Q-Bic

	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]*
Picard	What game are you playing now?
Q	You do not listen Jean-Luc - that has always been your problem. This is not my game, I am merely an observer. As should you be.
Picard	We are not going to simply sit by and watch a war unfold.
Q	"And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought;..."
	*[Bright flash of light - Q disappears but his voice lingers on.]*
Q	"And enterprises of great pith and moment..."
	*[All over the bridge, light go out, panels go dark.]*
Q	"With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action."
	*[Opening sequence music.]*
Picard (VO)	Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its on-going mission; to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldly go where no-one has gone before.
	*[Opening sequence.]*
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]*
Title	Q-bic.
Thornely	Invid Assault Carrier defolding complete.
Max	Main batteries, fire at will. Energise Pin-point Barrier System. Rick, sit down and keep quiet.
Rick	Huh?
Max	My ship, my show. And Lisa would kill me if I let anything happen to you.
Rick	I don't know what you mean.
Max	You trying to tell me you weren't thinking about tiptoeing down to Bay 5 and commandeering a Veritech?
Rick	...
Max	Thought so.
Bernard	Range co-ordinates are in. Main turrets firing, bringing ship around for Main Gun to bear...
Srepde	Delta and Omega squadron to launching positions. Green and Indigo squadron to section twelve...
Thornely	Incoming fire, seven seconds. Enemy mecha in active range.
Max	Srepde, launch all squadrons.
Srepde	All squadron, launch. Defensive maneouver.
Rick	Status report on the Zentraedi cruiser.
Linerva	Computer tags it as the Qistra-Hesp. It was reported to have been lost during the Zentraedi rebellion against Edwards. Obviously, it was not destroyed.
Max	Obviously. Did we get all of the base's personnel of the planet?
Srepde	Yes sir, but...
Max	But?
Srepde	They had been transferred to the Garfish, sir. There was more room for them there.
Max	Great, just great.
	*[Ext. shot, Mordred above planet. Beams of energy lance past it, one connecting with an AA turret.]*
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]*
Linerva	Enemy fire from six O'clock low. They're behind the planet.
Max	How'd they hit us?
Linerva	Computer says they used the diffraction effect from the planet's atmosphere to hit us.
Rick	That's not normal Invid tactics. It's not even Zentraedi tactics.
Max	Take a look outside, Rick - this is not your normal everyday scrape.
	*[Mordred Bridge shakes.]*
Max	Shields up.
	*[Large plates of metal descend on the Bridge's windows and enclose them. A large display screen comes to life.]*
Max	This is not looking good.
	*[Ext. shot, space. Large number of mecha are flying in loose formation. There are Valkyries, Alphas, Qedlunn-rau and others in the formation. Camera focuses on two Quedlunn-rau.]*
Worf	How are you doing, Commander?
Riker	Not too bad, but I get the feeling this cockpit was jury-rigged.
Worf	I have the same feeling. It seems these controls were not the original design for this craft. Nonetheless, they suffice.
Riker	Yeah? Well don't get too used to them. First chance we get, we break for the Enterprise.
Worf	Commander!
Riker	That's an order, Worf. This is no time to think about Honour and a glorious death. We want to avoid loss of life, remember?
Worf	Yes, Commander.
Derini (VO)	Attention all Qedlunn-rau pilots. Your target is the accused micron ship Mordred. The other pods will keep the micron's veritechs occupied. There is no movement from the white ship, but keep an eye on it all the same. Fulfil the Imperative!
Riker	A little bloodthirsty, isn't it?
Worf	I find her rather... refreshing.
Riker	!?
Worf	For an alien, of course.
Riker	Of course.
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]*
Picard	Dammit Q, return power to my ship!
Q	Why, Captain, you know I can't do that.
Picard	Why not?
Troy	Captain, I sense a sort of duplicity from Q. He's hiding something.
Data	Even if we did have power, our weapons where not meant for use against thousands of small crafts. We would not be able to lock onto and destroy them fast enough to prevent our own demise. As our previous encounter showed, these Invid have a way of overloading our shields faster than we can deal with them.
Picard	So we have no options but to sit and wait?
Data	Essentially. However..
Picard & Q	Yes?
Data	...
Picard	Go ahead, Data.
Data	In my spare time, I have been reviewing the Moriarty Holodeck program in an attempt to isolate the events that brought him to life. My search in this area has proven fruitless so far, but I have discovered something which may be of use. During his time on the Holodeck, Professor Moriarty wrote several treatises, including one titled "Dynamics of an asteroid."
Geordi	I remember that. According to the Doyle stories, Moriarty was a genius in several fields, including Mathematics. But Doyle only named a few of his papers - chief amongst them was the "Dynamics" In Doyle's world, the paper was suppressed by the Scientific community. No-one knows for sure what the paper was about.
Data	That is essentially correct. Another writer, Isaac Asimov, several decades later wrote a story based upon the mystery behind the title of the paper. The final analysis was that the paper described, in details, the final moments of a planet situated in orbit around the Earth's Sun between Mars and Jupiter, and that the reason for the suppression of the paper was the mathematics explaining how to reproduce these events.
Picard	Moriarty had written a paper on how to destroy a planet?
Data	Essentially.
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge. Smoke fills the air.]*
Bernard	Heavy casualties on decks Five through Twenty, section twelve.
Bron	Main engines have taken a direct hit. I'll have to take them off-line or they'll go critical.
Max	The Fold System?
Bron	Still operational - but don't let them give us anymore love-bumps like that last one.
Max	No promises.
Thornely	I don't get this. Zentraedi and Invid are as close to hereditatry enemies as you can get. Why aren't they blowing each other out of the sky?
Rick	The answer's simple - they hate us more than they hate each other.
	*[Ext. shot, Mecha battle port of Mordred.]*
Riker	Mister Worf, are you ready?
Worf	Yes, Commander. There is a manual airlock on Deck twelve. If we can reach that, we should be able to get into the Enterprise.
Riker	And the suits?
Worf	We will have to abandon them. However, the emergency oxygen supply and masks we have been provided should give us sufficient protection during our transfer.
Riker	You know, I'm kind of sad. I was beginning to like this oversize puppet.
Worf	...
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]*
Geordi	No wonder the paper was suppressed. Imagine what would happen if a way of destroying a planet was made public.
Picard	We don't have to imagine it. Doyle had Moriarty, Starfleet had the Genesis Project.
Q	Yes, Humans and Klingons came so close to declaring war on one another. Only your Captain Kirk pulled you back from the brink, didn't he? A pity he died so tragically in space.
Picard	Q, get off my ship!
Q	No. And you can't make me.
Picard	Continue, Data.
Data	Thank you, Captain. As I was saying, I have found this treatise within our computer banks and proceeded to read it. It is quite simple to follow and does indeed give specific directions on how to destroy a planet of medium size.
Geordi	How would that help us?
Data	We may not be able to shoot the enemy crafts, but we may be able to catch the majority of them in a blast of planetary proportion. With your help, I am certain I could replicate Professor Moriarty's directions.
Troy	What about the crew on the planet's outpost? Surely that would kill them?
Picard	They were evacuated after the first attack. That is an intriguing idea, Data.
Data	But one which must, nonetheless, remain so. Without power, it would be impossible for us to proceed.
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]*
Bernard	Captain, I have an incoming transmission from the Invid ship.
Max	On screen.
	*[Main screen on bridge flickers, then steadies to show an Invid standing in front of a Living Computer (an oversized brain).]*
Phsaq	I am Phsaq, Commander of the Invid Assault Carrier Dephinar. For historical purposes, I must ask you to surrender.
Max	And with all due respect, Commander, for historical purposes: "Nuts!" Mordred out.
Rick	I do believe this is the first time I've ever heard an Invid ask for a surrender.
Max	Yes, they generally demand you do so.
Rick	I wonder why the sudden change in heart?
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge. Turbo-lift doors open and Riker and Worf step out of it.]*
Troy	Will!
Picard	Number One! Mister Worf! Where have you been?
Riker	It's a long story, Captain.
Picard	I'll expect to see it in your report tomorrow.
Riker	Yes, Sir.
Worf	Excuse me Captain, but why is the Enterprise sitting here with its power cut off?
Picard	Courtesy of Q.
Q	Always a pleasure, Jean-Luc. Or should that be "Jeen-Luck"?
Picard	Q, You're getting on my nerves!
Q	Temper, temper. Remember, you're here as guests.
Picard	Yes... and so are you.
Q	Jean-Luc? What are you up to?
Picard	You are a guest here, same as we are. You made a point of telling us that we were here as observers. But so are you. Isn't that right, Q?
Q	Well, I wouldn't quite-
Picard	And if someone, or something, can impose such a condition on you, surely even you would not dare break it. Isn't that so?
Q	There is nothing I cannot do!
Riker	Is that so?
Q	Yes.
Riker	Then, get lost!
Q	...
Picard	Mister Data, I want you to start work on the Moriarty equations. Mister Worf, open a hailing frequency to the Mordred.
Troy	But Captain, we don't have any -
Worf	Hailing frequency open, Captain.
Picard	It was all a show, wasn't it Q? You could not interfere in this Universe, you said so yourself. You're not allowed to interfere - even with the spectators.
Q	Trust me, Captain - it would be better for you to remain on our host's good side.
Picard	Why should I believe you, Q? You've been lying to us all the time. Mister Worf, on screen. And Q...?
Q	Yes?
Picard	Get off my ship.
Q	Well!
	*[Bright flash of light, Q disappears. At the same time, Max's face appears on the Bridge's screen.]*
Max	You rang?
Picard	Captain, we are about to attempt to make the planet we are orbiting explode. I would suggest that staying in this vicinity would not be a good idea.
Max	Reading you loud and clear. How long do we have?
Data	The planet will begin to disrupt in exactly six minutes from... now. A safety distance of 36 Astronomical Units would be advisable.
Max	Thank you for the hint. Mordred out.
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]*
Max	All hands to Fold positions. Engineering, I want as much power diverted to the Fold engine as you can spare. You have five minutes to achieve potential.
Bron	But...
Max	Five minutes, Bron. If you can't do it in five, don't bother writing a resume - you won't be alive long enough to use it. Srepde?
Srepde	Yes Captain.
Max	Pass the word along to the surviving squadrons. In four minutes I want them to break off their attack and land on the Mordred's hull. Anybody who doesn't is liable to be left behind. Thornely?
Thornely	Captain?
Max	Try to bring us closer to the Enterprise and put us between it and the attacking ships. The last thing we want is for the Enterprise to be blown up while she's trying to win this one for us.
Thornely	Aye aye, Captain.
Max	Move it, people. Time's a-wasting!
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]*
Geordi	The theory is pretty simple. We extend our warp field backwards until it encompasses the core of the planet, then move the ship into Warp. The resulting backlash should disrupt the core of the planet, resulting in its exploding roughly fourteen seconds later.
Data	The only danger comes from our being caught in the gravitational horizon of the planet itself. A feedback from our warp engine may amplify it beyond our capacity for escape. However, the chances of this happening are minute.
Picard	Make it so.
Riker	All hands to battle-stations. Red alert.
	*[Int. shot, Qistra-Hesp Bridge.]*
Siniya	Kalidar, the micron ship is preparing for a fold.
Magiso	Fold trackers, lock on micron ship. Bring Fold system up to potential. Prepare for crash fold-entry. All squadrons to return. And shoot those engines!
	*[Int. shot, Dephinar Bridge.]*
Brain	Fold potential is increasing geometrically within the enemy ship. Meltran ship bringing their Fold engines on-line. Probable cause: escape by target craft.
Phsaq	Recall all crafts. Prepare to enter Fold.
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]*
Bron (VO)	Maximum Fold potential achieved.
Srepde	All Veritechs within Fold Horizon.
Linerva	Planet core beginning to break up. Explosion imminent.
Thornely	Enemy ships preparing for Fold!
Max	Initiate Fold procedures!
	*[Ext. shot, Mordred. Ship begins to glow, then triple-shift.]*
	*[Ext. shot, Qistra-Heps. Ship begins to glow, then triple-shift.]*
	*[Ext. shot, Dephinar. Ship begins to glow, then triple-shift.]*
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Shuttle Bay. Fold engine begins to glow.]*
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]*
Data	Planetary core beginning to give way. Warp engines steady.
Geordi	We can't keep it up for much longer, Data. Core temperature is reaching critical.
Data	Five more seconds.
VO	Security to Bridge.
Data	Shutting down Warp field.
Picard	Picard here.
VO	Captain, the Fold engine in the Main Shuttle Bay has started to glow, sir. We think something may have activated it.
Picard	Data?
Data	Scanning. Scanners detect the presence of three overlapping Fold fields. I would suggest the Fold engine in the Shuttle Bay is reacting to these fields.
Riker	Which means?
Data	Unknown, at present. However, if things continue the way they are, we will initiate a fold at the same time as the other ships - but I do not know to where.
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]*
Bron (VO)	Captain, the engines have gone wild, something's interfering with them.
Linerva	Astrogation confirms. I can't lock down Fold co-ordinates.
Max	Can you locate the interference?
Bernard	There are strong Fold fields emanating from the Zentraedi and Invid ships. However, the interference is coming from the Enterprise.
Max	The Enterprise?
Rick	The Fold engine they picked up!
Max	Helm, can you compensate?
Thornely	Negative, Captain. We're going in wild!
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]*
Data	Mordred initiating Fold.
Riker	All hands, brace for impact.
	*[Ext. shot, Mordred winks out of existence.]*
	*[Ext. shot, Qistra-Hesp winks out of existence.]*
	*[Ext. shot, Dephinar winks out of existence.]*
	*[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Shuttle Bay. Fold Engine triple-shifts.]*
	*[Ext. shot, Enterprise winks out of existence.]*
	*[Ext. shot, different starfield. Enterprise winks into existence.]*
Picard	Mister Worf, damage report.
Worf	Minor damage to exterior bulkheads around the Main Shuttle Bay. No casualties.
Data	I have Starfleet's time markers on-line again... We have been gone for a total of one point three four eight seconds.
VO	Security to Captain Picard.
Picard	Picard here.
VO	Captain, the Fold engines have disappeared. They vanished from the Bay right after the Fold.
Picard	Mister Worf, Mister LaForge. If you would investigate, please? Mister Data, re-align our computers to the time-marker and lay out a course for Noltim VII - we are awaited with, I am sure, great impatience.
Data	Are we not reporting this incident to Starfleet, sir?
Picard	We have no proof, Commander. I have a strong feeling we won't find the Fold engines again, and no-one is likely to believe us anyway - even with the log records on our side. No, Mister data, this one we log under "inexplicable and unreproducible" and continue on our way.
Data	Course laid in for Noltim VII, Warp Factor 2.
Picard	Engage.
	*[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge. Smoke fills the air and sparks emit from various consoles.]*
Max	Damage report!
Thornely	Helm sluggish. We've got some response, but don't ask for anything fancy.
Linerva	Sensors are out, radar is out. We're blind, sir.
Max	Bron?
Bron	The main engines are off line, and I'll want to do a complete check on the Fold System before we use it again. We're currently running on batteries and auxiliary thruster controls.
Thornely	Great. No wonder she's sluggish.
Srepde	All squadrons have reported heavy casualties, but we only lost two Veritechs in the Fold.
Rick	We're doing better than I expected.
Bernard	Captain, I'm getting a message on a hyperwave carrier. It's not one of ours, but it's not Zentraedi or Invid. Audio only.
Max	On speaker.
Female VO	...are on a collision course with us, pull up! This is Babylon 5 Control to unidentified ships. You are on a collision...
	*[Ext. shot, Mordred, Qistra-Hesp and Dephinar falling towards Babylon 5 station.]*

Q-Linary
RoboTrek
The Coming of the Children of the Shadow

Easy-find