Subject: FRONTIER: Escape and Q

SD 71017

Leana was tapping away at one of the computers behind the bar while 
Houston continued to make negligible progress at cutting through the 
wall, a hand phaser simply wasn't up to the job.

Leana called up a sensor read-out on the computer and a hopeful smile 
tugged at her lips as she asked, "Do we still have control of the 
transporters?" 

"Yes, I estimate that they can not break through the security seal I 
set up for another twenty-eight point six-three minutes."

"Our Frontier is on the sensors and it's in transport range." 

Houston dropped the phaser and walked to the terminal, "I can beam us 
across to the Frontier from here, it may be risky as we are still at 
warp, but I think we have no other choice."

"Agreed," said Leana.

Houston called up a transporter window on the terminal and set the 
co-ordinates, "Both of the Frontiers shields are down, locking on, 
energising."

The four disappeared in the beam and a more familiar 2-Backward 
coalesced around them.  

"Computer, locate Lt. Murray," said Keanu.

[Lt. Angus Murray, is in the brig,] answered the computer's female 
voice. Keanu and the others walked to the door with a brisk walk. 
They walked down the corridor towards the brig. 

"Look!" said Leana as she spotted a bloody stain on the wall.
Keanu looked at it, and walked ever faster. Keanu, Leana, Ishara and  
Houston burst into the brig, startling everyone inside, stopping the 
alternate Leana mid-sentance. 

"Leana, you're alright," Simony and Angus said in unison. Angus 
continued, "What happened to your eye? Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm okay, I had a run in with one of your friends Angus."
Angus looked at her in confusion, "I'll tell you later," she said.

Keanu looked at his counterpart behind the forcefield. "What are you 
doing here? What do you want?"

The other Keanu started to grin, "You don't get it do you? You have 
no idea. You're so..." The four behind the field disappeared in a 
shimmer of light.

"Damm," responded Ramsay.

"Sir, they are in transporter range, so it is safe to assume that 
they are also in weapons range," Houston said.

"You're right. Red alert!  All hands to battle stations," Ramsay 
replied.


THE BRIDGE

Keanu slipped into the seat next to the engineering console. Running 
systems diagnostics, he discovered some major faults. "Captain, I'll 
be in engineering, I've found some problems, I'll get on them right 
away." Ramsay nodded in agreement as Keanu left the bridge.

"Drop to impulse and arm all weapons," Ramsay commanded.

In the main viewer the starfield returned to normal and Angus 
frantically armed the phasers and torpedoes, "Sir, I've just scanned 
their weapons array, we can't hope to outgun them."

Ramsay continued to watch the other Frontier grow in the main viewer, 
"I'm aware of that Mr. Murray but if you care to scan them again
you'll see that we can't hope to outrun them either." He raised a hand
to his temples, tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. "Houston: what
would happen if we tried our dilithium resonator torpedoes?"

Joanna thought for a moment then replied, "Assuming a fair degree of 
similarity  between our two ships, their dilithium crystal would have 
the same resonance frequency. In short, it would not work, Captain."

"It would if we removed the safety mechanism," replied Angus. "Of 
course, we'd both be affected. I don't recommend it at all sir."

"It'll bring them down to our level." Ramsay tapped the intercom, and 
said, "Mr. Maren stand by to take the warp core off-line and throw up 
some shielding around the crystal chamber."

"We can save ourselves a lot of damage by waiting till the last moment
before activating the torpedo," said Angus. "And we can maximise the 
effect on them if we hit their shields with a full spread of weapons 
fire."

"Excellent suggestion. Fire the resonator torpedo after the warp core 
is down. Commence firing spread." He spoke into the intercom again, 
"Shut it down now!" On the viewscreen the other Frontier's shields 
flared under the brilliance of phasers and photons. It continued to 
advance steadily towards them.

[Core is off-line now, Captain,] reported Maren.

"Firing resonator torpedo," said Angus.

"Full impulse reverse," ordered Ramsay.

"They're still gaining on us," replied Ishara.

Angus was watching the torpedo steak towards the other Frontier, his 
finger poised over the torpedo activation key. As the two blips began 
to converge, he depressed the button.

Houston scanned the ship and observed the change in the activity of 
its warp core. The bright regular pulsing became an incessant flicker,
and finally a red light showed in the tiny diagram. "Sir, they have a 
warp core breach in progress."

*Damn* thought Ramsay *we hit them a little too hard*  "Can we do 
anything?"

"No, sir. I believe our best course of action would be to remove 
ourselves from the detonation radius."

"Not an option. If they explode while they're in this universe, we'll 
irreparably damage the fabric of space-time," Ramsay said.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you fired upon them."
Ramsay turned to face the unfamilar speaker and saw a figure dressed 
in a Starfleet captain's uniform materialise in a white flash. "But 
what can I expect from an aggressive child race?"

Ramsay's expression became sour. "Q, I presume?"

"Getting quite famous, aren't I?" replied Q. He caught sight of Angus 
taking aim at him with a phaser, and flippantly added, "Of course, not
everyone knows of me. Even if your phaser could harm me, I doubt *you*
could hit me at this range." He smiled mockingly at Angus.

Angus lowered the phaser, "Yes I've heard of you Q, and I see that my 
own reputation precedes me."

"Now, where was I?" pondered Q. "Oh yes. That ship's about fifteen 
seconds from critical isn't it? What a shame it would be, the entire 
universe would be thrown into chaos..." He snapped his fingers, the 
effect not immediately evident. Houston - who was still monitoring 
the other Frontier - reported, "The breach has been averted, Captain."

"Now... I believe you owe me a favour." The words were ominous, almost
sinister. He caught the glare in Ramsay's eyes and added, "Of course, 
I could just take that back." He raised his hand, poised to snap the 
fingers again perhaps.

"What could you possibly want from an 'aggresive child race'?" replied
Ramsay.

"A little of your time, your crew... you must know by now that I'm
fascinated by your species," Q replied.

"We don't have time for games," said Ramsay. "We have a mission here, 
or had you forgotten?"

"Tsk tsk, how simple-minded you are. It'll all be here when you get 
back, don't fret. That is, *if* you get back." He broke into a broad 
grin.

"Damn you, what do you want?" 

The bridge vanished around them in a bright flash of white light. The 
crew reappeared in a forested setting. Not too far away their 
counterparts materialised. Q finally appeared between them, a devilish
grin forming on his lips. "This will be a *most* entertaining 
diversion." He addressed both groups simultaneously, "You won't be 
alone for long little people, so don't start scrapping - you'll need 
that 'strength' of yours to beat off what's coming over that hill in 
about-" he snapped his fingers and consulted an oversized clock, "-two
minutes. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He disappeared in a flash of 
white light.

There was another flash, the crews found themselves armed with swords 
and shields. "What the hell is happening round here?" Keanu said with 
a note of confusion.

"You don't want to know," said Leana as she looked down at what she 
was wearing.

"And Q said our tailor was bad," said Ishara.

Angus looked at Leana, she was wearing a short leather waistcoat that 
didn't quite meet in the middle and was laced across the front, and 
an even shorter leather skirt.

"Fetching," he said.

Leana raised her hand as if to slap him, and then looked at his own 
outfit he saw that he was wearing a woolen plaid. Slung across his
back was a long claymore.

Keanu looked at Teri, she was dressed in a tight, short, white, 
low-cut *revealing* robe with a chain mail skirt. He heard 
Ishara's voice in his head again. [Keanu, thats a nasty habit you got
there, you're drooling.] 

Keanu mentally replied. [Will you stop doing that, it's... spooky.]
He was wearing a black doublet and hose, a steel plate on his left
shoulder. A bat'telh hung across his back, and a short sword in his 
hand.

Ramsay wore a kilt and studded leather jerkin. With claymore in hands
he started to walk up the hill. A thunderous rumbling filled the air.

An army of horsemen garbed in a similar variety of outfits sped 
through the woods towards them.

                       Respectfully submitted:

                           Allan MacLennan
                 [Lt.] Angus Murray, Tac/CSO FRONTIER

                             Dale Forster
                  [Lt.] Keanu Maren, CEO FRONTIER

                            Sam M. Edwards
                  [Captain] Will Ramsay, CO FRONTIER
                 [Cmdr] Caroline Ramsay, XO FRONTIER
               [LtCmdr] Joanna Houston, 2O/tCMO FRONTIER


          "Put your faith in God, but keep your powder dry."
                           Oliver Cromwell

                 "Time is the fire in which we burn"
                          Dr. Tolian Soren                            

      "Rom's an idiot, he couldn't fix a straw if it was bent."
                                Odo  


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