Q2
Episode 165
Part F

 

Icheb is working in a Jefferies tube. Q2 calls out as he looks for Icheb: "Itchy, are you in here? Itchy?" Icheb calls: "What can I do for you, Q-Ball?" He puts his head over the hatchway, finding him. "I need your help. Remember that ion imbalance Lieutenant Paris mentioned during our lesson?"

He climbs down to Icheb. "We're going to repair it for him."

Icheb: "Did you get permission?" Q2: "That would ruin the surprise." Icheb: "Surprise?" Q2: "The Captain's been encouraging me to take more initiative. I want to show her I can do things for others without being asked."

Icheb: "I'll help you, on one condition." Q2: "Name it." Icheb: "You will not refer to me as Itchy in front of the senior officers."

The two youths work on the Delta Flyer.

Icheb: "I've re-aligned the last pair of power couplings. You can start the pre-ignition sequence."

Q2, at the helm: "Understood." He does so. The engines power up. Icheb: "I'm not detecting any ion fluctuations. We did it. You can power down the engine now." Instead of doing so, Q2 starts the launch sequence. Icheb: "Q, what are you doing?"

Q2: "You're going to love this. I once learned how to open a spatial flexure using nothing more than a deflector array." Icheb: "Flexure?" Q2: "It's like a tunnel through space. I'm going to open one to the Clevari system. Just wait till you see the females. Spectacular!"

Icheb: "We need the Captain's permission to leave Voyager." Q2: "Do you think she'd give it to us?" Icheb: "No." Q2: "Then there's no point in asking." Icheb: "You've been doing so well. Why break the rules now?" Q2: "I'm bored." Icheb taps his combadge. combadge "Icheb to Security." Q2: "They can't hear you. I've dampened all outgoing communications."

Icheb is unable to reach the cockpit controls as Q2 puts a forcefield between them. Icheb is a prisoner.

Q2: "Just sit back, Itchy. Enjoy the ride." He blasts the Shuttlebay doors and launches the Delta Flyer.

Icheb: "What's the real reason you're doing this?" Q2: "I'm getting out of here before my father can put me back in that petri dish."

Icheb: "The Q are omnipotent. They'll find you." Q2: "I may not have my powers any more, but I know plenty of cosmic nooks and crannies we can hide in." The Delta Flyer shakes. "Voyager's locked onto us with a tractor beam. They're so predictable."

Voyager's bridge. Kim: "They're opening some sort of spatial rift off their port bow." Tuvok: "It's disrupting the tractor beam."

Janeway: "Compensate." Tuvok is unable to do so and reports: "They're gone." The Delta Flyer breaks free of the tractor beam.

The Delta Flyer hurtles through the spatial flexure opened by Q2.

Q2 gets up from the helm and turns to Icheb. "Welcome to the Clevari system. What would you like to do first? Take a dip with the mermaids of Golos Prime, challenge the Warrior Goddess of Fekdar to a grappling contest?"

Icheb: "What I want is to return to Voyager." Q2: "Forget that dreary ship, with it's rules and regulations. We can do anything we want here." Icheb: "Go back to Voyager, apologise to the Captain. She'll help you." Q2: "It's too late. She said one more violation and I'd be thrown off her ship. I'm pretty sure this qualifies."

An audio alert sounds. Q2 goes back to the controls. Icheb: "What's wrong?" Q2: "There's a vessel approaching." A large starship comes alongside. Its commander contacts the Delta Flyer. Alien, on viewscreen: "You're trespassing in Chokuzan space." Q2: "We were just leaving."

Chozukan captain, on viewscreen: "Our laws require that you be incarcerated pending an investigation." Q2: "How long will that take?"

Chozukan captain, on viewscreen: "Disengage your engines and prepare to be boarded." Contact ends. Icheb: "We should do as he says." Q2: "Why? Just because he has a bigger ship?" Icheb: "Because Captain Janeway has taught us to respect the laws of other cultures." Q2: "I should've known better than to bring you along."

He takes the Delta Flyer into evasive maneuvers. The Chozukan ship pursues and opens fire.

Icheb: "You're going to get us killed!" Q2: "Did you expect me to surrender? He might have locked us up for years." Icheb: "You don't know that."

Q2: "There's no time for debate. I need you at tactical." He lowers the forcefield and Icheb goes and sits at the tactical console. Icheb reports: "Shields are down to 30%.......16%!" Q2: "I'm opening another flexure. We'll go to the Zozek system. The girls there aren't as attractive but we have to make some compromises."

But suddenly the Chozukan ship's energy weapon penetrates the shields.

Energy strikes Icheb. Icheb writhes in the energy beams and then collapses unconscious and badly hurt.

Q2 rushes over to him. "Icheb!"

Voyager's bridge. Tuvok: "I'm detecting another rift forming approximately 5,000 kilometres directly ahead. A vessel is emerging." Janeway: "It's the Flyer." Kim: "They're hailing." Janeway: "On screen."

Q2, on viewscreen: "Aunt Kathy-" Janeway: "Don't you Aunt Kathy me." Q2, on viewscreen, distraught: "You can yell at me later. We need to get Icheb to Sickbay!"