Picard: Captain's log, Stardate 46731.5. We are in the midst of the Volterra nebula, a stellar nursery. Our three week mission is a routine analysis of several dozen protostars in various stages of development.
Data: Captain, I have completed the spectral evaluation of the outer shell. Our survey of this protostar is complete.
Picard: Ensign, lay in a course to the next one, three quarters impulse.
Riker: Riker to Captain Picard.
Picard: Go ahead, Number One.
Riker: May I see you in the Observation Lounge, sir?
Picard: I'll be right there.
Picard: Oh, my God.
Galen: Then you can identify this object, Mister Picard.
Picard: Professor Galen?
Riker: Computer, lights up.
Galen: I suppose I should say Captain Picard.
Riker: Professor Galen contacted me from his shuttle an hour ago. He suggested that we surprise you.
Galen: To clarify. I insisted and your First Officer was good enough to accommodate me. I trust I'm not being overly presumptuous, now that my star pupil is master of the stars.
Picard: No one is could be more welcome on the Enterprise. I never thought I would see a Kurlan naiskos. Fifth Dynasty?
Galen: Is that your conclusion, Mister Picard. Forgive me again. I should say Captain.
Picard: Oh, please, Mister will do fine. Well, the overall configuration is certainly Fifth Dynasty. The surface ornamentation.
Galen: Yes?
Picard: Green polychrome over the eyes, and the eyes themselves are closed. This is third Dynasty. From the workshop of the Master of Tarquin Hill.
Galen: Well done.
Picard: Will, the Master of Tarquin Hill designed ceramic objects that were three hundred years ahead of their time. All we know of him is the work. His name has never been discovered. This object is over twelve thousand years old.
Riker: The planet Kurl? It's a hell of a long way outside Federation territory.
Picard: Indeed. I thought your study of Kurlan artifacts was done long ago.
Galen: I happened to be in the neighborhood last summer. I couldn't resist. Go ahead.
Picard: You mean it's complete?
Picard: Will, the Kurlan civilization believed that an individual was a community of individuals. Inside us are many voices, each with its own desires, its own style, its own view of the world. The Kurlan civilization died out thousands of years ago. It is extraordinarily rare to find a figurine intact. Professor, this is an incredible find.
Galen: It's yours, Jean-Luc.
Picard: Oh, no. No. How can I accept this?
Galen: Graciously, Mister Picard. You could accept it graciously.
Picard: Thank you. How long can you stay? There's so much to talk about.
Riker: The Professor is scheduled to meet a Vulcan transport the day after tomorrow.
Picard: Two days? But that's not enough time.
Galen: We may have considerably more than that.
Picard: I don't understand.
Galen: I am currently on an expedition. A journey into an unexplored and historical territory, and I intend to take you with me.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. It's been over thirty years since I last saw my archeology professor. His presence has taken me back to a time when I had considered a very different career.
Picard: May I ask you a frank question?
Galen: Please.
Picard: Your published writings have been sporadic for the last decade. Your appearance at symposia has been rare, or scheduled and then canceled at the last moment. The finest archeologist of the century is now shrouded with a cloak of mystery.
Galen: And as a result my reputation has no doubt grown.
Picard: I've never heard of anyone that didn't love a good mystery.
Galen: The Satarran of Sothis Three disdained them, but as a general idea, your statement holds.
Picard: So, what have you been doing for the past decade?
Galen: Are you familiar with micropaleontology?
Picard: Yes, it's the study of fossil records at the microscopic level. I read your papers on the subject, but that was years ago. It seemed as though the work had stopped.
Galen: No. The work continued. I made a discovery so profound in its implications that silence seemed the wisest course. This work has occupied my every waking thought, it's intruded upon my dreams, it's become my life. When finished and I announce my findings, it will be heard half way across the galaxy.
Picard: Tell me.
Galen: I'm cannot, Mister Picard. That information comes with a price. Your agreement to join me on the final leg of this expedition.
Picard: For how long?
Galen: Three months, perhaps a year. If I had complete diplomatic access and a starship, it'd be a matter of weeks. But as it is, we'll have only my shuttle and whatever arrangement we can make with transports, combined with our talents.
Picard: Why do you need my help in this?
Galen: I'm not a young man. There will be hazards along the way. I don't want my own inadequacies to jeopardize the completion of this work.
Picard: I'm deeply honored that you'd think of me, but I have responsibilities.
Galen: To History. What if you could have helped Schliemann discover the City of Troy, or been with M'Tell as she first stepped on Ya'Seem. How could anything compare?
Picard: May I sleep on it?
Galen: Dream not of today, Mister Picard.
Picard: Dream not of today. The night blessing of the Yash-El.
Galen: As I recall, you missed that question on the final exam.
Picard: Well, I've had a few years to look it up. Professor, the Enterprise is yours for as long as you're here.
Galen: Thank you.
Picard: Dream not of today.
Picard: Come.
Crusher: Good morning. Looks like you've been up for a while.
Picard: Yes.
Crusher: Let's hear it.
Picard: I had a long talk with Professor Galen last night. He asked me to leave the Enterprise, to join him in an archeological expedition which could last for nearly a year.
Crusher: That must be tempting.
Picard: I couldn't leave the Enterprise. But the offer raised in me certain feelings of regret.
Crusher: That you could have been an archeologist and not a starship Captain?
Picard: No, not really. I'm not sorry for the path I chose. But the Professor did not choose this figure at random. The many voices inside the one. You see, he knows that the past is a very insistent voice inside of me. This gift is meant to remind me of that.
Crusher: And the exploration of space? Surely that must count for something.
Picard: I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I would still make the same choice I made all those years ago. I just wish that I didn't have to say no to him a second time.
Crusher: Were you two very close?
Picard: I had a father, but he was like a father who understood me. And he had his own children but they didn't follow in his footsteps, so I was like the son who understood him.
Crusher: And yet you turned your back on him.
Picard: In a way, I wish he'd never come on board the ship.
Galen: Good morning, Mister Picard.
Picard: Professor.
Galen: The Vulcan ship will take us as far as DS Four. An Al-Leyan transport is scheduled to arrive at the station three weeks later. They'll take us as far as Caere, and then we'll use the shuttle to get us to Indri Eight, our first stop.
Picard: Professor, I'm afraid I won't be going. The Enterprise isn't something that I can leave and then come back to. If I go, I go for good. It's not something I'm not prepared to do.
Galen: This is not some undergraduate study project that you're turning down. This is the chance of a lifetime. Don't make the same mistake twice.
Picard: You don't believe that my career in Starfleet has been a mistake.
Galen: What are you doing at this very moment? A study mission. You're like some Roman centurion out patrolling the provinces, maintenancing a dull and bloated Empire.
Picard: We both know that's not true.
Galen: I know this. I know that as a scholar, you're nothing but a dilettante. Years ago, I gave you the opportunity to become the finest archeologist of your generation. Your achievements could have outstripped even my own, but no, you decided to reject a life of profound discovery. You walked out on me.
Picard: I never wanted to become
Galen: Will you come with me?
Picard: I can't.
Galen: I'll be going.
Picard: But Professor, you're not scheduled to catch the Vulcan ship for another two days.
Galen: There's nothing for me here. Goodbye, Captain.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. We have completed our mission in the nebula and are en route to a diplomatic conference on Atalia Seven. I must admit I've lost my enthusiasm for those proceedings.
Data: At our present speed, we will arrive at the Atalia system in thirty seven hours.
Troi: Captain, I'm going for a walk in the arboretum. I wouldn't mind some company.
Worf: Captain, a distress call from Professor Galen's shuttle. On screen.
Galen: Enterprise! I'm being boarded.
Worf: Transmission has been blocked.
Data: I have located the shuttle. It is under attack.
Picard: Take us out of warp. On screen.
Worf: A Yridian destroyer.
Riker: Battle stations.
Worf: Aye, sir.
Data: Professor Galen is still inside his vessel, sir. His vital signs are barely registering.
Picard: Get him out of there.
Worf: The shuttle is enveloped by a tractor beam. The transporter cannot penetrate it.
Riker: Hail the Yridians.
Worf: They are not responding.
Picard: Return phaser fire. Disable their offensive systems.
Riker: Worf!
Worf: I don't understand, Commander. The phaser blast was not powerful enough to destroy the ship.
Picard: Transporter Room One, lock on to Professor Galen and transport him directly to Sickbay.
Crewman: Aye, sir.
Crusher: He took a disruptor hit point blank. There is nothing I can do.
Galen: Jean-Luc, I was too harsh.
Laforge: I'd say at least three Yridians boarded the Professor's shuttle.
Picard: What did they want?
Laforge: I'm not sure, but it looks like they were trying to download something from his computer.
Data: When he was attacked, Professor Galen began to protect certain files in his computer memory.
Laforge: We were able to partially reconstruct the shuttle's computers, so at least we have some of those files. We found nineteen different blocks of numbers like this one.
Picard: What do they mean?
Data: They could mean anything. Unless we can narrow the parameters of the search, it would be almost impossible for the computer to identify the pattern with any accuracy.
Laforge: We tried every decryption key on record in case Professor Galen was using some kind of code. We still can't make heads or tails of them.
Worf: Were the Yridians able to get these number blocks?
Laforge: At least some of them. It's impossible to say know many.
Picard: Apparently, the Yridians knew more about the Professor's work than we do. They may have known what these numbers mean.
Laforge: If they did, that information died with them.
Picard: Not necessarily. The Yridians are information dealers. They may have been delivering the number blocks to someone else. Did they send a signal before they were destroyed?
Worf: No, sir. We detected no transmissions.
Laforge: And there were no other vessels in the vicinity.
Picard: Did the shuttle's flight logs show where Galen had been before coming to the Enterprise?
Data: Yes, sir. The logs indicate Professor Galen visited an unexplored star system, Ruah Four.
Picard: What's the distance from our present position?
Data: Four days at warp six, sir.
Picard: The conference can wait. Set a course for the Ruah system.
Riker: Standard orbit, Ensign.
Data: Ruah Four is a class-M planet. Sixty seven percent of its surface is covered with water. Its landmass contains multiple animal species, including a genus of proto-hominids.
Picard: Scan for earthworks or monuments that might indicate a previous civilization.
Data: There is nothing to indicate former occupancy by even a primitive culture, sir.
Picard: Then what was the foremost archeologist in the Federation doing here? He left the Enterprise in a Vulcan ship for Deep Space Four, and then an Al-Leyan transport to Caere, and then the shuttle to Indri Eight. Mister Data, what do we know about Indri Eight?
Data: The Indri system was first identified by Federation vessels nearly sixty years ago. The eighth planet is L-class. It is covered by deciduous vegetation, unexplored, with no apparent evidence of civilizations, either present or past. The planet possesses no animal life whatsoever.
Picard: Number One, we'll proceed to Indri Eight.
Riker: With all due respect, sir, we've already run into one dead end. Indri Eight doesn't seem much more promising. And we're late for the conference on Atalia Seven.
Picard: I'm aware of the Federation's timetable, Number One. Professor Galen visited here a few days ago. And he was on his way to Indri Eight when he was killed. There's some connection between these two planets. I'm going to find it.
Riker: Aye, sir. Ensign, lay in a course for Indri Eight, warp seven.
Picard: Come.
Troi: How's it going?
Picard: I thought if I stared at these number blocks long enough then I would begin to see some kind of pattern. So far, nothing.
Troi: I meant, how's it going with you?
Picard: If I had gone with him.
Troi: Captain, you can't start thinking like that. You didn't abandon him. You chose not to abandon a life-long career. It was the right decision, and in no way responsible for his death.
Picard: I realize that.
Troi: I know how much the Professor meant to you and how much you want to find out what happened, but staring at these numbers isn't going to bring him back. The conference on Atalia Seven has been scheduled for six months. Starfleet is relying on your mediation efforts to
Picard: Counselor, this is not simply a case of me taking the Enterprise and its crew on some wild goose chase to purge myself of guilt and remorse. I will not let Galen's death to be in vain. Now, if that means inconveniencing a few squabbling delegates for a few days, then so be it. I will take the full responsibility.
Troi: Captain.
Worf: We are about to enter the Indri system, sir.
Riker: Riker to Picard. We are approaching Indri Eight.
Picard: On my way.
Data: Sensors are picking up severe atmospheric fluctuations on the planet.
Riker: Assume a high orbit.
Picard: On screen, Mister Worf.
Worf: Some kind of plasma reaction is consuming the lower atmosphere.
Picard: Can we stop it?
Worf: No, sir. The reaction is global.
Data: All life on the planet is being destroyed, sir.
Riker: Why would anyone want to destroy all the life on an uninhabited, neutral planet with no strategic importance whatsoever?
Picard: All the life. Perhaps the Professor's number blocks had something to do with organic matter.
Data: If we narrow the search parameters to the biological database, it might increase the chances of the computer finding a match.
Picard: I'll be in the lab.
Computer: Pattern match found.
Crusher: Specify.
Computer: The number blocks are mathematical representations of fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid strands.
Picard: DNA fragments?
Crusher: Each from a different lifeform from nineteen different worlds.
Picard: The planets that these fragments are from are scattered across the quadrant. No wonder it took the Professor so long to collect them. But why?
Crusher: Wait a minute. These fragments all seem to have similar protein configurations. They may be chemically compatible.
Picard: But how can that be possible? They're different species from different planets. There should be no compatibility at all.
Crusher: I know, but look at the base pair combinations, they're uniform. If I'm right. Computer, connect the DNA fragments according to protein link compatibility.
Picard: What is it?
Crusher: I have no idea.
Laforge: This is not a natural design. Captain. This is part of an algorithm, coded at the molecular level.
Picard: An algorithm? Are you saying that these DNA fragments are elements in some kind of computer program?
Laforge: I know how it sounds, but there's no way this could be a random formation. This is definitely part of a program.
Crusher: This fragment has been part of every DNA strand on Earth since life began there, and the other fragments are just as old. Someone must have written this program over four billion years ago.
Picard: So, four billion years ago someone scattered this genetic material into the primordial soup of at least nineteen different planets across the galaxy?
Data: The genetic information must have been incorporated into the earliest lifeforms on these planets, and then passed down through each generation.
Crusher: But why would anyone do this in the first place?
Picard: And what was this program designed to do?
Laforge: Well, we couldn't know that until we assembled the entire program and then ran it. We've tried all the DNA material in the Federation computer, but we haven't been able to come up with any with compatible protein configurations.
Picard: Then they must be from worlds outside the Federation. Mister Data, how many people on the Enterprise are from non-Federation planets?
Data: Seventeen, sir.
Picard: You know, this may be a long shot, but we should check each one of these seventeen people to see if they have the correct protein configurations.
Crusher: I'll begin collecting DNA samples now.
Laforge: You know, Captain, I've been thinking. Somebody else must know about this program. I bet one of the missing fragments was on Indri Eight. That's why it was destroyed.
Picard: To keep us from finding that piece of the puzzle. It's four billion years old. A computer program from a highly advanced civilization, and it's hidden in the very fabric of life itself. Whatever information this program contains could be the most profound discovery of our time. Or the most dangerous. And the Professor knew that.
Crusher: They all came up negative.
Picard: Well I have been through every page of the Professor's published works, looking for some clue as to where to go next. So far, nothing.
Crusher: Maybe we've been at this too long. Why don't we both get some sleep and start again tomorrow morning.
Picard: I was in the neighborhood. When I asked the Professor why he went all the way to Kurl, he said, I was in the neighborhood. Doing what?
Crusher: Collecting DNA samples.
Picard: There's only one planet in the Kurlan system capable of supporting life. Loren Three.
Crusher: No. There is no Loren Three sample from the data downloaded from the Professor's shuttle. If he did have one it must have been taken by the Yridians when they attacked.
Picard: Mister Data, set course for Loren Three, maximum warp.
Data: Aye, sir.
Data: We are approaching the Loren system.
Riker: Slow to half impulse, and take us into orbit above the third planet.
Picard: There is a good chance that our competition may be here before us. Battle stations, Mister Worf.
Worf: Aye.
Data: We are now entering orbit.
Picard: On screen.
Riker: You were right, Captain, we've got company. Cardassians.
Worf: They are hailing us.
Picard: On screen.
Ocett: My name is Gul Ocett. Identify yourselves and state your business in this star system.
Picard: I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise and I see no reason why I should answer to you. Cardassians have no claims in this sector.
Ocett: I suppose not. But my admittedly hasty estimate shows one Federation Starship and two Cardassian war vessels. Perhaps I have miscounted.
Picard: Not at all. But we are on a purely scientific mission. You have no reason to interfere with us.
Ocett: And you have nothing to lose by delaying a purely scientific mission for a few days. I invite you to withdraw.
Worf: Captain, a Klingon attack cruiser decloaking off the starboard bow. They are hailing us.
Klingon: This is the Klingon vessel Maht-H'a. What are you doing here?
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. It seems that we have not one, but two competitors in our attempt to complete Professor Galen's puzzle. I have prevailed upon the Cardassian and Klingon captains to meet with me.
Picard: I believe we all know why we're here. If we admit that, then we can move forward.
Ocett: We were merely scouting the planet for possible colonization
Nu'Daq: Pah! A ridiculous story.
Ocett: What were you doing here, then?
Nu'Daq: Scientific research.
Ocett: Ha!
Picard: Look, if we try to deceive one other, then we shall get nowhere. I think we all know about Professor Galen's research, and about the computer program composed of DNA fragments. I'll take your silence as confirmation. Now, it stands to reason that none of us has the DNA fragments necessary to complete the program. You were the first to arrive in this system. Do you have an organic sample from the planet below?
Ocett: Yes. And I will fire on anyone who attempts to obtain another one.
Nu'Daq: As if we fear Cardassian threats.
Picard: I believe that one of you has a fragment from Indri Eight.
Nu'Daq: Yes. And there will be no other samples from Indri Eight.
Ocett: What is that supposed to mean?
Picard: He destroyed the biosphere of the planet after he had taken the sample.
Ocett: Typical Klingon thinking. Take what you want and destroy the rest.
Picard: We're all missing some of the fragments, not necessarily the same ones. Unless we combine the ones we have, we will never learn the secret of the program.
Nu'Daq: There is no secret. It is an ancient weapon design of incredible power. And the Klingon Empire will not allow it to fall into an enemy's hands. Or even a friend's.
Ocett: A weapon? The Yridian who sold us the information claimed that the program would yield the key to an unlimited power source.
Picard: But until we assemble it, we will never know its purpose.
Ocett: He's right. As far as we know, it might just be a recipe for biscuits.
Nu'Daq: Biscuits? If that is what you believe, then go back to Cardassia. I will send you my mother's recipe.
Ocett: How dare you!
Picard: Myriap! Enough. Without cooperation we will get nowhere.
Ocett: What do you propose?
Picard: If you each bring your samples on board the Enterprise, I will combine them with ours. And then we will all observe the results simultaneously, giving no one the advantage.
Nu'Daq: And if we refuse?
Picard: Then this endeavor dies here, in this room.
Data: Captain.
Nu'Daq: Excellent.
Crusher: There's still one missing piece.
Nu'Daq: Pahk! We have surrendered what we had for nothing.
Ocett: You are remarkably short sighted, Nu'Daq. We are closer to the answer than we were.
Picard: We may be very much closer indeed.
Nu'Daq: How can that be? We have no idea where to start looking for the missing DNA fragment.
Picard: This is a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces are scattered across the galaxy. Doesn't it make it natural to assume that the original designers of the puzzle should want us to find it? Why else would they have put the pieces in our DNA? And in turn, doesn't suggest they would try to make it easy for us to find those pieces, that there might be some pattern to their distribution?
Crusher: The computer might be able to find that pattern.
Picard: Doctor, program the computer to analyze the distribution of the pieces that we have, correcting for changes in star configurations over four billion years, then extrapolate for the missing piece.
Crusher: That's going to take several hours to set up and to process. If you'll excuse me.
Picard: If you wish, you can stay on board while we wait.
Nu'Daq: I intend to.
Nu'Daq: Good evening, Commander Data.
Data: Captain.
Nu'Daq: Is there any word yet on the missing fragment?
Data: The computer is processing the data. I will be notified as soon as there is any information.
Nu'Daq: Commander, your reputation for physical strength is known even in the Klingon Empire. You are familiar with the B'aht Qul challenge?
Data: I am familiar with many Klingon rituals, including the B'aht Qul.
Nu'Daq: Wa' Cha' Wej
Nu'Daq: Maw' tok!
Data: My upper spinal support is a polyalloy designed to withstand extreme stress. My skull is composed of cortenide and duranium.
Nu'Daq: I understand your intellectual prowess is equally impressive. If I were to learn of the results from the computer search before the others, the Klingon Empire would have a strategic advantage. A being of your abilities would go far in the Empire.
Data: You are attempting to bribe me.
Nu'Daq: Not at all.
Data: You suggested a plan that would work to your advantage, one that I would be capable of executing. You then implied a reward. Clearly you were
Nu'Daq: Commander, never mind.
Laforge: What the hell? Computer, perform a level three diagnostic on the primary defensive systems. La Forge to Captain Picard.
Picard: What is it, Geordi?
Laforge: You might want to come down here. I found something that I think you should see.
Data: The computer has completed its analysis.
Crusher: The computer was able to extrapolate this geometric pattern based on the distribution of the fragments.
Crusher: Computer, highlight the section of the missing pattern. The missing DNA fragment should be in this system.
Data: The star is in sector two one four five nine. The Rahm Izad system.
Worf: Direct hit on our port nacelle. They are powering up for another volley.
Riker: Let's make it look good. Ensign, release the inertial dampers.
Ensign: Aye, sir.
Worf: They are firing.
Picard: Report, Number One.
Riker: The power boost to the structural integrity field protected the nacelles. We used the inertial dampers to simulate complete shield failure.
Nu'Daq: It is fortunate that your Engineer discovered Gul Ocett's attempt to tamper with your defensive systems. Maht-H'a. Status.
Klingon: Minor damage to starboard nacelle. We will be operational in less than one hour.
Nu'Daq: What? You incompetent Top'a. You were supposed to be prepared.
Worf: The Cardassian vessels have set a course for Rahm Izad.
Picard: Well, it won't take them long to realize that Rahm Izad is the wrong planet. Captain, you're welcome to join us.
Nu'Daq: I will go with you.
Picard: Ensign, set in a course for the Vilmoran System. Warp nine.
Ensign: Aye, sir.
Picard: Engage.
Data: I am scanning all seven planets of the Vilmoran system. None appears to support life.
Riker: How can that be? The Professor's data depends on
Data: Correction. The second planet shows evidence of an ancient ocean, now dry.
Laforge: It once supported life.
Data: Yes, and it still may, in a limited fashion not detectable by our long range sensors.
Riker: Lay in a course, Ensign. Full impulse. Riker to Transporter room one.
Riker: Captain, we've located a planet that may still support life. We'll know in a minute.
Picard: Any sign of the Cardassians?
Riker: Not yet. We don't know how long it'll stay that way.
Picard: Acknowledged.
Data: I am reading a small pocket of vegetative life. A primitive lichen growing in a fossilized seabed.
Riker: Transporter room one. I am programming the coordinates. Stand by.
Crusher: There. Over there.
Riker: Captain, we've got company. I'm ready to pull you out of there.
Picard: Wait for my order, Number One.
Nu'Daq: You dishonorable top'a!
Ocett: Perhaps we could exchange insults some other time. I'm rather busy now.
Romulan: Well, it was quite a chase, wasn't it, my friends?
Nu'Daq: How?
Romulan: We intercepted several communiqués between the Yridians and Cardassia. My ship was watching under cloak when Professor Galen's shuttle was attacked.
Worf: And you have been shadowing us ever since.
Romulan: And now the reward. Step clear, please.
Ocett: I shall destroy the entire rockface and every trace of DNA with it. You will go back to Romulus empty-handed. Your superiors will be quite pleased.
Romulan: Perhaps we could come to a compromise? You give us the gene code.
Picard: The seabed it may be only partially fossilized. It could still contain organic material.
Crusher: Which would still contain the DNA.
Nu'Daq: I will not be eliminated now.
Romulan: You can be eliminated by a disrupter. Now, what do you say to my offer.
Ocett: How can I be sure you won't kill me if I acquiesce.
Romulan: I've given you my word.
Nu'Daq: Etched in stone, no doubt. No deals. There will be no deals as long as I'm still alive.
Romulan: Do not press me, Klingon. I don't care whether you live or die.
Worf: If you fire, others will also. Many will die.
Picard: The program has been activated. I think it's reconfiguring the tricorder.
Nu'Daq: We die together, Brother. Tash Koh Tah.
Picard: It's modifying the emitter diode to project something.
Humanoid: You're wondering who we are, why we have done this, how it has come that I stand before you, the image of a being from so long ago. Life evolved on my planet before all others in this part of the galaxy. We left our world, explored the stars, and found none like ourselves. Our civilization thrived for ages, but what is the life of one race, compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time? We knew that one day we would be gone, that nothing of us would survive. So, we left you. Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds, where life was in its infancy. The seed codes directed your evolution toward a physical form resembling ours. This body you see before you, which is, of course, shaped as yours is shaped, for you are the end result. The seed codes also contained this message, which we scattered in fragments on many different worlds. It was our hope that you would have to come together in fellowship and companionship to hear this message. And if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfillled. You are a monument, not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish, that you too would know life, and would keep alive our memory. There is something of us in each of you, and so, something of you in each other. Remember us.
Nu'Daq: That's all? If she were not dead, I would kill her.
Ocett: The very notion. That a Cardassian could have anything in common with a Klingon, it turns my stomach.
Picard: Picard to Enterprise.
Riker: Standing by, sir.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 46735.2. Our frequent use of high warp over the last few days has overextended the propulsion systems. We are finishing minor repairs before returning to Federation territory.
Crusher: It's a shame Professor Galen didn't live to see the end result of his search.
Picard: I can't think of anyone who would have appreciated it more.
Crusher: If it hadn't been for you, his dream to solve that puzzle would never have been realized. You left him a wonderful legacy.
Picard: Yes, but it would've been a more fitting legacy if the message had not fallen on such deaf ears.
Crusher: You never know. Well, I have to get this day started.
Picard: Both of us.
Crusher: See you this afternoon.
Riker: Riker to Captain Picard.
Riker: Incoming transmission from the Romulan command ship.
Picard: Put it through.
Riker: Acknowledged.
Romulan: Captain, my ships are leaving orbit for Romulan space. Until our next encounter.
Picard: Until then.
Romulan: It would seem that we are not completely dissimilar after all, in our hopes, or in our fears.
Picard: Yes.
Romulan: Well, then. Perhaps, one day.
Picard: One day.


Riker: You're absolutely right, Doctor. Right now, I can't imagine ever hurting anybody.
Doctor: How do you feel about that person you used to be?
Riker: I feel terrible. But thanks to you, I'm doing much better now. And I'm confident that when I leave, I will be ready to take my place in society again.
Doctor: When do you think that will be?
Riker: Well, now. Right away.
Doctor: Why do you say that?
Riker: You said that when I was able to accept what I'd done and I understood the consequences of my actions, that I would be free to go.
Doctor: Free to go? You mean you don't think you should stand trial for what you've did?
Riker: No, I'm looking forward to proving my innocence.
Doctor: I thought you said you accepted what you'd done.
Riker: That's, that's not what I meant. I was sick when it happened. I wasn't responsible for what I did.
Doctor: How do I know you're not just telling me what I want to hear? Perhaps we should continue this discussion next week.
Riker: No. I want to talk about this now.
Doctor: You're starting to sound angry again. Maybe you need another treatment.
Riker: What I need is to get out of this cell. I've been locked in here for days. You've controlled my every move. You've told me what to eat, and what to think, and what to say, and when I show a glimmer of independent thought you strap me down, you inject me with drugs. You call it a treatment.
Doctor: You're becoming agitated.
Riker: You bet I'm agitated. I may be surrounded by insanity, but I'm not insane. And there isn't any. There isn't. There's nothing. 'm sorry. Could we go back to 'you're becoming agitated'?
Crusher: No. Why don't we take a break for tonight? I think we've made a lot of progress.
Riker: I'm still not comfortable with that final speech.
Crusher: There's such a thing as over-rehearsing, Will. You're going to be fine.
Riker: Maybe I'm just not right for this part.
Data: Most humanoids have the potential to be irrational. Perhaps you should attempt to access that part of your psyche.
Crusher: Thank you, Data. Your character feels at odds with everyone, as if the world's against him.
Riker: Like my first year at the Academy.
Crusher: Yes, that's what your character is going through. But I want you, Will Riker, to relax.
Riker: I'll do my best.
Crusher: It'll be wonderful. You're going to knock 'em dead.
Riker: Right.
Riker: You control my every move, tell me what to say, what to think. What to eat, what to say. What to think, what to eat. Then when I show a glimmer of independent thought, you strap me down, inject me with drugs, call it a treatment. I may be surrounded by insanity, but I am not insane.
Riker: Excuse me.
Riker: Tilonus Four? Didn't their government just collapse?
Picard: It's in a state of total anarchy. When the Prime Minister was assassinated, a Federation research team was on the planet. It's believed that they were forced into hiding. Your mission will be to locate and to evacuate them.
Riker: Can't they go to local authorities?
Picard: There are no local authorities. The government is splintered. It seems that there are various factions vying for power. They're desperate for weapons or technology of any kind. Apparently, some of the factions have resorted to torture to gather their information. Well, a Starfleet research team would be a prime target.
Riker: Then I'll have to go down there alone, undercover.
Picard: Agreed. Mister Worf is ready to give you a detailed briefing on Tilonian culture.
Riker: Well, I guess I'll have to back out of Beverly's play after all.
Picard: Oh no, no, there'll be plenty of time for that. We don't arriving at Tilonus for another five days. And besides, if you back out, she'll come after me to play the part.
Worf: This is the last known location of the research team. They had occupied a small building in the south-west quarter of the city. You will begin your search there.
Riker: The south-west quarter covers over two hundred square kilometers. That's a lot of land for one man to cover. I guess I'd better pack an extra pair of boots.
Worf: This apparel will allow you to pass as a common merchant. This Tilonian pendant is equipped with a communicator circuit.
Riker: It doesn't really match the outfit.
Worf: I suggest you pay closer attention, Commander. Your life will be at stake. Do you understand what I am saying?
Riker: Of course I do.
Worf: Because you will be posing as a merchant, you will need to know how to use the nisroh for the traditional bartering ceremony.
Worf: You will be judged on your prowess with the blade.
Worf: I am sorry, Commander! I did not intend
Riker: It's okay. I guess I really wasn't paying attention. I'd better go to Sickbay. We'll continue this later.
Crusher: Boy, you will do anything to get out of doing this play, but you're going to have to do something better than this.
Riker: The play's not till tomorrow night. I've still got twenty four hours.
Crusher: Don't get any ideas. I will see you on stage at eighteen hundred hours.
Riker: Right. That still hurts.
Crusher: There was no damage to the nerves so you shouldn't be feeling any pain.
Riker: Probably just a symptom of stage fright.
Crewman: It hurts!
Laforge: He was working on a conduit on deck thirty nine. A plasma torch blew up in his hands.
Crewman: It hurts! Please!
Crusher: Hypospray.
Medic: Yes, Doctor.
Crusher: Get me twenty cc's of opporozine. Treat the surface burns with the anabolic stabilizer.
Medic: Yes, Doctor.
Nurse: Should we get a stasis unit?
Crusher: Have one standing by just in case. Get me an epidermal sample. Begin dermal regeneration. Have tissue regrowth standing by. I want him sedated.
Riker: I've been on a lot of missions, seen a lot of people injured, but I've never been affected by anything like this. He was looking right at me.
Troi: And that was disturbing to you.
Riker: It was as if he was blaming me for something. This wasn't the only incident. The last several days, I've felt like everybody's staring at me or talking about me. It's as if I was in Frame of Mind.
Troi: Frame of Mind?
Riker: Beverly's play. Ever since I began rehearsing for the role, I've been uneasy and restless.
Troi: You're probably drawing on feelings that you're not used to expressing.
Riker: Right. The play is full of disturbing images. People losing their minds, being tortured by doctors. I can't get it out of my mind.
Troi: Sometimes it's healthy to explore the darker sides of the psyche. Jung called it owning your own shadow. This could be a sign that you're a real actor. This is becoming more than just a role to you.
Riker: Maybe you're right.
Troi: Don't be afraid of your darker side. Have fun with it.
Riker: Who was that? You just missed him. Is there a new Lieutenant on board?
Troi: I'm not sure. Do you want me to check the personnel logs?
Riker: No, I'll check them tomorrow. I'm going to bed early. The performance is tomorrow night. I want to be up for it.
Troi: I'm looking forward to it. Break a leg.
Riker: I'll try not to take you literally.
Data: You're becoming agitated.
Riker: You bet I'm agitated! I may be surrounded by insanity, but I am not insane. And nothing you or anyone else can say will change that. And I won't let you or anyone else tell me that I am. You may be able to destroy my mind, but you can't change the fact that I'm innocent. I didn't kill that man! And that's what's driving you crazy.
Data: I can see we have a lot of work to do.
Riker: No matter you can say will the fact that I'm innocent! I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy.
Crowd: Bravo, bravo! Well done. Bravo.
Riker: Where am I? How did you get me off the ship?
Syrus: The ship again?
Riker: What's going on?
Syrus: I understand this must be disturbing for you, but try to relax. Tell me, where were you a moment ago?
Riker: I was on the Enterprise in the middle of a play. But it was here. It was not real, it was on a stage.
Syrus: I can assure you this is not a stage. Do you remember your name?
Riker: I'm Commander. Commander. A second ago I knew who I was. I was on the ship. I was in a play. And now I'm having trouble remembering anything.
Syrus: That's good. You're starting to come out of your delusional state.
Riker: Delusional? It was not a delusion. I was there.
Syrus: We discussed this. Do you remember, we contacted Starfleet and asked them about you?
Riker: No.
Syrus: We spoke with Admiral Budrow.
Riker: Starbase twenty nine. He had never heard of me, and they had no officer that fit my description.
Syrus: That's right. Now, I want you to focus on who I am. Do you remember me?
Riker: I don't know.
Syrus: I'm Doctor Syrus. Do you remember anything about where you are now?
Riker: My head hurts. Somebody hit me.
Syrus: You tried to escape. You struggled with one of the attendants and hit your head on a door. Do you remember that?
Riker: Yes. I remember that now. But I thought it was a Klingon who had cut me with a knife.
Syrus: That's called transposition. You're projecting elements from your delusions onto events that really happened. But that's good. There was a time when you couldn't break away from your starship fantasy at all.
Riker: Now, if what you say is true, where am I?
Syrus: You're in Ward forty seven of the Tilonus Institute for Mental Disorders.
Riker: Why am I here?
Syrus: We'll talk more later. You don't have to remember everything today. You're making excellent progress.
Riker: Wait.
Mavek: Good afternoon. I've got some good news for you. Doctor Syrus suggested that you might enjoy a couple of hours in the common area today. Well?
Riker: I guess so.
Mavek: I hope you're hungry. They're serving spiny lobe-fish today.
Riker: You won't need that.
Mavek: That's what you said the last time.
Mavek: I'll be back with your lunch.
Jaya: I hear you're a Starfleet officer. I'm Commander Bloom from the Yorktown. There are at least a dozen of us here, maybe more. We were kidnapped, brought here against our will. Sanders was on the Yosemite. They did something to his mind. I think they're trying to get neurochemicals from our brains. Stafko was with me on the Yorktown. I don't know what they did to him. We're going to get out of here. I've made a communicator.
Riker: You have?
Jaya: Yes. There are three starships in orbit. They're going to beam us out of here any day now. I'll tell them to get you out, too. Lieutenant Bloom to Yorktown. Come in, Yorktown. I've made contact with another officer.
Mavek: Talking to your Starship again, Jaya?
Jaya: No. Don't let them tell you you're crazy.
Mavek: You know you're not supposed to take utensils from the common area.
Mavek: You're welcome to try.
Riker: I'm not that far gone, am I?
Mavek: Of course you are.
Riker: Your name is Mavek.
Mavek: That's right. Not bad for a crazy man.
Riker: I am beginning to remember certain things. Why am I here?
Mavek: I remember when they brought you in. You were struggling, screaming. We could barely hold you down. In fact, just getting the blood off your hands took over an hour.
Riker: Blood?
Mavek: On your hands, clothes. You didn't just kill that man, you mutilated him.
Riker: What are you talking about? I didn't kill anybody.
Mavek: I'm afraid you did. You stabbed him. They found you near the body, the knife in your hand.
Riker: No. It's not true.
Mavek: Yes it is. And if you get out of here, you're going to stand trial.
Riker: You're lying!
Mavek: I imagine the punishment will be quite severe, considering you stabbed him nine times.
Riker: No!
Riker: I was there, in Ward forty seven, just like in the play. Everyone thought that I was insane, that I'd actually killed someone. But it was all real.
Crusher: Deanna mentioned that you went to bed early because you were feeling a little anxious about the play, but I had no idea. You said that in your dream, we performed the play. How'd it go?
Riker: It was a smash. We got a standing ovation.
Crusher: Let's hope it goes that well tonight. Well, we have got one hour before curtain. How are you feeling?
Riker: I feel like an actor.
Crusher: Well, you're certainly beginning to look the part.
Data: Perhaps we should continue this discussion next week
Riker: No. I want to talk about this now.
Data: You're starting to sound angry again. Maybe you need another treatment.
Riker: What I need is to get out of this cell. I'm locked up in here for days. You've controlled my every move. You've told me what to eat, what to think, what to say.
Crusher: And when I show a glimmer of independent thought
Riker: And when I show a glimmer of independent thought, you strap me down, inject me with drugs and call it a treatment.
Data: You're becoming agitated.
Riker: You bet I'm agitated! I may be surrounded by insanity, but I am not insane. And there is nothing you
Riker: What's happening?
Data: I can see we have a lot of work to do.
Riker: Nothing you can do will change the fact that I'm innocent. I'm not crazy. I'm not
Riker: You're the key to all this, aren't you? Who are you? Who are you?
Lieutenant: Lieutenant Suna, sir.
Crusher: Will, are you all right?
Riker: I. Yes. I don't know
Crusher: Why don't we get him to Sickbay.
Crusher: There's nothing wrong with you neurologically, and I can't find anything that could cause the hallucinations. But your heart rate is way up and your blood pressure's way above normal. And you're physically exhausted.
Riker: This is not a case of simple fatigue.
Crusher: Will, you know that when you're under conditions of extreme stress the mind can manufacture all kinds of things.
Riker: Drugs. They injected me with me drugs. See if the drug's in my system.
Crusher: Nothing.
Riker: In that dream they gave me drugs. Didn't anybody at the theater see anything strange happen during the performance?
Crusher: No, nobody. Get some rest, Will. The play is over. Don't give it another thought.
Riker: Right.
Riker: How's Lieutenant Suna?
Troi: A little shaken but all right.
Riker: I feel like such an idiot.
Troi: It's nothing to be embarrassed about. We're your friends. We all know the stress you've been under. I'm sure everyone understands perfectly.
Data: Commander, I must compliment you on your performance this evening.
Riker: Oh?
Data: Your unexpected choice to improvise was an effective method of drawing the audience into the plight of your character. You gave a truly realistic interpretation of multi-infarct dementia.
Riker: Thank you.
Troi: Well, maybe not everyone understands.
Riker: I think I'd better get a little rest. Clear my mind a little.
Troi: I want you to try a few relaxation techniques as well. Remember the ones I showed you a few months ago?
Riker: They never seem to work for me.
Syrus: Maybe you need another treatment.
Troi: What's wrong?
Riker: Nothing. Nothing.
Troi: Will, I want you to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow.
Riker: Okay.
Riker: It's not real. It's not real.
Jaya: Don't let them tell you you're crazy.
Riker: No! Let me out of here! Let me out of here! Help me! Help me.
Riker: I need help. I don't want to be at the mercy of these hallucinations any more.
Syrus: So you've accepted you're not from a starship? That it's all a delusion?
Riker: All I know is when I go back to the ship, reality breaks apart. Nothing makes sense. And then when it's over, it fades away like a dream. But when I'm in the hospital, everything here seems real and I remember everything that happens here.
Syrus: And what about how you got here?
Riker: Maybe I did kill someone. I don't know. But I want to know how.
Syrus: I'm glad to hear you say that, because I just had a long talk with the hospital Administrator. He told me there are certain legal questions that have to be resolved relatively soon.
Riker: Meaning?
Syrus: Meaning we can't keep you here much longer. We're the only mental health facility on Tilonus Four. We have many people who need our help. I don't want to put any undue stress on you but we have to settle this case one way or another within the next few days.
Riker: What does that mean?
Syrus: You're facing a choice. We can try to help you remember what happened using Reflection therapy. If it's successful, you would be fit to stand trial.
Riker: Reflection therapy?
Syrus: It's a way for you to interact with the various facets of your personality. We scan the regions of your brain that control emotions and memory, and then project them holographically.
Riker: And what is the second option?
Syrus: A complete synaptic reconstruction of your cerebral cortex.
Riker: Surgery.
Syrus: We would neutralize the synaptic pathways responsible for your mental instability.
Riker: It doesn't sound like you care for that option.
Syrus: I don't. The procedure is irreversible. You'd be left with a completely altered personality. The person you are now would cease to exist.
Riker: Option one is beginning to sound better.
Syrus: I agree.
Riker: Reflection therapy, then. When do we begin?
Syrus: This afternoon, if you're ready. I want you to understand that this isn't going to be easy. You'll be interacting with aspects of your psyche you've never dealt with before, and you may be disturbed by what they have to say.
Syrus: Close your eyes. Try to relax. Clear your mind.
Syrus: Now, think back to before you came to the hospital. But don't try to remember specific incidents. Concentrate on how you felt.
Riker: I was afraid.
Troi: Terrified.
Riker: She was on the ship with me.
Syrus: That's because she represents an aspect of your personality, and there are many parts of you that still believe you're on that starship.
Riker: Why her?
Syrus: I asked you to get in touch with your feelings, and this is the part of you that responded. Talk to her about how you felt before you came here.
Riker: You said I was terrified. Of what?
Troi: I was in a dark place. Cold. Frightened. Someone was there.
Riker: Who?
Troi: I felt threatened by them. Trapped
Syrus: You're doing very well. Now let's try to find out how you responded to these feelings. Try to focus on your actions. You felt trapped. What did you do?
Worf: I was angry. They were attacking me. I fought back.
Troi: I felt pain.
Worf: I was injured.
Troi: I began to panic.
Worf: There was a struggle and I
Riker: You what? What happened?
Syrus: Try to associate your actions and emotions with logical thoughts. What do you think caused you to act and feel this way?
Picard: It was cold and dark because I was outdoors at night. I was in a narrow place. I was walking through an alley.
Troi: I felt threatened.
Worf: I was being watched.
Picard: Someone must have followed me into the alley. That's why I started to walk faster. Someone grabbed me from behind.
Troi: I panicked.
Worf: I tried to fight them off.
Riker: How many of them were there?
Picard: Three. Humanoid. I only saw the face of one of them.
Riker: What did he look like?
Riker: I saw him on the ship too. I also saw him here in the hospital, but I don't know who he is.
Syrus: That's Mister Suna, the hospital Administrator. You met him when you first arrived here.
Riker: What part of me does he represent?
Syrus: I don't know.
Troi: Don't believe this, Will. None of it's real. You're still with us on the Enterprise.
Riker: Doctor?
Picard: We're your colleagues. You can trust us. Everything will be all right
Syrus: Do you have anything to say to them?
Riker: You're all delusions.
Worf: Do not listen to him, Commander. He is trying to trick you. You are in danger here. Let us help you.
Troi: Listen to me, Will. In all the years we've known each other, have I ever lied to you?
Riker: No, please. Leave me alone!
Picard: Will, please.
Riker: No!
Syrus: You've taken a big step today. You've finally turned your back on those delusions and all that they represent to you. We'll continue later.
Riker: It's not real.
Crusher: Commander, do you know who I am? Do you know where you are? If you can't answer, just listen. You were on an undercover mission to Tilonus Four. Something happened. We were told that you killed somebody, but we do not believe it's true. We're being blocked at every turn. The hospital Administrator denies you're here at all. We're beginning to think that there's some kind of a conspiracy going on. I had to come in here posing as a health official. Sit tight, Commander. We're going to get you out of here.
Riker: Not real.
Data: Commander.
Riker: Get away from me!
Worf: Commander, you must come with us. You are in danger here.
Riker: No!
Worf: Silence.
Data: Commander, are you all right?
Riker: Help me! Help me!
Mavek: Who are you? Take them to Security Ward.
Worf: Worf to Enterprise. The pattern enhancer has been activated. Three to beam up.
Crewman: Acknowledged.
Crusher: There's damage to the parietal lobe. It's as if someone's trying to access his long-term memory. He's in a severe state of neural shock. It's going to take him a while to recover.
Picard: Number One, do you remember what happened? You were abducted during the mission to Tilonus Four. You were put into a psychiatric hospital.
Riker: It's still bleeding.
Crusher: It's minor. Don't worry about it.
Worf: We have been checking on the hospital Administrator.
Riker: Mister Suna.
Picard: It appears that he's involved with one of the rival factions. We believe that he is responsible for what happened to you.
Riker: It still hurts. It's bleeding again. Why? You just healed it.
Crusher: Will, try to calm down.
Riker: This isn't real.
Picard: What are you doing, Will?
Riker: If I'm right, you're not really here. This isn't a real phaser. It's all a fantasy, and I'm going to end it, no matter what it takes.
Picard: But what if it isn't a fantasy? Are you willing to take that chance?
Riker: You're right, I won't. But I'm going to find out what's real and what's not.
Crusher: Will, don't do it!
Suna: How's he progressing?
Syrus: He's not responding to the Reflection therapy. His delusions are growing more elaborate.
Mavek: He broke out of his cell last night. We found him running down a corridor claiming people had come to take him back to his starship.
Suna: Then I see no other choice. We'll have to perform the synaptic reconstruction.
Riker: I still have a phaser. Why do I still have a phaser?
Suna: It's not a phaser, it's a knife. You stole it from one of the food trays. Give it to me. We don't want you to hurt yourself.
Riker: I don't believe you.
Riker: If this is a knife, what happened to Mavek?
Suna: It's very complicated. I'll answer all of your questions, but first I want you to put that down.
Riker: No. If this is a real phaser, then I was on the Enterprise. But I fired it on myself, so I should be dead. None of this is real. I'm setting this to level sixteen, wide field. That should destroy half of this building. Unless, of course, this isn't a real phaser.
Riker: It's all about you, isn't it? You're the only constant, the only person in both places.
Suna: There's a lot more going on here than you realize.
Riker: This isn't real, either. What's happening to me?
Suna: Listen to me. We can still save you, but you must stop fighting us.
Riker: You're lying.
Suna: Let me help you.
Riker: No!
Suna: I'm warning you.
Riker: No!
Suna: He's conscious! I haven't finished the neurodrain. Get him sedated.
Riker: Riker to Enterprise!
Worf: Enterprise here. Are you all right, sir?
Riker: Emergency transport. Get me out of here.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 46778.1. Commander Riker has returned safely from his mission to Tilonus Four. Doctor Crusher has repaired the damage to his long-term memory.
Picard: Evidently, you were abducted two days after beaming to the surface.
Riker: I remember now. I was in an alley. They attacked me from behind. I tried to fight them off with the nisroh Worf gave me. I managed to get off one of them off me but I think they injected me with some sort of drug.
Picard: We believe that they were trying to extract strategic information from your memory using a neurosomatic technique.
Riker: I was in a hospital, then I was back on the Enterprise. I was back at the hospital. I kept shifting from place to place. I couldn't tell what was real.
Troi: Your mind must have created a defense mechanism that helped you resist the neurosomatic process. Your unconscious fastened on to elements of your real life in an attempt to keep you grounded, to keep you sane.
Riker: The preparation for the mission, the play, those were recent experiences, fresh in my mind.
Picard: You should get some rest. We can talk some more tomorrow.
Riker: There is one thing I'd like to do first.
Crusher: Are you sure you want to do this by yourself? The stage crew and I were going to do it tomorrow morning.
Riker: I'm positive. After everything that I've experienced, I don't think I could sleep knowing it was still up.


Crusher: All right, come in.
Crusher: Guinan? What's wrong?
Guinan: I need a doctor. Geordi beat me in straight sets today. I think I've developed tennis elbow.
Crusher: Well, you'd better go to Sickbay. I think Doctor Selar's on duty.
Guinan: I don't want to see Doctor Selar. I always see you. I'm very particular about my doctors.
Crusher: Well, you'd better get a new one, because I'm not a doctor on this ship anymore.
Crusher: Three days on a shuttle to Starbase twenty three, transport back to Earth. I can hear Admiral Brooks now, telling me how I've disgraced Starfleet Medical. Then a leisurely day and a half before the formal inquiry begins and my career ends.
Guinan: Beverly? My elbow.
Crusher: Your elbow. Let me see it. Does this hurt?
Guinan: Ow! Yes, right there.
Crusher: That's tennis elbow, all right. Here, hold your arm like this.
Guinan: You know, I've never been to a formal inquiry.
Crusher: Well I'll see if I can arrange one for you. All you have to do is disobey orders, violate medical ethics, and cause an interstellar incident.
Guinan: Well I guess that would do it.
Crusher: Make a fist.
Guinan: Do I have to hit you with my fist before you tell me what happened?
Crusher: It all started when those scientists came on board. No. It started when I got curious.
Guinan: Well, there's nothing wrong with that.
Crusher: That's why I went to the Altine Conference. I'd heard about a new subspace technology developed by a Ferengi, a Doctor Reyga.
Guinan: A Ferengi scientist. Hmm.
Crusher: His invention was based on metaphasic fields, but his methodology was completely unorthodox.
Guinan: I like unorthodox.
Crusher: Too bad you weren't there. Nobody else would listen to him. They all but jeered him off the stage. But I had read his paper and his work was extraordinary.
Guinan: So you gathered all these scientists to come hear this Ferengi.
Crusher: Yes. I hoped I could be a facilitator. I thought if I invited scientists from various cultures to board the Enterprise, I could sit them and down help them understand the value of his ideas.
Guinan: Like a scientific diplomat.
Crusher: Exactly. So, after persuading the Captain, I had to round up as many scientists as I could from the field of subspace technology.
Crusher: But of all the scientists I invited, only four were interested in hearing about Doctor Reyga's invention. And I wasn't altogether sure they were going to be compatible. Kurak was a warp field specialist on the Klingon Homeworld. I don't think Klingons regard scientists very highly. She always seemed a little defensive. Doctor T'Pan is practically a legend in the field of subspace morphology. She's been the director of the Vulcan Science Academy for fifteen years. Her husband, Doctor Christopher, came with her. I didn't know much about him, but he was some kind of subspace theoretician. Jo'Bril was a Takaran, the first one I'd ever met. I had no idea what to expect from him. And then there was Doctor Reyga, the Ferengi scientist.
Reyga: You've all seen my experimental data. The metaphasic shield has been proven.
T'Pan: Forgive my skepticism, Doctor, but your claims are somewhat extravagant. Protect a shuttle within a star's corona? Not even your own government believes it can be done.
Crusher: That's why I've invited you all here. You have the vision to see the potential of Doctor Reyga's metaphasic shield.
Reyga: I need help to develop the shield. I am willing to grant exclusive rights to whoever provides the necessary resources.
Crusher: I think you all realize what this shielding process could mean. The possibilities of exploration and research are endless.
Kurak: But only if it works. I'm not convinced that this metaphasic shield can withstand either the temperature or the radiation it would be exposed to.
Reyga: But it has! Not only in countless simulations, but in a field test that I conducted myself.
Kurak: For which, of course, we have only your word.
Reyga: Are you accusing me of falsifying my data?
Kurak: You would not be the first scientist to manipulate experimental data to his own advantage.
Crusher: Doctor Reyga has offered to demonstrate his invention. He's outfitted one of our shuttles with his metaphasic shield.
Reyga: I will take it into the corona of the star Vaytan.
Christopher: That star has a superdense corona. The shuttle would be subjected to particularly intense radiation. Perhaps it would be wise to choose a star of lesser magnitude.
T'Pan: I agree. My own research into solar energy transfer suggests that Vaytan's corona is extremely unstable.
Reyga: What better way to test my invention? I'm not concerned. The shield will hold.
Kurak: I for one would feel more comfortable if someone else flew the shuttle. Someone more objective.
Jo'Bril: I will volunteer for that task. I've spent years studying solar plasma reactions. The thought of being able to penetrate a star's corona. It is a remarkable opportunity. I've studied your data, Doctor Reyga. I think you're on solid scientific ground.
Kurak: I do not share your optimism, Doctor Jo'Bril, but if you wish to pilot the craft, I would be more confident in your assessment of the shield than Doctor Reyga's.
Christopher: I agree. At this point, we need an impartial evaluation.
Crusher: We'll need to be sure that you're familiar with the shuttle's controls and Doctor Reyga's modifications.
Jo'Bril: I'm an accomplished pilot. It will be no problem.
Crusher: Well, what do you think?
Reyga: I am gratified, Doctor Jo'Bril. And there will be no difficulty in operating the metaphasic controls. The system will activate automatically as you approach the star.
Crusher: Well, then. We'll proceed with the demonstration at fifteen hundred hours. We'll meet on the Bridge.
Crusher: It wasn't exactly an enthusiastic response to Doctor Reyga's technology, but given the circumstances and the scientist's quarrelsome personalities, I was quite pleased.
Crusher: I thought that went well, didn't you?
Reyga: Thanks to you, Doctor.
Crusher: I didn't do anything.
Reyga: This is an opportunity I would never have had without you, and I promise you, I'll never forget it.
Crusher: Some of the scientists still seem a little doubtful, but after the demonstration I'm sure they'll come around.
Reyga: Well, if there's anything I'm used to, it's skepticism. After all, a Ferengi scientist is almost a contradiction in terms. No, don't deny it. I know how the Ferengi are regarded.
Crusher: I still expect the scientific community to be a little more open than they seem to be.
Reyga: The metaphasic shield is a breakthrough in technology. Many scientists have tried to develop it. It's only natural that there would be some resistance.
Crusher: You mean jealousy. I know. I wondered if that might account for Doctor T'Pan's attitude. She's been working on subspace shielding technology for years and you've beaten her to the punch.
Reyga: I'm really not interested in competition. All I want is to be acknowledged. Respected as a scientist. This invention will finally do that.
Crusher: I figured the hard part was over. I'd stepped out on a limb and it hadn't broken.
Crusher: Not bad for my first venture into scientific diplomacy.
Data: Captain, the shuttle has been launched.
Picard: On screen. Open a channel.
Jo'Bril: I am one million kilometers from the star's corona. Proceeding at three quarters impulse. I should reach it in approximately three minutes.
Reyga: The metaphasic shielding has begun to form.
Data: External temperature is zero point nine million Kelvins and rising. Radiation levels are nearing ten thousand rads.
Reyga: That should have no effect on the shuttle cabin.
Crusher: That's right. Temperature in the cabin is twenty one degrees Celsius and the radiation levels are normal.
Jo'Bril: Wait. I'm reading elevated neutrino levels in the cabin.
Reyga: Those are from the subspace field that's encapsulating the shuttle. The levels are well within acceptable parameters.
Data: Outside temperature is rising rapidly. One point seven million Kelvins.
Crusher: Temperature is still twenty one degrees and the shield is holding.
Jo'Bril: Three hundred and fifty thousand kilometers and closing. This is incredible. I am actually flying into a star.
Picard: Congratulations, Doctor. This is an amazing achievement.
Data: Radiation levels outside the shuttle are nearing fourteen thousand rads.
Crusher: Temperature inside the cabin is still normal.
Jo'Bril: I am now fully engulfed in the corona. It's astonishing.
Reyga: You see, Doctors? Metaphasic shielding is a reality. Doctor Jo'Bril, can you give us an estimate of the plasma turbulence?
Reyga: Doctor Jo'Bril?
Crusher: Something's wrong.
Riker: What's going on, Mister Data?
Data: Sensors indicate an increased level of baryon particles in the cabin.
Reyga: No! That's not possible.
Picard: Doctor Jo'Bril, can you hear me? Please respond.
Data: Baryon levels are continuing to rise, sir.
Reyga: I don't understand. This shouldn't be happening.
Picard: Mister Worf, can you beam him out of there?
Worf: The solar radiation is interfering. He must be at least five hundred thousand kilometers from the star before we can get a transporter lock.
Crusher: We're losing him.
Picard: Doctor Jo'Bril, listen to me. It is imperative that you turn the shuttle. Take it out of the corona. Do you understand me? Pilot the shuttle away from the star.
Data: The shuttle is emerging from the corona, sir.
Picard: Mister Worf, get a lock on him as soon as you can.
Crusher: Beam him directly to Sickbay.
Crusher: At that point, the doubts of the others seemed justified. I had no idea what had gone wrong or how seriously Doctor Jo'Bril had been injured, but I knew this incident could destroy Reyga's chance to be accepted by the scientific community.
Crusher: Twenty cc's inaprovaline. It's not working. Cortical stimulators. Now. Again.
Jo'Bril: I saw the sun.
Crusher: So that was my first experience as a scientific diplomat. A complete failure. I don't understand.
Guinan: No?
Crusher: I mean, I've lost patients before.
Guinan: But this was different.
Crusher: Mmm.
Guinan: You know, when you're a doctor and you have patients, you're in control. But when you send someone out on a mission, all you can do is sit and watch.
Crusher: That's what I felt. Helpless.
Guinan: Anybody would. Don't be too hard on yourself.
Crusher: You know, what you say reminds me of something Jean-Luc said to me when I was doing the autopsy on Jo'Bril.
Crusher: It was probably the most puzzling autopsy I've ever performed, and the most frustrating, because Jo'Bril's anatomy was unlike any I'd encountered, and I've run into some unusual specimens.
Picard: How's it going?
Crusher: I've never run into a humanoid species like this before. His internal physiology's baffling. He doesn't seem to have any discrete organs, at least not in the traditional sense. Practically every system is equally distributed throughout the body. That kind of physiology should make him incredibly resistant to injury, so whatever killed him must have occurred at the cellular level.
Picard: Do you have any idea what it was?
Crusher: No. Something caused a massive system-wide failure, but I don't know what.
Picard: Were the solar radiation levels high enough to kill him?
Crusher: His exposure to the star's radiation was minimal. It's all very strange. There's no apparent cause of death.
Ogawa: Doctor, here's the result of the tissue scan you asked for.
Crusher: That's odd. The rate of cellular decay is extremely low.
Picard: Beverly, the answers will come.
Crusher: Maybe even minimal exposure to the radiation altered the cellular physiology.
Picard: You know, you've been at this for hours. You might think more clearly if you got a good night's sleep.
Crusher: I can't sleep. I want to find out what killed him. I owe that to Doctor Reyga.
Picard: You're doing it for Doctor Reyga, or yourself?
Crusher: What do you mean?
Picard: You're the loneliest person in the world right now. No one can say anything, no one can do anything that will help. And you think that it will never go away. And you're right, it won't. But you can get used to it. I know it doesn't feel like that now, but you can.
Crusher: At the time, I was too preoccupied with my problems to understand what he was saying. I wasn't thinking about the rest of my life. I was trying to make sense of what had happened.
Crusher: And I wasn't alone. Jo'Bril's death had raised a lot of questions. Geordi and Data were determined to find out what had gone wrong, and they were busy going over every millimeter of the shuttle, with Doctor Reyga's help.
Reyga: Run another diagnostic on the EPS flow regulator.
Data: The flow regulator is functioning properly.
Reyga: What about the field emitter coil? Has it maintained polarity?
Data: Yes, Doctor.
Reyga: The radial force compensator?
Data: I am unable to locate any malfunction. All systems are operating according to your design specifications.
Crusher: Did you find anything wrong?
Reyga: No. I don't understand it. There must be something we've overlooked.
Laforge: I found micro-crystalline damage to the hull, which confirms that your shield was breached by a burst of baryonic radiation.
Crusher: Were the levels high enough to cause damage to organic tissue?
Laforge: I don't know.
Data: Perhaps there was an unexpected interaction between the solar radiation and the metaphasic shield.
Reyga: No, that's not possible. I anticipated every contingency.
Laforge: Then maybe Jo'Bril ran into something in the corona which you didn't anticipate, and your shield just wasn't able to protect him from it.
Reyga: My shield was not at fault.
Crusher: Reyga seemed angry, but I knew it was because he was so disappointed. Everything he'd worked for, hoped for, was slipping away.
Crusher: And that made what I had to do next even harder.
Crusher: I'm sure you all understand that in light of what happened, I think it would be inappropriate to continue further testing. Perhaps if Doctor Reyga has perfected his metaphasic technology, we can try again.
Reyga: Doctor Crusher, please, if I could have a little more time to investigate I know I could find what went wrong.
Christopher: But that won't bring back Jo'Bril, will it?
T'Pan: I do not believe the shield will ever work. Its very concept is flawed.
Reyga: Just one more test.
Kurak: Whom do you propose we sacrifice next?
Reyga: I will pilot the shuttle myself.
Crusher: I'm sorry. As Chief Medical Officer I'm responsible for the health and safety of all the people aboard. I will not authorize any further tests.
Reyga: Very well. But I will prove myself.
Crusher: I couldn't help but admire his tenacity. He just wasn't going to accept defeat. And I hoped he would prove himself. But that was the last time I saw him alive.
Crusher: We'd gone to Science Lab four when the ship's sensors registered a sizable plasma surge there.
Crusher: Look at this. A plasma infuser. It's completely discharged. The blast must have killed him instantly.
Worf: Perhaps he could not live with the failure of his invention and took his own life.
Crusher: Or perhaps someone just wanted it to look that way. Isn't it odd that he could hold on so tightly to the infuser when it was discharged. The normal reflex would have been to drop it.
Worf: The plasma shock could have affected his nervous system. He may have reacted by gripping tighter.
Crusher: I'll know for certain when I do the autopsy.
Worf: Is your examination complete, Doctor?
Crusher: For now. Please have his body taken to the morgue.
Worf: Very well.
Crusher: I remembered his passion and commitment, and his determination to prove himself, and I was sure that this man had not taken his own life. If anyone could understand that, I knew it would be Captain Picard.
Crusher: Jean-Luc, I was with him right before he died. He was not suicidal.
Picard: But by your own admission, Reyga was a difficult man to understand. Isn't it possible that he was simply masking his feelings?
Crusher: I don't think so. He was disappointed at the failure of his device and certainly he was upset at Jo'Bril's death, but I never got the sense that he was ready to end his own life. And if that's true, then someone else killed him.
Picard: Do you have any evidence of that?
Crusher: Not yet. But when I finished the autopsy, I hope I'll have it.
Picard: Beverly. I'm afraid there will be no autopsy. The family has already been contacted. They insist that the body must not be touched until they perform the Ferengi death ritual.
Crusher: But there's a question as to the circumstances of his death.
Picard: To the family that's irrelevant.
Crusher: Let me speak with them.
Picard: Please believe me, they're adamant. We are scheduled to rendezvous with a Ferengi ship in seventeen hours. They will pick up Reyga's body then. I'm sorry, there will be no autopsy.
Crusher: Jean-Luc, I cannot just drop this. Don't you see? There may have been a murder.
Picard: Then you will have to find evidence some way other than an autopsy.
Ogawa: I don't understand, Doctor. Isn't it pretty clear that Reyga died from a plasma discharge?
Crusher: It's won't be clear until after an autopsy. As far as I know, he could have been poisoned and someone put the plasma infuser in his hand after he died.
Ogawa: You think he was murdered?
Crusher: I'm not discounting that possibility. The point is, without a complete autopsy, there's no way of knowing for certain.
Ogawa: Why won't the Ferengi allow it?
Crusher: It has to do with their death rituals. The body can't be violated before it's buried. Apparently the family is more concerned about ritual than finding out the truth about how he died. I just can't get the information I need from a tricorder scan. Suspects. If Reyga didn't kill himself. someone else did. So who are the possible suspects?
Ogawa: Whoever had something to gain from his death.
Crusher: And the only ones to fit that category are the other scientists.
Christopher: I'm afraid I don't understand, Doctor. Do you have evidence that Reyga was murdered?
Crusher: No, but I can't believe he took his own life and I would like to explore any possibilities a bit further.
T'Pan: What reason would anyone have to kill him?
Crusher: I was wondering if you might have any thoughts along that line.
T'Pan: I see. You are suggesting that I had such a motive.
Crusher: If Reyga's technology had been successful, you might have been displaced as the preeminent scientist in subspace technology.
T'Pan: But since it wasn't successful, it is illogical to conclude that I had such a motive, isn't it.
Christopher: I must say I resent this, Doctor. We've all been shocked by recent events. I don't see that there's anything to gain by dragging us through these insinuations.
Crusher: I'm just trying to uncover the truth, and I need your help to do it. Have you seen or heard anything that might suggest that someone else had a motive?
Christopher: We are trying to forget the unpleasantness of these last several days, not have them stirred up again. I find it disturbing that you would try to foster suspicions among us.
Crusher: Forgive me, I don't mean to upset you, but have you noticed anything unusual?
Christopher: I find your question distasteful.
Crusher: Is there something you're not telling me?
Christopher: I'm sure it's nothing. I was in the storage room of the science laboratory yesterday. Kurak was working in the lab. Reyga came in and they got into, well, an argument.
Crusher: About what?
Christopher: I don't know. I couldn't hear clearly until they started to shout at one other. Then I heard Kurak say that Reyga had insulted her honor, and no Klingon would stand for that. I do not believe she killed him. These were words spoken in the heat of anger. Kurak is volatile, passionate, but not a killer. And, Doctor, neither are we.
Crusher: Thank you.
Crusher: I knew he might be right about Kurak. Klingons make threats as a matter of course. On the other hand, sometimes they follow through.
Crusher: That looks like one of Doctor Reyga's shield configurations.
Kurak: Yes. Personal research.
Crusher: Even though this technology failed?
Kurak: No one has denied there is potential in the idea.
Crusher: Which you're now free to develop.
Kurak: Are you accusing me of something?
Crusher: No, but I want to know why you threatened Doctor Reyga.
Kurak: I warned Doctor Reyga that if he persisted with his slander, he would pay the price.
Crusher: What was his accusation?
Kurak: I will not repeat his lies.
Crusher: Were they lies?
Kurak: Be careful, Doctor. Insulting the honor of a Klingon can be extremely dangerous.
Crusher: Did Reyga make that mistake?
Kurak: I have heard enough accusations! Now I will have your silence.
Crusher: Well, you're going to have to throw me a lot harder than that if you want to get it. Now, what did he accuse you of?
Kurak: Sabotage.
Crusher: Sabotage of the metaphasic shield? Was that why it failed?
Kurak: How would I know?
Crusher: Did you sabotage the project?
Kurak: No. I did not. Goodbye, Doctor.
Crusher: Kurak refused to say anything more. I wasn't sure if her silence was motivated by guilt or just Klingon pride.
Crusher: I was beginning to find out that investigating a murder was a little more perilous than I'd thought. And for everything I'd been though, I didn't have any more insight than I did before I started.
Crusher: Which brought me back to Reyga's body. Because the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that the answers had to be there. DNA traces, tissue anomalies, a wealth of forensic clues that could shed some light on the mystery. So I made the decision.
Picard: Come. Beverly.
Crusher: Jean-Luc, I want to tell you something that you need to know, but you're not going to like it. I did an autopsy on Doctor Reyga.
Picard: What did you find?
Crusher: Nothing. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have done it.
Picard: You most certainly should not. I made it clear to you that the family would not allow it. Not only have you disobeyed my orders, but you've interfered in the burial rituals of another culture. You've put both of us in a very difficult position. The family will have to be notified. I don't doubt that they will react strongly. If the Ferengi government becomes involved, as I'm certain they will, this could have very significant repercussions. I'm not sure how much I can protect you.
Crusher: You don't have to, Jean-Luc. I knew what I was doing and I'm prepared to accept the consequences.
Crusher: I could tell that he was terribly disappointed in me, and that was almost the hardest part of all.
Crusher: So that's the story. That's how I ended my career.
Guinan: Backhand volley.
Crusher: What?
Guinan: That's how I did it. Geordi kept hitting to my backhand at the net.
Crusher: Guinan, two people died on this ship. Two lives that ended horribly and you're worried about your tennis game?
Guinan: Are you upset?
Crusher: I don't know. You tell me. You're supposed to be wise.
Guinan: Well, if you are upset, why are you moping around here? Why don't you do something about it?
Crusher: I've done everything I could think of. It got me fired.
Guinan: Do you think Doctor Reyga killed himself?
Crusher: No.
Guinan: Do you think there's a murderer on board?
Crusher: Yes.
Guinan: Then why are you still sitting here?
Crusher: Don't you get it? If I start digging around again.
Guinan: You could be relieved of duty. Chief Medical Officer's log, personal, stardate 46830.1. I'll be leaving the ship tomorrow to attend the board of inquiry. That means I have less than twenty four hours to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Crusher: What are you doing, Data?
Data: I am running additional diagnostics to make certain there was no permanent radiation damage to the shuttlecraft hull.
Crusher: You've studied Doctor Reyga's shield system. Do you think it could have been sabotaged?
Data: There was no evidence to suggest sabotage.
Crusher: Just consider the possibility.
Data: The system interlocks prevent access to the circuitry unless the shield emitter is active. Any attempt to sabotage the device would have to be made while the shield was in operation.
Crusher: The only time the shield was active was during Jo'Bril's test flight.
Data: That is correct. It seems unlikely that Jo'Bril would perform sabotage which would result in his own death.
Crusher: I agree. Would it be possible to sabotage the shuttle by remote, during the flight?
Data: A phased ionic pulse beamed directly into the metaphasic projection matrix would result in a temporary system malfunction.
Crusher: Where on the Enterprise could you generate a phased ionic pulse?
Data: Such a pulse could be initiated from the lateral sensor arrays, science labs one, four, and sixteen, or any of the bridge science stations.
Crusher: Let's assume for the moment that someone did send out a phased ionic pulse. What would have happened inside the shuttle?
Data: A tetryon field would be formed briefly in the cabin, temporarily disrupting the metaphasic shield.
Crusher: A tetryon field? If Jo'Bril was exposed to a tetryon field, it might have left residual traces in his tissue. Thanks, Data.
Riker: Beverly?
Crusher: Yes?
Riker: We've arranged for a shuttle to take you to Starbase twenty three. You can leave the ship at oh seven hundred hours tomorrow.
Crusher: Thank you.
Riker: About everything that's going on. I'm sorry. I'm sure it will all work out.
Crusher: Yes, of course.
Riker: You know the inquiry's just a formality, and Captain Picard will do everything he can for you.
Crusher: I'm sure that'll help.
Riker: But if you do anything foolish before that inquiry. it's not going to look good for you.
Crusher: I don't know what you mean.
Riker: I think you do know what I mean. The best thing for you to do right now is go to your quarters and read a good book. If you do anything to make the situation any worse it's going to be that much harder on you.
Crusher: Thank you, Commander. Your concern is noted.
Riker: Beverly. I'm saying this to you as a friend.
Crusher: Yes, Will, I know. But, as a friend, please try to understand. I can't quit now and I don't want you to become involved in this.
Crusher: Computer, access ship's medical logs and download current autopsy files.
Computer: Autopsy files are restricted to active medical personnel only. Access denied.
Crusher: Damn.
Ogawa: Doctor Crusher? What do you need the autopsy files for?
Crusher: Don't worry. I know I'm not supposed to be here. I'll go.
Ogawa: Computer, access autopsy files.
Ogawa: I assume you'll need the files on Doctor Reyga and Jo'Bril?
Crusher: Alyssa.
Ogawa: I can see how important this is to you.
Crusher: I don't want you to get involved in this.
Ogawa: Is that an order, Doctor?
Crusher: Yes.
Ogawa: Too bad you're not my boss now.
Crusher: Thank you.
Ogawa: So what do we do now?
Crusher: First of all, I want to review Jo'Bril's physiology records. Then I want to take another look at the body. I want to see if there's any tetryon traces.
Ogawa: Let's do it.
Crusher: We need to run a tissue scan at the molecular level. Calibrate the scanner to pick up tetryon particles.
Ogawa: Yes, Doctor. Re-calibration complete.
Crusher: Activate the scan.
Ogawa: Nothing.
Crusher: Let's do it again. Use the enhanced resolution mode to boost the sensitivity.
Ogawa: There's something in the subdermal tissue.
Crusher: Narrow the scan field. Tetryon traces. Someone did sabotage the shield.
Ogawa: That's a possibility, but this is very circumstantial evidence.
Crusher: There's only one way to know for certain.
Troi: Captain, I'm concerned about Beverly. I've tried several times to talk to her, but she's been avoiding me.
Picard: I'm not surprised.
Troi: This entire experience has been
Data: Captain, an unscheduled launch is taking place in Shuttlebay two.
Riker: No idea. No one's filed a flight plan.
Picard: On screen.
Riker: That's the Justman, the shuttle Reyga modified.
Picard: Open a hailing frequency.
Picard: Doctor Crusher, what do you think you're doing?
Crusher: Testing a theory, Captain.
Picard: A theory?
Crusher: I think Doctor Reyga's shield does work.
Picard: Return to the ship immediately.
Crusher: I'm sorry.
Picard: Mister Worf, override the shuttle's computer. Return it to the shuttlebay.
Worf: Aye, sir. Sir, she has isolated her navigational control. It will not be possible to establish remote operation.
Riker: Get a tractor beam on her.
Worf: I cannot establish a lock. She is too close to the star. Solar interference is too high.
Picard: Mister Data, what is her heading?
Data: Bearing two seven one mark four, sir. She is headed into the sun's corona.
Crusher: Computer, begin monitoring external temperature.
Computer: External temperature zero point eight million Kelvins and rising.
Picard: Beverly, what do you hope to accomplish?
Crusher: I think Doctor Reyga was right about his shield. The only reason it failed is because it was sabotaged, and I'm going to prove it.
Picard: But you can't be certain of that. You're betting your life on a hypothesis.
Crusher: I'm not wrong.
Computer: External temperature one point nine million Kelvins.
Data: Sir, the shuttle is entering the corona.
Picard: Beverly, what's happening?
Crusher: I'm all right. Computer, shield status?
Computer: Metaphasic shield holding. All systems within normal operating parameters.
Crusher: Congratulations, Doctor Reyga. You did it. Captain, I want you to post security guards around the three visiting scientists. One of them has to be responsible for sabotaging the first test. I think if we
Worf: Sir, we have lost contact.
Crusher: Crusher to Enterprise. I've lost you. Come in. Justman to Enterprise. Come in.
Crusher: Enterprise, do you hear me? Come in.
Jo'Bril: They cannot hear you. I have severed communications.
Crusher: How can you be alive?
Jo'Bril: I'd think after your autopsy on me, you'd know the answer to that.
Crusher: The slow rate of cellular decay.
Jo'Bril: It is a natural result of physiostasis. Takarans can control their physiology at a cellular level. We can create the appearance of death.
Crusher: In the morgue, you were conscious the whole time. You heard everything we said. You knew everything we were going to do.
Jo'Bril: Move away. Move away.
Crusher: What are you doing?
Jo'Bril: I'm sending out a transient subspace signal. It will obscure the shuttle from the Enterprise sensors and they will interpret it as a warp engine breach. They will believe that you have been destroyed. I'd like to thank you, Doctor.
Crusher: For what?
Jo'Bril: All I wanted to do was diskredit Reyga so that no one would pursue his technology except me. But you have given me more than I could have hoped. Now I can take the prototype itself back to Takara, where I will develop it into a weapon. All I have to do is wait here until the Enterprise is convinced you are dead, and leaves.
Data: Captain, there is no indication of debris. However, the subspace signal indicates a warp engine breach.
Picard: All right, begin a phase one search, starting with the shuttlecraft's last known coordinates. Plot a proximity course toward the star.
Worf: Sir, we are picking up an object emerging from the corona.
Crusher: Crusher to Enterprise. I'm all right. Returning to the ship. And I finally have the answers I've been looking for. Chief Medical Officer's log, stardate 46831.2. I have been reinstated and I will be resuming my duties shortly. In the meantime, I have a personal matter to attend to.
Crusher: Hi, Guinan.
Guinan: Hello. Ooo, somebody's birthday?
Crusher: Not unless it's yours. It's for you.
Guinan: For me? What's the occasion?
Crusher: It's a thank you. For giving me a good kick in the butt.
Guinan: Oh, now, I didn't, er.
Crusher: I did some research. This is the latest design, state of the art. It's specially designed to cushion all vibration so you will never have tennis elbow again.
Guinan: Thank you, Doctor. This looks like a great racquet, but, er, I don't play tennis. Never have.