated, "Wrong
            era again, I see."  And with that he snapped his fingers and
            he was surrounded in  a blinding flash of  light.  When  the
            light disappeared the newcomer's uniform had become the same
            as Crusher's, except for the rank insignia which was that of
            a starship captain.
                 "Who are you?"  Crusher asked the obvious question.
                 "We'll get to that."  The newcomer explained, "But  I'm
            more interested in who you think you are, and who you  think
            you are fooling."
                 "Excuse me?"
                 "Well you  look and  act like  one  of these  --  Human
            beings --  But  we  both know  that's  not  what  you  are."
            Crusher was about  to protest, but  the newcomer  continued,
            "And we both know  you could save  yourself, and this  other
            creature, with little more than a thought."
                 Realizing that there was little that he could hide from
            this stranger Jack Crusher decided to do something he hadn't
            done in many years.  He resumed his true form.
                 Strange by human standards, Jeleek Y'Shar, a  so-called
            Traveler from the planet Tau Alpha C, appeared to be  nearly
            an albino with his ashen skin  and oddly shaped head.   "And
            so that everyone's cards are on the table, I should  mention
            that I know who you are, Q."
                 "Touchee."
                 "So what do you want?"
                 "I want you to do something for me.  Oh, it's not a big
            thing, or a difficult thing, but it is an important one."  Q
            explained with a sly grin on his face.
                 "And if I refuse?"  Jeleek asked.
                 "I don't know."  Q offered, "Is that the kind of  thing
            you are likely to do?"
                 "It depends on what you want."
                 "Very well.  If you refuse,  I will simply get  another
            of your kind to do it.  Probably your son, Wesley."
                 "What do you know of him?"  Demanded Jeleek.
                 "I know he is more like  you than you think.  Oh  sure,
            he looks like one of those human creatures, but in every way
            that counts, he is of your kind."  Q stated.  With a snap of
            his fingers,  the  engine  room  of  the  Cardassian  vessel
            disappeared to  be replaced  by Wesley's  bedroom on  Earth,
            where a five-year  old Wesley Crusher  sleeps.  "They're  so
            cute when they're this  age," Q quipped sarcastically,  "But
            how quickly they grow up."
                 Suddenly, as Jeleek watched, his son began to age  into
            a teenager.  He noticed that at one point Wesley is  wearing
            a red and black uniform just like the one Q was wearing, and
            then it changed  into a similar  form that  is mostly  black
            with just  red around  the shoulders.   "Like  father,  like
            son."  Q observed.
                 An  attractive,  dark-haired   woman  appeared   beside
            Wesley.   She is  clearly  older than  him.   Her  head  was
            resting  on  Wesley's  shoulder,  his  arm  was  around  her
            protectively.  "Is she his wife?"  Jeleek asked.
                 "Not exactly,"  Q informed  him, "Or  at least  not  by
            their reckoning."
                 "What is that supposed to mean?"
                 "At some point  in the future,  your son  will hook  up
            with this young Betazoid woman, and when they play fast  and
            loose with the bonding rituals of an alien power, they  will
            incur the wrath  of the the  leader of that  power.  In  the
            process, your  son will,  conveniently,  provide to  me  the
            favour that you would refuse.   He and the young woman  will
            also start a devastating war that ends only Wesley makes the
            ultimate sacrifice  by  surrendering himself  to  the  enemy
            leader."
                 In anger,  Jeleek demanded,  "You are  responsible  for
            this, aren't you?"
                 Coolly, Q smiled and said, "Yes.  If you do not give me
            what I want, then you will force me to put into motion  this
            sequence of events.  The choice is yours."  Q threatened.
                 "So what  is  it  you  want,  anyway?"    Jeleek  asked
            harshly.
                 "Does that mean you are willing to do it?"
                 "Yes!"  Jeleek exclaimed, "I will do it!"
                 "Good."  Q said, grinning, "Now here's how we begin."

                                      *   *   *

                 "Captain, the  pattern  enhancers have  been  engaged."
            Vigo reported to Picard.
                 "It's about time."  Picard  replied, and then into  the
            communicator, he  ordered, "Transporter  room, get  them  up
            here."
                 "Aye, sir."
                 Standing, Picard left  the bridge and  set off for  the
            transporter room, saying, "Vigo, have Doctor Greyhorse  meet
            me in the transporter room."
                 Moments after Picard  left the  bridge, the  Cardassian
            ship exploded.

                                      *   *   *

                 When Picard  arrived in  the transporter  room,  Doctor
            Greyhorse was already there, administering to Joseph.
                 "How is he?"  Picard asked.
                 "He'll be okay, now.  It was touch and go for a  second
            there.  He's still unconscious, though."
                 "And Jack?"   The Captain wondered.   He looked  around
            the transporter  room  before seeing  Crusher's  body  still
            lying on the transporter pad.
                 "I'm sorry, Captain.   He was dead  on arrival.   There
            was nothing I could do."
                 Picard felt like falling to the ground and surrendering
            to the shock of his best friend's death, but he was  Picard,
            and he was the  Captain.  Instead,  he told Greyhorse,  "I'm
            sure you  did everything  you could.     Thank you,  Doctor.
            When Mr. Joseph  regains consciousness,  let me  know.   I'd
            like to know what happened over there."
                 With that, Picard turned and left the transporter room.

                                      *   *   *

                 The door chime to  Picard's quarters sounded.   "Come."
            He responded.  The door opened to reveal Joseph standing  in
            the corridor.  "Mr. Joseph, please come in.  Have a seat."
                 "Thank you, Captain."  Joseph  said, and took the  seat
            he was offered.
                 "Can you  tell me  what happened  down there?"    Asked
            Picard.
                 "I'm not sure."  Explained Joseph before recounting the
            events that lead up  to his being hit  with a phaser  blast.
            "After I was hit, I guess that  Jack was too.  He must  have
            been able to activate the pattern enhancer before he died."
                 "I guess."  Picard echoed.
                 "I wish I could be of more help, Captain."  Joseph said
            with regret.
                 "I know.  It's not your fault."
                 "Have you contacted Beverly yet?"
                 Picard nodded, saying, "She and young Wesley will  meet
            us at Starbase Fourteen.  I  just can't believe he's  gone."
            Picard rubbed  his  fingers against  his  brow in  a  futile
            attempt to  release the  tension that  was building  into  a
            headache, he shook his head in disbelief, and said, "I  sent
            my best friend to his death."
                                       THE END