Never Far From Her Heart

 

Table of Contents

Author’s Note

Chapter 1—Coming to Say Goodbye

Chapter 2—Memento Mori

Chapter 3—Frivolity With the Cerritos Crew

Chapter 4—One Can Never Know

Epilogue

 

 

Author’s Note: I was inspired by Q’s death in Picard Season 2 and wondered how I could’ve improved it.   Not long ago, I created Quanta, Q’s lovechild.   This is an integration of what happened in the show mixed in with heartfelt scenes and a bit of healing from my own dad’s death.  Granted, I may never completely mend from it, but it is because of it that I can be someone else’s safe harbor and guiding light when everything else seems so dark and foreboding.

 

Chapter 1—Coming to Say Goodbye

                It was another day in the Continuum and Quanta was lazing about in a hammock made of glowing starlight.    She was sipping some sangria and relaxing until someone appeared and picked her up in a tender but strong bear hug.     He had been crying and from the way he was dressed, Quanta could tell he wasn’t long for the world.   She had heard so many stories from her family and friends about this individual that she was a little surprised he was even here, but she already knew the purpose of his visit. 

                ‘So, you’ve finally come to say farewell, dad.’, she said, smiling softly at him.   She manifested an elaborate oak table, chairs and an entire high tea meal for them, with every sort of variety of cucumber sandwich and Jammy Dodger in existence.    Q chuckled.   He had already said goodbye to so many people that he had loved, but he couldn’t help feeling that he had been with her and shared every experience he had relished in his multi-faceted life.   His black ornate vestige started to turn white and gold, his hair reverting to the color of his nonage.  

                ‘That’s certainly new.’, Q mused aloud.   Instead of sitting across the table from her, he sat right next to her and placed his hand atop hers.   For the first time in ages, he understood what unease and steady trepidation were.   However, with Quanta near him, that underlying fear began to become inconsequential.   

                ‘Would you like something to drink ?’, Quanta questioned.   Q still had an appetite and he had absolutely no pain.  Death wasn’t so horrible as he had previously dreaded. 

                ‘Any tea will suffice.’, Q said, warmly.   His other children had spoken so highly of her and the Continuum adored her.   He could now see why, because he felt nothing but love from her even though he had to let the Continuum raise her from the moment she was born.  

                Quanta amused her dad with an orange mannequin pis that peed orange pekoe.

‘Get it ?  Orange pee koe !’, she giggled a bit sophomorically.

                ‘You are most indubitably the fruit of my loins.’, Q chortled, glad to see that his spellbinding daughter was a combination of class, levity and perhaps a smidge of lewdness when the situation called for it.    The little orange dispenser had vanished no sooner as Quanta had served her guest.    He was indulging in the taste of the tea, brewed to absolute perfection.   The sandwiches, the music, the company, everything had been splendid.   He couldn’t help becoming a bit teary eyed, but he wanted to give Quanta something before departing.  

Chapter 2—Memento Mori

                That steady beat of Q’s heart she could sense becoming duller and slower as his raiment increased in brilliance.   There was no trepidation in his voice or tremble in his hand as he finished what was to be his last meal.   With one final act, he created a splendid necklace with a galactic pendant that was luminescent.  

                ‘If darkness should ever surround you, I will continue being your light.  I will always watch you from afar, darling.’,  he said, softly kissing her forehead.    Quanta wasn’t expecting to become emotional, but she had only known her dad through his mercurial antics and seen through his eyes.   She had never actually been in the same room with him and sensed his magnificence, his power, or his deep affection.  

                ‘Daddy, I don’t want you to go.’, Quanta said, her head resting on Q’s heart.  The heartbeat grew slower, fainter and his breathing was more labored.   Her crystal blue eyes pooled and overflowed with grief stricken tears.   She didn’t feel this was fair.   After all, she was just getting to know him.    Q took Quanta’s face in his tender hands and dried her tears. 

                ‘You aren’t going to be alone, if that is what you’re fearing, dear.’, he whispered.   With a final snap of his finger, the exquisite pendant had latched around Quanta’s neck and Q faded out of existence.   The only thing left of him was a purple sash with gold trim that read, ‘Looks like this is yours now, kiddo.  Don’t let it go to your head.’    Quanta laughed in spite of the pain still lingering in her heart, but she wasn’t surprised her papa had a wicked sense of humor even after his demise.    

 

Chapter 3—Frivolity With the Cerritos Crew

                The Continuum mourned for a while but Quanta’s brother and sister saw that she was well taken care of.   She would be one of the premier Q to speak for the Continuum since her dad had so much clout and pull.   She was much different than he had been, but she still had the capability to mix things up when the mood hit her right. 

                It hadn’t been too long after the death of her father that Quanta decided to join the Cerritos for a short journey by doing so as a ‘normal human’ rather than implementing her incredible abilities.   She had been curious what it was like, but Beckett knew she had been hiding something from the start.  

                ‘You have that unmistakable gleam about you.’, she said while she was sitting with her friends in the mess.   It had been T’Lyn who had found her out before anyone else.   Quanta felt a little chagrinned at first but came clean about who she truly was.

                ‘I was afraid your mom would have me escorted off your fine vessel if I told the truth.’, she confessed.  

                ‘It’s definitely a possibility.’,  Sam stated candidly.   Quanta chuckled awkwardly but declared she was there to learn and grow with them, which they supported. 

                ‘I’m sorry to hear about your dad, but honestly I think he’d be proud of you for going outside your comfort zone.’, Tendi said, warmly.    She had been the first to befriend Quanta and the two got along as if they had known each other their entire lives.

                The mission to a gem planet had been pretty arbitrary and typical, but the crew had found a race that had been subjugated without their knowledge.    According to the Prime Directive, they couldn’t interfere but Quanta in her way had uncovered the oppressor’s gaslighting and slowly drove them slightly batty to prove a point.  

                The reward for righting the skewed system on Gemella was a vacation that Quanta had created with her incredible talent.    It had taken Captain Freeman by surprise seeing a whole tropic environment, but it brought immense joy to everyone, even the typically sour Doctor T’Ana.  

                ‘That’s the first time I’ve seen my schnookums smile, bear cub.’, he said, giving Quanta an unexpected massive side hug.   As a musclebound Bajoran he certainly could tightly embrace someone enough to make them feel like a deflated bagpipe, but Quanta welcomed the affection.    Although she had inadvertently brought the Cerritos a vacation that she hadn’t gotten permission for, the mission deserved that little respite.   She had earned respect through her diplomacy, tactics, gregarious nature and flair for the dramatic.  She knew exactly how much drama to bring to a situation that sticky.   In the end, she had brought Gemella the peace it had been desperately longing for.   

 

Chapter 4—One Can Never Know

                Due to her bravery, innovative thinking and inventive strategy had gotten Quanta noticed and because of this, she quickly rose the ranks from cadet to lieutenant junior grade.   At the rate she was excelling, she would most likely be a fleet admiral in no time but that meant she had to make a choice whether to stay with the Cerritos or transfer to another vessel.    She hated saying farewell to her new friends, but she manifested kaleidoscopic friendship bracelets to everyone before she left to other journeys aboard a prestigious Starfleet vessel.  

 

Epilogue

                From time to time, Quanta returns home and shares her sojourns with her family and friends.   They can experience her peril, tragedy, triumph, trials and glory she experienced with her new friends.    On the off times where she was remembering her dad, she’d lightly touch her pendant and she could hear him singing to her.    For a moment, she would shed a few tears, but she wondered if even as a celestial construct if she would ever die as he did or if she was immortal.   She did possess some of his DNA after all, so it was possible she could join him when her normal frame degraded.    Like him, she didn’t find it creepy, morbid or unsettling at all.   Akin to the melodies the pendant contained, they soothed her, comforted her and rekindled her hope.   She already had faith but coupled with hope, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. 

 

The End

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