Data: We are losing containment in the starboard nacelle tube.
Picard: Try to get more power to the field coils.
Data: Aye, sir.
Picard: Mister La Forge.
Picard: Report.
Laforge: I can't shut down the plasma injectors. Somebody's locked out the controls.
Data: The plasma venting system has engaged.
Worf: Two more decks.
Riker: Riker to Bridge. We've almost reached the nacelle tube.
Picard: Acknowledged.
Picard: Release the exterior hull plate. We may have to jettison the core.
Data: Aye, sir.
Riker: What happened?
Nara: He locked out the controls. Before we knew what was happening, he stepped up onto the walkway.
Riker: See if you can help shut down the plasma flow.
Nara: I'm afraid if we try to get any closer, he will jump through the forcefield.
Riker: Dan, it's me. It's Will Riker. I was here yesterday, remember?
Kwan: I didn't want to do it. But I saw them. And they laughed at me. They laughed.
Riker: Whatever happened, we can talk about it. I want to help.
Kwan: Stay away!
Riker: I just want to see your face, that's all. So we can talk.
Kwan: I know what I have to do.
Riker: Dan, no!
Worf: I have unlocked the controls.
Computer: Shutdown procedure initiated.
Nara: There's still plasma in the injector. It'll take time to vent off.
Riker: Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.
Kwan: I know what I have to do.
Riker: A few more seconds I could've saved his life
Worf: Commander, you did everything you could. It was not your fault.
Riker: It was strange. I felt as if he didn't even recognize me, although I was with him just the other day when I supervised the tube refit.
Picard: How did he seem then?
Riker: Fine. I complimented him on getting the refit done faster than expected. He was pleased that I'd noticed.
Troi: I met with him about six weeks ago, during the crew evaluations. He was very positive. He was looking forward to being posted to the nacelle tube.
Riker: He was a good officer with a fine career ahead of him. I don't understand why he wanted
Picard: In my years as a Starship Captain, I've had to notify many parents of the loss of loved ones, but never before a suicide. I would like to be able to offer Lieutenant Kwan's parents some explanation of what happened, to try to help them make sense of this.
Worf: Maybe he left a message of some kind, explaining why he did it.
Picard: I would like the two of you to piece together a picture of his last few days.
Troi: If he made any personal logs, it might be helpful to look through them.
Picard: You're authorized to do so.
Laforge: La Forge to Captain.
Picard: Go ahead.
Laforge: I've just finished my damage assessment. We should be able to get underway I'd say within the hour.
Picard: Mister La Forge
Picard: The medical situation on Barson Two has worsened. Starfleet has given us permission to exceed warp speed limitations so as to get back on schedule.
Laforge: We'll be able to give you warp eight if you need it.
Picard: Acknowledged.
Data: Geordi, would you agree that the instinct for self-preservation is shared by most life forms?
Laforge: I'd say it's probably the most basic instinct, Data.
Data: That being the case, I find it difficult to understand why someone would deliberately terminate their own existence.
Laforge: I don't know, Data. All I can think is that maybe Lieutenant Kwan felt that there was something wrong in his life, something he felt powerless to fix.
Data: I believe I understand. I have been in a similar situation.
Laforge: Really?
Data: The first months following my activation were a difficult period for me. There were many problems associated with my becoming sentient.
Laforge: Because your neural net was still forming.
Data: As I acquired new skills, neural pathways would form replacing other less complex pathways. It was very disorienting.
Laforge: I bet.
Data: As my systems grew in complexity, it became increasingly difficult to integrate new pathways into my existing neural net. The probability of cascade failure grew with each additional pathway. I came to the conclusion it would be safer and easier to shut myself down and start again.
Laforge: Yeah, but if you had done that, you wouldn't have remembered any of the things that had happened to you.
Data: In a way, it would have been like committing suicide.
Laforge: So what did you do?
Data: I decided against the procedure. I chose instead to treat the problems I was having with my systems as challenges to overcome, rather than obstacles to be avoided.
Laforge: Great way of looking at it, Data. I wish Lieutenant Kwan had been able to look at his problems the same way.
Worf: This is a Napean design.
Troi: His mother's Napean, his father's human. It all looks so normal. For some reason I half expected the place to be a mess.
Worf: Yes. It is strange to think that someone could have considered ending his life and yet give no outward sign. Just before he jumped, he seemed almost calm.
Troi: Well, he must have been in a lot of pain to do what he did. It could be that the prospect of ending the pain felt like a great relief.
Troi: This is Ensign Calloway, isn't it?
Worf: Yes, she is a medical technician in Sickbay.
Troi: It's always hard to lose someone you care about, but to lose them like this?
Worf: We should check his personal logs.
Troi: This is his last entry. He made it before going on duty this morning.
Kwan: Personal log, stardate 47622.1. We finally finished the nacelle tube refit last night. After pulling two double shifts in a row, I'm really looking forward to spending some time with Maddy.
Troi: Ensign Calloway. That doesn't sound like a man who's planning on taking his own life.
Worf: No. No, it does not.
Calloway: I can't believe he's really gone. I keep thinking he's going to show up and tell me there's been some kind of terrible misunderstanding.
Troi: I thought you might like to know that in his personal logs, Dan talked about you a great deal. He loved you very much.
Calloway: If that's true, then how could he leave me like this?
Troi: That's what I'm trying to find out. I know it's hard to talk right now, but it would be very helpful if you could tell me a few things about him. When was the last time you saw him?
Calloway: Two nights ago. We were planning our next shore leave together.
Troi: Did he mention anything that had happened recently, anything that might have upset him?
Calloway: No, not really. He did say something about work, about Lieutenant Nara, but it wasn't anything serious.
Troi: Nara. She's his superior officer in the nacelle tube?
Calloway: Yes. Dan sensed that she, well, that she felt threatened by him. That she thought he was after her position.
Troi: Was he prone to mood swings or depression?
Calloway: No, but he was very sensitive to other people's moods. He used to look at me and know exactly what I was feeling. I always loved that about him.
Troi: Well, Napeans are partially empathic. He may have inherited some of his mother's abilities.
Calloway: He used to tease me that when I met her, I wouldn't be able to get away with anything. Dan and I knew each other for over two years, but we didn't get together until a few months ago. We took it slow. We thought we had all the time in the world. Something must have happened to him, Counselor. Something terrible, because it's not like Dan to take his own life.
Troi: I understand.
Calloway: Please, find out what it was.
Nara: Can I help you?
Troi: Oh, I didn't see you there. You're Lieutenant Nara, aren't you?
Nara: Can I do something for you, Counselor?
Troi: I'm investigating Lieutenant Kwan's death, and I just wanted to look around.
Nara: It's such a shame. He was a good man.
Troi: Did you notice any change in his behavior recently?
Nara: No. I've been going over the last few days in my mind, trying to see if I, if I missed any warning signs. It's as if something in him just snapped.
Troi: How was his job performance?
Nara: Excellent. He knew this ship better than most people, probably because he helped build it back at Utopia Planitia.
Troi: Did he get along with his coworkers?
Nara: He was ambitious. He came in here with all sorts of new ideas about how to do things. Some of them very good ideas.
Troi: But not all?
Nara: No. But after he settled in, we got along fine.
Nara: Excuse me a minute. Feel free to look around.
Troi: Where was Lieutenant Kwan's station?
Nara: Right there.
Nara: Are you all right?
Troi: I don't know.
Troi: I don't know how to describe it. I was suddenly overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. Fear, rage, panic. And the sensations didn't seem to be coming from any person. They were just there, in the room.
Riker: Whose emotions were they? I thought you said were alone.
Troi: I was.
Worf: I scanned the area. I found no anomalous readings.
Riker: How could you get an empathic impression from an empty room?
Troi: I don't know.
Crusher: Could the fact that Lieutenant Kwan was partially empathic have anything to do with it?
Riker: What do you mean?
Crusher: I'm not sure, but certainly the feelings Troi described are consistent with suicide.
Riker: Could his death have left some sort of empathic echo?
Troi: I don't see how. But if I went back to the nacelle tube, I might get a better sense of what I experienced.
Crusher: I don't think I'd recommend that right now. You're showing elevated levels of psilosynine.
Worf: Psilosynine?
Crusher: It's a neurotransmitter involved in telepathy. The experience overwhelmed you the first time. I think you should wait until your levels return to normal.
Riker: How long?
Crusher: Three, maybe four hours.
Riker: This time I want someone with you.
Worf: I shall accompany you, Counselor.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 47623.2. We've arrived at Starbase three twenty eight on schedule. After taking aboard medical supplies, we will depart for Barson Two.
Troi: Come in. Hello, Worf.
Worf: Counselor. Have you found anything in Lieutenant Kwan's logs?
Troi: Everything I've read suggests that he was well-adjusted and optimistic. It just doesn't make any sense. Can I get you anything?
Worf: No. No, nothing.
Troi: Yridian tea. I've been thinking about what happened to me in the nacelle tube. Whether it was an empathic echo left by Kwan's death.
Worf: In the past, have your empathic experiences always involved the physical presence of another person?
Troi: All the ones I'm sure of, yes.
Worf: What do you mean, sure of?
Troi: Well, when I was a young girl, my grandfather used to tell me stories by the fire. I would close my eyes and listen to his mind for hours on end.
Worf: He would tell you these stories telepathically?
Troi: My grandfather rarely spoke. He said that was for off-worlders and people who didn't know any better. Now the only time I can remember his stories is when I go home and sit by the fireplace. Sometimes when I'm alone there, it's almost as if I can hear his voice inside my head.
Worf: Yes. Yes, I too have sought visions in fire.
Troi: I can't explain it, but it feels real to me. Just like what happened in the nacelle tube.
Worf: There are things we do not understand, yet they exist nonetheless. Perhaps I should let you get some rest.
Troi: Oh, it's all right.
Worf: If you will excuse me, Counselor.
Riker: Mister Worf.
Worf: Commander.
Riker: Two Til'amin froths, please.
Barman: Yes, sir.
Worf: Lieutenant Corell seems to be enjoying your company.
Riker: I'd like to think so.
Worf: Are you involved with her?
Riker: I'm not sure yet. Why, are you interested?
Worf: No. But if I were, I would of course discuss the situation with you before proceeding further.
Riker: I appreciate it, but that really wouldn't be necessary.
Worf: I mean I would never want to come between you and someone you are involved with, or had ever been involved with.
Riker: Is there someone in particular that you're talking about?
Worf: No. Is there someone in particular you would rather I not be involved with?
Riker: Mister Worf, you sound like a man who's asking his friend if he can start dating his sister.
Worf: No, no, I was merely. Never mind. Excuse me, sir.
Troi: Could you open this door for me?
Worf: Yes, but only for a short time. After ninety seconds the plasma venting system will engage to prevent degradation of the forcefield.
Troi: I just want to take a quick look.
Worf: May I ask what you're looking for?
Troi: I'm not sure.
Computer: Warning plasma venting system will engage in ninety seconds.
Woman: No! No, no, please. Please, please. No! Don't! No!
Computer: Warning. Plasma venting system will engage in eighty seconds.
Troi: Worf?
Troi: Worf?
Worf: Counselor, are you all right?
Troi: Let's get out of here.
Picard: Do you remember anything else?
Troi: Yes, I think I do. There was a tool crate on the floor. It was labeled Utopia Planitia.
Data: The shipyard where the Enterprise was built.
Picard: Clearly this was much more than an empathic echo. It seems that you were actually seeing something that happened in the control room eight years ago.
Troi: Everyone was looking directly at me, but it was as though I was seeing through someone else's eyes.
Data: Lieutenant Kwan was partially empathic.
Crusher: Maybe you were seeing it through his eyes?
Troi: It's possible, but I don't see how it could have happened.
Picard: Well, putting that on one side for the moment, let's assume that by some unexplained phenomenon, you witnessed an event that occurred to Lieutenant Kwan. Those faces that you saw. Did you recognize any of them?
Troi: I've never seen the woman before, or the man who was with her. But there was someone else there. A man. He was staring at me in the most peculiar way. I think he had reddish hair. And he did seem familiar to me. But it's all so hazy. It's like trying to remember a dream.
Picard: There was a woman who was frightened. And then you saw her again, laughing, presumably at Lieutenant Kwan.
Crusher: What does it all mean?
Troi: I don't know, but something terrible happened in there. I felt it.
Picard: Counselor, I want you to look through the personnel files of Utopia Planitia. See if you can recognize any of those faces.
Troi: If only I could go back to the control room without being overwhelmed by the experience. It might help me remember some detail that might be relevant.
Crusher: I could give you an inhibitor that would slow the brain's production of psilosynine. That might be able to suppress your empathic abilities and make the experience more manageable. It would take about sixteen hours to synthesize the inhibitor.
Troi: I'd like to try that.
Picard: Very well, Counselor.
Worf: I apologize for being late. The viral medicines we are transporting to Barson Two require special security measures to insure they are properly contained. Have you found anything?
Troi: No. There were literally thousands of people involved in building the Enterprise.
Worf: Perhaps if you should try to narrow the search parameters.
Troi: I think I have. The man who looked familiar to me may have served on board the Enterprise in the last seven years, so I've asked the computer to limit its search to personnel who served at Utopia Planitia and on the Enterprise.
Troi: Ensign Salvatore. He transferred over a year ago. Lieutenant Ziff. She's in Quantum mechanics. That's him.
Worf: Lieutenant Walter Pierce.
Troi: I remember now. He came on board about six months ago. I think he's in Engineering.
Worf: You were Lieutenant Kwan's supervisor at Utopia Planitia?
Pierce: That's right. I was sorry to hear what happened.
Troi: Did you ever spend time in the nacelle control room while it was under construction?
Pierce: I worked all over the ship. In fact, I remember running a power conduit right behind this wall here.
Troi: Were you ever in the nacelle room at the same time as Lieutenant Kwan?
Pierce: It was a long time ago. People were working all over the place.
Worf: So you do not remember?
Pierce: I'm sorry, I don't.
Troi: Do you recall if anything unusual happened there?
Pierce: How do you mean?
Troi: An altercation, perhaps. Possibly involving Lieutenant Kwan.
Pierce: No, nothing like that. The way I remember it, things went pretty smoothly. What's this all about, if you don't mind my asking?
Troi: Not at all. When I was in the nacelle room I had an empathic experience.
Worf: We believe the Counselor may have been seeing an event that occurred eight years ago.
Troi: And I saw you there. Do you have any idea why that might be?
Pierce: I'm afraid I don't.
Troi: Lieutenant, are you aware that I can sense when someone's telling the truth?
Pierce: I've heard that.
Troi: Then I'm sure that if you remember anything that might be relevant to our investigation, you'll contact me.
Pierce: Of course.
Troi: Thank you, Lieutenant.
Pierce: Counselor.
Troi: The strange thing is I couldn't read him at all.
Worf: But you implied that? We have played poker together many times. I've never known you to bluff.
Troi: Well it wouldn't be much of a bluff if you knew, would it? The fact that I couldn't read him suggests that he has at least some telepathic ability.
Worf: But Pierce is human.
Troi: That's what I don't understand. Even though I couldn't read his emotions, I did feel that he was holding something back.
Worf: I thought so as well.
Troi: Maybe we should try to access the Engineering logs from Utopia Planitia. We might find out more about him.
Worf: There may be something in them about Lieutenant Kwan as well.
Troi: It going to take about half an hour for the transmission to be completed.
Worf: Perhaps we should continue this in the morning.
Troi: It is late.
Worf: Yes, and you must be tired.
Troi: A little.
Worf: So I will say goodnight.
Troi: Goodnight.
Worf: We should get an early start tomorrow.
Troi: I think we should. I'll see you in the morning.
Worf: Yes.
Troi: Hello.
Worf: Breakfast is ready.
Troi: That sounds nice. But it can wait. Why didn't we do this a long time ago?
Crusher: Crusher to Counselor Troi.
Troi: Yes, Doctor.
Crusher: I've synthesized the inhibitor. Please come to Sickbay whenever you're ready.
Troi: Acknowledged.
Crusher: Crusher to Lieutenant Worf.
Worf: Worf, here.
Crusher: Medical supplies are ready to be taken to cargo bay for transport.
Worf: I will be there shortly.
Crusher: This should take effect immediately.
Troi: Will it completely suppress my empathic abilities?
Crusher: It's hard to say for sure, but I can always increase the dosage if it's not enough.
Worf: The cargo bay will be off limits to all but medical personnel.
Calloway: Thanks for your help, sir.
Worf: You're welcome.
Troi: Good morning.
Worf: Counselor.
Troi: Data and Geordi are already in the nacelle tube. Are you ready?
Worf: Yes.
Calloway: Excuse me, sir. About the quarantine field in the cargo bay? It looks like we'll need a second field generator.
Worf: I am needed here. I will join you as soon as I can.
Troi: All right.
Worf: Apparently my help was not so good after all.
Calloway: Yes, it was. You were wonderful.
Worf: I think I know what's wrong.
Laforge: Counselor, you okay?
Troi: I'm fine. The inhibitor seems to be working. Have you found anything?
Laforge: No, nothing unusual.
Troi: I don't remember seeing these during my empathic experience. Have they been here since the ship was built?
Data: No, they were installled two years ago.
Troi: Geordi, I remember seeing a plasma conduit right there.
Laforge: The main ODN line runs right behind that panel. It lifts out so you can get to it.
Nara: Kwan was working on that conduit the day before he died.
Troi: Can you open it?
Laforge: Sure. It'll take just a minute.
Laforge: Data.
Troi: Lieutenant Nara, may I ask you something? The work Lieutenant Kwan was doing, was it unusual in any way?
Nara: He was refitting a field coil, but it was probably the first time that particular panel's been opened since the ship was built.
Troi: Thank you.
Woman: No!
Laforge: Counselor, are you all right?
Troi: Something happened when you removed the panel. There's something in there.
Data: I am getting readings that indicate organic material embedded in this wall.
Laforge: Organic? You're right. Let me reconfigure the emitter beam. We might be able to see what it is. There.
Crusher: This dosage should prevent any further empathic flashes.
Calloway: The bone fragments are definitely human. I sequenced a DNA sample. I'll see if I can match it to Starfleet records.
Calloway: Accessing Starfleet personnel records.
Crusher: I'd say these fragments had been in the wall about seven or eight years. You said something happened when the panel was opened.
Troi: Yes.
Crusher: I wonder if the fragments themselves could have somehow triggered your experience. I'll run a resonance scan, see if anything turns up.
Calloway: Sir, I think we've found a match.
Worf: Apparently the remains are those of an Ensign Marla Finn.
Calloway: I'm trying to find a picture of her in the records.
Troi: That's her. That's the woman I saw.
Crusher: It says she was reported missing from Utopia Planitia on stardate 40987.2. Eight years ago. But how did her body become embedded in a bulkhead?
Calloway: Maybe there was some kind of an accident.
Worf: Or she was killed and the murderer hid her remains.
Troi: Something's not right. Pull up Lieutenant Kwan's service record. I thought so. He didn't arrive at the shipyard until six months after Finn's death. I couldn't have been seeing through his eyes.
Crusher: Then whose?
Troi: Well it had to be someone who was at least partially telepathic.
Worf: Pierce?
Crusher: But you saw him there.
Troi: Yes, but not as clearly as I could see everything else. His face looked like that.
Crusher: A reflection.
Troi: So I was seeing through his eyes. And Finn was trying to get away from him. She was afraid of him.
Worf: I think it is time we had another conversation with Lieutenant Pierce. Ensign Calloway, thank you for your help.
Worf: Deck ten.
Troi: Worf, can I ask you something? Do you regret what happened last night?
Worf: No, of course not.
Troi: Are you sure? Because I don't want anything to jeopardize our friendship.
Worf: Deanna, I do not regret being with you. What is wrong?
Troi: I'm not feeling myself. Maybe it's the inhibitor. I'm so used to sensing what people are feeling, and now I can't.
Worf: Perhaps I should talk to Lieutenant Pierce alone.
Troi: That might be a good idea.
Worf: I will meet you in your quarters later.
Troi: I'll be waiting for you.
Troi: Deck eight.
Troi: Come in.
Troi: Security to Counselor Troi's quarters.
Security: Acknowledged.
Pierce: I don't understand. Lieutenant Worf said you wanted to talk to me about something.
Troi: Where is he?
Pierce: He said he had to go somewhere.
Troi: Troi to Worf. Computer, where is Lieutenant Worf?
Computer: Lieutenant Worf is in Ensign Calloway's quarters.
Crewwoman: Counselor?
Troi: Take Lieutenant Pierce to his quarters and hold him there.
Troi: Security override, authorisation Troi Delta two nine.
Troi: Stop it. Stop it! Stop it!
Calloway: He's dead! You killed him!
Troi: No! No!
Pierce: You know what you have to do.
Troi: I know what I have to do.
Worf: What are you doing?
Computer: Warning. Plasma venting system will engage in seventy seconds.
Troi: You're alive! You're all right!
Worf: I opened the maintenance door at Counselor Troi's request, then turned to see her standing too close to the force field.
Troi: It all seemed so real to me. I can't believe that everything I experienced happened in just those few seconds.
Data: It appears Counselor was correct. Pierce was partially telepathic. His maternal grandmother was born on Betazed.
Picard: What else have you found out?
Data: According to Starfleet records, Pierce and the other persons Counselor Troi identified, were killed in an accidental plasma discharge eight years ago. Their bodies were never found.
Troi: I don't believe it was an accident. I think Lieutenant Pierce found out the other two were having an affair. He lost control and he killed them both. Afterwards, he probably activated the plasma stream and then threw himself into it.
Worf: The plasma discharge would have obliterated any evidence that it was murder.
Laforge: I scanned behind the panel Counselor Troi asked me to. I didn't find any bone fragments but I did find some traces of cellular residue showing some kind of psionic signature.
Troi: It may be that when Lieutenant Pierce was struck by the plasma stream, the subspace energy present there imprinted his empathic pattern into the residue.
Laforge: Kind of like a psychic photograph.
Troi: That's what triggered my hallucination. My mind must have taken elements from my own life and then created a situation that in many ways mirrored what happened to Pierce. If you hadn't been there, I would have jumped just like he did.
Worf: Counselor. When I pulled you from the plasma stream, you seemed surprised I was alive.
Troi: Well, actually, in my hallucination, you were killed.
Worf: May I ask by whom?
Troi: Well, you know what they say, Mister Worf. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.


Ogawa: So why were you rolling around in Cypirion cactus?
Riker: You know Rebecca Smith?
Ogawa: The new Tactical officer?
Riker: We took a walk in the Arboretum. We sat down, we got comfortable, things got a little romantic, and then I rolled over.
Barclay: Blurred vision, dizziness, palpitations, a stinging sensation in the lower spine. It's Terrelian Death Syndrome, isn't it.
Crusher: I thought we agreed you'd come to me before checking Starfleet Medical Database.
Barclay: Yes, well, this time I'm glad I did. Maybe we can stop the cellular decay before it's too late.
Crusher: Reg, you don't have Terrelian Death Syndrome.
Barclay: You, you're sure?
Crusher: I'm sure.
Barclay: Then maybe it is Symbalene blood burn.
Crusher: No, no. I don't see anything wrong with you at all. Wait a minute, there is a slight imbalance in your K three cell count.
Barclay: My K threes? Oh, no.
Crusher: Barclay, I'm sure it's nothing. Look, I'll run a microcellular scan. We'll see. This'll take a couple of minutes.
Crusher: How's my smallest patient doing?
Data: I believe she is doing well. Her appetite has increased by seven percent, and she is starting to engage in prenatal behavior.
Crusher: Oh, she's getting close. You'll have a fresh litter of hungry kittens before the week is over. Let me just run an amniotic scan to make sure everything's fine and then I'll
Barclay: Doctor! My capillaries are shrinking!
Crusher: Excuse me. Alyssa, can you take care of Spot for a minute? Start a preliminary amniotic scan.
Ogawa: Yes, Doctor.
Barclay: My intravascular pressure, it's going right through the roof.
Crusher: You're right, it is elevated. You've also got heightened electrophoretic activity.
Barclay: Electrophoretic activity? Is it serious?
Crusher: Well, based on this, I'd say you've got seventy, maybe eighty years.
Barclay: Eighty? Eighty years?
Crusher: Yes, Reg. What you've got a mild case of Urodelan Flu. It's nothing serious. Most humans have a natural immunity to it, but the T-cell in your DNA that would normally fight off the infection is dormant.
Barclay: So you mean I have bad genes?
Crusher: You have one dormant gene out of a hundred thousand, and I can activate that gene with a synthetic T-cell let the body attack the infection naturally. You should feel better in a couple of days.
Barclay: Thank you, Doctor. I feel much better.
Crusher: Good. Now, stay away from Medical Database. And you stay out of the Arboretum.
Ogawa: Everything looks fine, Data. Do you want to know the sex of the kittens?
Data: I have noticed that many humans prefer not to know in order to experience the surprise during birth. I believe I will preserve the mystery until then.
Ogawa: I know what you mean. I don't want to know either.
Crusher: Alyssa?
Ogawa: Spot's not the only one who's going to be a mother.
Crusher: Oh, Alyssa, that's wonderful! How did Andrew take the news?
Ogawa: He was a little shocked, but he's getting over it.
Data: I have spent the past nine weeks as an expectant parent. I would be happy to share my insights with your husband. If my experience is any indication, he will need all the help he can get.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 47653.2. We're performing field tests of our new tactical systems and weapon upgrades. Mister Worf is supervising the exercises.
Worf: The next test will involve the new photon torpedoes. The explosive yield has been increased by eleven percent and I have enhanced the targeting system for increased accuracy.
Picard: Sounds fascinating, Mister Worf. Please proceed.
Worf: Setting targeting coordinates zero zero five mark three one seven, spread pattern delta nine four. Torpedoes armed and loaded, sir.
Picard: Fire when ready.
Riker: Worf?
Worf: One of the torpedoes has veered off course. It appears to be a malfunction in the guidance system.
Picard: Abort and destroy.
Worf: The torpedo is not responding. Subspace detonator will not engage.
Riker: Lock on phasers.
Worf: The torpedo is out of range.
Riker: Even for your newly improved phasers?
Picard: Maintain a sensor lock on the torpedo, Mister Worf. We'll have to go after it.
Data: That would be inadvisable, sir. The asteroid field is unusually dense. The Enterprise is too large to safely navigate through it.
Picard: Then I'll take a shuttlecraft and retrieve it. Mister Data, you're with me.
Riker: Captain, the shuttle pilot who's on duty is Lieutenant Hayes.
Picard: I happen to be a reasonably qualified pilot, Number One. Besides, these tests hardly require the Captain's personal attention.
Riker: Understood. Enjoy yourself.
Picard: Mister Worf, I think that you should consider analyzing your new guidance system.
Data: Captain, I will need a few minutes to attend to a personal matter.
Barclay: Me?
Data: It is possible that it will take several days for Captain Picard and me to complete our mission. I would prefer to have a human present to supervise the birthing process.
Barclay: Well, I'd be honored.
Data: I have noticed that you are the only other member of the crew whom Spot seems to like.
Barclay: Really? That's hard to believe. You're such a sweet little kitty.
Data: She is to you. However, there have been several injuries to other members of the crew who have attempted to care for her.
Barclay: So, has she picked a place?
Data: A place?
Barclay: Cats usually like to pick a specific location to give birth. It's usually dark and secluded, and I believe this is it.
Barclay: I'm curious, sir. Who's the father?
Data: I am not certain. Spot has escaped from my quarters on several occasions and there are twelve male felines on board. I intend to run a full DNA analysis on the kittens once they
Picard: Picard to Data. Report to Shuttlebay two.
Data: On my way, sir. Goodbye, Spot. I believe you are in good hands.
Barclay: You have nothing to worry about, sir.
Riker: Problem?
Worf: I have performed thirteen diagnostics of the weapons array, and I can find nothing wrong with the guidance system.
Riker: I'll have Geordi run a diagnostic of the torpedo bay itself. Maybe he can find something.
Worf: Must you to stand so close to me?
Riker: Lieutenant, are you all right?
Worf: Yes, I am fine.
Riker: No, you're not. You've been working for six hours straight. You're tired. Take a break.
Worf: But
Riker: That's an order, Lieutenant.
Troi: Thanks for waiting.
Worf: Do not approach me unannounced, especially when I'm eating.
Troi: Worf we were supposed to have lunch together, remember?
Worf: I was hungry.
Troi: Well, I'm hungry too. Excuse me.
Waitress: Yes?
Troi: Can I have an order of Ongilin caviar. Make that a double order.
Waitress: Certainly.
Worf: Caviar? For lunch?
Troi: I'm in the mood for something salty. Besides, it's no stranger than what you're eating. Have you noticed how dry the air is on the ship? I wonder if the environmental controls are set properly.
Troi: You're excused.
Troi: Is something wrong?
Worf: It has been a difficult day. The torpedo guidance system failed. It was my fault.
Troi: You always say that.
Worf: It was my fault! I designed that guidance system.
Troi: Worf, calm down. I think you're under more stress than you'd like to admit. Maybe you should get some rest.
Worf: Perhaps you are right. If you will excuse me.
Troi: I didn't mean right now.
Barclay: We removed the torpedo bay's primary guidance module and found a power fluctuation in the forward sensor cluster. Now we think it may be a radial imbalance in the phase diskriminator. Now what we want to do next is run a level four diagnostic, but we're going to have to shut down auxiliary power to nineteen decks and
Riker: Wait a minute. Slow down. I lost you back there. Which sensor clusters?
Barclay: The forward. It's, it's a power fluctuation in the converter nodes. It's a minor adjustment. It's minor.
Laforge: It's all right in here in on diagram, Commander.
Riker: I'll look this over later. Go ahead. You run your diagnostic. I'll inform the other departments about the power systems.
Barclay: I'll check that.
Riker: He's full of energy today.
Laforge: I can't get him to slow down. He's been working like that since last night,
Barclay: Looks like a plasma conduit cut out in junction seventeen. I'll go look at it.
Laforge: Wait a minute, Reg, I'll go with you. Keep you posted.
Troi: Computer, increase ambient temperature by two degrees Centigrade and increase relative humidity by ten percent.
Worf: Computer, reset environmental controls to standard.
Troi: Worf, it's freezing in here.
Worf: You have already raised the temperature three times. It is too hot.
Troi: Live with it. Computer, execute my original command.
Troi: I need a bath. You have the Bridge.
Barclay: Here we are. Looks like a conduit ruptured. No problem, I'll just bypass it.
Laforge: Reg, wait a second here. Take a look at these corroded edges here. It looks like something has dissolved the bulkhead and eaten right through the conduit. There are high levels of cholic acid here. Enzymatic agents. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if that solvent was organic.
Barclay: Maybe we should run a biospectral analysis on the solvent. Take a closer look.
Laforge: That's a very good idea, but first we should take a break.
Barclay: You go ahead, sir. I'll take care of it.
Dern: Commander, we received a communication from Starfleet. They wanted to know when they could expect your performance analysis of the new weapon systems.
Riker: The weapon systems?
Dern: Yes, sir. The ones we've been testing for the past few days?
Riker: That's right.
Dern: What should I tell them, sir?
Riker: Tell them, tell them we haven't finished yet.
Troi: What are you doing here?
Worf: I had to be near you.
Troi: Computer, increase temperature by five degrees.
Worf: Get out of that water now.
Troi: Leave me alone!
Troi: Can I have a glass of water? It's so cold in here.
Crusher: Your temperature has dropped almost eight degrees. I want to run a hypothalamic series right away.
Ogawa: Doctor, we've had three other crewmembers complaining about the temperature levels. Some feel like they have fevers, others are freezing like Counselor Troi.
Crusher: Call Doctor Selar and Doctor Hacopian. It looks like we've got some sort of viral infection going on around here. I want to check on Lieutenant Worf.
Crusher: Worf, have you had any unusual symptoms lately? Headaches, nausea, dizziness? Worf? Worf, do you hear me? I going to run a full bioscan. I want you to lie down. Okay, we can do this sitting up. What is this? Worf, how long have you had this on your neck? It looks like it's full of some bioacidic compound, almost like a venom sac. Worf, open your mouth.
Ogawa: Get a hypospray.
Nurse: Right away.
Ogawa: I managed to get her into stasis before the venom paralyzed her. She's going to need reconstructive surgery, but I think she'll be all right.
Barclay: Sir, we've analyzed the venom and compared it to the acidic compound found in junction seventeen and on decks ten and twelve. They all have the same enzymatic composition.
Riker: Are you saying that Worf is spraying this
Barclay: Venom.
Riker: Venom all over the ship?
Barclay: I'd say so.
Ogawa: Sixty crewmen have begun exhibiting strange behavioral changes. Memory loss, fatigue, headaches. I think one thing is clear. There's some sort of disease aboard the Enterprise and it's spreading.
Riker: I'm having trouble concentrating myself. It's like my mind keeps wandering. I can't
Laforge: Commander, I've got seven security teams out hunting for Worf, but for some reason sensors are having a difficult time locking onto him. I've called for a level two security alert. Do you think we should go to a Level One?
Riker: I don't know. What do you think?
Laforge: I think we should.
Riker: Okay. Sounds good. Then you'll take care of that security thing?
Laforge: Yes, sir. I will.
Riker: Okay, I'll notify Starfleet. I'll let them know what's happening. You have your orders. Dismissed.
Riker: Computer, send a subspace message to Starfleet command. Security channel authorisation.
Computer: Alpha four seven authorisation required to activate security channel.
Riker: Computer.
Computer: Awaiting authorisation.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. Commander Data and I have recovered the stray torpedo after a three day search. We are enroute back to the Enterprise.
Data: Captain, the ship is not at the pre-arranged coordinates.
Picard: Have they been delayed?
Data: I do not know. I am unable to raise them on any communication channel.
Picard: Scan the vicinity. See if you can find them.
Data: I found it, sir, two light years away.
Picard: Set a course.
Data: The Enterprise appears to be adrift. I am reading power fluctuations on all decks.
Picard: Life signs?
Data: There are life signs. However, sensor readings are highly distorted. I am unable to identify specific lifeforms.
Picard: Adjust the axial stabilizers to match the attitude and rotation rate of the Enterprise, I'm going to dock the shuttle manually.
Data: Main power is offline. All systems are in standby or emergency mode. There is no response from any manned station.
Picard: Any sign of the crew?
Data: I cannot access internal sensors from here. We will have to go to the Bridge.
Picard: That sounds like animals.
Data: Yes, sir. I am able to diskern over three hundred different vocalizations.
Picard: Look at this.
Data: It is composed of reptilian DNA. I believe it is an epidermal layer that has been cast off during molting.
Picard: But it seems to be humanoid.
Data: Yes, sir. I cannot explain it. There are no species aboard the Enterprise that shed their skin in this fashion.
Data: Sir.
Picard: These are Commander Troi's quarters. Can you tell if she's inside?
Data: No, sir.
Picard: Data, I want to have a look in here. Stand ready.
Picard: The environmental settings in these quarters have been altered. Data, over here.
Picard: Deanna.
Picard: What's happened to her?
Data: Her DNA is in a state of ribocyatic flux. Her genetic codes are being re-sequenced and her cells are mutating as a result. At a fundamental level, sir, she is no longer human.
Picard: What is she?
Data: Her respiratory tissue has become capable of metabolizing both water and air, and her eyes have developed nictitating membranes. I believe she is amphibian, sir.
Picard: She has been injured.
Data: Yes, sir. There's Klingon DNA in the wound. It is saliva.
Picard: Are you saying she's been bitten?
Data: It would appear so.
Data: I will need to run a full biospectral analysis.
Picard: First we've got to get the ship under control. Let's go to the Bridge.
Data: His upper spinal column has been broken in three places.
Picard: It looks like he's been attacked by some sort of animal.
Data: Yes, sir.
Picard: Has his DNA been changed as well?
Data: Yes, sir. However, it was in its initial stages when he died. Captain, I am picking up one thousand and eleven individual life forms within the ship. All exhibit a similar genetic flux to the one we observed in Counselor Troi.
Picard: So the entire ship has been affected.
Data: Most of the lifeforms are scattered throughout the ship. However, there are several large concentrations in the arboretum and the aquatic lab.
Picard: I've regained attitude control for the ship, but main power is still offline. It looks as though the entire power transfer grid has been destroyed.
Picard: Will?
Data: Captain. His cranial plates have thickened by twenty percent. His brain is much smaller, sir. I do not believe he can comprehend our language.
Picard: Perhaps we can find a way to communicate. Will, can you understand what it is that
Picard: He looks almost proto-human.
Data: Yes, sir. His DNA would seem to confirm that observation. Captain, I believe the crew is de-evolving.
Picard: This tranquilizer should keep him unconscious for another seven hours. What have you found out?
Data: I have analyzed Commander Riker's DNA structure. A synthetic T-cell has invaded his genetic codes. This T-cell has begun to activate his latent introns.
Picard: Introns?
Data: They are genetic codes which are normally dormant. They are evolutionary holdovers, sequences of DNA that provided key behavioral and physical characteristics millions of years ago, but are no longer necessary. For instance, Counselor Troi's gill slits and other amphibious characteristics were derived from introns which still contain amphibious codes.
Picard: So these introns are causing her DNA to re-combine in an earlier configuration?
Data: That is correct. In her case, the DNA has created an amphibious lifeform which became extinct over fifty million years ago.
Picard: And Commander Riker's introns are changing him into what appears to be one of the earlier hominids.
Data: Yes, sir. I would say Australopithecine. Each of these stages is another link in the evolutionary chain which stretches back to the origins of all lifeforms on Earth. Because introns can include genetic material from many different species over millions of years of evolution, it is possible that a wide variety of transformations is occurring among the crew.
Picard: What about those crewmembers who are not from Earth?
Data: All humanoid life has a similar genetic pattern. The virus should work on non-human crewmembers in the same way. They are each de-evolving to earlier forms of life on their homeworlds. I feel I must inform you, sir, you have also been infected by the intron virus.
Picard: How long before I begin to change?
Data: According to my calculations, within the next twelve hours, you will begin to exhibit the first signs of your eventual transformation.
Picard: And what will that be
Data: I believe you will also de-evolve into some form of early primate. Possibly similar to a lemur, or a pygmy marmoset.
Picard: Well, before I begin swinging through the ship looking for breakfast, we'd better find some answers. How do we reverse the process?
Data: I am uncertain. We will need to run several microcellular scans. However, the ship's main computer has been damaged. Captain, the computer in my quarters has an independent processing and memory storage unit. It should not be affected. I suggest we start from there.
Picard: Agreed.
Data: It would appear that Spot has had her kittens.
Picard: They sound hungry.
Data: Yes. I am curious as to why Spot is not caring for them.
Picard: It would seem the intron virus is not limited to humanoid lifeforms.
Data: No, sir.
Picard: What is it?
Data: These kittens were born less than twenty four hours. It would appear that Spot's transformation took place at approximately the same time.
Picard: So Spot was giving birth to the kittens at the same time that she was changing into a reptilian lifeform.
Data: I believe so. For some reason, the intron virus was not passed on to the kittens. I do not know why.
Picard: If I remember my biology, there are several natural immune systems that come into play in the mother's womb to protect the fetus from viral infections.
Data: That is true. Placental barrier, maternal antibodies and amniotic fluids all serve as a filtration system.
Picard: Maybe we could have inhibited the intron virus by using the natural antibodies in Spot's amniotic fluid.
Data: It would take further research, but I believe to be effective on humanoid crewmembers, humanoid antibodies would be necessary.
Picard: Then we should locate a pregnant humanoid.
Data: Nurse Ogawa has recently became pregnant.
Picard: Where is she?
Data: I have traced her comm. badge signal to deck seventeen, section twenty one alpha.
Picard: The Arboretum.
Data: One of the warp plasma vents has failed. Main Engineering has been abandoned. There is no one there to fix the problem.
Data: I can repair the damaged plasma vent from here.
Picard: I'm going to check the status of the warp core.
Picard: Data!
Picard: What was that?
Data: I believe it was Lieutenant Barclay. He appeared to be partially transformed into an arachnid.
Picard: A spider?
Data: Yes, sir. Are you all right, Captain?
Picard: I have these intense feelings of fear and panic. I feel as if I were being watched. I can't explain it.
Data: You may be experiencing the initial stages of your transformation. Early primates were often prey to larger carnivores. As a result, their instincts probably included a heightened sense of awareness.
Picard: In that case, my instincts tell me that we'd better hurry.
Data: Captain, I have analyzed Nurse Ogawa's embryo. It has been unaffected by the virus. I believe I can use her amniotic fluid as a template for a retrovirus. It would neutralize the synthetic T-cell, and re-establish the original genetic patterns of each host.
Picard: How soon can you do that?
Data: It will not take long to isolate the appropriate genetic material. I will need to get the Sickbay computer back on
Picard: What was that?
Data: It is large. Approximately two hundred kilograms. It is heavily armored with an exoskeleton. Life signs appear to be Klingon.
Picard: Worf.
Picard: Set your phaser to heavy stun.
Data: We cannot be certain a stun setting will have any effect on him. A higher setting may kill him.
Picard: Listen to that. He sounds very angry, really, really aggressive. What do you think he wants? Do you think he's responding to some predatory instinct? Do you think he see us as prey?
Data: There are crewmembers in the corridors and other sections of the ship. It would be much easier for him to capture and consume one of them, than to attempt to break through a door.
Picard: Then what does he want? Predators use vocalizations to frighten other predators and to mark territory, and to commence mating process. A mating process. Counselor Troi was bitten by a Klingon but not in a place that might be life-threatening. Nowhere near a major artery or organ. Data, look at this. Look at this injury. This wound was never intended to give her any kind of serious harm.
Data: Captain, what are you suggesting?
Picard: Is it possible that Worf could see Counselor Troi as his mate?
Data: If that is true, he must be trying to reach her now.
Picard: Well, we can't just leave. We have to stay here and protect her. And we have to keep on working on the retrovirus. If we could distract him, if we could lure him away from her.
Data: The mating instinct is quite strong in Klingon biology. I am not certain what would be an effective lure.
Picard: Klingons have got a very powerful sense of smell. If we could duplicate Deanna's pheromones and then convince him she's no longer in Sickbay, that she'd gone into some other part of the ship.
Data: I am extracting a blood sample from one of her sebaceous glands, where the pheromones are produced. I believe I can activate the pheromones with a bioactivant solution.
Picard: Can you amplify the pheromones? They need to be much more powerful than Deanna's actual scent.
Data: I believe this will produce the desired effect. I will use it to draw Worf to a another part of the ship.
Picard: No, no, no. You must go on working on the retrovirus. I'll go.
Data: Captain, that is extremely unwise. Worf may be much faster than
Picard: No time. No time to argue.
Picard: Deck seventeen. Deck seventeen!
Data: Computer, display progress of genetic re-sequencing.
Computer: Genetic re-sequencing in progress. DNA to seventy percent normal.
Data: Computer, increase nucleotide substitution by thirty two percent.
Data: Data to Captain Picard.
Picard: Go ahead, Data.
Data: The retro virus is working, sir.
Data: I can release it into the ship's atmosphere in a gaseous state.
Data: However it will take some time to take effect.
Picard: Acknowledged.
Data: Are you all right, sir?
Picard: Yes, I'm
Picard: Fine, Mister Data. Proceed. Well, Mister Worf, let's hope that when you wake up, you're a new man.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. Commander Data has succeeded in returning the crew to normal. Doctor Crusher has determined that the synthetic T-cell she used to cure Mister Barclay's Urodelan flu initiated the intron virus which swept through the ship.
Barclay: So, this is my fault?
Crusher: No. In a way it's mine. I didn't realize it at the time, but there's an anomaly in your genetic chemistry that caused the synthetic T-cell to mutate. Instead of activating one dormant gene, it started activating all of them, including your introns.
Barclay: And that's what er, and that's what caused me to devolve?
Crusher: You and every other member of the crew. The T-cell became airborne and started to spread like a virus. You know, Reg, this is a completely new disease, and it's traditional to classify a new disease with the name of the first diagnosed patient.
Barclay: Oh! You mean you want to name the disease after me?
Crusher: That's right. How about Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome?
Barclay: Barclay's Protomorphosis. It has a nice ring to it. Thank you, Doctor.
Crusher: He transformed into a spider and now he has a disease named after him.
Troi: I think I'd better clear my calendar for the next few weeks.


Picard: Captain's log, stardate 47751.2. The Enterprise has arrived at Starbase three one zero for a meeting with Fleet Admiral Necheyev. This visit will also give us the opportunity to pick up a member of the family.
Crusher: Here you are, your very own quarters. They're as far away from mine as possible, so you don't even have to see me if you don't want to.
Wesley: Mom, you know that's not why I asked for my own quarters this time.
Crusher: You don't have to explain. There comes a time in a young man's life when he doesn't want to stay with his poor senile mother. I understand.
Wesley: I'll come visit you in the old Doctor's Home every Sunday.
Wesley: Come in.
Laforge: So, is there a runaway cadet in here?
Data: If so, we may have to call Security.
Laforge: Welcome back, Wes.
Wesley: Thanks.
Laforge: So, how's life at the Academy?
Wesley: It's great. It's great but it's good to have a break.
Data: I was of course not serious about calling Security. It was a joke.
Wesley: I got it, Data.
Laforge: So, are you just going to lounge while we all have work to do around here?
Wesley: I'm sure I can find some time to help you, sir.
Laforge: Wes, enjoy your vacation. I'm sure you've earned it.
Wesley: Thanks.
Crusher: Well, I think we'd better let you settle in.
Laforge: Yeah, that's a good idea. Say, Wes, don't sleep your whole vacation away, all right?
Data: Goodbye, Wes.
Crusher: It's good to have you home, son.
Wesley: Thanks, Mom.
Crusher: Really.
Riker: Admiral Necheyev has just beamed aboard. She's being escorted right here.
Picard: Good.
Riker: Earl Gray tea, watercress sandwiches and Bularian canapés. Are you up for a promotion?
Picard: I am trying to establish a new relationship with the Admiral. There has been a certain amount of tension between us in the past.
Riker: Tension is hardly the word I'd use.
Picard: Well, I am trying to get things off on a better note this time. I want to make her feel at ease. I want her to feel that she's welcome aboard the Enterprise.
Riker: Is there any reason she shouldn't feel welcome here?
Picard: We don't have to like her, Will, but we have to follow her orders, and maintaining this atmosphere of confrontation serves no purpose.
Picard: Admiral Necheyev, welcome aboard the Enterprise.
Necheyev: Thank you. You may leave, Commander Riker.
Riker: Thank you, Admiral. Captain.
Picard: May I offer you some refreshment?
Necheyev: I'll come right to the point, Captain. There is a situation that's developed on the Cardassian border that. Are those Bularian canapés?
Picard: As a matter of fact, they are. I spoke with your aide, Commander Wrightwell, and he said that you were particularly fond of them.
Necheyev: That was very thoughtful, Captain. Thank you.
Picard: Please. You were saying about the Cardassians?
Necheyev: Yes. The Federation has just completed a very long and drawn-out series of negotiations regarding the final status of our border with the Cardassians. These will be the official boundaries.
Picard: I see.
Necheyev: You'll notice a demilitarized zone has also been created along the border. Neither side will be permitted to place military outposts, conduct fleet exercises, or station warships anywhere in the demilitarized area.
Picard: This border places several Federation colonies in Cardassian territory and some Cardassian colonies in ours.
Necheyev: This agreement is far from perfect. Neither side got everything they wanted, but every side got something. And as someone once said, diplomacy is the art of the possible. Those colonies finding themselves on the wrong side of the border will have to be moved.
Picard: Well, the colonists are not going to be happy about that. Some of them have been there for decades.
Necheyev: It won't be easy, but it's a reasonable price to pay for peace. Your mission will be to evacuate the colony on Dorvan Five.
Picard: Dorvan Five? Isn't that where the group of North American Indians settled?
Necheyev: Yes. They've been there for about twenty years. They've established a village in a small valley on the southern continent. Is something wrong?
Picard: Admiral, centuries ago these North American Indians were forcibly displaced from their ancestral lands. These settlers on Dorvan Five originally left Earth more than two hundred years ago in order to preserve their cultural identities.
Necheyev: I am aware of that, Captain.
Picard: You see, Admiral, there are some very disturbing historical parallels here. Once more, they're being asked to leave their homes because of a political decision that has been taken by a distant government.
Necheyev: An Indian representative was included in the deliberations of the Federation Council. His objections were noted, discussed, but ultimately rejected. Captain, the Indians on Dorvan are a nomadic group that have settled there only twenty years ago, and at that time they were warned that the planet was hotly disputed by the Cardassians. The bottom line is they never should have gone there in the first place.
Picard: Granted, but to go to them now after twenty years later and ask them to leave what is now their home.
Necheyev: I made that same argument with the Federation Council. But it took three years to negotiate this treaty. Some concessions had to be made, and this is one of them.
Picard: What if these Indians refuse to be evacuated?
Necheyev: Then your orders will be to remove them by whatever means are necessary. I understand your moral objections, Captain. If you wish, I can find someone else to command the Enterprise for this mission.
Picard: That will not be necessary, Admiral.
Necheyev: I don't envy you this task, but I do believe it is for the greater good.
Picard: I understand.
Necheyev: And Captain, thank you for making me feel welcome.
Picard: You will always be welcome aboard this ship, Admiral.
Laforge: Thanks, Ensign. Hey, Wes! There you are. Come here for a second. I've got something I want to show you. Come on, come on. You've got to take a look at this. Now, remember how we always used to talk about improving quantum efficiency by creating a new plasmadyne relay? Well, take a look at this.
Wesley: You've only got one microfusion interrelay in there? Your converter interface'll never hold up.
Laforge: Hey, I ran these diagnostics myself. This little baby will withstand over five hundred Cochranes of warp field stress.
Wesley: I don't think so. You better put a secondary phase inverter in there. Look at your subprocessor matrix. It needs an overhaul.
Laforge: Well, that may be your opinion, Cadet, but I stand by my work.
Wesley: Read the latest paper from Doctor Vassbinder. He has brilliant new theories on warp propulsion inter-relays. He's say all this stuff is obsolete.
Laforge: I don't know what's gotten into you, Wes.
Wesley: Look, do you want my help or not?
Laforge: With this kind of an attitude, absolutely not. You're dismissed.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. The Enterprise has arrived at Dorvan Five and I have spoken to the Leader of the Tribal Council. He has agreed to meet with us this afternoon to discuss the situation.
Picard: Anthwara, there's very little I can do. The decision about this planet was made at the very highest level of Starfleet.
Wakasa: Do you know how long we have searched for a home? Almost two hundred years. Then we found this world. Can you blame us for not wanting to give it up?
Picard: I understand and I respect your people's long journey, but I believe that I can help you to find a new home.
Troi: As you can see, there are three other planets in this sector that have environmental conditions similar to those here on Dorvan Five. They're all uninhabited and could be colonized immediately.
Picard: And if none of these worlds meet with your approval, then we'll find you other choices.
Anthwara: You do not understand, Captain. The choice of this world was not only because of environmental conditions. There were other more intangible concerns as well. When I came here twenty years ago, I was welcomed by the mountains, the rivers, the sky.
Wakasa: Anthwara, he's laughing at you. He thinks you're talking about old superstition and nonsense.
Picard: This is not true. I have the deepest deal of respect for your beliefs and the meaning that they hold for your people.
Anthwara: Then you can respect the fact that this planet holds a deep spiritual significance for us. It has taken us two centuries to find this place. We do not want to spend another two hundred years searching for what we already have.
Troi: Captain, I suggest we adjourn. Allow us all time to think about what's been said.
Anthwara: Agreed. We will reconvene tomorrow.
Picard: And in the meantime, I would like to invite you all to join us this evening on the Enterprise.
Anthwara: Thank you. We look forward to it.
Crusher: Ever since you've come on board you've been moody, sullen and rude. What's going on?
Wesley: Nothing. I just want to be left alone.
Crusher: That incident in Engineering was inexcusable.
Wesley: That is my business. I don't need you telling me how to behave.
Crusher: I shouldn't have to. You're a fourth year Starfleet cadet. You should have a certain level of maturity.
Wesley: Maybe I am sick of following rules and regulations. Maybe I am sick of living up to everyone else's expectations. Did you ever think of that?
Picard: I have been fascinated looking into the history and traditions of your people, and I was very interested to learn that your grandfather, Katowa, was the man who first led the group of Indians from Earth initially more than two hundred years ago.
Anthwara: There was great deal of opposition. Even my own father was against it. But when Katowa made his decision, it was final. My father never said another word.
Picard: It's never easy to leave one's home, the safe and the familiar. But there are times when the greater good demands that certain sacrifices are made. I'm sure that was something that your grandfather understood.
Anthwara: So does his grandson. There are also times when a people sacrificed too much. When a people must hold on to what we have, even against overwhelming opposition. What do you know about your family, Captain?
Picard: Well, a great deal actually. My father was a strong believer in passing on the traditions and history of the family.
Anthwara: I would like to know more about your family. We have very strong ties to our ancestors. We believe their actions guide us even now. Knowing more about your family might help me to better understand you. Besides, it is always good to understand one's adversary in any negotiation.
Picard: I hope that by the end of this matter, you will no longer look at me as an adversary. My family. Well, our roots in Western Europe go back to the time of Charlemagne.
Wesley: I'm sorry I'm late.
Crusher: We'll talk about it later.
Lakanta: Wesley Crusher?
Wesley: Yes?
Lakanta: I am Lakanta.
Wesley: It's nice to meet you. Can I get you a drink or something.
Lakanta: I have known that you were coming to us for the past two years. Two years ago, I went into the Habak and began a vision quest. While I was there I saw many things, talked to many animals, many spirits. And I saw you.
Wesley: I don't think I understand.
Lakanta: I know why you came to us, Wesley. To find the answers that you seek.
Crusher: I just don't know what to do, Jean-Luc. It's as if somebody took my son away and left this stranger in his place.
Picard: But in a sense, that's exactly what happened. Wesley left the Enterprise three years ago he was a boy, and now he's returned a young man. And that can't be easy for a mother or a son.
Crusher: It's gone beyond just the two of us.
Picard: Yes, I heard about the incident with Geordi.
Crusher: Have you heard what happened at the Academy? I called Admiral Brand today. She said his grades are dropping, that he's becoming remote and defensive. If he's not careful, he's going to wash out next term. Maybe you should talk to him, Jean-Luc. Maybe it's the kind of thing a boy, a man needs to discuss with another man.
Picard: I don't think he wants either of us to talk to him right now.
Crusher: But he needs out help.
Picard: Beverly, he's got to want that help. If he doesn't, then any efforts on our part can only push him further away. He's got to work this out for himself.
Wesley: How long have you been watching me?
Lakanta: Since you beamed down.
Wesley: Well, I'm here. What should I do?
Lakanta: I don't know.
Wesley: I thought you were going to help me find some answers.
Lakanta: Answers to your questions.
Wesley: Tell me about this Habak. You said you had some kind of a vision there?
Lakanta: The Habak is holy to us. We hold our rituals and our ceremonies there. It's sacred to us. What's sacred to you, Wesley?
Wesley: I don't know. I mean, I think a lot of things are important, I have a lot of respect for things. But I don't really consider anything sacred.
Lakanta: Look around us. What do you think is sacred to us here?
Wesley: Maybe the necklace you're wearing? The designs on the walls?
Lakanta: Everything is sacred to us. The buildings, the food, the sky, the dirt beneath your feet. And you. Whether you believe in your spirit or not, we believe in it. You are a sacred person here, Wesley.
Wesley: I think that's the first time anyone's used that particular word to describe me.
Lakanta: So, if you are sacred, then you must treat yourself with respect. To do otherwise is to desecrate something that is holy.
Wesley: Is that what you think I've been doing?
Lakanta: Only you can decide that.
Wesley: I guess I haven't had a lot of respect for myself lately.
Lakanta: Then perhaps it's time for your own vision quest to begin.
Picard: Anthwara, I deeply regret that we have not been able to reach an agreement. But, and I must be blunt, I cannot take no for an answer. This planet will be handed over to the Cardassian government in accordance with the terms of the border agreement. I am very sorry, but you will have to leave.
Wakasa: And if we do not?
Picard: Then I will be forced to remove you by whatever means are necessary.
Anthwara: We know you will not take us from this land, Captain.
Picard: I may regret doing it, but I am not able
Anthwara: When you first came to us, we did not know why you were sent by the Federation but we knew there must be a good reason. To us, nothing that happens is truly random. So we searched for the true reason you were sent. We did not find it until last night. Are you familiar with the Pueblo Revolt of sixteen eighty?
Troi: I am. Several Indian tribes rose up to overthrow their Spanish overlords and drove them out of what is now called New Mexico.
Anthwara: Ten years later, the Spanish returned to reconquer the area. They were brutal. I would use the word savage. They killed hundreds of our people. Thousands more were maimed. The name of one of the soldiers was Javier Maribona-Picard. Your ancestor.
Picard: I'm not aware of this incident or of the man you named, and this happened seven hundred years ago. I do not see what bearing it can have
Anthwara: That is why you have come to us, to erase a stain of blood worn by your family for twenty three generations.
Picard: Mister Worf, what is going on?
Worf: We have unwelcome visitors, sir.
Picard: I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise.
Gul Evek: I am Gul Evek. What are all these people still doing here? The evacuation should be well underway by now.
Picard: May I have a word with you, alone?
Gul Evek: As you wish. Wait here.
Picard: It was my understanding that there would be no Cardassian presence here for another six weeks. Your arrival here may have upset some very delicate negotiations.
Gul Evek: Negotiations? The status of this planet has been settled. What are you negotiating?
Picard: I would be very happy to explain that to you, but for now I must ask you and your men to leave immediately.
Gul Evek: Captain, we have been sent here to perform a preliminary survey of all the buildings and equipment being left behind. I have no intention of leaving until our mission is complete.
Picard: Very well. Complete your mission. But remember, this is Federation territory, Gul Evek, and until that changes, these people are under my jurisdiction and I will protect them.
Gul Evek: Is that a threat?
Picard: It's a fact. Bear that in mind while you conduct your survey.
Lakanta: This is the Habak, the focal point of our lives. Strangers are not welcome here.
Wesley: When I asked to come here, you said it would be
Lakanta: You're not a stranger. I told you, I've seen you here before.
Wesley: What are those figures?
Lakanta: They are Mansara. Dolls that represent the different spirits that come to this place.
Wesley: This one looks like a Klingon.
Lakanta: Yes. Our culture is rooted in the past, but it's not limited to the past.
Lakanta: The spirits of the Klingon, the Vulcan, the Ferengi come to us just as the bear and the coyote and the parrot. There's no difference.
Wesley: What should I do?
Lakanta: Start the fire. Then sit and wait.
Wesley: What am I waiting for?
Lakanta: This is your journey, Wesley. I can open the door, but only you can go through it.
Picard: Admiral, the Indian Councils is adamant. They refuse to leave Dorvan Five.
Necheyev: Is there any indication that the Tribal Council will change their position in the near future?
Picard: No, sir.
Necheyev: Then I see no other choice.
Picard: Admiral, I have every reason to believe that they will resist any attempt to remove them. I strongly urge you to request an emergency session of the Federation Council. The issue of Dorvan Five must be reopened.
Necheyev: Captain, I made that request two days ago. The answer was no. I'm sorry but you have your orders. Starfleet out.
Riker: So much for your reprieve from Starfleet.
Picard: Anthwara believes that I am responsible for the crimes of one of my ancestors against his people.
Riker: Do you believe that?
Picard: No, of course not. I respect his belief, but I do not see how it can have any bearing on this mission. But even so, I can't help wondering if a dark chapter in my family's history is about to be repeated. If those people take up arms against us, then I cannot foresee the consequences. Mister Worf, will you come in here for a moment?
Worf: Aye, sir.
Picard: Mister Worf, will you begin preparations to remove the inhabitants from Dorvan Five.
Worf: Aye, sir.
Jack: Wesley.
Wesley: Dad?
Jack: You've reached the end, Wesley.
Wesley: The end of what?
Jack: This journey. The one you started a long time ago, when I left you and your mother.
Wesley: You mean when you died.
Jack: You set out on a journey that wasn't your own. Now it's time to find a path that is truly yours. Don't follow me any further.
Wesley: I don't understand.
Jack: Yes, you do. It's just hard for you to accept. Goodbye, Wesley, and good luck.
Wesley: Dad, wait!
Worf: Mister Crusher. Are you all right?
Wesley: Yeah, Worf, I'm fine.
Worf: Lay out a confinement beam trace along the southeastern side of the village. Be diskreet. We do not wish to alarm these people.
Security: Yes, sir.
Wesley: Worf, what are you doing?
Worf: We are laying out transporter coordinates for a security perimeter. It may be necessary to remove these people by force.
Wesley: Worf, we can't do this. These people deserve better than to be removed from their homes.
Worf: I understand, but now is not the time or the place to
Wesley: Do you know what they're trying to do? They're preparing to beam you away and take you to their ship. You're not going to let them do that, are you?
Wakasa: No, we won't. Leave now.
Picard: Inexcusable. You defied the orders of the ranking officer on the scene. You put the lives of the entire away team in jeopardy, and you made an already tense situation worse. Your actions reflect very badly on this ship and on that uniform. Now, I want an explanation, Mister Crusher, and I want it now.
Wesley: What you're doing down there is wrong. These people are not some random group of colonists. They're a unique culture with a history that predates the Federation and Starfleet.
Picard: That does not alter the fact that my orders are to
Wesley: I know Admiral Necheyev gave you an order, and she was given an order from the Federation Council. But it's still wrong.
Picard: That decision is not yours to make, Cadet. I don't know what has got into you lately, and frankly right now I don't care. But I will tell you this. While you wear that uniform, you will obey every order you're given and you will conform to Starfleet regulations and rules of conduct. Is that clear?
Wesley: Yes, sir, it is. But I won't be wearing this uniform any longer. I'm resigning from the Academy.
Riker: Riker to Captain.
Picard: Go ahead, Number One.
Riker: Gul Evek wants to meet with you to discuss the situation on the surface.
Picard: Let him come aboard. I'll see him in here.
Riker: Aye, sir.
Crusher: Why are you doing this?
Wesley: I told you, Starfleet isn't for me.
Crusher: Look, I may not be able to stop you from throwing away your entire life, but you are going to stand here and explain it to me first. You owe me that much.
Wesley: I saw Dad today. He told me not to follow him.
Crusher: You what?
Wesley: I was participating in an Indian ritual and I had a vision. Dad came to me and told me not to follow him. He said I had to find my own path.
Crusher: Is that what this is all about? A vision told you to leave the Academy and now you're packing your bags?
Wesley: No. No, it's more than that. I've known I've needed to do this for a long time. I just haven't been able to admit it to myself.
Crusher: But you always said that being at the Academy was the best thing that ever happened to you.
Wesley: I know. For a while it was. But as time went on and graduation got closer, I started feeling really depressed. I thought maybe it was the workload or the stress of being away from home, but it didn't go away. It just got worse.
Crusher: Why didn't you ever say anything?
Wesley: I didn't want to disappoint you or Captain Picard or my friends. You guys were all so proud of me.
Crusher: I'd be proud of you no matter what you were doing, Wesley. I love you.
Wesley: I know, Mom. I guess the truth is that I was afraid of disappointing myself. I never questioned the fact that I'd be in Starfleet. But when Dad said not to follow him, it just made so much sense. Everything is so clear now.
Crusher: Maybe it is partly my fault. We didn't realized the kind of pressure we were putting on you to be exactly what we expected you to be
Wesley: I don't blame you at all. It is my decision. It always has been.
Crusher: You know that alien from Tau Ceti, the one who could control warp fields with his mind?
Wesley: The Traveler.
Crusher: He told Captain Picard a long time ago that you were very special, like Mozart, and that you were destined for something quite different from the rest of us. Maybe this is the first step. I love you.
Wesley: I love you too, Mom.
Wakasa: You shouldn't be here, Wesley.
Wesley: Why?
Indian: Get down.
Wakasa: Bring them over here.
Worf: Why have you taken these men prisoner?
Wakasa: This is not their world. They have no right to be here.
Worf: The terms of the treaty gives them the right to survey this planet.
Wakasa: We don't recognize that treaty.
Worf: Worf to Picard. An armed group of Indians has taken two Cardassian prisoners. The situation is extremely volatile.
Worf: Request instructions.
Picard: Stand by, Mister Worf. Have your ship lock on to your people and beam them out of there before something happens.
Gul Evek: My people? What about these Indians of yours? They've taken hostages. This is our planet, Captain. We will not be chased away by some unruly crowd. Gul Evek to the Vetar.
Telak: This is Glin Telak aboard the Vetar. Go ahead.
Gul Evek: Two of our men on the surface have been taken prisoner. Prepare to send an armed squad of troopers to rescue them and to occupy the village.
Picard: Gul Evek, those people are Federation citizens and I am sworn to protect them. If your troops attack that village, my security forces will respond.
Gul Evek: I hope you realize the consequences of Federation officers firing on Cardassian troops.
Picard: Oh, yes, I do. That is why we must to stop this now, before it's too late.
Worf: I cannot allow you to hold these men as prisoners.
Wakasa: You have no authority here.
Wesley: No!
Wesley: What happened? Did you do this?
Lakanta: I didn't do anything. You did.
Wesley: I did?
Lakanta: You pulled yourself out of their time. You took the first step, Wesley.
Wesley: My first step to where?
Lakanta: To another plane of existence, another way of thinking.
Wesley: I don't understand.
Lakanta: You've found a new beginning for yourself. The first step on a journey that few humans will ever take.
Wesley: Who are you? The Traveler.
Traveller: I've been waiting a long time for this moment, Wesley.
Wesley: So all those things I saw in the Habak, my father, and the things he said to me, that was your doing?
Traveller: I merely opened the door for you. What you experienced came from your own mind, your own spirit if you wish. I hoped that you would open your mind to new possibilities, and you did. You pulled yourself out of time, don't you see? You've evolved to a new level you're ready to explore places where thought and energy combine in ways you can't even imagine. And I will be your guide, if you would like.
Wesley: What about them? I can't just leave them like this.
Traveller: They must find their own destinies, Wesley. It's not our place to interfere.
Wesley: But
Traveller: Have faith in their abilities to solve their problems on their own.
Riker: The Cardassian ship is powering its weapons and it's transporters.
Telak: This is the Vetar to Gul Evek. Our troops are under attack. They're requesting immediate assistance. What are your orders?
Picard: Evek, the last war caused massive destruction and cost millions of lives. Don't send our two peoples back down that same path again. Not like this. Now the future lies in your hands right now. Give us one last chance for peace.
Telak: Gul Evek! What are your orders? Can we open fire?
Gul Evek: Evek to the Vetar. Lock on to our troops on the surface and beam them aboard.
Telak: But, sir, they've been fired upon.
Gul Evek: Those are my orders! Carry them out.
Telak: Yes, sir.
Picard: Beam up the away team immediately.
Crewman: Aye, sir.
Gul Evek: I lost two of three sons in the war, Captain. I don't want to lose the last one.
Picard: Anthwara, I want to make absolutely sure that you understand the implications of this agreement. By giving up your status as Federation citizens, any future request you or your people make to Starfleet will go unanswered. You will be on your own and under Cardassian jurisdiction.
Anthwara: I understand, Captain. And we are prepared to take that risk. Will the Cardassian government honor your agreement here?
Gul Evek: I believe I can convince them that this is an equitable solution. I cannot speak for every Cardassian you may encounter, but if you leave us alone I suspect that we will do the same. Will this be acceptable to the Starfleet Command?
Picard: It will not be easy, but with Admiral Necheyev's support, I think they will go along with it in the end.
Gul Evek: Then if there's nothing else, I will return to my ship. I have a rather long report to write. Captain. Anthwara.
Anthwara: I was right, Captain. You did not take us from our land and you have wiped clean a very old stain of blood.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 47755.3. The Enterprise is preparing to leave Dorvan Five, but former cadet Wesley Crusher will be staying behind.
Picard: Where will you go?
Wesley: The Traveler said that my studies would begin with these people. He said that they're aware of many things. I can learn a lot from them. That's just what I need. More studying.
Crusher: Somehow I think you'll manage.
Wesley: Me, too.
Picard: Well good luck, Mister. Good luck, Wesley.
Wesley: Thank you. For a lot of things.
Crusher: Now you be sure and dress warmly on those other planes of existence.
Wesley: I will. Bye, Mom.
Crusher: Goodbye.
Picard: Energize.