Captain's Log: Stardate 4115.37. Our destination is the planet Denab IV beyond which lies the great, unexplored mass of the galaxy. My orders are to examine Farpoint, a starbase built there by the locals. In the meantime, I am becoming better acquainted with my new command. This Galaxy-class USS Enterprise. I am still somewhat in awe of its size and complexity. We are still short of several key positions, most notably a first officer. But I am told a highly experienced man, one William T. Riker, will be joining us at Farpoint. In the meantime, I have Lt. Dorothy Brahms doubling that post with her usual station as Science Officer.

Like everywhere else on the ship, the bridge was alive with activity as each officer present manned their posts. At her console above the center command chairs, Tasha Yar, Security Chief greeted her captain with a nod of her head. Councilor Deanna Troi sat in the left command chair below her and Dorothy Brahms, personification of the Enterprise D herself, sat in the right. Second Officer Lt. Commander Data was at the helm.

"You will agree Data that Starfleet's orders are difficult." Picard said as he came to stand behind him.

"Difficult? Simply solve mystery of Farpoint Station." Data replied.

"Simple as that." Picard mused as he sat in his command chair.

Dorothy glanced once at him before turning her attention back to her work. "Farpoint Station, even the name sounds mysterious." She said

"It's hardly simple Data to negotiate an agreement with the station while at the same time snoop around for information." Picard told his second officer.

Data looked confused. "Inquiry. The word snoop."

Dorothy stifled a chuckle. "Data, how can you be programmed to be a virtual encyclopedia of human information and not know a word as simple as snoop?" She asked.

Data stood up. "Possibility: a human behavior I was not programmed to immolate." He replied, his gold eyes unblinking.

"It means, um to um, spy. Sneak." Dorothy tried to explain. Fortunately for her, Data understood quickly.

"Ah, to sneak covertly. To go stealthfully. To slink, slither, glide..."

"Yes, yes Data." Dorothy sighed, trying to cut off his rambling at the root before it got out of hand. Data had a habit of speaking in paragraphs at a time and she really didn't want to subject the bridge crew to that this morning.

"Captain." Deanna's interruption had Dorothy and Picard turn to look at her.

The former did not like the alarmed look on Deanna's face. "Councilor?" She asked.

"I'm sensing a powerful mind." Deanna replied.

Dorothy sensed something too, something powerful was out there and instantly the red alert sounded. Some kind of powerful electrical grid appeared in front of the ship, registring as a solid. "Could be a very powerful forcefield." She said. "Either way, if we collide with it..."

The Enterprise D slowed to a halt in front of the shield and with a flash of light a being appeared on the bridge. It appeared to be male but was wearing this odd clothing. Dorothy hadn't seen anything like this before.

"Thou advised to return to thy sector immediately." The being said. "Thy have penetrated too far into the galaxy already."

"That's quite a directive." Picard said.

"Indeed." Dorothy agreed, standing beside her captain. Her eyes were narrowed and her hands were balled into fists, each holding a bit of her pant fabric. "Do you mind telling us what you are?"

"We call ourselves the Q." It replied, moving around off the top level and down to stand beside Picard. "I present myself to thee as a fellow ship captain, so thou may better understand me. Go back where thoust camest." He turned to see an ensign with his phaser at the ready. "Thou stay where thou art." The ensign turned to frozen ice.

Instantly, Dorothy knelt beside him. "He's frozen!" She cried in shock, hardly able to believe it. What kind of powers did this being have? She picked up the phaser and turned to face Q. "Do you recognize this?" She asked, a low growl in her voice. "A stun setting."

"Knowing humans as thou doest, Lt. Can one risk being held captive by them. Now go back, or thou shall most certainly die."

Dorothy wasn't about to back down and met his gaze harshly. "Lt. Brahms stand down." Picard ordered her and reluctantly Dorothy backed off into a less of "in your face" distance and more to a "I am watching you" position.

"Thy few centuries pass so rapidly." Q said as he walked up next to Tasha. "Perhaps thou shall better understand this." Another flash of light and this time a small triangular cap covered his head. He had a green uniform on. One that Dorothy recognized from historical archives. "Actually, the issue at stake is patriotism. You must return to your world and put an end to the commies. All it takes is a few good men." He said, taking a drag off his cigar.

"What? That nonsense is centuries behind us." Picard murmured.

"Put you can't deny you're a dangerously child savage race." Q said.

"Most certainly I deny it!" Picard growled.

"And I'll attest to it." Dorothy added, moving forward again. "I agree humans were when they wore costumes like that." She nodded to Q's outfit. "But they made progress even then."

"Sir, sickbay reports Lt. Torris' condition is improving." Worf interrupted.

"Ah concern for one's fellow comrade." Q said. "How touching." He placed his hand on Dorothy's shoulder.

The starship glared at him. "Now a personal request sir." She growled, glaring at Q her jaw clenching. "Permission to clean up the bridge."

Q merely laughed and moved back slightly. "It's the same old story out here isn't it captain. More wars, more allies, more murdering."

"No, the same old story is this: self rightous lifeforms who aren't here to learn, but to prosecute, to judge anything they can't tolerate!" Picard growled.

"Prosecute? Judge?" Q's eyes took on a mischevious glint. "Splendid idea captain. Splendid. When we next meet captain, we shall proceed exactly as you suggest." Q disappeared in a flash of light.

Q was true to his word and after a harrowing saucer separation at nearly Warp 10 and an unconditional surrender, Dorothy, Tasha, Deanna, Picard, and Data all found themselves in the middle of a courtroom.

"Well this should be fun." Dorothy thought as she and the other "prisoners" were ordered to rise. The crowd around them had a habit of being rather unruly.

"Very very accurate sir." Data said.

"Mid 21st century, post atomic era." Dorothy mused as she looked around.

Q came forward on his gigantic chair. He looked so full of himself Dorothy just wanted to punch his smug smile off his face and Tasha, coming from a planet where this "fair" court was commonplace, confronted Q. Dorothy tried to hold her back but Q, the expression on his face not changing, simply froze Tasha in the same manner as Lt. Torris.

"You barbarian!" Dorothy cried, rushing him. She was held back by Deanna.

"You said this would be a fair trial." Picard said, his voice low in anger. "And harming one of the prisoners is not a fair trial!"

"This is a merciful court." Q conceded and restored Tasha. It did nothing to abate Dorothy's anger and it didn't help that the crowd complained either.

"Criminal, how plead you?" Q asked.

"Guilty." Picard replied.

"But sir!" Dorothy protested as the crowd cheered.

"Provisionally." Picard added.

Q was surprised by this, but leaned back in his chair, his hands folded in front of him. "The court will hear the provisions." He said.

"We question that this court is abiding by its own rules." Picard said.

Q was hardly in the mood for negotiations and Picard, fed up with his games, growled "Test us then! We have a long mission ahead of us, plenty of opportunities so test us Q!"

"Another brilliant idea captain. But I won't require a long mission. Your immediate destination offers the perfect opportunity. You have 24 earth hours to complete it." Another flash of light and the group was back on the battle bridge. The time indicated that no more than a few minutes had passed since they'd left.

"I hate him." Dorothy fumed, punching the nearest thing which happened to be the side of the battlebridge door. She left a good sized dent in the metal frame and cursed as she felt a bruise forming on the inside of her left thigh from that.

"Getting angry isn't going to help anything. Whatever Q's got in store for us we need to face with a clear head is that understood Lt." Picard said trying to calm her down.

Dorothy wasn't done yet. "A savage race? Captain, my race has lived alongside yours for centuries and I can attest that..."

"Is that understood Lt?" Dorothy nodded, the fire in her eyes abating somewhat. "Yes sir." She replied.

Denab IV was hardly a green planet, the station being the only sign of life on its surface. Dorothy was quite happy to see that Hailey Sulu, the USS Hood was there, having dropped off Commander Riker. She also had, a very important guest who wished to tour the Enterprise.

Dorothy was ordered to the shuttle bay to greet and give him the tour. It was unusual for anyone, especially an admiral, to use a shuttlecraft as a means of transport between starships verses a transporter which was easier and quicker. But from the files she had on hand, she determined quite easily that Admiral Leonard McCoy still carried a distrust of transporters.

The large doors to the shuttlebay opened to welcome in the returning craft. Gliding gently to its spot the blue nacelles of Gaileo shut down. Ensign Gina Brahms stepped out first. She was a small thing, barely 4'9" compared to Dorothy's 5'10". She saluted her mothership. "Ensign Gina Brahms bring the Admiral aboard as requested ma'am." She said.

"Thank you Ensign, I will take it from here. You are dismissed." Dorothy replied.

Gina saluted again and left allowing her passenger to come forward. This time it was Dorothy who snapped a salute first. "Lt. Dorothy Brahms at your service admiral. I'm to give you the tour today."

"I retired from Starfleet ago, call me Bones." McCoy rolled his eyes and Dorothy relaxed her stance but only slightly.

"This way, admiral." She gestured to the door.

Stifling a sigh, McCoy followed her. "They're all the same in uniform." He thought.

Dorothy showed him the medical facilities. Having been a doctor, McCoy could certainly appreciate the advances Starfleet had made since when he was in the service. She let Dr. Crusher take over this part of the tour, the doctor being far more knowledgeable than herself in medical matters.

If McCoy was impressed he didn't show it, remaining as stoic and grumbly as ever as Dorothy lead him through the rest of the ship.

"I heard this only second hand mind you, but it sounded like you got into a scrape of trouble on your way here." He said.

Dorothy winced. If Hailey had already picked up on the Q encounter then at least half the fleet would hear about it by the end of the week. She'd never be able to show her face at Starbase 310 for months without getting teased about it.

"I'm hoping that will be the last adventure of that nature that I will have but well, I am an Enterprise so it's probably wishful thinking." She shrugged.

"Dorothy. May I call you Dorothy? If you call me Bones that is." He said.

She nodded. "Of course Bones." She replied.

"Dorothy don't you let them push you around. You take lip from no one, you hear." He said. "You're a new ship but you have the right name. Make sure your crew treats you like a lady. For that's what an Enterprise is. And bring them all home in return."