The Q Files - part 5

In which Q fails to explain the Kashyk gambit

Seated on his couch, hands balled tightly into fists, Chakotay took a deep breath and tried to convince himself that throwing a punch at Q would be humiliating for him, painless for Q and have no overall effect on this situation. Still it was a tempting thought.

'Just tell me,' he said firmly

'Q isn't exactly here for a holiday.'

'So, why is he here?'

Q, at least the one in Chakotay's quarters looked markedly uneasy, 'its complicated,' he offered, 'difficult to explain.'

'Make a special effort.' If he was disappointed by Chakotay's inflexibility on this subject Q didn't show it.

'It started when I was talking about Voyager.' So far so good, he'd started talking at least. 'Well about her really, Kathy.'

'You were talking about Kathryn?' Oh, that sounded ominous, 'why were you discussing her?'

'Its complicated.' Again!

'Q!' Chakotay's temper was not well controlled, he didn't think Q was doing this deliberately, not if his sheepish look was anything to go by, but he wouldn't put it past him.

'Oh all right.' Another theatrical sigh, 'its actually her own fault. If she hadn't been so stubborn this would never have happened, but she has to cling to her Starfleet protocols with something akin to a death grip. She even rebuffed the Kashyk gambit, I was surprised by that, I've never known him to fail before, he has a way with the most difficult of subjects.'

The sick feeling in Chakotay's stomach grew rapidly - his brain making connections that he hoped to hell were way off beam, but knew were dead on target. 'This is about sex, isn't it?' he said quietly.

Q had the grace to look unhappy, before confessing, 'yes, I was talking about Kathy and her long period of abstinence. I mean holographs just don't count.' That was somewhere Chakotay had no intention of going, this was an unpleasant enough experience already. Fortunately Q carried on with his tale, 'he had to interfere, he couldn't just leave things alone, he had to prove his point and well, now he's here.'

Chakotay had no doubt who he was, but just to convince himself he said, ' so, David Q is here to seduce Kathryn, because you told him about her.' Q nodded, 'this has nothing to do with me, Kathryn's an adult, she can do as she likes.'

'That's very noble Chuckles, stupid, but noble. Do you want her to have sex with someone else?'

'If that's what she wants.' Chakotay hoped he had imagined the way his voice wavered.

'You're impossible, no wonder she hasn't succumbed yet if that's your attitude. Do you know who we're talking about here?'

'We're talking about the Captain of this ship and I will not interfere with her private life!' There, that was definite, but Q merely shook his head.

'Not her, him! Q! Does the name Casanova mean nothing to you? Alezei of Betazoid? Catarius of Risa? He's been some of the greatest lovers of all time. Not all of us dabble in the fate of Planets and species you know. Some Q have very different interests and his is well, seduction. He's an expert; she may have chosen not to get involved with Kashyk, but Q will be a different proposition altogether. Especially since I bet him...'

Recognising he'd gone too far Q stopped, but it was too late. Chakotay stood an approached him slowly, like a panther, 'you did what?'

'There is a bet involved. I didn't mean it to happen, we were talking and he started boasting and I sort of, well I mean in the heat of the moment, I basically,' he took a breath, 'I bet that Q wouldn't be able to get Kathryn to, well you know, and he bet that he could and so now you have to help stop him.'

Chakotay forbear from asking if the supposedly advanced Q Continuum had any other completely juvenile pursuits and concentrated instead on the problem at hand. 'No, I don't. I don't want anything to do with this.'

'Don't you care?'

'Of course I care, but its nothing to do with me, you should be telling her this, don't think for one moment you're going to persuade me to do it.'

'I can't tell her, that's part of the agreement, Q won't use his powers to er persuade her and I won't interfere. I can't break an agreement with another member of the Q, not even for Kathy. But you can interfere, he didn't mention anything about you, that's why I'm here. To help you stop him.' Feeling suddenly tired Chakotay leant against his wall.

'Q, you weren't listening. I'm not getting involved with this, whatever I might think about it, its none of my business and I'm not going to interfere.'

'You're already involved, don't tell me you're not. I know how you feel about her. I know how hurt you'll be to see her involved with someone else and I know you won't stand by to let her be hurt by that person. Do you think she'll be pleased to see herself as some kind of challenge? A challenge open to the lotharios of this Quadrant and every passing omnipotent being?'

Unfortunately Chakotay didn't need to reply to that, when Q put it like that he really had no choice but to decide to intervene. And, because he was the kind of person he was, he also decided that this situation was going to be resolved without Kathryn Janeway knowing a thing about it.

Of course, that was probably going to be the hardest part.

TBC