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[Q runway]
Q was gagged at Vanessa's reveals. His already cracked face laughed hoarsely as she revealed the flowers under her wig and how it revealed the Vulcan wig underneath. He casually glimpsed at Calandra, but she was struggling. He nodded at her, acknowledging her attempt and silently thanking her for at least trying before turning his attention back to Vanessa. When the song completed he clapped before uttering an 'oh my god' to both of the ladies.

"That was....incredible." Quinton said, trying to recompose himself. "Vanessa, congratulations, you are the winner of the Quinton games." He stood up from his seat and grabbed something from the chair next to him. As he walked towards the main stage, he revealed that it was a diamond encrusted crown.  He walked up to Vanessa, bowed, and placed it on her head. "Vanessa, for winning the challenge, I will grant you one wish...within reason. You can either ask for it now or at a later time."

He turned his gaze towards Calandra and nodded. "Thank you for participating and making it this far." he said. "I will return you to your ship now and restore it to its proper functionality." He briefly snapped his fingers, transporting the women back to where they originally were standing on the Shran. Quinton himself did not appear with them, though he was watching over them for the time being. With another snap of his fingers, he brought the Shran back to life, restoring main power and full access. Where the terminals once showed his face, they now properly showed the LCARS interface that had been installed on the ship.

In a booming voice the hidden Quinton addressed the crew. "While you may not have survived my games, you will survive to see another day. Remember, work together. You will need each other in your time of need." When he finished speaking, an eerie silence fell upon the Shran. Quinton turned his attention from the Shran, until a time when he would actually have to help them...or to grant Vanessa's wish.

[Lives.]

[Q Runway]
Quinton was absolutely enjoying himself now. This was MUCH better than the kitchen challenge, even if there were only two people. "Welcome ladies." he said calmly. "Since you are the final two, let's skip straight through the critiques. You both did great, but one of you did it just slightly better. As such, I am going to have to ask you to both to perform a lipsync performance to Fight Like a Girl by Emilie Autumn. Ladies. The time has come." A crackle of thunder emminated from the ceiling. "For you to lipsync. For. Your. Lives." As he said the final three words, his voice gradually got louder until it got almost unbearable to listen to. "Good luck, and don't *beep* it up." With that, he snapped his fingers and the music began playing.

[The Runway- Q pocket dimension]
Darkness. The room was a void that lacked any features. Then, a light. Then two more lights, then another two. Quinton laughed ominously as the lights behind him sprung to life, revealing his figure. In another instant, a spotlight shined on him, reveling him in another one of his suits. The suit was accented with black feathers that clung tightly to the material. He wore a headpiece that resembled a cow's skull, bedazzled to shine when the spotlight hit him in such a way. He smiled and began to walk down the runway, walking with a strut that exuberated confidence. He was the one in charge after all, and if neither Calandra or Vanessa impressed him, he would keep playing these games until he was satisfied.

He stopped at the runway and stared off into the vacant space in front of him. "Welcome to the main stage of Quinton's Q Games." he began, talking to the imaginary audience. "Tonight, Calandra and Vanessa will be showing me their best runway. Let's see how they do. Good luck ladies, and may the games begin!"

He snapped his fingers and transported himself to the judge's panel just to the right of the runway. "First up, Calandra."

[Q kitchen]
Quinton rose an eyebrow at the exchange between Calandra and Vanessa, noting the tension between the two ladies. This could be interesting. he thought to himself before turning his attention towards the first plate. It looked...bad. It looked an infant had thrown it together. Although killing a Q was something near impossible, Quinton was still hesitant to taste it, just in case it could kill him.

He grabbed a fork and attempted a bite. Well, at least it tasted better than it looked. He winced through every chew and made no effort of hiding his dissatisfaction from the contestants. He forced a gulp and pushed the plate away before turning towards the plate that Alyssa had brought to the table before she scampered back into the team line.

What. Is. This? He thought to himself. It looked like a creature had died on the plate and she was attempting to pass it off as cuisine. He dug his fork in it and took a bite before wincing again. Disgusting.

Quinton dropped his fork and pushed the plates away. He grabbed the napkin from the table and wiped his mouth of the sauce from the last dish before clearing his throat. "Well, I had expected better." Quinton said with some snark. He took a minute to ponder his decision. Who was he going to send home? Both plates were equally terrible.

"You know what? Screw the rules. I'm sending you all back. I'm keeping two people who will duke it out. Bye." He snapped his fingers and with a flash the crew of the Shran was gone, all except for: Calandra and Vanessa.

With only Calandra and Vanessa left in the room, Quinton snapped his fingers, changing the scenery once again.

[Q werk room]
This time, the room was large and pink and decorated with multiple pictures of Quinton in various modeling poses. In the center of the room there were two tables, each consisting of a sewing machine and the appropriate supplies. Next to the tables were headless beige sewing mannequins. In the back corner there was a wall of seemingly endless fabric and crafting supplies, and at the other corner were several mirrors and two make up kits.

"Welcome to the finale, ladies." Quinton said. "For this final challenge, you will be creating a unique look using any materials you find in this room before taking the runway. Category is: Sexy Starfleet. Good luck, and don't *bleep* it up."

[Q kitchen]
44....45. Quinton's watch struck forty-five minutes and gave a buzz that echoed throughout the kitchen. Quinton clapped his hands together and brought them to his chest. "Time's up. Drop what you're doing and step away from your dishes."

He watched as the Shran crew did as he said. Quinton decided that it felt good to be in charge. He would have made a fine Starfleet Captain. "Here's how this will work. Both teams will present me one dish. The best one will win the challenge. The losing team, well, I'm sorry to say, but since we are really pressed for time, the entire losing team will be going home."  Quinton winced when he dropped that bombshell. He didn't want to see the crew's reaction, nor did he want to see the anticipated looks of betrayal on their faces. He was the host after all. What he said was law here. "Team Awen, let's start with you."

[The Q House-Kitchens]
Quinton was delighted to see all of the teams working together so eagerly. The way that team Awen had stormed through the pantry and the different ideas that they were throwing out amused him greatly, but nothing more than the idea of mushroom bacon. He had tried bacon on two separate occasions and regarded it as a heart attack strip even though he wasn't succeptable to such trivial matters.

He smiled warmly at Calandra when she asked him what the grand prize was."You're right, I haven't told you what you'd win." he said. "Why, you'll win.... Well I can't tell you right now, but it'll be magnificent."

He gave Calandra a pat on the back and then turned to face the pantry. His hazel eyes watched as the final members of team Awen left the pantry and began prepping their food. "Alright Team Alyssa, go for it."

The Russian woman and the Betazoid were the first done. He was impressed with their speed and their tenacity at being the first ones on the team back from the pantry. He would keep an eye on them, however, and if they were doing too well, he would correct it as he saw fit.

[90 seconds later]
"Alright everyone. Your forty-five minutes start now. Good luck, and don't *beep* it up." Quinton had purposefully tried to use adult language, but when he did so, an audible beep took the place of his word- another fun quirk of his in the pocket dimension.

[The Big Q House, Day 1]
Quinton gave a wide smile at the Shran crew's reactions. They hadn't been expecting this! He basked in the sheer surprise and shock for a moment before realizing that they weren't exactly in the best mood. He would have to diffuse the situation before it got any worst or they would never join in on the fun.

"Now now." Quinton said. "I'll answer all of your questions in time. But let me start with the important ones: You are in a pocket dimension of my own creating and you are safe. The gist here is to play the game and have fun! You Starfleet types are so boring and dry, I thought I'd like to spice up your life!!!"

He smiled again, but that smile turned into a frown when several people asked about the eliminations. "Well, those that get voted off will be returned to your ship, unharmed. However, if you purposefully try to get yourself eliminated, I will put you in the penalty box until the end of this competition."

He surveyed the room. He wanted them to know they were in no true danger, but he sensed that they wouldn't believe that until they were safe back on their ship. He shrugged.

"Anyway, for your first challenge!" he said. With a snap of his fingers, he transported the "cast" and himself into the kitchen. The room was just as large as the living room had been. There were a series of stoves in the center of the room, with counters on opposite walls. At the front of the room was the "pantry," a room that had shelving and refrigerators, that stored fresh meat and produce.

"You will be splitting into two teams to cook a special meal." He pointed at Awen. "You. And...." he pointed at Alyssa. "You!" His gaze fell on the rest of the crew. "These will be the team captains. I have already preassigned all of you to a team." He snapped his fingers again. The wall panels behind him turned to show a two large screens. At the center of each screen was one of the team captains: Awen and Alyssa. On the screens the camera zoomed out to reveal the faces of the different crew assigned to each team captain. Under Awen was: Kalro, Daniel, Leela, Vanessa (NPC) and Kinley; Under Alyssa: Kachina, Casey, Rennan, Murphy (NPC) and Calandra.

"Here are the teams! For this challenge, each team will have 90 seconds in the pantry. After the 90 seconds are up, each team will have 45 minutes to cook me the best meal they can with what they gathered. Team Awen will go first. Ready? Set? Go."

OFF: Tag to Team Awen, soft tag to Team Alyssa

[Somewhere off the Shran]
He snapped his fingers and set the last item in place. Everything was set and in just a few minutes, his guests would arrive. He knew they would not be the most pleasant people to have, but it was something that he felt like he needed to do. Finally, he snapped his fingers and he was back on the Shran's bridge.

[Bridge]
Quinton returned with a smile. "Well, I must say. Everything is ready!!!" He sounded more excited than he probably have been, but he wanted to get them pumped up. "Andddd...." he snapped his fingers.

[The Q House- Pocket Dimension 415, Day 1]
In a moment, he transported himself and select members of the Shran crew into a large house. He gave them a moment to survey their surroundings before explaining. "Welcome, to the house!" he said, "Over the next few days, we will be playing a game of Big Brother, Q Edition. Your every move will be monitored. There will be challenges. You will be given the opportunity to record your feelings about the other contestants via confessionals. At the end of each day, you will be responsible for voting off one of your fellow coworkers until only one remains. The last man standing wins!"

OFF: Tag all

[Bridge, 0900]
A bright flash took place on the bridge. Quinton had returned donning his signature suit and a smug smile. "Well, I hope you've had time to prepare, because I spent what must have been an eternity getting ready." he said. He turned to the front of the ship at the viewscreen and frowned. "No, no, no." he said much like what a parent would say to a child. "I stopped you for a reason." With a snap of his fingers, he dropped the ship out of warp. He sighed and shook his head."I can't have you mess with my plans. Everything has to be perfect." With another snap, he smiled. The LCARS terminals on the bridge were replace with Quinton's face and his smug, taunting smile. "I'm locking the ship down until we're done."

[Starbase 375, Security Office, present day]

Dorei had tried to be extremely careful. Though he marked his victims, he was sure to leave biometric data off of his Janus coins when he left them for his victims. He tried to make the kills when the victims were alone. He even did his best to present himself as neutral. So how the hell did they get a scent on his trial?

Upon seeing the messages coming in, Dorei experienced a full array of emotions. First came the fear followed closely by the panic. He looked up from the terminal to the security crewman that was manning the front "reception" desk. It didn't seem like she saw the data feed yet. Good. He still had time.

"Oh." he said. "I just remember that I have a meeting. Can you man the office for me while I'm out? I'll be back as soon as it's done." Before the security crewman could respond, Dorei was already out the door, moving as quickly away from the office as he possibly could.

For a moment, Dorei considered stopping by his quarters and grabbing a few of his belongings. A thought he had to push out of his head. If they were hot on his trial, that would be one of the first places that they would check. He was a sitting duck on the starbase. He would have to get off.

He looked down at his services uniform and noticed his comm badge. The small starfleet insignia seemed to dully reflect the lighting from the ceiling above him. He figured that if they were tracking him, he would have to ditch the badge as well. He slipped it off and threw it down an empty hallway before walking the opposite direction. It wouldn't buy him much time, but he needed all that he could get.

[Starbase 375, Shuttlebay]

Dorei entered the shuttlebay through an access hatch. The main doors were manned by some of his men, who he was certain were fully aware of the current situation. He cursed as he bumped his head on the opening, but maintained his speed and made a beeline for the runabout.

[Runabout]
When he entered the runabout, Dorei ran to the flight console and closed the door. He initiated the engines through a series of button taps on the LCARS console. The blue hue strained his eyes a bit and he lamented for the days when the interface was yellow and purple. Within seconds, he was taking off, and within two minutes he cleared the starbase's forcefield.

The terminal to the right of him pinged one. Then twice. Then three times. The starbase was attempting to hail him. Probably for the better that I don't answer that, Dorei thought to himself. He closed out the notifications on the terminal and proceeded to move away at full impulse. Once he cleared the Starbase, he would set a course for heading for Deep Space Nine where he would take the wormhole into the Gamma Quadrant to start his new life.

The raid has begun. Be afraid. 

[Kazon-Ogla Raider Ship]

Maje Ralak stood silently in the middle of the bridge, a thumb pressed to his slightly parted lips as he let his thoughts simmer. One of his underling approached, pausing with a note of apprehension. "Is everything in order?" Ralak asked, though it was clear from his tone that this was not really a question.

"Yes, Maje," the young Kazon replied. "We have arrived at the planet specified by the scientist, and our other ships are pulling into position as we speak. There is currently only one other ship in orbit, a federation starship, but it does not appear that they have noticed us."

Ralak nodded, pleased. "Excellent. Begin sending raiding parties down now." This was a world ripe for plunder. It was no concern of his what the scientist wanted with the planet afterwards. The raid had begun.

[Bridge, Sovereign Class Excalibur]

Alexandra Murphy sat on the Captain's Chair of the Sovereign Vesell, Excalibur.  The ship was brand new with all the bell and whistles.  The ship was in the shakedown run as working to get the bugs out.  As she looked around, she heard her Comm Officer talk to her

"Ma'am we are receiving an emergency order from Starfleet Command."  The ops Officer said

Murphy in her cold voice said, "Ok, what's our orders?"

The Ops Officer said "Captain Hawke of the Shran said that he had uncovered a plot to assassinate the United Federation of Planets by agents of the Tal'Shiar.  Starfleet Intelligence has received intelligence that the Tal'shiar has sleeper agents.  We have not cleared Captain Hawke as a possible Tal'shiar Agent.  We are ordered to temporary detain Captain Hawke to investigate his possible claim and clear him as a sleeper agent."

Murphy said "Captain, Hawke has an Odyssey class ship under his Command.  I command a Sovereign vessel.  If he was an agent, he can lie to his crew and destroy us, before we finish our investigation."

The Ops Officer continued "Ma'am we are supposed to rendezvous with Captain Torgate, who is in Command of another Sovereign vessel."

Murphy then ordered open a Message to Captain Torngate This is Captain Murphy of the Excalibur, we have been ordered to assist you in investigating Captain Hawke of the Shran.  Hopefully, Captain Hawke will consent to an investigation into his allegations and the importance of making sure he is not a Tal'shiar sleeper agent.  I would like to avoid a firefight if I have to

[Admiralty, Earth]

Admiral Kelley finished his conversation with Hawke.  Her face turned into a frown as she heard the message.  Even in his teenage years, she has known James to be reckless, but not a liar.   She knew in her heart that if Hawke had said something serious, it was true.

She looked at her organized office and looked outside her Window.  She was in the building of Starfleet Command and looked at the Small Park and fountain in the middle.   She looked at two children were playing around the fountain.  There was a boy and a girl running around the fountain and occasionally splashing each other.  It reminded her of James and his twin sister as they played around the same fountain.  She worked as a Starfleet liaison with Kenneth, James father.   She worked with him on several weapons and ship designs.

Laura looked down and said to herself "Damn you, James."

She shook her head and headed into her perfectly organized desk.  She opened a channel with the Head of Starfleet.

"Admiral, this is Laura.  I have been contacted by Captain Hawke, regarding a potential assassination for the President of the United Federation of Planets" Laura said

The Chief looked down and said "Interesting, those are serious allegations, indeed.  I would recommend the President to cancel all of his events.  However, knowing the President, he will insist on going to the events. "

Admiral Kelley eyes frowned and said, "Well what do you want to do?"

The Chief answered, "We should stop and detain the Shran and do a full investigation."

Laura responded "Knowing, James he will keep his cards close to the chest."

The Chief responded "Well is about time for him to get those cards away from the chest.  I am sending a fleet to do the investigation."

Tag to Security and engineering!