In the Q Continuum the room in the 'mansion' where Q and Janeway are comes under the constant siege of cannon and shotgun fire. Q and Janeway have taken cover behind the sofa. She tears off part of her petticoat to use as a bandage on his wound.

Q: "Ow, that hurts!" Janeway: "Be still. I never thought a Q could be injured." Q: "As I said, this is your perception of what's happening. I can assure you those aren't mere cannonballs and lead charges being fired at us." Janeway: "They're some sort of Q weapons. Q: "You'd be surprised what innovative munitions can be created by one immortal being who's set his mind on killing another."

weapons fire peppers the room, wreaking havoc

From outside there comes the voice of the 'Confederate' commander shouting orders to his troops: "Hold your fire, hold your fire." To Q: "You're surrounded, Q. Surrender now and we'll be merciful."

Janeway to Q: "Call a truce, talk to them. Maybe you can resolve this peacefully." Confederate Q commander: "What's your answer, Q?" With difficulty, Q gets up.

Q staggers to the window and fires his pistol through the window: "I'll never surrender, you know that!" Confederate Q commander to his men: "Resume fire, resume fire!"

Q to Janeway: "Get that rifle in the corner and-" Janeway: "This is your fight, Q, not mine." Q: "If that's how you feel about it, but if their weapons can make me bleed what do you think they'll do to you?"

Cannon fire causes a huge explosion and Q is knocked off his feet. As the ceiling starts to fall in Janeway rushes over to him, shouting "Q!", and helps him out of the room.

Chakotay: "First Officer's log, stardate 50392.7. While we don't fully understand the astrophysics undelying her plan, the Female Q has suggested several modifications which may allow Voyager to enter the Continuum."

Miss Q enters Main Engineering where Torres is busy working. Female Q: "Well?" Torres: "Well what?" Female Q: "Are you finished yet?" Torres: "What you've asked us to do requires a complete reconfiguration of the shield array. It takes a while, for us mere mortals that is." Female Q: "Surely there's some way you can speed up the process?" Torres: "It you're in such a hurry why don't you just snap your fingers and do it yourself? Oh, that's right: you've lost your powers and you need our help." Female Q: "You don't understand. It's imperative that I get back to the Continuum before Q mates with your captain." Torres: "I understand perfectly. You aren't the first female who's ever had a man run out on her." Female Q: "I hope you're not comparing some failed romance in your pitiful existence to my eternal association with Q." Torres: "You know, I have really had it with this superiority complex of yours." Female Q: "It's not a complex, dear. It's a fact." Torres: "Well, here's another fact. If you don't stop pestering me I'm never going to finish, in which case your association with Q might not be quite as 'eternal' as you think." Female Q: "You know, I've always liked Klingon females. You've got such spunk."

Q's camp at night.

Q regains consciousness as Janeway dabs his forehead with water. Q: "Where are we?" Janeway: "One of your faction's encampments." Q: "How-?" Janeway: "I pulled you out of the mansion and managed to hide you from the enemy patrols. Then I spotted some of your people retreating from the battle. From the look of them, I'd say you're not on the winning side." Q: "You saved my life." Janeway: "And now it's time to end all this." Q, misunderstanding: "I knew you'd come around." Janeway: "I've been thinking about what you said: that creating a new Q could bring an era of peace." Q: "Oh my wild, sweet Kathy. I promise you won't regret it." Janeway: "Oh you're not going to have a child with me. You're going to mate with that charming lady friend of yours that appeared on my ship." Q: "Mate with another Q? Ridiculous." Janeway: "It sounded to me like you and she had a very long-term relationship." Q: "Yes, but it was never physical. I mean, the Q are way beyond sex. It's never been done." Janeway: "Really? Then how exactly did the Q come into existence in the first place?" Q: "The Q didn't 'come into existence'. The Q have always existed. Besides, I can only mate with a species capable of copulation, like you." Janeway: "But I don't love you, Q." Q: "Yes, but what does that have to do with it?" Janeway: "Everything. It's the foundation of a family. I could never have a child with someone I didn't love, much less give it up to the Continuum." Q: "Dearest Kathy, I would never dream of having you give it up. I mean, who would look after it? Who would raise it? I'm really not cut out to be a wet-nurse." Janeway: "Oh, so you're not willing to do the hard work." Q: "I'm an idea man. Hard work isn't exactly my forte." Janeway: "I'd change specialities if I were you, 'cos the kind of trouble you're in needs more than a quick fix. You can't just sprinkle a little human DNA into the Continuum and make everything alright." Q: "Why not?" Janeway: "Those 'best qualities of humanity' you talked about aren't a simple matter of genetics. Love, conscience, compassion: they're attributes that mankind has developed over centuries, values that are passed from one generation to the next, taught by parents to their children. Creating a new kind of Q is a noble idea, but it will take more than just impregnating someone and walking away. If you want your offspring to embrace your ideals you're going to have to teach them yourself." Q: "That's exactly why I want you here: to nourish and guide the little tyke. Think of the opportunities here in the Continuum - the entire universe would be our child's playground. Together the two of you could explore dimensions you've never even imagined. 'Fess up, isn't it even slightly tempting." Janeway: "I'd be lying if I said no. What explorer wouldn't be intrigued by the idea of seeking out whole new dimensions? But I have other responsibilities and I won't just abandon them." Q: "Ah, yes - the crew of the intrepid starship Voyager. Perhaps you'd be interested in sending them home." Janeway: "You've temped me with that prospect before. But frankly, your credibility is more than a little suspect. My crew and I will get home - we're committed to that. But we're going to do it through hard work and determination. We are not looking for a quick fix." Q: "Even if I wanted to mate, I wouldn't know how. It's totally unprecedented." Janeway: "I'm sure you'll figure somethng out. You are omnipotent, after all." Q: "I need time to think about it." Janeway: "Time's up, Q. You've got to stop this war before it destroys the Continuum." She tears off a strip of white linen from her petticoat and shows him. Janeway: "Now I'm taking this white flag and I'm going over to the enemy camp and I'm going to tell them that you're ready to talk about terms for a ceasefire." Q: "Kathy, don't be a hero." Janeway: "I'm going, Q. So if I were you, I'd start working on a way to set that precedent." She puts on her jacket and leaves.

Chakotay: "First Officer's log, supplemental. We've laid in a course for the point in space where the Q female says we may be able to enter the Continuum and find the Captain."

Female Q to Paris: "You, helm boy, adjust course to heading 235 mark 08. Increase speed to maximum impulse." Paris to Chakotay: "Sir?" Chakotay nods.

Kim: "Er, Commander." Chakotay: "What is it, Harry?" Kim: "She's put us on a direct course for another star about to go supernova."

Female Q: "You did say you wanted to get into the Continuum." Chakotay: "Yes, but in one piece."

Female Q: "Try to wrap your minuscule mind around this: these supernovas are actually caused by spatial disruptions within the Continuum, the result of the war. Now, each tme a star implodes a negative-density false vacuum is created which actually sucks the surrounding matter into the Continuum."

Chakotay: "So Voyager will be pulled in too?" Female Q: "If we time it perfectly. Otherwise the subsequent explosion will blow you all into microfragments." Tuvok: "Commander, I need not remind you that close proximity to a supernova will crush us, whether or not we 'time it perfectly'." Female Q: "You're so negative." Chakotay: "He does have a point." Female Q: "Humanoids!"

The female Q speaks into the com system. "Q to Engineering." Torres: "Go ahead, Q." Female Q: "Take warp drive offline. Then remodulate the shields to emit a beta-tachyon pulse and prepare to emit a series of focussed anti-proton beams to the shield bubble." Chakotay: "B'Elanna, does this make any sense to you at all?" Torres: "I'd be lying if I said I understood it completely, but if she's thinking what I think she's thinking we should increase power to the shields by a factor of ten. Of course, that's assuming the shield bubble doesn't ignite and burn us all to a crisp."

Paris: "We'll be reaching the imploding star in 13 seconds. I still have time to change course."

Chakotay: "Maintain your course. B'Elanna, take warp drive offline, remodulate the shields and get ready to emit the anti-protons." Torres: "Acknowledged."

There is another supernova and Voyager flies directly toward it. Chakotay: "Anti-protons now, B'Elanna!"

Janeway is shown into the tent of the 'Confederate' Q commander. Confederate Q commander: "Ah, Captain Janeway, I presume." To the accompanying soldier: "You're dismissed." To Janeway: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, madam, but er, please sit down." Janeway decides not to sit down at this stage. Confederate Q commander: "I understand you walked into our camp alone and unarmed." Janeway: "That's right." Confederate Q commander: "The Continuum's a dangerous place for all of us right now, not to mention a solitary human female. I admire your bravery." Janeway: "I've come with an offer of truce from Q." Confederate Q commander: "I'm afraid the time for diplomacy has passed, madan. If we don't end the war quickly the damage to subspace will be irreversible." Janeway: "Then you agree the fighting has to stop." Confederate Q commander: "Most certainly. That's why we intend to bring the war to a conclusion by the most expedient means possible." Janeway: "I'm relieved to hear you say that. May I ask how?" Confederate Q commander: "Quite simple, really: since Q's the ringleader of this so-called freedom faction we shall have to execute him." Janeway: "With all due respect, sir, there are no chapters in the history of my own people more tragic than wars which set neighbour against neighbour. Q has an idea for a non-violent way to bring this conflict to an end. I urge you to listen to what he has to say." Confederate Q commander: "We are already resolved, madan. I'd be greatly in your debt if you'd tell me where we can find him." Janeway: "I won't do that." Confederate Q commander: "I didn't think you would." They are interrupted as a Confederate soldier says, "Excuse me, sir," to his commander, and Q is brought in! Confederate Q commander to Janeway: "Fortunately, we won't be needing your assistance." Janeway: "I told you: he's willing to negotiate. Let him go." Q: "She's right: I've had a change of heart." Confederate Q commander: "Grovel all you want, Q. I've been waiting for this moment for an eternity." To the guard: "Put them both in chains." Janeway: "What are you charging me with?" Confederate Q commander: "Collaborating with the enemy, which in the Continuum is a crime punishable by death."

 

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