Author: Merfilly
Recipient: Penknife
Rating: R
Fandoms: Star Wars Prequels, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Pairing: Qui Gon Jinn/Jean Luc Picard
Author's Notes: Set pre-All Good Things, pre-Phantom Menace
Those present on the Enterprise NCC 1701-D's bridge scrambled desperately to either lock on to the shuttle or its occupant with the tools available. The transporter and tractor beams were futile, nor did they dare try to detonate a photon in the mouth of the singularity, as the shuttle was far too close. Riker was aware it was not very professional to comfort a crewmember, but could not deny Beverly Crusher when she turned into his arms.
The Jedi was most unaccustomed to being surprised while at his meditations. He was so in tune with the Living Force that he typically felt things from further away than even Master Yoda. It was his particular gift, just as Master Windu could correctly navigate the various shatterpoints. So to see a lone human navigating the fairly barren landscape as he opened his eyes was not only a surprise, but also a curiosity for him.
"You there!" He kept his voice in the pitch of friendliness, and stood with vigor, projecting both neutrality and a sense of being able to defend himself. He studied the human, noting that the maroon and black clothing appeared militaristic, but the Jedi could not even place a system for it.
"Hello!" The human stopped at a wary distance, shading his eyes to view the other man. "My shuttle crash landed here, and you are the nearest life form my sensors detected."
"There is a reason for that. This world is largely deserted, most of the time. It is used for training only, as it cannot support sentient life for long." The Jedi walked over, closing the distance. "Qui Gon Jinn." He held his hand out to the stranger, hoping tactile contact would improve his sense of the man. When the stranger took it and shook firmly, Qui Gon could not feel a connection to the Force at all, but his reading of the man's body language told him to trust the stranger.
"Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the USS Enterprise." He grimaced. "Though I fear that the wormhole I encountered has put me quite out of touch with my ship and my crew." The man spoke with a crisp punctuation of each of his words, clearly accustomed to being heard. Qui Gon found it absolutely fascinating to have to use only his physical senses to know another human.
"This area of space is rather prone to odd happenings," the Jedi told him. "Why don't you come into my abode for refreshment before we see about helping you return to your ship and crew." He smiled warmly at the smaller man, indicating the small shelter nestled against the slight rise.
"I suppose it won't be Earl Grey, but a drink would be welcome." The captain had a sense for people, and it told him this man was not only skilled in survival, but a man of honor. His early ruminations that this was all a plot by Q seemed out of place now; it was all just an accident of spatial anomaly.
The two men sat as civilized company, sharing a drink that Qui Gon had poured for them. Silence fell at first, as Picard savored the rich, aromatic beverage, trying to filter it in his experiences versus the other drinks he had tried through the galaxy. Qui Gon, on the other hand, was merely studying the man, noting the character stamped into his face, the way he carried his dignity without arrogance. The longer he was in the presence of the man, the more his very disattachment from the Force made Qui Gon want to savor the experience.
"Very good, refreshing," Picard said at last, having decided the drink was reminiscent of something he had tried on Rigel Five. "It was a bit of a walk from my shuttle to here."
"Then rest your legs, and let me see about recovering it for you." Qui Gon rose to go back outside, a small device remotely telling his astromech to bring his own ship in. "It would make sense to bring it here, where we have lodging and refreshment at hand." He could have as easily dismantled his camp, but he had chosen this spot for the attunement to the Force it had.
"I could not impose," Picard said, rising. "Allow me to go with you."
"My vessel carries but one, Captain, and any ship near enough to walk from will show up swiftly to my sensors." He waved his hand negligently. "Rest until I return."
Retrieving the boxy little ship had been a feat of some ingenuity, but Qui Gon accomplished it before the sun had dipped fully below the horizon. He slipped inside the abode to find his guest sitting where he had been before, his cup empty, and his head pillowed on his forearm as he napped. The entry of Qui Gon had startled Picard somewhat, or else the man was dreaming poorly, for he moved just a bit, though he did not wake. The Jedi decided it was most inhospitable to leave him in such a manner, so he strode over silently and reached down to pick his guest up.
"No, Q." Picard tried to stop the hands touching him, and then came fully awake. "Oh, sorry...must have nodded off." Qui Gon had straightened up as soon as Picard spoke, and now he smiled disarmingly.
"Perfectly acceptable, after a walk in that heat." Qui Gon indicated the door. "If you'll come with me, perhaps we can effect repairs on this shuttle of yours. I must say I've never seen a ship capable of surviving any anomaly built quite like yours."
"The Federation spends top credit on designing safe, reliable vessels." The captain smiled sardonically. "Unfortunately, it does not stop egotistical captains from navigating in them in such a way as to get lost from the Federation."
"I take it this Federation is your governing body?" Qui Gon escorted the smaller man outside, where the astromech was passively scanning the new ship, whistling with consternation at how the thing could possibly ever have worked. Picard eyed the ‘droid in surprise. He had little to do with cultures that utilized robotic servants of any type. The problem of sentience and conscience had made it obvious that humanity was better served by itself.
"It is. A federation of planets that use mutual cooperation and support to further expand and seek new knowledge." Picard knew song and dance about the Federation; he was an experienced first contact negotiator. Still, his impression of Qui Gon was such that he thought politics might not be the man's favorite topic, and opted not to ask about his government. Instead, he indicated the shuttle. "Shall we? I think the repairs may be simple, once I can find suitable materials to replace the parts that burned out in transit."
"I do have some skill in tinkering with vessels, so let us begin." Without fully knowing why he felt compelled to touch Picard, he briefly squeezed the man's shoulder. What he felt in that casual touch gave him food for thought, as the captain tensed briefly before forcing himself to calm. The Jedi knew the response, and saw a soul that had been tormented physically at some point in time without ever truly healing from it.
Analysis of the damage, and a rundown on how the tiny ship worked, took them most of the rest of the daylight. In the tight quarters of the shuttle's aft space, it was hard not to accidentally touch, and Qui Gon's suspicions were confirmed more and more. When it grew too dark to consider working without using far more power for lighting, Qui Gon quietly insisted on a break for the night, his mind already hard at work on how to help the captain let go of his pain. Even without Picard being attuned to the Force, Qui Gon's calling to aid those in need made him ache to do this for the man. It did not help that Picard was just the able, intelligent, and handsome sort of man that Qui Gon was drawn to. He had been without a companion for quite some time now after all.
They returned to the small shelter, where Qui Gon immediately went to the cooling unit and brought out the materials to make a simple evening meal. With his knowledge of the foods he kept, he was able to make a dish that would satiate one hunger, and possibly draw out another. Only if there were any attraction at all would the spices have an affect, making it a safe risk to take, ethically.
Over the meal, Qui Gon drew out more information about Picard, expertly questioning him on the things he normally did and people he associated with. Though Picard spoke often of a person named Beverly, he also spoke often of a man named jack, and Qui Gon inferred from several comments that Jack had been his best friend, and that Beverly had been Jack's mate. Cautious questions revealed the gender of each to him, letting Qui Gon continue to build his mental picture of what Picard responded to. The emotion in his voice concerning both Jack and Beverly differed, with a stronger weighting on his memories of Jack.
"You are not mated then?" Qui Gon finally asked, after Picard had recounted seeing a similarity in the way Troi, Worf, and Riker acted to how things had been between himself, Jack, and Beverly. "Not to this Beverly, whom your friend was mated to?"
"No time for such," Picard commented, savoring the last of his beverage. "Like all good captains, my ship is my bride, and the stars are my marriage bed."
"Surely that is a lonely road to travel," Qui Gon pressed.
"Companionship need not be constant." Even as he said it, he flushed somewhat. That was an important involuntary reaction, in Qui Gon's eyes. Without even thinking on the matter further, he reached out and touched Picard on the cheek. The relaxed atmosphere and the food must have helped some. Picard tensed up, but made no move to withdraw.
"You've been hurt by someone, someone you either trusted or had misunderstood." The Jedi moved to be on Picard's side of the low table. "Let me ameliorate those memories. I would give you a night of companionship, that can bring no further involvement, nor any guilt."
Picard shuddered, with either anticipation or memory one, but Qui Gon did not let it deter him. He traced the line of the human's cheek and jaw, using the lightest touch possible.
"I have not…been capable of such companionship since…since then," Picard confessed. His mind flashed over the tumultuous events that had transpired in the space of a heated visit by Q to his quarters. Picard had always fascinated the powerful entity, and Picard had underestimated the force of that attraction until far too late. Now, in quadrants unknown, he confessed a dark shame to a man he had known scant hours. It only felt right, though, as the man radiated such a calm serenity, not unlike a monk from olden times.
"Perhaps the lack of ability is the fear of becoming what you suffered through." The powerfully built Jedi rested his hand on the back of Picard's neck. "Allow me to share a healing with you, and give us both the companionship we lack…for just one night." He waited, watching the other man's face in the low lights of the shelter, not wishing to push him into any corners. When Picard closed his eyes, and his lips parted slightly, Qui Gon knew the answer, and closed the distance slowly.
When his lips touched the Picard's, he did not let the tension ease. He wanted the tension to die away of its own accord, to let the flames of desire rekindle in this man of passion. When those same lips parted fully and both were questing for the taste of one another, he knew he was handling Picard just right. He dropped his hands down to rest lightly on Picard's thighs, waiting for the next cusp of the seduction.
Picard felt the touch of a man's lips, the taste of his tongue, and felt the flicker of that powerless feeling Q had evoked the night of their encounter. It made him feel a need to run, until those hands came to merely rest on his thighs, doing nothing to press the situation. And somewhere inside his soul, Picard realized why Q's violation had damaged him so strongly; he had lost the controlling factor, and existed merely at Q's whim. It went against every fiber of his being, and now, this stranger was offering him that control back.
His own hands came up, tangling in the long hair of his companion, as the nature of their kiss changed. Picard's tongue probed hungrily, taking the dominant role in the kiss. Soon, it was not enough, and he drew back, looking at the broad face of Qui Gon, then over to the sleeping area. The Jedi smiled in understanding, and as one, they rose to adjourn. Picard paused to remove his boots, then found exploring hands that sought to remove the impeding cloth. After that, it was a leisurely disrobing, with each man viewing all the other had to offer. Scars were noted, and kissed, tasted with slow reverence. The difference in their height proved no burden as they tumbled to the bed, limbs entwined as they merely touched and tasted to begin, ever with Picard in control. He could feel his arousal becoming his dominant emotion, as the Jedi stroked nerves in patterns that provoked gasping reactions.
When exploration by touch and kissing had reached the limit for Picard's nerves, Qui Gon moved lower on the bed, his hair trailing over Picard's stomach. The captain had to cool another wave of fear, but was soon lost to the exquisite feeling of an expert mouth on his erection. Qui Gon set a slow rhythm, his hand lightly massaging the sensitive sac as he pleased Picard to the point of almost-release. There he paused, letting Picard find his control once more, before he took the time to moisten a finger. Picard was reeling from the excellent oral attentions, and could do nothing but moan hungrily when the Jedi slowly opened him with a finger. That single digit proved remarkably able as Qui Gon resumed his steady attention to Picard's dick, stimulating him to the edge once more. Having gained his control back, but now being hungrily ravished with such skill, Picard's moans took on a more commanding tone. He grasped two fistfuls of the long brown hair, his hips rising up to meet the slow, suckling mouth until he was truly fucking that mouth. The Jedi moaned in response, his own organ rock hard and eager. The hum of the moan was the final stimulus, and Picard came harder than he had in years, his back arching and his hands clawing at the bed while Qui Gon drank him down.
With the slow settling after release, Picard felt a dream-like euphoria at having challenged and conquered one set of demons. It was tested yet again as Qui Gon slid up and behind him, having taken a moment to himself at the edge of the bed. When Picard felt a warm, slick hand massaging his opening, he knew what Qui Gon had retrieved, and why.
"Calm, my lover." Qui Gon's voice preceded his kisses along Picard's neck and shoulders. "Gently, at your pace," he promised, pressing against, but not into, the man. Picard fell back into the bliss of an aftershock as the slick hand came around to stroke his cock, reawakening it slowly. The Jedi moved against Picard, sliding his dick along the man's thigh until Picard seemed fully relaxed again. Only then did he press against the tight opening, letting the oil he had used lubricate the union. Picard hissed once, then groaned as he pushed himself back, impaling his body on the member intruding within him.
Qui Gon kept a lazy grip on Picard's cock, thrusting slowly and steadily into the man's body as Picard thrust into the hand around him. They moved with increasing urgency, going from their sides to their knees as the flames built up again within them both. Picard felt good, all thoughts of Q's violations leaving him as he enjoyed the attentions given to him. Even when Qui Gon bit his shoulder at the height of passion, Picard felt safe, groaning in desire as the larger man found his own release. Just knowing that he could enjoy sex again was fuel enough to make him come one more time in Qui Gon's hand, before they collapsed sleepily on the bed, still entwined with one another.