Encounter at Farpoint by David Gerrold Read Free Book Online

sourly.

    A soldier moved toward them, leveling his weapon at them. “Get to your feet, criminals!”

    The Starfleet officers ignored him. The court functionary clanged the bell again, and the last few whispers from spectators died away. Data glanced up and nodded to indicate Picard should look in that direction. “At least we’re acquainted with the judge, Captain.”

    Picard was not entirely surprised to see the
Q
they had met on their bridge seated at a floating judge’s bench that lifted into the room. He had seized on Picard’s words about prosecution and judgment with a fervor that had surprised Picard at the time. Now Picard saw
Q
had somehow created this situation in order to do exactly that—prosecute and judge. If humans would not voluntarily return to their own solar system, they would be
sentenced
to do so.

    Suddenly a nearby officer fired a burst of shots at Picard’s feet and advanced on him, screaming angrily. “Attention! On your feet,
attention!
” Before the captain could react, Tasha had sprung up, pivoted in and wrestled the weapon away from the man. He tried to grab her, but she easily hooked his feet from under him with one quick move of her own leg and sent him crashing to the floor on his back.

    The judge’s chair shot forward as
Q
shouted, “
You are out of order!
”

    “Lieutenant!” Picard snapped.

    Two other soldiers stepped forward, their weapons raised. But it was not a death sentence for Tasha. Both men fired a burst at the fallen officer. His body jumped as the automatic weapons pumped bullets into him, and the spectators cheered and applauded the performance uninhibitedly.

    “The prisoners will not be harmed,”
Q
said pleasantly. “Until they are found guilty.” He passed an amused glance to Picard, who did not respond to the taunt.
Q
flicked his hand negligently toward the dead officer’s body. “Dispose of that,” he said coldly. “Now then, Captain . . .”

    Picard plucked the automatic weapon from Tasha, staring her down. She hesitated, then sat back down. Satisfied, Picard took a step toward
Q
. “Can we assume you mean this will be a fair trial?”

    “Yes, absolutely equitable.”

    Picard hesitated and then handed the weapon to one of the soldiers.
Q
floated his bench to the front of the courtroom and nodded to the bailiff. “Proceed.”

    The Mandarin-Bailiff consulted his portable viewscreen. “Before this gracious court now appear these prisoners to answer for the multiple and grievous savageries of their species. How plead you, criminals?”

    Data moved forward slightly. “If I may, Captain. . . .” Picard gave him an abrupt nod. He had a feeling he knew in advance how this was going to go. He could see it . . . what in historical vernacular would have been called “a setup.” Meanwhile, the android had turned to address
Q
. “Objection, your Honor. In the year 2036, the new United Nations declared that no Earth citizen could be made to answer for the crimes of their race or forbears.”

    “Objection denied!”
Q
instantly retorted. The functionary clanged the bell raucously, and the spectators cheered enthusiastically.

    Picard shook his head tiredly. As he thought, they were labeled as criminals in advance, guilty until proven innocent.
Q
had already judged human past, not their present or their promise for the future, in order to brand them as unfit to venture into the galaxy with other “more advanced” races.
Q
’s next words further proved Picard’s theory.

    “This is a court of the twenty-first century, by which time more ‘rapid progress’ had caused all ‘United Earth’ nonsense to be abolished.” He smiled triumphantly at Picard.

    Tasha angrily sprang up again, poised like a fighter on the balls of her feet. “Why don’t you judge what we are now?”

    Picard reached out for her. “Lieutenant, no. . . .”

    She shrugged him off, for once unmindful of the fact he was the captain, her superior officer, and a man she