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    Q are Cordially Uninvited...
    Q are Cordially Uninvited...
    Q are Cordially Uninvited...
    Ebook117 pages1 hour

    Q are Cordially Uninvited...

    By Rudy Josephs

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    An all-new original Star Trek: The Next Generation e-novella!

    The wedding of Captain Jean-Luc Picard to Doctor Beverly Crusher was a small, private affair overseen by the mayor of La Barre, France, and witnessed by the groom’s sister-in-law and the mayor’s wife. At least that’s what the happy couple always told their friends. On the anniversary of that blessed day, however, Worf and Geordi La Forge manage to coax the real story out of the pair, to discover a tale of mythical treasure and a lost civilization in the Delta Quadrant. It all begins when the omnipotent being Q crashes the festivities, declaring himself best man and bringing along an unwilling guest as a surprise for the groom…
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Star
    Release dateOct 6, 2014
    ISBN9781476778822
    Q are Cordially Uninvited...
    Author

    Rudy Josephs

    Rudy Josephs is the author of The Marine, now adapted into a film starring John Cena, and Big Apple Takedown. 

    Read more from Rudy Josephs

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      Book preview

      Q are Cordially Uninvited... - Rudy Josephs

      1

      CN_Orn.png

      During his years of service in Starfleet, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise had visited some of the most picturesque worlds of the Federation. He was one of the few humans to see the magnificent ice caves of Andoria when their stalagmites and stalactites burst into vibrant color at midday as the sun shone through the deepest fissures in the ice above. He’d felt the cool spray of the Janaran Falls on Betazed at the recommendation of his former first officer. And the beauty of Risa was matched only by the exciting adventure—and a little something more—he had found there. But no matter how many planets in however many star systems Captain Jean-Luc Picard had visited, none of the sweeping vistas he’d seen in his time at Starfleet could compare to the stunning beauty of a sunset over his ancestral home in La Barre, France, on Earth.

      The Picard family vineyard was like a visit to centuries past. It may have had all the modern conveniences for cultivation of the vines, but the metal towers and complex watering system always disappeared into the background. All he could see was the land: the rows upon rows of vines with their deep purple grapes and brilliant green leaves that were as varied as snowflakes in design. The fertile ground from which they sprung was soft, with an almost buoyant feel beneath his feet. The scent of the grapes always provided a sensory trip right back to childhood, when he and his brother, Robert, would play hide-and-seek among the vines.

      It was easy to forget the brilliant glow of the ice caves, the dramatic rumble of the falls, and especially the unique appeal of Risa on this day in particular. This had little to do with the view. Today was a celebration—a small celebration, but one immensely important—that hopefully would help wipe away the sadness of the past.

      Picard’s visits home had become especially difficult since the loss of his brother, Robert, and, most tragically, his young nephew, René. He had visited their memorial stones upon arriving in La Barre, but he’d largely avoided the part of the house where the two had been lost in the fire. The structure had been rebuilt and there were no visible scars to be seen in the building, but Picard felt the tragedy in every newly replicated wooden plank and the too perfect paint. But this was not a weekend to dwell on the loss. Today was a time for the quiet celebration he had delayed far longer than was reasonable. It was time to make new memories and look to the future.

      With those lingering memories, Picard tore his gaze from the window in the marriage office of la mairie. From that window he could catch a glimpse of his boyhood home, off in the distance before the landscape disappeared with the rolling hills. Like the Picard vineyard, the town hall of La Barre had stood for centuries. There the business of the small provincial town was conducted, everything from mediating the petty squabbles of landowners to the joyous marriages of its residents. It was the latter that had brought Picard here today.

      String music replaced the sound of the soft breeze blowing through the curtains around the open window: Canon and Gigue for 3 violins and basso continuo. It brought a smile to Picard’s lips when he remembered the time young René suggested they install speakers in the fields under the belief that music would help the vines grow. He’d been so serious about his plan and so adamant in the pitch; even after Robert told him no, René promised that he would do just that once the vineyard became his. Picard allowed that maybe some memories from the past were acceptable for today.

      Robert’s widow, Marie, had chosen the music. Picard hadn’t even wanted that for the simple ceremony, but she’d insisted. Marie sat in the front row of chairs in the small room along with Rose Bonnaire, a friend Picard had not seen for many years.

      Picard smiled at them both from his spot at the front of the room. He wore a simple yet elegant suit that looked as if it came from the same period in which la mairie had been built. This was not the time for dress uniforms. Here in La Barre, he was not a Starfleet officer. He was simply Jean-Luc.

      The mayor of La Barre—and Rose’s husband—Henri Bonnaire, stood with him. In most of France it was unusual for the mayor to conduct the civil ceremonies. But La Barre was not a particularly large town, and Picard had a history with the man. They had been friends in school. Not the best of friends but acquaintances. Their friendship likely would have been lost to time, but for the fact that Henri had been a town leader most of his adult life. It was only natural that he welcome the captain of the Federation flagship on Picard’s all-too-rare trips home. It was something Robert had been quick to point out every time Jean-Luc visited, since it was impossible to ignore that he was a Starfleet officer. But it had kept Jean-Luc and Henri in touch over the decades and made it all the more fitting for him to be there now.

      As the music hit a crescendo, a sight more beautiful than his ancestral home entered the room. Doctor Beverly Crusher, bedecked in a simple beige dress with a bouquet of magenta dahlias, glided down the short aisle past their witnesses, who now stood for the bride’s arrival. This, again, was not part of a traditional civil ceremony, but Marie had insisted on some pomp and circumstance.

      It was not the first time Jean-Luc had watched Beverly walk down an aisle in his general direction. Decades earlier, he’d been in the wedding party of Jack Crusher and Beverly Howard, standing beside Walker Keel, the best man, who had introduced the pair. Jean-Luc’s close friendship with Jack had kept him from admitting his feelings for years after his death. Seeing her now, in that dress with the winsome smile on her face, he hated himself for the wasted years.

      After what seemed like even more years—but was probably only seconds—Beverly joined Jean-Luc at the front of the room. She took Jean-Luc’s hands in hers and looked into his eyes. Suddenly all time was forgotten as the mayor began the brief ceremony.

      Do you, Jean-Luc Picard, wish to marry Beverly Crusher? he asked in the native tongue of the country, rendered into Federation Standard by the universal translators.

      "Oui," Picard replied.

      And do you, Beverly Crusher, wish to marry Jean-Luc Picard?

      She inclined her head to the side and flashed Picard a smile. "Oui," she replied.

      It is time to exchange alliances, the mayor said, as he lifted the rings from the table behind them and presented them to the couple.

      Picard accepted his ring for Crusher, then took her hand. Wordlessly, he slipped the ring onto her finger as if it was always meant to be there. Without prompt, Crusher, in turn, did the same. They had decided to forgo vows of their own at Crusher’s suggestion. They expressed their love to each other a thousand different ways every single day in both words and deeds. It seemed beside the point to rely on flowery ceremonial language in what was little more than a legal procedure.

      Henri turned his attention to the witnesses, posing a quick question, before introducing the couple. The ceremony was officially over. It was brief. Concise. Exactly as the couple had wanted. But Henri looked to Picard and suggested there was one more task to which to tend. Picard could not disagree.

      Marie and Rose raised their hands in polite applause as the couple shared their first official kiss as husband and wife. The clapping intensified as two more sets of hands joined in. Whistles and hoots quickly followed. And one celebratory howl that came from deep in the gut shattered the peace of the room, pulling Picard out of the fond memory he’d been reliving.

      Computer, a voice said as the howl died down. Freeze program.

      Jean-Luc and Beverly were suddenly immobilized, locked in their kiss.

      I don’t know, Geordi La

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