Q2
Episode 165
Part E

 

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 54704.5. It's been four days since my ultimatum to the young Q, and he appears to be making progress. His instructors inform me that he's taking on his assignments with a new determination, and he's made a concerted effort to be more courteous to the crew. It's hard to believe this is the same brazen young man who came aboard a few days ago."

Tuvok supervises Q2's physical exercise, which keeps him physically active and teaches him discipline. They run around the ship's corridors.

Q2 assists Icheb in the Astrometrics Lab.

Janeway is working in the Messhall, with a mug of coffee in her hand.

Q2 hands Janeway a PADD. Q2: "Captain, this is for you. It's a new draft of my essay. I know you didn't ask for one, but I felt I owed it to you for giving me a second chance."

Janeway reads the essay's title: "I, Q: An insider's view of the Continuum. If the essay's half as clever as the title, I'm sure I'll enjoy it." He is pleased that she is pleased.

Icheb enters. standard doors Icheb to Q2: "Lieutenant Paris has offered to give me a piloting lesson. I thought you might like to join us."

Q2: "Thanks, but I have to help Crewman Chell scrub the plasma conduits."

Janeway to Q2: "I think you've earned a break. This is the only time off I'm giving you. I suggest you take advantage of it." Q2, pleased and grateful: "Yes, ma'am." As he leaves with Icheb he asks eagerly: "Piloting lesson, huh? Where are we going?"

The Delta Flyer maneuvers through an asteroid belt. Icheb is at the helm, while Paris supervises him.

Paris: "Steady, ease up a little on the thrusters." Q2, worried: "In case you forgot, I'm mortal now. I'd appreciate it if you didn't fly us into a rock."

Icheb suggests to Paris: "Maybe Q could take over for a little while?" Paris to Q2: "What do you say, you want a turn at the wheel?" Q2: "Ordinarily a Q wouldn't demean himself by operating primitive machinery, but these aren't ordinary circumstances." He swaps places with Icheb.

No sooner has he taken the controls than an audio alarm sounds. Anxious: "Er, did I do something wrong?" Paris: "Just a little ion imbalance in the impulse drive. Nothing to worry about." Q2: "Well, it's very distracting. Can't you fix it?" Paris: "Well, I could, but we'd have to go back to Voyager and run diagnostics, if you two don't mind cutting your lesson a little short.....?"

Q2 realises that would cut short his lesson so he says hastily: "That won't be necessary. In fact, I barely hear it any more." To Icheb: "Do you hear it?" Icheb plays along, also not wanting to end the lesson early: "Hear what?"

Janeway calls a turbolift. The doors open. standard doors Q pokes his head out. "Going up?"

Janeway recovers from the surprise appearance. "I'll catch the next one." She presses the button and the doors close on him. standard doors

She walks along the corridor.

Q suddenly appears and walks along next to her. "Oh, you can't get away from me that easily." Janeway: "It's only been five days. Why are you back?" Q: "Oh, I thought I'd just pop in and check on Junior. I'm not an entirely uninvolved father, you know." Janeway: "Well, he got off to a pretty shaky start, but he's made some progress since then." Q is pleased. "Really?" Janeway: "He's been working extremely hard." Q: "We're talking about the same Q?" Janeway: "If you don't believe me, maybe you should see for yourself."

In the Captain's Ready Room, Q2 reads his essay on the Continuum aloud to Janeway and his father.

Q2: "The Continuum has been perceived in a variety of ways - a dreary desert road, a blood-soaked battleground. But with the help of Voyager's crew, I've begun to perceive it in another context - a home. I look forward to the day when I return there and make that perception a reality."

Janeway to Q, when Q2 finishes and waits for a reaction from them: "Well, what did you think?" Q, casually: "Oh, it's very nice." Janeway: "Nice??"

Q: "Yes. I especially liked the part about the Continuum." Janeway: "The entire essay was about the Continuum." Q: "Yes, and it's very nice."

Q2, hurt by his father's reaction, puts down the PADD, rather too hard. "I'm late for my Temporal Mechanics lesson." He leaves. standard doors

Janeway, reproachfully: "Q." Q: "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."

Janeway: "He worked so hard on that paper, the least you could have done was tell him you were proud of him." Q: "But I'm not." Janeway is fed up: "Oh." Q: "And, frankly, it's a little hard to be impressed with any of the boy's accomplishments. He's been here for five days and what have you taught him? How to scribble essays and play with holograms. What's next, basket weaving?"

Janeway: "Whether you're willing to admit it or not, your son has made progress here. He has the potential to be a better Q than you will ever be." Q: "Potential isn't going to be enough for the Continuum."

Janeway, frustrated: "Then what will be enough?" Q: "The boy needs to demonstrate nothing less than exemplary Q-ness."

Janeway, reaching the end of her tether: "And what exactly is Q-ness?!" Q: "Oh, it's impossible for your miniscule mind to comprehend, but I know Q-ness when I see it and this," picking up Q2's PADD, "is not it."

He throws it to her and vanishes. She looks down at Q2's essay, unhappy for the youth who had worked so hard on it.

Q2's quarters. The door signal sounds. door signal Q2 stands up, standing to attention. Q2: "Come in."

Janeway enters. standard doors "I wanted to see how you were." Q2: "I'm perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Janeway: "I thought you might be upset by Q's reaction to your essay." Q2: "He's impossible to please. I don't care what he thinks."

Janeway: "We have two days left. Let's make the most of them." Q2: "Aunt Kathy, do you think the Continuum will be any more impressed with me than Q was?" She looks uncertain. "That's what I thought." Janeway: "If the Continuum decides they won't take you back, I'll ask them to let you stay here." Q2: "I don't think they care where an amoeba spends eternity." Janeway: "That's not what I meant. I'll ask them to let you remain human." Q2: "I appreciate that, but I don't want to be human. I want to be a Q, like my father."