Encounter At Farpoint Part 13

"So I hear. And Farpoint Station? Any damage there?"

There was another crash in the background before Riker's voice came through clearly. "Negative on damage to Farpoint, sir. Whoever they are, it seems they're carefully avoiding hitting the station."

"It's an unidentified vessel that's entered orbit with us here. No ID, no answer to our signals...

"They're hitting the Bandi city hard, sir. Heavy casualties very probable."

"Understood, Commander. Emergency a.s.sistance is underway." Picard paused, pursing his mouth. A time for thought, and a time for action. He said carefully, "Would you object to your captain ordering a clearly illegal kidnapping?"

"No objection, sir-if you feel it's necessary."

"I do. Zorn may have the answers we need. Bring him here!"

"Aye, sir!" Riker responded briskly. "Riker out."

"Mr. Worf, put our mystery vessel back on screen." Worf quickly complied, and the main viewscreen flashed up the image of the dark, ominous s.h.i.+p hovering over Farpoint. Picard studied it silently, unable to fathom its intent. He shook his head and turned to look at Troi. "Why are they only attacking the old city? If they have a quarrel with us, they would fire on us ... or on the station that's supposed to be ours. Why limit it to the Bandi city?"

"Does it matter if they only have a quarrel with the Bandi?" Troi asked. "We have a moral obligation to defend those people."

"They're forcing a difficult decision on me, Counselor."

"I doubt protecting the Bandi would violate the Prime Directive. They've asked for our help. True, they are not actual allies... ."

"But we are in the midst of diplomatic discussions with them. We owe them this much." Picard spoke without looking around to Tasha. "Lock phasers on that vessel, Lieutenant."

Tasha's slim fingers moved purposefully on the panel. "Phasers locked on, Captain."

The flash of intense white light that bathed the bridge brought Picard out of his chair almost in a fighting stance. Of course, it would be Q. The creature wore the red and black judge's robes he had sported in the courtroom. He sneered around at Picard and the bridge crew, and his eyes rested with particular sarcasm on Tasha at the Weapons and Tactics console. "Typical, so typical," he said.

"Savage life forms never follow even their own rules. Or the rules they say they have."

"What's that supposed to mean, Q?"

Q turned his attention back to Picard, and the corners of his mouth curled upward tauntingly. "I recall an impa.s.sioned speech-not too long ago-some young woman of my acquaintance... ." He s.h.i.+fted his eyes to Tasha again. "What was it now? Ah. This so-called court should get down on its knees to what Starfleet is, what it represents.' You remember that, don't you, Captain? And you had a statement to make yourself. Let's see. ..." Q snapped his fingers. "Yes. 'We agree there is evidence to support the court's contention that humans have been savage. Therefore, I say "test us" ... test whether this is presently true of humans.' I liked that, Captain. Very persuasive. So persuasive, in fact, that I returned you to your s.h.i.+p and allowed you to come here to be tested."

"Get off my bridge!" Picard roared. Q smiled sadly and shook his head. "Interesting, that order about phasers."

"Still standing by on phasers, Captain," Tasha said coldly and briskly. Q flicked a look at her, but she ignored him and kept her eyes on Picard.

Q turned to Picard and held up his hands appealingly. "Please don't let me interfere." He dropped his voice to a deep, insinuating purr. "Use your weapons."

"With no idea of who's on that vessel, my order was a routine safety precaution. We have not been fired upon. The vessel is directing its attack on the Bandi city, and we do not know what state of hostility may exist between-"

Q rolled his eyes and broke into laughter. "Really? No idea of what that s.h.i.+p represents?" He shook his head. Truly, he could not comprehend the stupidity of these creatures. "The meaning of that vessel is as plain as-as plain as the noses on your ugly little primate faces. And if you were truly civilized, Captain, wouldn't you be doing something about the casualties occurring down there?"

So! Picard thought. Maybe he doesn't know everything. He tabbed the communication control on the armrest of his chair and snapped, "Captain to C.M.O. Are you reading any of this?"

Beverly's voice came back almost instantly in crisp response. "Medical teams already preparing to beam down, Captain. They will be in place in five minutes."

"Compliments on that, Doctor." Picard turned back to Q, who stood there grinning at him. "Any questions? Starfleet personnel are trained to render aid and a.s.sistance whenever-"

"Whenever you allow people to be harmed?"

"That's an unfair comparison," Picard said.

"Yes, but true. And I'll give you another unfair but true statement, Captain. Starfleet people are not trained in dear thinking, or you would have already realized what is happening and that the Bandi would have suffered no casualties at ail if you had acted on the knowledge."

"Let's consider your thoughts. You call us 'savages' and yet you apparently knew those people down there would be killed and wounded. Why didn't you say something? Do something to stop it? Is 'testing us' worth that price in innocent lives? I say it is you whose conduct is uncivilized."

"Sir, they're firing on the planet again," Worf interjected.

The bridge crew looked up quickly at the main viewscreen in time to see the blue-white bolt arrow down toward the Bandi city again. To Picard's eyes, it struck the very center of the old complex.

Another streak of energy swiftly pursued it.

"Go to impulse power! Position us between that vessel and the planet. s.h.i.+elds full on!"

"Aye, sir," Geordi snapped in quick response, his hands moving expertly on the conn panel. "Impulse power to-" He stopped, looking down, as the panel faded slowly into blackness. "We have no s.h.i.+p control, sir. It's gone!"

Riker and Data ran down the old city corridors toward Zorn's office. The transporter beam could have gotten them there instantaneously; but immediately after Riker had acknowledged Picard's order, the communications link between him and the Enterprise had gone silent again. Riker was in good condition, but he found himself straining for breath after the long run through the old city. Data, of course, had no such problem. Zorn's office was only a few feet in front of them when a tremendously strong energy bolt flared blue directly beside the door. The corridor rocked under the impact, and Riker and Data were flung to the floor. The ceiling cracked and partially collapsed, sending plaster dust and sand showering down on them. Once the debris stopped falling Data stirred and sat up. Beside him, Riker slowly hauled himself upright, ducking as a fist-sized chunk of ceiling dropped to the ground. "Are you undamaged, sir?" Data asked. "Yes. You?"

Data's eyes seemed to glaze over as he ran an internal check. After a few seconds, he blinked and nodded to Riker. "All systems operating." "Then let's go."

They got to their feet and moved toward Zorn's office. The door was hanging by its hinges, and debris dust drifted lazily through the room. It was badly damaged; apparently the last bolt or one shortly before had been a direct hit. Outside, the explosion of another energy bolt sounded with a distant boom.

Riker and Data ventured cautiously into the office, looking around in dismay at the shattered furniture. Only the beautiful desk seemed to have survived reasonably intact.

"Zorn?"

A m.u.f.fled noise quavered from under the desk. Riker strode toward it quickly. "Groppler Zorn?" He found the old Bandi administrator cowering under the elegant desk, shaking and sobbing in fear.

"Please come out, sir. We're beaming you up to the Enterprise. " He reached under the desk and gently drew Zorn out and up to a standing position.

Zorn didn't seem to hear him as he looked up with pleading eyes. "Please. You can make it stop. Drive it away."

"Drive what away, Groppler?"

Zorn flinched, sucking in his breath as though realizing he had said something he shouldn't. "I don't know," he said quickly.

"Unlikely, sir," Data said flatly. He turned to Zorn. "Our records show that you supervised all Bandi contact with Starfleet. We can presume you did so with any other offworld contacts you have had."

"We haven't done anything wrong!"

"If that is so, you have nothing to fear. The Enterprise will be a safe shelter for you-"

"I have nothing to say to your captain."

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to leave. Goodbye, sir," Riker said firmly. He turned away, and Data wheeled around to follow him.

"No!" Zorn screamed in a frightened voice. He caught himself and brought himself under more control, and his voice only shook slightly as he went on, "No, don't leave. I ... I'll try to explain some of- "

The air began to take on an eerie glow around Zorn. The groppler stared down at his body in horror.

"No," he screamed again. "No-"

Riker took a step forward, as the sparkling luminiscence completely covered the screaming Bandi administrator.

Zorn clutched at Riker's arm desperately. "Help me," he pleaded. "Help me!"

The glow began spreading over Riker's body. He felt a strange tingling creep down his arm ...

"Sir, no!" Data grabbed Riker and pulled him back. The first officer was surprised to feel the immense power in Data's fingers, and equally surprised to realize the android had pulled him back with just two fingertips.

Zorn's screams stopped suddenly. Data and Riker glanced around.

Save for the two of them, the room was empty.

Chapter Ten.

RIKER BLINKED, STARING at the s.p.a.ce Zorn had occupied. Behind him, Data murmured, "I suspect this will create a difficulty."

"You have a talent for understatement, Commander." Riker tapped his communicator to key it and barked, "First officer to Enterprise."

Picard's voice immediately crackled over the minute speaker. "Go ahead, Riker."

He's not going to like this, but I'm d.a.m.ned if I know what to do about it, Riker thought. He shook his head slightly, took a breath, and went ahead. "We've lost Zorn, sir. Something like a transporter beam has s.n.a.t.c.hed him out of here."

"Like a transporter beam? Not one of ours?"

"I would say alien, sir," Data chimed in.

"Question, sir," Riker went on. "Could it have been this Q?"

Q's eyebrows lifted archly, and he smiled at Pi-card's sour expression. It was so plain, and these fools would never get it. "None of you knows who transported him? You're running out of time, Captain."

Troi moved in her chair, stirring from an inner-directed center of attention. She had been alert to Picard's hostility and Q's mocking taunts until something else crept in, nudging her mind subtly. She frowned, a.n.a.lyzing it, separating out the elements. "Captain," she said finally, "suddenly I'm sensing something else." He swung around to look at her questioningly. "It's satisfaction, enormous satisfaction."

"Oh, very good," Q chuckled.

Picard ignored him. "From the same source as before?"

"No, that was on the planet. This is much closer."

The Captain turned toward the viewscreen where the mystery s.h.i.+p hovered ominously in orbit. Q rocked up on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet and then back again to his heels, grinning wickedly at Troi. "Excellent, Counselor!" He jerked his head toward Picard. "He's such a dullard, isn't he?"

"Perhaps," Picard shot back. "But you seem to think this is nothing but a riddle game-and I'll remind you we have more serious business here."

A voice crackled over the interchip, interrupting them. "Transporter Room 6 to captain. First officer and Mister Data have now beamed aboard. They're on their way to the bridge, sir."

"Ah," Q said, smiling cheerfully. "Excellent also! Perhaps with more of these little minds helping, you'll-"

Picard whirled on him, exploding. He seldom lost his temper, didn't believe it ever accomplished much. But this creature was too overbearing, too smug to be tolerated. "That is enough, d.a.m.n it!"

Q stepped back slightly, his eyebrows c.o.c.ked sardonically again. "Have you forgotten we have an agreement? I'm just urging you to keep it."

Picard was aware the turbolift doors had opened and someone entered the bridge. Data and Riker most likely. His attention remained riveted to the alien before him. Q had moved back, given ground. Picard's fencing training snapped to the fore, and he instinctively stepped forward. When an opponent has been forced back, follow; attack boldly. "We have an agreement which you are at this moment breaking by taking over my vessel, interfering with my decisions!" He was nose to nose with Q, and his voice rang with authority, though he did not raise it. "Either leave or finish us."

Q paused thoughtfully, studying Picard. Everyone else on the bridge found himself holding his breath, waiting to see how the mercurial alien would react. In fact, though Picard had surprised him with the vehemence of his attack, Q was enjoying himself. Finally, he allowed a sweet smile to cross his face; and his voice, when it came, was gentle. "Temper, temper, mon Captain. I am merely trying to a.s.sist a pitiful species toward a slight achievement before you have to return to your little planet-and stay there. Perhaps I'll leave if Commander Riker provides me with some amus.e.m.e.nt."

"Do nothing that he asks!" Picard snapped at Riker.

Riker had no intention of doing so and merely shot a confirming glance at his commander. Q moved toward him, his voice pleasant and persuasive. "But I ask so little. And it is necessary if you are to solve all this."

"What is it you want?" Riker asked.

Q flipped a casual hand toward the huge viewscreen and the alien s.h.i.+p. Beam over there with your ..

." He paused and turned to Picard appealingly, "What do you call it? Your away team?"

"I'll risk no lives on such an unknown," Picard said flatly.

The alien shook his head in great pity. Such a trial, these humans. They simply refused to let him help them. "You should already know what you'll find there, Captain. But perhaps it is too adult a puzzle for you. Too complex. Too far above your puny efforts ..." He paused. "Maybe you should just use your phasers ..."

"Q, I'm warning you ..."

"Captain," Riker said. "With all due respect, I want to beam over there."

Q turned quickly toward Riker. "Ah! You show promise, my good fellow."

Riker interrupted angrily, nodding toward Picard. "Have you understood any part of what he's tried to tell you? Humanity is no longer a savage race!"

"What did they used to say, back in your 20th Century? Yes, I have it. 'Talk is cheap.' The words are very fine, my dear Commander Riker. But you must still prove that!" The blinding flash that signaled his departure exploded in their faces, and the officers shrank back from its brilliance.

Riker turned to Picard as the light died away, leaving their bridge looking almost faded in its soft light and muted colors. "Sir, I repeat my request to take an away team to that s.h.i.+p. If there are answers, that's where they'll be."

"I'm surprised you believe that, too," Picard said.

Riker lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "It's the only place left to look, sir. Why not?"

Picard turned it over in his mind. Riker was correct, of course; and Picard had known that he would agree to the first officer's request the moment he had made it. He nodded.