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I back away from Q, the shock and excitement I felt over first seeing him wearing off. "Wait a minute! You don't pop in to see me for a year and suddenly, you show up expecting me to join your quest without question or hesitation. I think you owe me a damn explanation before I go anywhere willingly with you."

"It takes time to plan out a strategy," he replies defensively. "Besides, a year is such a miniscule amount of time to a Q. There are Q out there who refuse to visit the same place or person twice in the same century. Frequent visits might wear down their welcome, make them appear redundant as though they lack creativity."

"Not to me! I've only lived through fourteen years. I need reassurance that you will be there for me."

"How true. But you must learn to think like a Q, act like a Q. You cannot let yourself feel insecure. I've created a safeguard for my ensemble." He steps off the bed and raises his arm in preparation of the Q flash.

"No! You're not taking me anywhere!" I yell, using all my power to place a shield around myself. Why is it that I must not only battle my enemies, but my professed allies as well? No wonder the Continuum is divided into so many factions!

"You needn't do that," he says, lowering his arm. "You know I would never harm you. I love you as a father loves a daughter."

A single tear trickles down my cheek. "Then why did you abandon me for so long?"

For a long moment, our gazes lock, neither of us knowing how to continue. "All right, I'll admit I was wrong," he says. "I'll grovel at your feet for a century if you'll just come with me now. With or without me, you're about to do battle and you're the intended casualty."

I know he is sincerely contrite and that he probably was busy planning out a strategy, but it is difficult for me to forget the distress his absence has caused me. "Explain your strategy to me first. If I find that I agree with it, then I'll go with you."

He nods. "That's acceptable. It is your life I'm attempting to save, after all."

Again, I join him on the edge of the bed and begin listening to his brilliant plan. He and a few other members of his faction have been "spreading the word" of 1687 in an attempt to convince the masses that their way is the right way.

"Let me show you what I've created," Q says. "Maybe then you will begin to understand what I've been trying to accomplish and why it is in your best interest to join me."

"All right," I concede with a nod. He owes me an explanation for his absence and this is probably the easiest way for him to explain himself. "But I don't want to find that days have passed on Betazed while we're away. Can you assure me of that?"

"While there are places in the Continuum that pass time at an accelerated rate, I created this place so it passes time at the same pace as this world," he tells me. "It would not have served your best interest to do otherwise."

"Then proceed."

Before he envelops in the Q flash that will take us to his creation, he does something that surprises me. He smiles at me appreciatively and exhales, "thank you." Then we pop out of my room and into a judge's chambers.

I walk around the room, studying it in intricate detail. There are volumes on one shelf that appear to be the written text of Q's laws. I am tempted to remove one for perusal, but decide against it. While I have no doubt that Q would permit my thorough examination of anything in the room, I don't want to waste more time than is necessary on each. There will be time to learn his laws later, if and when I decide to join his faction.

Up on other shelves are numerous trophies of varying sizes, for what accomplishments I can only begin to imagine. Do they all belong to Q or collectively to his faction? Probably even more important is who awarded the trophies. Are they even real? Or did Q decorate his chambers with them only to add an air of intrigue?

Two pictures ordain the wall behind me. Although they appear abstract, I suspect that there is some hidden meaning in both. I take a long moment to consider each of them, attempting to memorize their patterns and colors.

What enthralls me the most, however, is the image of Q sitting in the judge's chair behind the massive desk, looking rather comfortable in the facade. I sense in him a familiarity in the role. How many times has he played judge before? I wonder if he is a lenient judge or whether he convicts in the absence of a fair trial. "Is this what Captain Riker tried to warn me about?" I ask, waving my arm around to include not only Q, but his domain as well. "I didn't believe him when he told me how unfairly you'd judged humanity. Now, here you are, slipping comfortably in the role. Have you tried to condemn humanity?"

"Of course, not. Riker will never understand the big picture. I've done humanity no disservice. In fact, I've shown them a bit of goodwill from time to time. Jean-Luc wouldn't be the man he is today without my help." He stands and gestures toward the door. "Come and I'll show you the courtroom."

Curiously, I follow him out the door and into a rather large courtroom. There are twenty rows of benches on either side of the room, enough seating to accommodate a few thousand Q. "Is this to be the future testing room for new Q?" I ask him.

"It is to be much more than that. Step up to the arbiter's bench. Sit down."

I consider his offer and wonder what he is really suggesting. How much power is he willing to give me? Even as I question his motives, I follow his instructions and take a position behind the judge's podium. As I look down at the benches, despite their emptiness, a feeling of superiority surges through me. It would be so easy to succumb to the self-centered superior attitude that is first nature to so many Q. "Why are you showing me this?" I ask as Q ascends the steps to stand beside me.

As he answers, I swear I hear a gong or a bell of some type and a crowd chatting in the distance, but no Q pops into the room. He responds, "This is my playground. Once we win over enough Q, the Continuum will benefit from our leadership." He pauses and I sense dread within him. "But first, we will have several battles to face and I fear that some bloodshed is unavoidable. Q is planning out his next strike and he is by far our most reckless foe."

"He tried to trick me," I tell Q. "He did not succeed."

"Shannara, my dear child, you have not caught on to all of his deceptions. He tricks you still that's why it was imperative that I reintegrate myself into your life. He has employed two scouts who call themselves Jaibe and Koradi. I believe you met them at a Betazoid holiday or some such."

"But they can't be Q! They spoke with me telepathically."

"That's why Q thought his plan was so seamlessly perfect. Jaibe and Koradi are two full- Betazoid boys, who agreed to work for Q for a payment I have yet to determine."

"Do you think he offered to give them the power of the Q?"

"That's impossible! Q does not support new members. He obliterates them. Haven't you been reading the data padd I sent to you?"

"Yes, yes, of course. I knew this of him, but I wasn't thinking clearly. Go on."

"Q believes he can use these boys as a bridge to manipulate you, to circumvent your telepathic advantage. He would surely have succeeded if Q hadn't gotten wind of his agenda."

"Your messenger," I say, nodding my understanding of his inflection of her name. "She has proven her desire to help me. I've grown to trust her."

Q nods. "She has been one of my most loyal acolytes. With her help, I have learned of Q's planned battleground, a place on Betazed known as Jannaran Falls. I suspect that the two boys have already contacted you to entice a meeting." I acknowledge this with a nod. "Q planned to use your ignorance to his advantage. If you'd met them without learning that they are his puppets, he would have likely slaughtered you."

"You don't have much confidence in me," I say disdainfully. I remember how easily they rendered me unconscious and wonder if I should behave so haughty now. "I'm an excellent mind reader. I would have caught on to their game."

"In time to save yourself? You have great potential, Shannara. But you're neglecting to use it to its fullest. This battle must occur. You need to affiliate yourself with a faction, allow Q to fight along side you to protect not only yourself, but the very fiber of the Continuum. Faction 17 must be put in its place. Don't attempt that alone or you will go down as Q did."

I wonder which faction this fallen Q belonged to. Is it now extinct? Without my cooperation, I contemplate Faction 1687 going the same route. I'm probably placing too much importance on my involvement. "I believe I'm beginning to understand your point. However, I do still have one question to ask before I accept your help and that of your faction's. Why do you still call me Shannara when every other member of the Continuum is inclusively referred to as a Q? And don't tell me its because you selected me. You're not the only Q who has addressed me by my birth name."

He purses his lips, having difficulty formulating an answer. It is a strange expression to see on a Q, a being who presumably is all-knowing. Surely, he's aware of this habit. "Perhaps, they see in you the same potential I do."

"That doesn't answer my question and you know it. How many other Q have ever been given a special name?" As I ask this question, I can't help but compare the Continuum to the Borg Collective. They are a collection of drones with numbers for designation, but there had been Locutus. Data had not told me much about this portion of Borg history. Yet, computer data banks contained enough information for me to ascertain that Captain Picard had been briefly assimilated in a Borg attempt to form a new leadership. Did Q's plan now mirror that history more than I've realized?

"It is time for a change inside the Continuum," he tells me. "I believe and many others agree with me, that you have come along to fulfill a prophecy."

I narrow my eyes suspiciously. "You told me that you created me, created my entire universe. Are you now telling me that you masterminded this prophecy? Or have you been lying to me all along? You've never struck me as the least bit religious. What deity is supposedly in charge of this prophecy?"

"I have never lied to you. I've withheld a few truths from time to time when I deemed telling you unnecessary or premature. Sometimes, telling you would even be detrimental to your future as a Q."

"Why tell me now? You could have brushed off the subject as you have done so elegantly in the past. I've heard nothing of any myths or prophecy inside the Continuum before today. Now you speak half-truths about them to me."

"I tell you what you can be told," he reiterates. "To tell you more today might alter the course of events. However, I will say that you have surpassed my original expectations for you."

"Oh really?" First, he tells me that I cannot battle Jaibe and Koradi without support and now he tells me I'm already better than he'd hoped.

"Oh yes. I did not expect you to fulfill the first element of the prophecy so quickly. I had expected it to take nearly fifty years to convince you to accept the powers of the Q. After all, that is only a blink of an eye to a Q's life span."

I stand up, ready to come down from the magistrate's chair. I feel uneasy perching in its eye stature. I haven't earned the role. I'm not sure I ever want to accept the role. Let that be Q's glory. "Introduce me to some of your friends. Let me at least garner what details I can from them."

"There will be time for that later. We must go to Jannaran Falls now and establish our militant stance. The next element comes to pass today. That is why I have chosen to share this half-truth, as you call it, with you."

Although I've read information about the famous Betazoid landmark, I had not realized the massive size of Jannaran Falls. The waterfall extends nearly half a kilometers over a steep mountain. We pop in precariously perched on a precipice and I scream, momentarily forgetting that I am imperious to the dangers it posses to mere mortals. "Couldn't you have picked a better spot to flash into?" I yell to be heard over the din of the water.

"From here," Q says, waving his hand across the distance of the surrounding water and land, "we can view all of Jannaran Falls Park. How else would we map out our strategy?"

I look down below at the Jannaran River. Under more pleasant circumstances, I would have found it breathtaking. The water flows rapidly, winding around the massive mountain. Plants and shrubs grow wild along the blank, canvassing the panorama in a rainbow of colors. If only I'd visited this place before today and walked along Jannaran's shores. After all the years I've spent cooped up on a starship, longing for the chance to be planet bound, I've spent my months on Betazed neglecting much of the beauty it has to offer. Now I must scrutinize the landscape and place myself in the role of general. "There are several bushes which could be used for cover. Someone could climb to one of the top branches of that huge Grocko Tree."

Q leans toward me and the sensation of falling reasserts itself. This time, I control my fear of it. "What type of weapons will Q use? How will his ammunition effect us?" Q asks. I sense that he is not asking me to guess Q's strategy, but rather to choose his weaponry for him. How is this possible? Q is not like one of our worlds, to be created from a blank canvas. He is a powerful being with a highly motivated vengeance. My greatest hope is that he will not triumph over us. While I am still unsure which faction to allege myself to, I have no doubt that Faction 17 is a disease which needs eradicated. When I fail to respond verbally to his questions, Q continues his discourse. "Will the safeties be turned off in your holodeck program? Will you bleed?"

"Why would I want to turn the safeties off if I have a choice?"

"It's the only way Q can die. Unless you are incapable of ending the life of another, no matter how evil he is."

I wonder if justice will truly be served by ending Q's life. Is it really Faction 1687's place to play judges over the entire Continuum? "Asking me then is rather pointless, isn't it? We both know that Q will deactivate the safeties himself."

"It's important you realize that. A Q who believes herself impervious to every bullet will invariably flash out of existence. The Q are immortal beings, but given their egocentric nature, they will allow themselves to become vulnerable in the hopes of battling their enemy to his death. This is how several factions became extinct. This foolishness of others has been central to Q's success over the millennia."

"I will not allow ourselves to become another statistic," I vow to him. "I will battle Q until his demise."

"You mean, *we* will." He moves away from me to begin making his way down the precipice. Why doesn't he simply flash to where he wishes to go? "Let's plan out our defense strategy," he says to me, not slowing his pace.

I consider flashing in front of him to make my descent flawless. Then I think better of this notion. This is obviously a test of some kind, otherwise, Q would never do anything the hard way. I don't yet know what circumstances will prevail while the Q safeties are turned off. Will some of our powers be rendered ineffective as well? If we do not have the ability to Q flash out of the battle, we will need to find other means when faced with danger. So I follow him cautiously down the steep incline.

As I reach a point nearly halfway down, I feel the audacity to look down. Shocked by the depth that still remains between us and the bottom of the mountain, I misplace my footing and tumble. My screams sere my throat only to be engulfed by the cascading water. My legs and arms are battered by the sharp rock edges, my blood washed away by the water. One wrong twist and my neck will snap. How many bones are broken already?

Abruptly, my descent stops and I am floating in the air. I look across the sky with blurry eyes and see Q several meters in front of me. "I didn't mean to imply that the safeties were turned off now," he tells me. "Let's start the battle undefeated."

I examine my bruised and bloodied body and using my powers, heal them one by one. "Why did I not sustain any broken bones?" I ask him.

"Obviously you were not completely blind to the use of your powers. Your thoughts, your will power are key, to the magnitude of your powers. The more self-control you possess, the greater your chances of defeating the enemy."

"So basically, we need to want to win the battle more than they do. We have to believe in our cause more strongly than they do in theirs."

"Exactly. That's why it's imperative that you align yourself with us. Faction 1687 has a good cause."

I pale as I think about the lost Q, hiding away their entire existence to protect their lives. Red warned me that I would end up like them if I didn't choose a faction soon. Why am I being so indecisive and stubborn? I don't want to die. I don't want to flash out from existence. "For today, I will support your cause," I promise him. "But tomorrow is another day."

"If that's the best you will offer, then I will have to accept it for today." He nods in accordance. "Now it's time to burst this bubble and glide to the ground like a true Q." He raises his hand as though it possesses a needle and makes a popping gesture.

Quickly, I resume my ascent until I bring my arms out in front of me and move them about as though I am swimming through the air. My landing is secure as my feet touch the ground.

A family nearby are surprised by our arrival and the father clutches at his two children in a vain hope of protecting them. Q approaches them, saying, "Greetings. I am Q. We will require the use of this park for the afternoon. I suggest you take your lunch elsewhere."

Nodding vigorously, the family gathers up their food and other belongings and rushes to their shuttlecar. Q scouts the area, ushering off everyone frequenting the park grounds. "We do not want to place any mortals in danger," he explains to me unnecessarily.

While I accept the need to clear the park of all mortals, I begin to wonder why no other Qs have shown up. Are we to fight this battle on our own? "I thought you said I would have Faction 1687's support."

"They will be here when the time is right. This is your battleground. With just reasons, they expect you to plan out your strategies and they will follow in whatever ways they feel are appropriate."

They follow subjectively, I muse. When I think like a Q, I realize their options are wide open. "I'll keep that in mind while I plan this event out." Somehow, I'm getting the impression that understanding my allies is equally as important as knowing my enemy. As I consider both sides of the equation, I device the weaponry for my cohorts. I produce several Starfleet issue assault rifles, grenades like the ones used during twentieth-century Earth, and a variety of Klingon-style weapons. I'm a bit concerned about the damage such weaponry will reek on the beautiful park grounds until Q tells me it can all be restored after the battle has ended. He says this with unflinching confidence, but I can't help wondering whether Faction 17 would bother should they come out victorious. "

This selection of weaponry is brilliant," Q says. "Combining twenty-fourth-century technology not only with centuries-old, but alien technology as well."

As though they have heard his acclamation, the other Q from Faction 1687 begin popping into the park. With little prompting from Q or I, they take their positions. Q holds out a bat'leth to me. "I believe you've had some practice using one of these."

"I must begin the battle with my mind as my only weapon," I tell him. "If Jaibe and Koradi see me toting a weapon, our element of surprise will be lost."

I sit down at a picnic table in the park's center and wait for Jaibe and Koradi to arrive. Will they sense the other Q despite the protective shielding I've placed around them? Minutes later, the boys arrive in a Q flash and I need no further proof that they are collaborating with Faction 17. What about these two mortal boys makes Q believe he can destroy me with their aid? They took advantage of me once, but now I'm prepared for their onslaught. I hope.

They sit down across from me and I have a strange sense that we've flashed back in time to the Market Day pavilion. Even the loud roar of Jannaran Falls does not help dispel this feeling. "Oh Shannara," Jaibe says with a smirk, "I knew you found me irresistible. Is it my charming smile or my slick suit?" He runs his fingers along the lining of his jacket.

"Don't flatter yourself," I respond. "We all know why I accepted this invitation. You owe me an explanation and an apology."

"Ahhh," Koradi says, "you can't want to seek vengeance against poor little mortal us." He laughs sinisterly.

"You took me by surprise, violated me in the most spiritual way possible. "Now, I know your game and I won't fall victim to you again." Despite my affirmation, I feel both of them attempting to probe my mind and I fear my mental shields will weaken. "You're just a couple of pawns on Q's chest board," I say, trying to weaken them first. "He'll only use you for as long as he needs you and then he'll discard you."

"He has promised us great wealth," Jaibe informs me. "Why would he back out on his promise? What value does money have to a Q?" He grabs me by the arm. "Nothing to a Q, but everything to us mortals. Denounce your life as a Q, and we'll show you how to have a good time. Q seem to value very little, except living forever. What's living forever worth if you can't enjoy life?"

"Or don't," Koradi adds. "And we'll have to kill you. Safeties off. You set the rules, remember?"

I ignore his blatant jibe at my weakened position. "Is that the only way you'll spare my life? I have to lower myself to your aberrant level."

They glance at one another quizzically. They don't even understand what I mean. They are only boys, who probably don't realize how dangerous Q is. He doesn't choose allies outside the Continuum, only pawns. What can Q possibly accomplish by using them?

"You're an abomination of your kind," I clarify. "You don't fit in with what is considered normal."

"And you do?" Jaibe counters.

He doesn't expect an answer, I sense and I offer none. Why should I admit my insecurities to them? As we stare at one another, the wind suddenly picks up and my hair blows in my face like the leaves on the trees. Although I sense it is artificial, I do not break my stare to investigate its source. It picks up and a flash of lightning fills the sky. Someone screams as he is hurled from a tree. Finally, I break the stare and stand to look for the enemy both with my eyes and my inner senses. Jaibe and Koradi have distracted me well from Faction 17's arrival.

Arsenal fire breaks out from all directions and I feel as naked as the day of the undressing without any weapon.

*What's the matter, Shannara?* Jaibe says inside my head. *You neglected to plant any loopholes to get you out of a bind?*

I do not look back at him or his companion as I run away from the picnic table and take cover behind a mountain ridge. A nemesis spots my movement or is directed by their mortal pawns. Whichever is not my greatest concern as he leaps toward me armed with a phaser rifle. Frantically, I search for anything to use as a weapon and scoop up some loose rocks to heave at his face. They may at least distract him long enough for me to get away. My arm strength is good thanks to my Klingon genes and most of the rocks hit the target. He screams in agony, though surely the pebbles have inflicted no more than the slightest scratch. Not waiting to find out why I've overpowered him with my meager weapon, I scramble away searching for a better weapon and a better cover. As I duck behind the huge Gracko tree, I glance back at the fallen Q and notice a d'k tahg protruding between his shoulder blades. Although twisting around fiercely, Q is unable to remove the Klingon weapon.

"Shannara!" someone calls out to me and I look up just in time to grab an assault rifle being dropped down from a high tree branch. The weapon does not come any too soon as I use it to ward off several Q advancing toward me. After they fall, I look at the setting on the rifle. It is set on stun, but I could have just as easily killed these otherwise immortal beings. I discard the weapon in disgust.

"What are you doing?" someone yells at me and before I can determine who they are or where they're coming from, he is upon me, clutching me by the throat. "You do not make a formidable enemy. You are puny and weak. I could snap your neck and end your life in an instant."

"Why won't you?" I manage, sensing in him no intension of carrying out his threat. He releases his grip on me, but his fingers remain ever close to my jugular. "It's your cause to kill new Q. Why go to the trouble of setting up this meeting if not to end my life?"

Jaibe and Koradi come up to stand behind Q like henchman guarding his back. Their air of assumed superiority is sickening. They are mere ants in this soldiers' game.

"I want a great show," Q answers my question. "You offer me so little that you're head is hardly worthy of a trophy." The two pawns laugh in agreement until Q glares at them. "I know you're capable of so much more, otherwise Q would never have gone to the trouble of enticing you under his wing. Why are you still living under the charade of a little girl?"

"I am a little girl." I try to say this with conviction, as much to make myself believe as Q. "That's nothing to be ashamed of."

Around us, the fighting continues although Q and I are untouched as if he's willed it to allow this debate. Despite this, I feel vulnerable and violated. Where is my Q now or even his messenger? Are they embroiled in the battle with Faction 17, risking their lives to protect mine? I really am putting on a pathetic show in exchange for it.

Jaibe leans toward Q and with a smirk, says, "She's a little girl all right. Her body's shaping up nice, though, if we could just cover up the head.

With one swift and precise move, Q produces a blade from underneath the folds of his jacket and slices into Jaibe's neck. The boy falls to his knees and clutches feebly at his gushing wound. Before he has a chance to acknowledge his cohort's fate, Koradi finds the blade turned against him and collapses halfway on top of Jaibe.

Q looks up at me and with the expression of a housewife who has just thrown out the garbage, tells me, "There usefulness has just expired."

I hear a shuttlecar in the distance and I hope the family inside will turn around and flee. This is no place for mortals. As the car comes into view, I recognize it and with dread, realize its occupants will not turn around. As the car descends, I try to place a protective shield around only to remember that is one of the powers I forfeited for the duration of this battle.

"More mortal blood," Q says. "Something to motivate you." He walks toward the tiny shuttle and anxiously, I follow him.

Grandma opens the hatch door prepared to negotiate a truce. It won't work. I know because Q has never ended a battle peacefully. "Stay out of this, Grandma!" I yell. "This isn't the place for you. You cannot negotiate with the Q as you did the Iliatti. Go home!"

"Oh, but it's the perfect place for her," Q says, grabbing Grandma by the arm and pulling her out of the shuttlecar.

Other Q stop their fighting to flock around us. I sense in each of them either a great desire to watch Q brutally torture Grandma or to spare her from this age-old battle. My Q steps to the front of the crowd, Red on his heels. "Q, let her go," he says. "Why involve another mortal? They do not make worthy trophies."

"Please, there must be some amount of compassion inside you," Grandma says. "Let me take my granddaughter home and we'll forget about this whole mess. She'll live out a normal, mortal life. You wouldn't be bothered by her."

Q tosses aside the blade he used to kill Jaibe and Karodi. I feel no relief from the action, however, as he glares maliciously at Grandma, his lips only centimeters from her cheek. I wait anxiously for Q to act. Will I be able to defend Grandma as easily as I did the day I rescued her from the Iliatti soldiers?

"Q, I insist," my Q says, "take me instead." With his hands he tilts his head sideways. "Aren't I the head you've always dreamed of adorning your wall with? This woman will offer you no triumph. Let her go." Q steps toward his greatest nemesis only to be stopped by a bolt of lightning coming from the enemy's hand. Knocked off his feet, Q flings backward and lands hard on his bottom side.

Safeties off! Ahh!

I rush toward the enemy Q, but before I reach him, he has already sucked most of the life out of Grandma and she crumples to the ground. I kneel before Grandma, trying desperately to breathe life back into her. Unable to will the powers of the Q to flow through me, I cradle Grandma in my arms, weeping.

"Game over!" someone shouts. Through my bleary eyes, I barely recognize Q from Faction 125, the same Q who rescued me from Jaibe and Karodi during Market Day. "Everyone disperse now. Go home." To my amazement, they listen to him, one by one flashing out of Jannaran Falls. In the end, even Red and my Q vanish until only Q from Faction 125 is left standing over Grandma and I. "Game over," he repeats and a great dread descends to the pit of my stomach.