<<Stardate: 47307.16- 13:55>>

<<Shuttlebay 4>>

"...My father was the Prime Minister of Gamma Alteries. We were attacked by the Borg. He ordered a planetary evacuation. Apparently from these readings, my pod fell through a wormhole and ended up here." The slender alien sank to his knees. Epic felt the crushing pressure of his pain and shut it out. The young one, Kyp, was overwhelmed by his situation.

Epic looked to Prexis as she continued to run scans on the young alien. She looked up at him once, raising an eyebrow when Kyp had mentioned the Borg. Epic nodded and grimaced.

Epic felt the hairs on his neck rise, heralding the appearance of Q. He turned to look at her, but she was not looking at him. She was looking at the sagging Alterian. She stepped past Epic to touch Kyp’s head.

The Alterian looked up, his blond hair falling away from his eyes. At first, he was captivated by her beauty, but slowly, an awareness of her power crept into his mind. His eyes grew wide and wondrous as he looked at her.

"Goddess.", he whispered in awe.

Q smiled sweetly at him but said nothing. With a finger, she wiped away the single tear that slowly traced a wet line on his cheek. "It was You that opened the wormhole and brought me to these people.", he said with a tone of worship.

"No, Kyp.", she smiled. "The wormhole was an incidental phenomena created by conflicting warp fields. You would have appeared here with or without my influence. Actually, I brought them to you." Epic looked to the squad of Security officers and dismissed them with a silent gesture. The Bajoran woman, a junior grade lieutenant named Jhari Ryes, nodded and lead her squad out of the shuttlebay. ::What is so important about this kid that you dragged the whole starship out to meet him?!::, Epic asked the Q in a telepathic fit. The Q turned her soft blue eyes to Epic, mild surprise showing that he had chosen to touch her mind instead of simply speaking. She wasn’t offended, just surprised. Most of the people she had encountered since her Ascension would never have dared. But, Epic Terrakian dared. And she knew that he would be more daring still, before their association ended, many years in the future.

::The Continuum owes a debt to the Alterians.::, the Q known formerly as Amanda Rogers confessed. ::Despite a mishap that almost destroyed them, they have chosen to worship us as deities. For that, I act on his behalf.::

Epics expression became shrewd. ::If his world was attacked by the Borg, it is likely that his people are no more. What good is saving this one? Why didn’t you save them all?::

Q’s eyes became liquid for a moment, and Epic almost sobbed in response. Again, he was too ‘sensitive’, she was too powerful, and she was standing too close. She looked to the kneeling youths adoring face and smiled, but her mind still touched Epics. ::The Borg have not destroyed them all. There are other survivors. In time, this one will unite them all.::

::So, you can see the future?::, Epic asked with some sarcasm. Q did not like the way this... mortal.. was mocking her. She looked to him with anger tainted by guilt. ::No, Terrakian. I can make the future.::

Epic wanted to respond, but all his control was dedicated to shutting out the beautiful Q’s powerful emotions. He severed the telepathic link he instigated. If he hadn’t, he would be in tears right now.

"So...", he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If his safety is so important to you, why bring him here? We’re not exactly going on a holiday."

She looked to the young Alterian and explained to him as well as to Epic. "This young one has a profound education of the Delta Quadrant. Being the son of his Planets regent, he has a keen understanding of that mysterious space and its peoples. You will need his knowledge and wisdom, after my departure."

Epic nodded once for no reason. "You will be going." "Yes.", she answered simply. "Soon. I have interfered too much already."

Epic nodded again, this time with reason.

"Well...", Epic said as he turned away. "Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Q laughed. It was such a happy and contagious sound, that the young Alterian laughed in response. And despite his best efforts against her powerful emotions, Epic burst into laughter, as well.

"We will meet again, Captain Terrakian.", she said with a wide smile.

Epic nodded, his smile fading as he turned to the Security officer who approached him. ‘Captain’, she had said. The look on the Security officers face told him everything he needed to know. His heart froze before the man even said the words.

"Sir. Captain Cochran is dead."