Q.

There were things that Thor did when 

Something Went Wrong;

The First Thing he did 

was ask himself 

if What Had Happened 

was Loki's fault -- 

 

Maybe Q. did The Right Thing for The Wrong Reasons.

 OR

Maybe Q. did The Wrong Thing  for The Right Reasons

OR

Maybe Q. did The Right Thing for The Right Reasons....

Q: 

They will follow this ship until you exhaust your fuel. 

They will wear down your defences. 

Then, you will be Theirs. 

Admit it, Picard. You're out of your league. 

You should have stayed where you belonged.

You can't outrun them. 

You can't destroy them. 

If you damage them, the essence of what they are remains. 

They regenerate and keep coming. 

Eventually you will weaken, your reserves will be gone. 

They are RELENTLESS.

Where's your stubbornness now, Picard, your arrogance? 

Do you still profess to be prepared for what awaits you?

I'll be leaving now. You thought you could handle it, so handle it.

PICARD : 

Q. End this.

Q : 

Moi? What makes you think I am either inclined or capable to terminate this encounter?

PICARD : 

If we all die, here, now.... you will not be able to gloat..!! 

You wanted to frighten us. 

We're frightened. 

You wanted to show us that we were inadequate. 

For the moment, I grant that. 

You wanted me to say that I need you. 

I NEED You!

(With a snap of Q's fingers, the Enterprise goes whirling through space again)

Q: 

That was a difficult admission. 

Another Man would have been humiliated to say those words. 

Another Man would have rather DIED than ask for Help.

PICARD:

I understand what you've done here, Q --

But I think The Lesson could have been learned without the loss of eighteen members of my crew.

Q: 

If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross -- but it's NOT for The Timid.

[Ten forward]

(Guinan and Picard are playing Chess)

GUINAN: 

Q set a series of events into motion, bringing contact with The Borg much sooner than it should have come. 

Now, perhaps when you're ready, it might be possible to establish A Relationship with them. 

But for now, for right now, you're just raw material to Them. 

Since They are aware of your existence --

PICARD: 

They WILL Be Coming.

GUINAN: 

You can bet on it.

PICARD: 

Maybe Q did The Right Thing for The Wrong Reason.

GUINAN: 

How so?

PICARD: 

Well, perhaps what we most needed was a kick in our complacency, to prepare us ready for what lies ahead.