This story is an excellent example of how dialogue can, virtually by itself, make a fantastic story, and the ideas and ideology on debate here are even more compelling. The complex arguments were presented with amazing clarity, and the courtroom proceedings were both memorable and striking, with an intriguing trial within a trial set-up as the Q Continuum was also called to account. The characters came across powerfully even without being named; their nuances made feelings clear and hinted at so much more. Q summoning Tom Paris to testify was a clever and cruel way of twisting the knife for Kes, considering her experiences in "Before and After," and Lady Q's reasons for defending Kes were commendable and made me want to stand up and cheer for the character. I also liked how you handled the verdict and how it can be damning, vindicating, or redemptive depending on the opinions and beliefs of the reader. It is also a brilliant way to bring Kes's journey and character development full circle and felt far more satisfying than how the show concluded her story, in my opinion. So, kudos all around on this captivating piece and many thanks for sharing it. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not, but this piece also feels like a worthy follow-up to the TNG episode "The Survivors" where similar questions were raised but never answered.

This was excellent I loved that you manged to not favour either side. also good use of The Q Continuum Trilogy and X-Men very enjoyable. I do have to ask if her advocate wasn't Q's wife since they're the only two Qs with a son that we know of. I assumed the advocate was male right through but you carefully didn't mention. Well I'll just say this was great once more before checking if you've written anything else.

As always a brilliant Q fic, you write them well.

You show the Q to be powerful but not omnipotent as many authors including myself have done so, and it is a nice change.

Very nice.

The Q are hypocrites but then again that is a human word. Also the Q don't care. After eons of existance I believe, hope, they found the absolute truth according to them and are striving to do what they do best, what they were destined to do.

Your story gave me an idea. Heh, it'll be a cracktastic idea that will make people laugh.

If they get it that is.

she killed neelix too... he had nano-bytes in him that brought him back to life once. totally never mentioned again, but there you go. he had to have daily injections of them or he would die again

Is morality merely a convenient fabrication humanity uses to assert itself against its opponents? Should a more pragmatic race, like the Borg, inherit the galaxy – and beyond – if only because they are best able to defend it from something worse? During times of conflict morality gives sway to pragmatism while the opponents wreak un/holy havoc upon one another. When the war is over the individuals involved in the conflict may have difficulty picking up their morality where they had left it, but societies demonstrate little difficulty doing so. It’s dark, I know.

I believe you intended this story to be primarily an exploration of the arguments that would ensue between Kes & the Q because, among other things, it exposes their inner selves. On that level it works very well. I’m afraid Kes will be on trial for weeks longer though, as the arguments replay themselves in my head. This is the second story of yours that I have read and both seem to have moved in and occupied some corner of my mental shelfspace. It’s a good thing.

Next time you’re talking to the continuum could you ask them, “is there a God, or supreme beings greater than yourselves?” I’d like to be a fly on *that* wall.

I find it difficult to accept that the actions of the Borg are in the greater good of the universe. I am not sure if destroying the collective would be the same as murduring all the drones. Picard would have probably believed that the drones were no longer truly alive and that Kes was freeing them from the collective in the only way possible. If Kes had only killed those under the conrol of the Collective her actions would have been justified. How can the accumulation of knowledge justify the colletives existence? The knowledge would only be used to further the expansion of the Borg not to help others.

A very thoughtful and well written story capturing much of the complex drama that might occur in a Q Continuium legal proceeding. It was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

-Lilith Kayden