Scene: Chief Medical Officer's log, Stardate 44161.2. We are docking at Starbase one three three for scheduled crew rotation. I look forward to welcoming aboard my mentor, and dear friend, Doctor Dalen Quaice, who will be traveling with us to his home planet, Kenda Two.
Crusher: Dalen!
Quaice: It's good to see you again, Beverly.
Crusher: You look wonderful.
Quaice: A lie I can live with. It's kind of your captain to ferry me home.
Crusher: It's on our way. Thanks, O'Brien.
O'Brien: My pleasure, Doctor.
Crusher: Dalen, I'm sorry to hear about Patricia.
Quaice: She'd been ill for some time.
Crusher: Is her death the reason you're giving up your post here?
Quaice: We had a lifetime together, doing all the things we'd ever dreamed, and more. But when she was gone, I couldn't continue to work in that office, sleep in that bed without her. The absence of her was too distracting. I'm not sure that I'm making any sense.
Crusher: Jack and I didn't have a lifetime together, only a few short years, but I understand. When you realize someone you love is lost forever
Quaice: You know what the worst part of growing old is? So many of the people you've known all your life are gone and you realize you didn't take the time to appreciate them while you still could. Oh, I'm sorry. There was no reason to heap all this emotional baggage on you. I usually travel light.
Laforge: Wes, time for the experiment is over. I want my warp engines back now.
Wesley: Almost done, Commander.
Laforge: Almost isn't good enough. You want to be the one to explain when the Captain says 'Engage' and we just sit here?
Wesley: I just need a couple more minutes. I'm ready to try the new warp field. Mom?
Crusher: Don't let me interrupt.
Laforge: Wesley!
Wesley: Right! Okay!
Laforge: Computer, level two diagnostic on warp drive systems.
Computer: Antimatter containment positive. Warp drive within normal parameters.
Laforge: Wesley, talk to me.
Wesley: That shouldn't have happened. Why would there be any visible phenomena outside the drive?
Riker: Prepare for umbilical disconnect.
Laforge: Are you done?
Wesley: Yeah. Mom?
Riker: Clear all moorings. Engineering, aft thrusters.
Laforge: Aft thrusters, aye. Impulse power to the helm.
Crusher: Dalen? Dalen, it's Beverly.
Crusher: Computer, current location of Doctor Dalen Quaice.
Computer: There is no Doctor Dalen Quaice aboard the Enterprise.
Crusher: Come.
Crusher: Lieutenant Worf, yesterday, before we left starbase, an old friend of mine came onboard. Doctor Dalen Quaice. I requested quarters for him. He was assigned here.
Worf: I was not aware of this passenger.
Crusher: I'm sorry. I thought it was standard procedure for you to be notified after Captain Picard approved passage.
Worf: It is. Please proceed.
Crusher: We were to meet for breakfast, but I can't seem to find him or his belongings.
Worf: Computer, where is Doctor Dalen Quaice?
Computer: There is no Doctor Dalen Quaice aboard the Enterprise.
Crusher: Lieutenant, Doctor Quaice is very old and rather frail. If he fell somewhere, if his communicator were damaged.
Worf: I will order a search immediately.
Crusher: Thank you.
Worf: Even if Doctor Quaice had been injured, why would his belongings be missing?
Worf: Sir, I have several teams conducting a deck by deck search. It is not yet complete.
Data: I have scanned the entire ship, Captain. Other than the Enterprise's regular complement, I can find no one else onboard.
Crusher: Your sensors wouldn't detect him if he were dead.
Data: That is correct, Doctor.
Picard: Could your friend have returned to the starbase without telling you? An emergency of some sort?
Crusher: There were a lot of people going back and forth between the ship and the starbase yesterday.
Data: We can easily check the transporter ID traces.
Picard: By all means check the trace log. But even if the results are negative, contact Starbase Command. We should leave nothing to chance.
Data: Aye, sir.
Picard: One moment, Doctor. I'm sure you are aware of the procedure involving passengers.
Crusher: Of course. I don't know why Lieutenant Worf wasn't told about Doctor Quaice.
Picard: I was not informed either.
Crusher: But I sent in a request weeks ago.
Picard: Then it must have been intercepted before it reached me.
Crusher: And someone else sent the approval? Why?
Picard: Doctor Quaice had been stationed at the starbase for some time?
Crusher: Six years.
Picard: Perhaps it would be prudent to find out if he'd acquired any enemies there.
Riker: Course laid in for Durenia Four, sir.
Picard: Thank you, Number One. Mister Data?
Data: Sir, Starbase one three three has no record at all of a Doctor Dalen Quaice.
Picard: You said he was stationed there for six years.
Data: Not according to their computer. I have also accessed Starfleet records. There is no doctor currently serving in Starfleet named Quaice. In fact, I can find no service record whatsoever. There are no birth records with that name. I find no
Crusher: Data, I interned with him on Delos Four. I've known him for fifteen years.
Data: I do not doubt you, Doctor, but I have tried one hundred seventy three phonetic variations of the name, and I
Crusher: His name is Dalen Quaice. Q U A I C E. Whatever your records say, they're wrong.
Picard: Mister Worf?
Worf: We have completed our search, Captain. We cannot locate Doctor Quaice.
Riker: You're not alone.
Crusher: He was on board. I met him myself in Transporter room three.
Picard: Then it appears, for reasons unknown, someone has gone to great pains to erase all traces of this man.
Riker: Who was on transporter duty when he came aboard?
O'Brien: Doctor Quaice? Was he part of the regular crew rotation?
Riker: No. He's a friend of Doctor Crusher's.
O'Brien: When did he arrive?
Crusher: Yesterday at sixteen hundred hours.
O'Brien: That was my watch. I beamed this man onboard?
Crusher: Yes. I was here to greet him. An elderly man, not in the best of health.
O'Brien: I'm sorry. I remember you were here for a short while, but you were alone.
Crusher: Was he invisible? Did I carry on a conversation with thin air?
O'Brien: No, Doctor. As I recall, you came in and you looked around for a few moments. I asked you if I could help you with anything. All you said was 'Thank you.' I said, 'My pleasure,' or something, and that was the end of it. There was no one else here.
Crusher: I can't believe that Chief O'Brien might be lying.
Riker: He believes what he says. And there is no trace imprint for Doctor Quaice.
Crusher: Will, I didn't conjure up one of my best friends from a test tube.
Riker: If the ship's records have been tampered with, then transporter records could have been changed as well.
Crusher: And with everybody coming and going yesterday, maybe O'Brien just doesn't remember, or
Riker: Or?
Crusher: It might be a good idea to run a diagnostic on him.
Riker: To make sure he wasn't tampered with?
Crusher: What do you think?
Riker: It's worth a try. I'll check the replicator activity logs. Eighteen hours is a long time to go without food. Or without someone seeing him.
Crusher: Chief, this examination should only take a few minutes.
O'Brien: But I feel fine.
Crusher: Sit down.
O'Brien: Doctor, it's no use checking my eyesight. I didn't see your friend.
Crusher: I'll be a little more comprehensive than that, Chief. Doctor Crusher to Doctor Hill. Respond, please. Doctor Selar, your present location? Computer, current whereabouts of Doctors Hill and Selar.
Computer: There is no Doctor Hill or Doctor Selar aboard the Enterprise.
Crusher: Doctors Hill and Selar, and four other members of my medical staff have all vanished. All record of their ever having been on the Enterprise has been excised from the computer's memory.
Picard: Did they come aboard with Doctor Quaice?
Crusher: No. They've been on board for months. But my two duty nurses don't remember them. Their families don't even remember them.
Picard: As O'Brien didn't remember Doctor Quaice.
Crusher: I checked O'Brien thoroughly. I found no physiological abnormalities.
Wesley: Crusher to Captain Picard.
Picard: Go ahead, Ensign.
Wesley: I'm in Engineering, sir.
Wesley: There's something down here I think you'd better see. It may be connected to Doctor Quaice's disappearance.
Picard: On my way.
Picard: Progress, Number One?
Riker: No one's seen him. The replicator in his quarters has not been used.
Picard: Mister Worf, check hull and shield integrity for any sign of intruders.
Worf: Yes, sir, but I have been closely monitoring all on-board sensors. There has been no indication that any
Picard: Then give me a Level One diagnostic of any onboard sensors, and run a manual sweep of any anomalous airborne or electromagnetic readings. I want some answers.
Wesley: I've been experimenting with Kosinski's warp field equations, trying to improve engine efficiency.
Picard: I've read your reports.
Laforge: We did a test run while we were still at the starbase. Here's what the computer recorded.
Wesley: This is the static warp field we created inside the warp drive. The experiment was designed to see if we could keep a bubble like this intact.
Laforge: As you'll see in a moment, we couldn't.
Laforge: There was a momentary flash of light. It was all over the spectrum.
Crusher: I remember that.
Picard: Are you suggesting that a bubble could have made Doctor Quaice disappear?
Wesley: If he were caught in it, yes, sir, it would seem to us like he'd disappeared.
Crusher: Where would he go?
Laforge: Who knows. He could even end up outside of our space time continuum.
Picard: Was Doctor Quaice in Engineering during your experiment?
Laforge: No, sir.
Picard: And the bubble never expanded beyond Engineering?
Wesley: No, sir.
Picard: Then how could it have trapped Doctor Quaice or the others?
Laforge: There are others missing?
Crusher: Yes, and they weren't anywhere near Engineering.
Wesley: It doesn't make sense.
Picard: I doubt the warp bubble could alter computer records, or erase memories. Keep at it, Ensign, Mister La Forge. It's our only working theory for now.
Picard: Has something else happened?
Crusher: Sickbay is totally empty. Apparently I no longer have any staff.
Riker: And that surprises you, Doctor?
Crusher: Surprises me? I'll say it surprises me. There should be at least four members of my staff on duty at all times.
Data: I am afraid ship's records do not concur. Doctor.
Crusher: What are you talking about?
Data: You do not have a staff.
Crusher: You're telling me I'm the sole medical officer on a ship with over a thousand people on board?
Data: Excuse me, Doctor, but the entire ship's complement is two hundred and thirty.
Crusher: What?
Picard: Doctor, may I see you in my Ready room?
Picard: Would you care for something? So, Beverly. Tea, Earl Gray, hot. You're saying this ship has lost nearly eight hundred of its personnel?
Crusher: I know how it sounds.
Picard: None of the scans show any anomalies. No signs of an intruder. Wesley's experiment clearly did not have the scope to affect an entire starship.
Crusher: Captain, the Enterprise is in serious danger. You must believe me.
Picard: I have no choice but to believe you. The safety of my entire crew is at stake, but I must be sure.
Crusher: That I haven't lost my mind? I just examined myself. And being the only doctor on board, I had to do it myself. There were no signs of dysfunction. Yes, there was an increased elevation of adrenalin, but I think is understandable.
Picard: Did you find anything that might suggest why you're apparently the only one among us unaffected by this, this phenomenon?
Crusher: No. I'll talk to Troi.
Picard: It wouldn't do any harm.
Crusher: Captain, please. Return this ship to Starbase one three three for a full diagnostic. I realize you have my word only to convince you.
Picard: Mister Riker?
Riker: Captain?
Picard: Set a course for a return to Starbase one three three immediately.
Riker: Aye, sir.
Picard: Your word has always been good enough for me.
Laforge: I've had a team in Sickbay for two hours. We've run the mass spectrometer on all particulates. We've scanned the EM spectrum in case there was a wave guide somehow leaking radiation. We've even crawled in the life support ductwork. Captain, I don't know what this vortex was that Doctor Crusher saw.
Crusher: I didn't just see it. I felt it. I barely escaped from it.
Laforge: Well, there's nothing there now. And no sign there ever was.
Picard: Is there any possible connection with Mister Crusher's experiment? Could this warp bubble be floating around the ship perhaps?
Laforge: No, sir. That bubble was definitely contained in Engineering. There's no way it could possibly have affected anything up on deck twelve.
Data: Sir, I have completed level one computer diagnostics. There are no malfunctions.
Riker: Any other ships respond to our queries, Data?
Data: The Wellington is the only Federation vessel in this sector. It reports normal operations. A Ferengi ship within communications range also reports nothing unusual.
Crusher: Are all members of the crew accounted for?
Data: Yes, Doctor.
Crusher: How many are there?
Data: There are one hundred and fourteen people on the Enterprise.
Crusher: What?
Data: That is the exact number there should be.
Crusher: There are now over nine hundred missing. Deck after deck of this ship is deserted now. How do you account for all the empty rooms? If there are supposed to be only a hundred and fourteen people on board, why all the extra space?
Data: Transportation of colonists, diplomatic missions, emergency evacuations.
Picard: Thank you, Mister Data. Have security confine all nonessential personnel to their quarters. Computer, go to Red Alert.
Crusher: I'd like Lieutenant Worf to program onboard sensors to monitor all personnel. If we can catch the exact moment someone disappears
Picard: I'm sorry, whom did you say?
Crusher: Worf. Chief of Security. The big guy who never smiles? The Klingon!
Crusher: Deanna. I need you to tell me if I've gone completely mad.
Troi: If you can ask the question, I'd say no.
Crusher: Don't evade the question.
Troi: Then ask me one I can answer.
Crusher: Deanna, I've delivered babies that no longer exist. No one else remembers them. Yet I can close my eyes, and see their faces as clearly as I see yours now. What if it's not some huge conspiracy? What if it is just me?
Troi: What if it is just you?
Crusher: Then I've delayed a mission, frightened a lot of people including myself.
Troi: So what? You've acted in the best interest of your ship and crew. What more could you ask of yourself? If it turns out to be a mistake, then we'll be a little late arriving at Durenia Four. That's all.
Crusher: It's not a mistake. I wish it were.
Troi: When we reach Starbase, I'll order a complete workup, both physical and psychological.
Crusher: If we reach Starbase. Wesley. Where's Wesley?
Crusher: Wesley?
Wesley: Mom? Are you all right?
Crusher: No. We may have very little time left. You don't believe me.
Wesley: Look, Mom, I don't know.
Crusher: I don't have time to convince you. Hundreds of people are missing and your experiment is the only possible explanation we have that we can work on right now.
Wesley: Well, there it is. I don't know what else to do with it.
Crusher: Then find someone who does, someone who knows something about warp bubbles.
Wesley: I've already talked to Kosinski on subspace, and he can't explain it either. And this is based on his equations. There is someone who may be able to help, but I can't reach him.
Crusher: Who?
Wesley: He was Kosinski's assistant. He was an alien from Tau Alpha C. He said he was some kind of Traveler. Somehow he combined warp technology and the energy from his own thoughts.
Crusher: Yes, I remember. Wesley, do you think it's possible that you've accidentally recreated something that he did? Something that could alter reality?
Wesley: I don't see how. He's the only one who could explain it to us. I sent a message to Tau Alpha C, but it's so far away, it could take days to get there.
Crusher: Maybe the Captain can help us. We've got to find him. Come on.
Wesley: I don't even know if he's still alive. He was very sick.
Crusher: Well, we can't stand around here doing nothing.
Crusher: It's a chance. We have to try to...
Crusher: Wesley.
Crusher: Wesley?
Crusher: They're all gone? Riker, Troi, Data? Wait a minute, let me guess. You never heard of any of them.
Picard: You know, Doctor, I have been more than fair. I have done everything I can to substantiate your, your perceptions of a
Crusher: Will Riker! Your First Officer. He's very good at playing poker, loves to cook, he listens to jazz music, plays the trombone.
Picard: I cannot find any evidence of a Will Riker.
Crusher: Commander Data, the android who sits at Ops, dreams of being human, never gets the punch line of a joke.
Picard: Doctor, we'll be arriving at Starbase one three three in a few hours.
Crusher: Deanna Troi, you ship's counselor, half Betazoid, loves chocolate. The arrival of her mother makes you shudder. O'Brien, Geordi, Worf, Wesley, my son. They all have been the living, breathing heart of this crew for over three years. They deserve more than to be shrugged off, brushed aside, just pinched out of existence like that. They all do. They deserve so much more.
Picard: Beverly, perhaps it would be best if you were to confine yourself to Sickbay until we arrive.
Crusher: It's all perfectly logical to you, isn't it? The two of us roaming about the galaxy in the flagship of the Federation. No crew at all.
Picard: We've never needed a crew before.
Crusher: I don't suppose you remember an alien from Tau Alpha C who was on board once? He called himself a Traveler. Jean-Luc, I don't know how, but you and I have got to find this Traveler, or another from his race. If anyone can help us
Picard: I give you my word. When we arrive at the Starbase, I will make every effort to find him.
Crusher: It's not a delusion. It is not a dream. There is a physical, measurable phenomenon at work here. Perhaps you could help me to identify it.
Picard: How?
Crusher: I'd like to use the ship's computer to monitor your life functions.
Picard: Until I disappear.
Crusher: It will happen.
Picard: All right. Computer, continuous scan, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, vital signs. Audible readout. Begin now.
Computer: Body temperature thirty seven point two degrees,
Crusher: I promise you I will continue to do whatever I can to find out what's happening, and to bring you all back. I'm sorry I lost my temper. You do remember that?
Picard: Vividly. But if I have forgotten my closest friends and comrades, as you say, I deserved every word.
Crusher: For quite some time I've been meaning to say something to you. I might not have another chance. Jean Luc, you and I
Crusher: I won't forget. I won't forget any of you.
Laforge: Wesley, have you got it? What's happening?
Wesley: I'm losing it!
Wesley: The link isn't holding, Commander.
Laforge: I'll go to the secondary equations.
Wesley: No. Look. I've lost it.
Laforge: Damn. I'm sorry, Wesley.
Wesley: It's over. There's no way we'll get her back now.
Traveller: It's not over, Wesley. There's still a way.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 44162.5. Two attempts to retrieve Doctor Crusher have failed. And now, the Traveler, a mysterious visitor from our past, has reappeared.
Picard: Is she alive?
Traveller: As long as she thinks she is alive, she is alive.
Riker: What the hell does that mean?
Traveller: Your species have very narrow perceptions of time and space and thought. When Beverly Crusher was caught in the static warp bubble, she created her own reality. Her thoughts at the precise moment she was trapped determined its shape and form.
Troi: Can you go in and get her back?
Traveller: No, it is her reality. I cannot enter it any more than I can enter her thoughts.
Wesley: But you said there's still a way.
Traveller: I can help, but I can't do it myself. Wesley, there is a power within each of us that most people haven't begun to realize, but you have begun, or else I would not have known to come here now. Together we may be able to open a gateway for her. But she must choose to walk through it.
Crusher: Computer, we are going to apply precise diagnostic methodology. Once we've cataloged the symptoms, we will proceed to determine the illness, and find the cure. We will start with the assumption that I am not crazy. If I am, it won't matter one way or the other. Computer, read the entire crew roster for the Enterprise.
Computer: Doctor Beverly Crusher.
Crusher: Have I always been the only member of the crew of the Starship Enterprise?
Computer: Affirmative.
Crusher: If this was a bad dream, would you tell me?
Computer: That is not a valid question.
Crusher: Like hell it's not.
Crusher: What date did I report on board?
Computer: Stardate 41154. Fourteen hundred hours, three minutes.
Crusher: That sounds about right. Computer, is there more than one USS Enterprise?
Computer: This vessel is the fifth starship to bear the name USS Enterprise. It is currently the only one in service.
Crusher: What is the primary mission of the Starship Enterprise?
Computer: To explore the galaxy.
Crusher: Do I have the necessary skills to complete that mission alone?
Computer: Negative.
Crusher: Then why am I the only crew member? Aha, got you there.
Computer: That information is not available.
Crusher: Computer, are you familiar with the inhabitants of Tau Alpha C?
Computer: Affirmative.
Crusher: Are any presently located on any starbase or vessel within communication distance?
Computer: Negative.
Crusher: Estimated time to Tau Alpha C at warp nine point five.
Computer: One hundred twenty three days.
Crusher: Lay in a new course for Tau Alpha C. And send a subspace message advising them of our arrival.
Computer: Acknowledged.
Crusher: Engage. Computer, did you change course?
Computer: State new destination or coordinates.
Crusher: I stated it, damn it. Tau Alpha C.
Computer: There is no Tau Alpha C listed on current star maps.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 44162.8. At the direction of the Traveler, the Enterprise is returning to Starbase one three three and the precise position where the subspace bubble was formed.
Traveller: Our goal will be to create a stable gateway between our reality and your mother's reality.
Wesley: We've tried. We can't stabilize the link.
Traveller: Of course not. The equations are only the first step. We will be going beyond mathematics.
Wesley: Just tell me what I have to do.
Traveller: Begin by letting go of your guilt, Wesley.
Wesley: It's my fault. I shouldn't have tried
Traveller: Focus on the present. You will have to be here completely to help her back. You must open yourself to time and space and the intricate threads that bind them. Begin entering your warp field equations. Now close your eyes. See past the numbers. Trust yourself.
Wesley: I can't. I can't do it.
Traveller: When the time comes, you will, Wesley. You will.
Crusher: Starbase one three three, this is the Enterprise. Starbase one three three, this is the Enterprise. Please acknowledge. Viewscreen on.
Crusher: It's not just people. Everything is disappearing! Computer, what is that mist I'm seeing?
Computer: Sensors indicate it to be a mass energy field seven hundred and five meters in diameter.
Crusher: It surrounds the ship?
Computer: Affirmative.
Crusher: If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe. Computer, what is beyond the mass energy field?
Computer: Sensors cannot penetrate the field.
Crusher: Here's a question you shouldn't be able to answer. What is the nature of the universe?
Computer: The universe is a spheroid region seven hundred and five meters in diameter.
Data: Captain, approaching Starbase one three three.
Picard: Slow to ten meters per second.
Riker: Mister La Forge, prepare for precision
Riker: Station keeping.
Laforge: Acknowledged. Readying thrusters.
Traveller: There. There it is. We're moving into phase now. There's your warp bubble, Wesley.
Wesley: What? What's wrong.
Traveller: It is collapsing.
Crusher: Computer, give me a graphic representation of the universe.
Crusher: I've seen this before. Wesley's experiment! The bubble. Of course. But that would mean that I'm the one trapped in the bubble.
Crusher: Computer, what's happening?
Computer: Explosive decompression decks five through fourteen. Sealing off forward sections.
Crusher: Cause?
Computer: A flaw in the ship's design.
Crusher: Show me. Analysis.
Computer: No ship's structures exist forward of bulkhead three four two.
Crusher: Superimpose previous image over this one, same scale, and continue to monitor.
Crusher: It's collapsing!
Computer: Hull integrity now compromised on decks three through fifteen.
Crusher: Computer, how long can life support be maintained?
Computer: Four minutes, seventeen seconds.
Data: Captain, we have re-established exact coordinates and attitude.
Riker: Geordi, we're in position. Your status?
Laforge: The warp bubble is contracting at a rate of
Laforge: Fifteen meters per second. We're going to lose it in about four minutes.
Traveller: It is time, Wesley.
Laforge: We're ready, Commander.
Riker: Proceed.
Picard: I'll be in Engineering.
Traveller: Let it go, Wesley. Let go of the anticipation, the expectations, the demands upon yourself. Let it all go. Leave it behind. Yes. The ability is there inside of you. You do not need to look for it.
Computer: Three minutes thirty seconds to life support failure.
Crusher: The Traveler used his thoughts to alter warp fields. Thoughts became reality. Now I'm in a warp field. Could my thoughts have changed this reality? Come on, Beverly! What's the next step? What was I thinking at the moment Wesley's bubble formed? Dalen Quaice. He said all the people he'd known were gone. I thought of Jack, I went to see Wesley, the flash in Engineering. That's when it started. That's when I started losing everybody. My thoughts created this universe. Can they get me out of it again?
Computer: That information is not available.
Crusher: I'm not talking to you. Click my heels together three times and I'm back in Kansas. Can it be that simple?
Computer: Two minutes, thirty seconds to life support failure.
Crusher: Computer, hypothetical situation. A person is trapped inside of a static warp bubble. Determine a means of escape.
Computer: Escape would theoretically depend on establishing a stable threshold between the warp field and the outer environment.
Crusher: Describe this threshold.
Computer: Negative. There are no known practical applications of this theory.
Crusher: Extrapolate from theoretical database. How would it manifest itself?
Computer: A dynamic atmospheric disturbance of great intensity.
Crusher: Disturbance? The vortex. They must have been trying to reach me! But how do I find it? Wesley, where do I go? Help me.
Crusher: Stable threshold. They've been trying to create a stable threshold. Where are they trying to do it? Where did they do it the first time? Engineering!
Computer: One minute, thirty seconds to life support failure.
Crusher: Engineering.
Computer: Failure in turboshaft four. Unable to proceed to main Engineering.
Crusher: Just take me anywhere on deck thirty six!
Laforge: We're losing the bubble!
Picard: Beverly!
Crusher: Jean-Luc. You. Do I have you to thank for getting me back?
Traveller: No.
Crusher: Jean-Luc, if I might ask, how many people are there on board?
Picard: One thousand and fourteen, including your guest, Doctor Quaice.
Laforge: Is there something wrong with that count, Doctor?
Crusher: No. That's the exact number there should be.


Worf: One.
Riker: Are you trying to fill another inside straight, Worf? Don't say I didn't warn you.
Worf: Pah!
Troi: I fold.
Data: I will raise you three.
Riker: No cards? The best poker face I've ever seen. Dealer takes two. Your three and ten more.
Data: I will see your ten, and raise you twenty.
Riker: Data, Have you got a flush or a full house?
Data: It will cost you twenty to make that determination, sir.
Riker: Dealer folds.
Troi: You two have successfully divided the evening between you.
Worf: I suspect conspiracy. Far be it for me to accuse my superior officers.
Riker: You're getting harder and harder to bluff, Data. You've learned this game very well.
Data: Yes sir, I believe I have.
Riker: Tell you what. I'll bet that I can find any card that you hide in this deck. And furthermore, I will make you help me find it.
Troi: Careful, Data.
Data: Your guidance is much valued, Counselor. However.
Riker: Pick a card. Don't let me see it. Now lose it in the deck. Cut the deck into two even piles.
Riker: Okay. Once more time. And again. How many cards?
Data: Eleven.
Riker: Take five. Throw them away.
Riker: Pick three more. Okay, now pick one of those. Is that your card?
Troi: Incredible.
Data: Not at all, Counselor. You surreptitiously placed the edge of your left thumb against the card. When you divided the deck to reshuffle, you kept that card on top. You thus were able to have me either save or diskard, depending on the location of the card, which you followed at each step until we were left with just one. The card I originally chose. Sir, I believe under the circumstances
Picard: Picard to Riker.
Riker: Captain?
Picard: We've received a distress call. We're changing course to intercept.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 44215.2. The Enterprise has bypassed its scheduled archeological survey of Camus Two in response to a distress call from the Federation freighter Arcos, which has assumed an emergency orbit around Turkana Four, birthplace of our late comrade, Tasha Yar.
Data: We will be entering the Turkana system in eleven minutes, Captain.
Picard: Engine status.
Data: Stable. But we have maintained warp factor nine for longer than is recommended, sir.
Worf: Subspace message from the Arcos. Their transmitter is failing, sir. Audio only.
Picard: Let's hear it.
Tan Tsu: Enterprise, this is Tan Tsu, Arcos engineer. Estimate five minutes till warp drive containment breach. Make that three minutes. Thanks for trying, Enterprise.
Picard: Ensign, warp nine point three. How much time?
Data: Seven minutes and fifteen seconds will bring us within transporter range, Captain.
Picard: Nine point six.
Picard: Mister O'Brien, prepare to lock onto the two crewmen.
O'Brien: Aye, Captain.
Data: We are now entering the Turkana system, sir.
Picard: Slow to impulse.
Data: Visual contact.
Riker: Get them out of there, O'Brien.
Riker: Status, O'Brien?
O'Brien: There's nothing to lock onto, Commander.
Data: I am reading an ion trail characteristic of a freighter escape pod.
Worf: Unable to establish contact.
Picard: It could have been damaged by the explosion. They may have been able to maintain orbit.
Riker: Let's hope they stay clear of the colony.
Data: That is exactly where the ion trail is leading, Commander.
Picard: Hail the colony.
Worf: I've been trying to, Captain. No response.
Riker: They haven't been able to maintain reliable communications since their government fell apart.
Data: The last Federation vessel to make contact was the Potemkin, six years ago. They were warned that anyone transporting down to the colony would be killed.
Picard: Number One, ready an away team.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. We are in orbit above Turkana Four, an Earth colony that severed relations with the Federation nearly fifteen years ago. I am concerned about sending an away team, but if we are to discover the fate of the two missing Federation crewmen, I see no alternative.
Data: The surface settlement appears to be all but destroyed. Sensors show that the colonists now live in structures that extend nearly three kilometers beneath the city.
Riker: Have you located the escape pod's landing point, Chief?
O'Brien: Yes, sir. Three hundred meters beyond the colony perimeter.
Worf: Sir, we can anticipate a violent response to our presence. Perhaps the Doctor should wait here until we signal.
Crusher: I appreciate your concern. I think it's exaggerated.
Worf: The colony is completely lawless. Lieutenant Yar spoke of rape gangs and
Crusher: Mister Worf, I can handle myself.
Riker: She's coming. The Arcos crewmen may require immediate medical assistance. Phasers on maximum stun. Energize.
Data: The dispersion trail continues in this direction. The concentration gradient definitely increases along this vector. The escape pod was apparently moved into the tunnels ahead of us.
Riker: Hardly the response we expected. PASSER-
By: Pardon me.
Crusher: Maybe things have changed here.
Man: Freeze! Identify yourselves.
Riker: We're from the Federation Starship Enterprise. We tracked two of our crewmen to this area. Do you know anything about them?
Man: Possibly.
Riker: What do you mean?
Man: They found us.
Worf: Proximity detectors. I've seen them used on Manu Three.
Man: Follow me.
Hayne: The Alliance is holding your men hostage, Commander Riker, not us. You can expect a ransom demand.
Riker: The Alliance?
Hayne: Our good friends. Our good friends are going to be upset when they realize we took their last crate of Telluridan synth-ale.
Riker: Maybe I should take this to the authorities.
Hayne: We are the authorities. The Coalition, our cadre, runs this side of the city. The Alliance controls the other side. Take your choice.
Riker: Are you offering to help us?
Hayne: In return for some consideration. Phasers are in short supply down here. A starship isn't going to miss a few.
Worf: That is no better than a ransom demand.
Hayne: No matter what you give the Alliance, they'll eventually kill your crewmen anyway. With our help, at least there's a chance you'll get your men back alive. All I'm asking for is help in maintaining our defense. We are trying to keep the peace.
Riker: Everything we've seen would indicate otherwise.
Hayne: A prank. The proximity implants prevent either side from doing any serious damage. They warn us when an enemy is approaching.
Worf: Then why do you need more phasers?
Hayne: The Alliance just discovered a large cache of weapons. I'm just trying to make things even, to preserve the peace.
Crusher: You keep using the word peace. We've heard a different version of life on Turkana Four.
Hayne: Ancient history. Where did you hear that?
Data: A former crewman was born here.
Hayne: Where's he now?
Data: She was killed in the line of duty.
Hayne: That's as good a way to die as any. As I said, ancient history. This is now, and your men are in trouble.
Riker: We'll return to the Enterprise and consider your proposal.
Hayne: A gift for your Captain.
Riker: Riker to Enterprise. Energize.
Hayne: I want everything there is to know about the starship Enterprise.
Riker: According to Hayne, the Coalition and the Alliance raid each other for supplies, much of it non-essential.
Picard: Why?
Worf: A battle exercise.
Riker: Their defenses apparently prevent deep strikes into each other's territory. Minor skirmishes are all that's left.
Picard: Coalition. Alliance. It all sounds so reasonable, but what you've described is the behavior of urban street thugs. We certainly won't trade weapons for crewmen. How do you suggest we deal with them?
Riker: We have to tell them something.
Worf: No promises, no denials.
Picard: For now, Hayne's Coalition is our only safe access to the colony. We'll keep the door open, see where it leads us.
Worf: Captain. Transmission coming in from Turkana Four, on a secure channel.
Picard: On screen.
Hayne: Hello, Enterprise. Commander Riker, would you introduce me to your Captain?
Picard: I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Hayne: I have someone here you might like to meet. This is Ishara. Ishara Yar.
Ishara: Tasha was my sister.
Hayne: There's an old saying, Captain. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I've decided it's in my best interest to help you get your crewmen back.
Picard: With nothing from us in return?
Hayne: You could be forced into paying my adversary a ransom in weapons. I'll do anything I can to avoid that possibility.
Picard: What do you propose?
Hayne: Ishara will be our liaison.
Ishara: I know Alliance territory. I can help you with a rescue plan.
Picard: One moment.
Worf: Mute.
Picard: Reactions?
Worf: I do not trust him.
Riker: She could be a fake. We told him a member of our crew was from the colony.
Crusher: All Hayne had to do was search through their database had on Starfleet to come up with Tasha's name.
Picard: Counselor?
Troi: He's deceiving us, and he's clearly hoping to manipulate us. As for the identity of the young woman, I can't really tell.
Picard: Neverthe less, this is an option we cannot neglect. We'll continue on other fronts as they present themselves. For now, let's see what she has to say.
Worf: Open.
Picard: I have decided to accept your proposal.
Hayne: Thank you. Good luck.
Data: Welcome to the Enterprise, Ishara. I am Commander Data.
Ishara: You're not human.
Data: I am an android.
Ishara: Built for fighting?
Data: On what do you base that assumption?
Ishara: A cybernetic device serving on a starship.
Data: The Enterprise is not a ship of war. It is a ship of exploration.
Ishara: The first thing to do is help you map the colony. This is a general grid of the tunnel system. I can fill in the specific details from memory.
Data: My orders are to escort you to the Observation Lounge. Please come with me.
Data: Your sister never spoke of you.
Ishara: That's not surprising.
Data: It is surprising to me. Tasha and I spent much time together. We had a considerable number of conversations.
Ishara: Did she talk at all about the colony?
Data: Only to say that she was lucky to have escaped.
Ishara: It wasn't luck. It was cowardice.
Data: Cowardice is a term that I have never heard applied to Tasha.
Ishara: Is something wrong?
Data: No. It is just that for a moment, the expression on your face reminded me of her.
Ishara: It's been fifteen years. I don't even remember what she looked like.
Ishara: You don't believe I'm Tasha's sister.
Picard: We have considered the possibility.
Ishara: I'm not surprised. You can sample my DNA if you like.
Crusher: Yes, I will.
Picard: Please, sit down.
Ishara: Thank you.
Picard: Perhaps it would help if you gave us some idea of what we're dealing with on Turkana Four. The last information describes a colony in almost complete disarray.
Ishara: It started falling apart almost thirty years ago. There were dozens of factions. They fought until the city above ground was in ruins.
Riker: The Coalition and the Alliance are all that's left?
Ishara: We were the two strongest factions. When the government couldn't stop the violence, they gave us police powers. The proximity detectors were originally designed by the government to keep us under control.
Picard: Apparently, that part of the plan didn't work very well.
Ishara: No. After a few months, we didn't need the government any more.
Laforge: Tasha left you in the middle of all that?
Ishara: She didn't abandon me, if that's what you mean. Tasha asked me to go with her, but I had already joined the Coalition. They were my family. Captain, we don't have a lot of time. Maybe we should get started.
Worf: Incoming transmission from the colony, Captain.
Picard: On screen.
Tan Tsu: Enterprise, I'm being held by Turkana Four Alliance. I've been instructed to say that you have twenty hours to make reparations for Federation intrusion into this colony, or my pilot and I will be killed.
Crusher: Ask them if we can at least send some medical
Ishara: Take that threat seriously, Captain. They'll torture them and then they'll kill them. My cadre has never recovered a hostage alive from the Alliance. Your crewmen could be held in any number of places. The Alliance has two main headquarters and thirteen ancillary bases of operation. All underground, all heavily guarded.
Laforge: Captain, if I could get to the myographic scanner.
Ishara: What's that?
Data: A sensing device from the escape pod. It monitors the bioelectric signatures of the crew, in the event they get separated from the pod.
Laforge: I could installl a booster on the device that would relay its signals to the Enterprise. Then we could track the men from up here.
Picard: Unfortunately, we don't know where the escape pod is.
Ishara: Level three C, section five four seven. We have our sources.
Ishara: Access tunnels are here and here.
Riker: We could transfer the away team right into this intersection.
Ishara: Don't underestimate them, Commander. They'll be ready for that. I've seen them use this kind of strategy before. I know it looks isolated and easily accessible, but my guess is they have hundreds of men on the levels above and below just waiting for you to make your move.
Worf: We will need a diversion.
Laforge: Transport a couple of photon grenades into the adjoining chamber. At minimum intensity it wouldn't kill anybody, but it would shake them up a bit.
Riker: That won't give us enough time. We need to occupy them long enough for you to installl the relay.
Ishara: Transport me into this corridor. My magnetic implant will set off the defense alarms. They'll think it's a raid by the Coalition.
Riker: Too dangerous. We've seen what those tunnels look like. You could easily be cut off from the rest of us. Worf, if we
Ishara: Commander Riker. I was ordered to assist you in any way possible. That doesn't mean as long as it's safe or convenient. If you had the time, we could come up with another plan, but you don't. Right now, I'm your best option.
Data: She would have to be armed, sir.
Riker: I'd like to discuss this with the Captain. Take Ishara down to see Doctor Crusher.
Ishara: You have Tasha's DNA on file?
Crusher: The ship's computer does. There's always some differentiation between sonomic chromosomes, but not enough to affect results. It should take me a few hours to run the sonomic comparison.
Ishara: That wasn't too bad. So, all that's left of my sister is a file in a computer.
Data: Tasha exists in our memories as well.
Ishara: How did she die?
Data: Lieutenant Yar was killed on Vagra Two by a malevolent entity.
Ishara: In battle?
Data: No. She was killed as a demonstration of the creature's power, without provocation.
Ishara: That's not how I intend to die.
Riker: The Captain approves. You're with us.
Riker: Enterprise, we're in position.
Picard: Mister O'Brien, energize.
O'Brien: Aye, Captain.
Guard: They're at level two.
Girl: Tunnel sixteen.
Guard: Come on.
Woman: Josh, you're with us.
Guard: Spread out.
Guard: Let's check five.
Guard 2: Yes, sir.
Guard: Check on three.
Woman: Checking.
Woman: Somebody's here.
Guard: Watch your backs.
Girl: I'm right behind you.
Woman: This way.
Guard: Go, go.
Laforge: Damn!
Riker: Geordi, what is taking so long?
Laforge: There's a lot of damage here. The myographic scanner is operational, but the power source keeps fluctuating.
Riker: Can you fix it?
Laforge: I can probably run a shunt from the convertor.
Riker: How long will that take?
Laforge: Ten minutes?
Riker: Do it. O'Brien, lock onto Ishara and get her out of here!
O'Brien: There's a transformer substation directly above the chamber she just entered. It's masking her signal.
Riker: Stand by. Stay here and cover La Forge.
Worf: Commander!
Riker: That's an order. Return to the ship as soon as you're finished. I'll signal for transport as soon as I can.
Riker: Get us out of here.
O'Brien: Energizing.
Picard: Come.
Picard: How is she?
Riker: A couple of cracked ribs. She'll be all right.
Picard: Doctor Crusher just called me with the results of the DNA comparison. Ishara is Tasha's sister.
Riker: After what she did for us down there, that doesn't surprise me one bit.
Picard: You took some unnecessary personal risks, Number One.
Riker: We lost Tasha on an away team under my command. The thought of the same thing happening to her sister
Picard: That's an emotional response, Will. We can't afford it.
Riker: Understood, Captain.
Picard: Commander. Well done.
Crusher: I've fused the bone tissue along both fractures. The muscles around the area will be weak for a day or two, but you shouldn't feel any pain.
Ishara: Thank you, Doctor.
Picard: Ishara, I wanted to thank you personally for what you did for us down on the colony. It was more than I expected.
Ishara: I don't run away when things get tough, like some people. Like my sister did.
Picard: Let me tell you about your sister. The first time I saw Tasha Yar, she was making her way through a Carnelian mine field to reach a wounded colonist. Her ship had responded to their distress call, as had mine. When it was all over, I requested that she be assigned to the Enterprise. Her ship's captain owed me a favor. In the months that followed, she never once failed to put the safety of the crew before her own, and she died doing the same. I'm sorry you never knew the woman Tasha became. I think you would have been proud of her. And she of you.
Data: What is this structure?
Ishara: A main fusion source. There's one next to each of the Alliance headquarters. It powers all of their defensive systems. This chamber is accessed from the level below. Entry points are evenly spaced along this wall every twenty five meters. Data, where was Tasha's post?
Data: Tactical station. Where Lieutenant Worf is now.
Ishara: Did Tasha have many friends here?
Data: Yes. She was especially close to Commander Riker and Lieutenant Worf. And to myself.
Ishara: Are you able to have friends?
Data: Yes.
Ishara: But you don't have feelings, do you?
Data: Not as such. However, even among humans, friendship is sometimes less an emotional response and more a sense of familiarity.
Ishara: So you can become used to someone?
Data: Exactly. As I experience certain sensory input patterns, my mental pathways become accustomed to them. The inputs eventually are anticipated, and even missed when absent.
Ishara: Like my sister.
Data: Yes, like your sister.
Laforge: They've been moved so far underground it's been difficult to pinpoint their signatures. But the men are here, next to one of the Alliance headquarters. That's about two kilometers of solid granite above their heads.
Riker: So much for the transporter.
Laforge: Not necessarily. We could use the ship's phasers to cut a shaft through the bedrock to this storage tunnel here. With a clear path through the rock, we'd be able to transport through the tunnel. That would put us close enough to get to the crewmen. But I'll need two hours to refit the ship's phasers for drilling.
Riker: It's a real maze down there.
Ishara: I spent a lot of time in that section before they took it over. There are blind tunnels and dead ends that don't even show up on this map.
Worf: We do not have much choice.
Ishara: If it wasn't for my implant setting off all the alarms, I could guide you to your men.
Data: We could remove the implant.
Ishara: No, it has a micro explosive inside that detonates on contact with air. When you join a cadre, you join for life.
Data: A small force field containing xenon or another inert gas could be placed over the incision site. The explosive could possibly be disarmed at the same time it is removed.
Riker: This is something you're going to have to decide for yourself, Ishara. Think about it while we're waiting for Geordi.
Ishara: Our parents were killed in some crossfire just after I was born. Some people took care of us for a few months, then one day we came home and they were gone. So Tasha took care of me, and when I was old enough I joined the Coalition.
Data: And Tasha did not?
Ishara: My sister hated the cadres. She blamed them for our parents death. For everything. She refused to join, and she left as soon as she had the chance. I always thought she was weak for doing that, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe, maybe she made the right choice. To work together for something besides killing, to be close to someone without having to protect your back. Very appealing. You're the perfect example. I hardly even know you, Data, but already I completely trust you. I even consider you a friend.
Data: Thank you. I would like to consider you my friend as well.
Ishara: If I had known about this place fifteen years ago, things might've been different. Maybe it's not too late.
Data: Ishara is willing to have the implant removed, sir.
Picard: Good. Inform Doctor Crusher.
Data: She also expressed a desire to leave the colony. She hopes to apply to the Academy and eventually join Starfleet.
Picard: Does she understand the magnitude of these decisions?
Data: She claims to, Captain.
Troi: I get a sense of ambiguity from her. Her loyalties are clearly divided, Captain.
Picard: Are you suggesting we deny her an escape from this environment?
Troi: No, I'm just not sure she wants to escape. It's the only way of life she's ever known.
Picard: Ultimately, it is her decision to make, not ours. Mister Data, proceed with the mission as planned.
Troi: Data?
Data: Yes, Counselor?
Troi: You seem so strong in your support. I'm curious.
Data: We must free the crewmen. She appears to be our best hope of doing so. In addition, I have become used to her.
Data: Ishara.
Ishara: Thank you, Data.
Data: You are welcome. Doctor Crusher is expecting you in Sickbay.
Ishara: It's all so different.
Data: To what are you referring?
Ishara: On the colony, nobody does anything for anyone else unless they have something to gain from it.
Data: But I do have something to gain from it. Your continued presence on this ship. Is something wrong?
Ishara: I have to tell Hayne and the others. I owe it to them. Guess I ought to get it over with.
Data: If you desire privacy, you may use the Observation lounge.
Ishara: That would probably make things a little easier.
Hayne: Report.
Ishara: It's working.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 44225.3. Doctor Crusher has successfully removed Ishara's magnetic implant, enabling the young woman to guide our rescue attempt. Without my intending it, she has virtually become an active member of the crew.
Crusher: Cardiovascular functions normal. Metabolism, immunity, all other vital signs excellent. How do you feel?
Ishara: Better than I've ever felt. Thanks for staying with me.
Crusher: You might want to keep this. It's been with you a long time.
Ishara: You keep it, Data, so you won't forget me.
Data: Have you reconsidered your decision to stay with us?
Ishara: No. Just in case something goes wrong down there.
Worf: I understand you wish to join Starfleet.
Ishara: Some day. If I'm lucky.
Worf: On that day, it is we who will be lucky.
Picard: Picard to Riker. Is your away team ready?
Riker: Waiting for your signal, sir.
Picard: Status, Mister La Forge.
Laforge: Phasers in alignment and ready to fire.
Picard: How far must we penetrate to safely allow transporter function?
Laforge: One point six kilometers.
Picard: Fire phasers.
Laforge: Aye, sir.
Laforge: One point three kilometers. One point four. One point five kilometers. One point six kilometers. Deep enough for transport, sir.
Picard: Cease fire. Mister O'Brien, energize.
Ishara: This way.
Worf: Caution is indicated.
Ishara: We're near the heart of the Alliance. Security is minimal here. They aren't expecting anybody this far in.
Riker: Ishara?
Ishara: Follow me.
Worf: Are you certain?
Ishara: No, I'm not. I'm trying to remember. I was here, but it was a long time ago. There have been changes. It's through here.
Ishara: There. Your men are behind that door.
Riker: Hold out your hands.
Riker: Let's get moving.
Riker: Where is she?
Worf: Commander, look.
Riker: What the hell happened here?
Worf: She probably tried to draw their fire. It triggered the alarm.
Riker: Worf, get these men back to the Enterprise.
Worf: Come on.
Riker: Data, you're with me.
Data: Ishara. What are you doing? The fusion generator is overloading. You are attempting to disable the defense system. For what reason? We have rescued the crewmen.
Ishara: I don't care about your crewmen. We have three thousand troops waiting at the perimeter. When the defenses go down, they'll come in. The Alliance will fall.
Data: The Federation will be responsible for the resulting deaths. I cannot allow that.
Ishara: You don't have a choice.
Data: That is not so.
Ishara: I don't want to kill you, Data. But I will.
Data: We will both be destroyed by the explosion.
Ishara: The Coalition's been all I've had for fifteen years. They've given me a life. I don't mind dying for them. But you won't have to if you just get out of here now.
Data: Was this your intention from the beginning?
Ishara: We never could have gotten this deep into Alliance territory without your help.
Data: Our help was not deliberate. You deceived us.
Ishara: What's the difference? You got what you came for. Why do you care about what we do?
Data: Your friendship with me was part of the deception, was it not? You misled me at each step, and yet I was completely unaware.
Ishara: That doesn't matter now! None of it does! Now get out of here, Data, please. Now!
Data: My duty requires me to intercede.
Riker: Ishara!
Riker: What was she doing?
Data: Disabling the detection system so her forces could attack.
Riker: Set to kill.
Picard: Your strategy failed.
Hayne: It was a calculated risk. You gave us an opportunity we couldn't ignore. Ishara, are you hurt?
Ishara: No.
Hayne: I want her returned immediately.
Riker: You're not in a position to dictate to anybody. She attacked two Federation officers.
Hayne: You have no jurisdiction here!
Riker: Don't talk about legal rights. Your jurisdiction is based entirely on the threat of violence.
Hayne: You have your crewmen back. Isn't that enough?
Riker: What do you know about
Picard: Commander Data, escort Ishara to the transporter room.
Hayne: Thank you, Captain. I'm just trying to preserve the peace.
Picard: Close the channel.
Riker: You're far more charitable than I would have been, Captain.
Picard: I understand your feelings, Number One. I share them. But perhaps the fault lies in ourselves. We were so eager to accept her. Each of us, myself included, wanted to see something of Tasha in this woman. We saw more than what was there.
Ishara: You haven't said one word to me.
Data: What do you wish to talk about?
Ishara: I did what I had to do. I'm sorry if I hurt you in the process.
Data: I am an android. It is not possible for me to be injured in that fashion.
O'Brien: Whenever you're ready.
Ishara: You know, Data, I wasn't always lying to you. That time we spent talking, that was the closest thing to friendship I've ever had. If that means anything to you.
Data: Energize.
Riker: Come in.
Riker: Data, what's on your mind?
Data: Recent events have left me puzzled, sir. It has been days since Ishara left, and yet my thoughts seem to dwell on her. Almost as if I were experiencing a feedback loop in my mnemonic network.
Riker: I know what you mean.
Data: It is curious that I was so easily misled.
Riker: Make that we.
Data: Yes, sir.
Riker: Data, sit down.
Data: Thank you, sir.
Riker: In all trust, there is the possibility of betrayal. I'm not sure you were prepared for that.
Data: Were you prepared, sir?
Riker: I don't think anybody ever is.
Data: Then it is better not to trust.
Riker: Without trust, there's no friendship, no closeness. None of the emotional bonds that make us what we are.
Data: And yet you put yourself at risk.
Riker: Every single time.
Data: Perhaps I am fortunate, sir, to be spared the emotional consequences.
Riker: Perhaps.


Scene: Captain's Log, Stardate 44286.5. The Enterprise is conducting a security survey of the Onias Sector near the Neutral Zone. Despite our proximity to Romulan territory, the mission has been quiet and uneventful.
Laforge: All right, Commander. You've got till your next birthday to get that right.
Troi: Some things improve with age. Maybe your trombone playing will be one of them.
Crusher: It's candle time, birthday boy.
Troi: So, what did you wish for, Will?
Riker: Music lessons.
Picard: Mister Data, we must hurry or we'll miss Commander Riker's party.
Data: Sir. I find it interesting how much importance humans place on celebrating the day of their birth. A day they cannot possibly remember.
Crewman: Captain, I am detecting some unusual fluctuations in subspace frequencies.
Picard: You'd better take a look at it, Mister Data.
Data: It appears we are being probed, sir.
Picard: Source?
Data: The third planet of the Alpha Onias system. Our reports list it as presently uninhabited. Perhaps reports were incorrect, sir.
Picard: Maybe the rumors of a secret Romulan base in this sector are true. Picard to Commander Riker.
Picard: I apologize for interrupting your celebration, but I'm going to need an away team. Could you report to the Bridge, please?
Data: Although Alpha Onias three is a class M planet, our survey teams have listed it as barren and inhospitable.
Riker: Any life signs?
Data: No, sir, but we have traced residual energy readings to a cavern two kilometers beneath the surface.
Worf: Romulans?
Data: It is possible.
Picard: I suppose you'll just have to go down there and find out.
Riker: Geordi, Worf, you're with me.
Picard: Number One. Happy birthday.
Laforge: I'm detecting high levels of volcanic gasses. Sulfur dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulfide.
Riker: Toxic?
Laforge: We're okay for now, but I wouldn't want to spend my vacation here.
Riker: What about energy readings?
Worf: Magnetic clutter is increasing. I cannot make an accurate determination.
Laforge: Same here, Commander. I'm getting a lot of confusing readings here,
Picard: Commander Riker, please acknowledge.
Riker: Riker here.
Riker: We're having trouble reading you.
Picard: And we are having similar difficulties reading you. I am advising you and your away team
Picard: to transport up at once.
Laforge: That's good advice, Commander. We've got a sudden build up of gasses here, especially methane.
Riker: Transporter Room.
Riker: Take us up.
Hubble: I can't get a solid lock on you, sir. Too much interference.
Hubble: I'm trying again.
Picard: Transporter room, what's happening?
Picard: Report.
Hubble: I'm trying again, sir.
Ogawa: Doctor Crusher, he's awake.
Riker: Beverly?
Crusher: Will. You remember me. That's good. What else do you remember, Captain?
Riker: Captain?
Crusher: Water, three Celsius. How do you feel?
Riker: Confused.
Crusher: That's understandable, considering what's happened.
Riker: What has happened? What happened to Sickbay? To you? To me?
Crusher: Sit down, Captain.
Riker: Captain? I am Commander William T Riker. What is going on here?
Crusher: Sit. Please. What is the last thing that you remember clearly?
Riker: Alpha Onias three. The Enterprise had been probed. Geordi, Worf, and I transported down to track the source.
Crusher: But all you found there was toxic gas. They barely had time to get the three of you out. Will, that happened sixteen years ago.
Riker: That's not possible.
Crusher: With an Altarian virus, anything is possible. In fact, we've been expecting this.
Riker: Could you be more specific?
Crusher: That day on Onias three, you were infected with a strain of Altarian encephalitis, a retrovirus that incorporates its DNA directly into the cells of its host. It can lie dormant for many years and then suddenly become active again, as it did in your case ten days ago. You have been in a coma, delirious. Your fever finally broke this morning.
Riker: But what happened to my memory?
Crusher: Let me show you a scan of your brain tissue. When the encephalitis became active it caused widespread synapse degradation, interrupting the consolidation of your memory patterns.
Riker: Doctor.
Crusher: Will, this virus inevitably causes memory loss back to the moment of the original infection. In your case, all the way back to Alpha Onias three.
Riker: I don't believe this. Is this a dream?
Crusher: Feel my hand. It is flesh and bone. This is not a dream and you are, in fact, Captain William T. Riker in command of the Enterprise.
Riker: The Enterprise. For how long?
Crusher: Nine years.
Riker: If I have lost my memory, how do I get it back?
Crusher: Memories are formed by association. Smells, sounds, and images from the present could possibly trigger them.
Riker: Like a song reminds you of an old friend.
Crusher: Exactly. In associational therapy, we expose the patient to familiar surroundings. This could stimulate the brain's neural synapses into regenerating.
Riker: Then let's get started. There's nothing more familiar than the Enterprise. Maybe that'll bring back some
Crusher: Will, I said your memory could return. In many of these cases the damage is permanent.
Riker: What about Geordi and Worf? Were they infected too?
Crusher: Thankfully, no. Geordi appears to have been immune and the Klingons don't seem to be affected by the virus.
Riker: Speaking of Klingons
Crusher: There've been quite a few changes on the Enterprise in the last sixteen years.
Crusher: Deck eight.
Riker: Belay that order.
Crusher: We should begin the associational therapy in your quarters. Personal recollections are always the most vivid.
Riker: My life was on the main Bridge. Always has been. If anything's going to jog my memory. Main Bridge.
Computer: Repeat command.
Riker: I said main Bridge.
Crusher: Computer's been slow all morning. A processing accelerator's down. Commander La Forge has running a level one diagnostic to isolate the problem.
Riker: Geordi.
Laforge: Oh, it's good to see you up and about again, sir.
Riker: Your eyes. What happened to your visor?
Laforge: My visor? I'm sorry, sir. Doctor Crusher told us that you might not remember. I haven't need a visor since I got these cloned implants, Captain.
Worf: Captain.
Data: Welcome back, Captain. We were not expecting to see you on the Bridge so soon.
Riker: Commander Data. You're my First Officer?
Data: Do you remember, sir?
Riker: Data, I haven't remembered a day for the last sixteen years.
Worf: Captain, warbird uncloaking.
Data: On screen.
Riker: Shields up. Red alert.
Data: Captain, we were expecting the Decius. There is no cause for alarm.
Riker: Cancel red alert. Clearly I need to be briefed.
Worf: Captain, the Decius is hailing us. The Admiral wishes to speak to you.
Riker: On screen.
Picard: Will.
Riker: Admiral Picard. Deanna.
Troi: How are you feeling?
Riker: I've felt better.
Picard: Not surprising. Altarian viruses can be a nasty business.
Riker: That's an understatement. I can't even
Picard: We'll discuss this after we've transport over. Picard out.
Riker: Transporter room six.
Crusher: How are you holding up?
Riker: I could get used to the idea of a Ferengi ensign, but Admiral Picard on a Romulan warbird? What is that all about?
Crusher: I think I should leave all the explanations to the Admiral.
Riker: Whenever you're ready, Chief.
Picard: Captain Riker. it's good to see you have recovered.
Riker: I'm not exactly sure you can call it a recovery, sir.
Troi: Then there has been some memory loss.
Picard: How much?
Crusher: Everything since Alpha Onias three.
Picard: To lose sixteen years. It's almost beyond belief.
Riker: I have trouble believing it myself.
Troi: It's overwhelming to have so much of your life missing.
Picard: And it couldn't have happened at a worse time. A few more days of relatively simple negotiations, and the treaty will be signed.
Riker: What negotiations? What treaty?
Picard: Sorry. I'll start at the beginning, which is four years ago. A Romulan battle cruiser strayed into Federation space. Its warp coils had collapsed, life support was failing.
Troi: You saved them, Will, you and the Enterprise.
Picard: The Romulans were impressed, to say the least. After years of distrust and conflict, they started to talk. You were our key spokesman in securing the alliance with the Romulans.
Riker: How far have these negotiations progressed?
Picard: The preliminaries are over. All we need do now is escort the Romulan Ambassador to the final session.
Troi: Where you will complete the negotiations and sign the treaty.
Riker: Captain. Admiral. I am in no condition to negotiate with the Romulans or with anyone else.
Picard: Will, you're sound of mind and body. If you are properly briefed, you will still be able to fulfilll your duty.
Riker: With a sixteen year gap in my head?
Picard: We do need you.
Riker: Sir, I'm not fit to resume command.
Picard: I appreciate your candor, but despite your condition there is no one better equipped to deal with these Romulans than you.
Riker: When do we leave?
Picard: As soon as the Ambassador transports over from the Decius. We will get through this, as we have many times before.
Riker: I hope so.
Troi: Let me take you to your quarters.
Riker: Good idea. I've had enough surprises for one day.
Troi: Anything familiar?   JEAN-
Luc: Hi, Dad. JEAN-
Luc: and then Mister Greenburg asked about the Fornax Disaster, and I knew the Enterprise saved all the colonists. But I didn't know. Here it is. But I didn't know the exact stardate their sun went nova, so of you tell me, I'll write it down and that way I won't forget. You don't remember me, do you?
Riker: I'm sorry.
Troi: I need to talk to your father, Jean-Luc. Would you mind leaving us alone for a moment?
Riker: Why didn't you warn me?
Troi: Beverly hoped that meeting him like this might make an impact. Help you remember.
Riker: Well, it made an impact alright.
Troi: Give it time.
Riker: Jean-Luc.
Troi: Yes. The Admiral was very pleased when you chose that name. He is a wonderful boy.
Riker: Deanna, who's his mother?
Troi: She died two years ago. A shuttle accident. I'm sorry, Will.
Riker: I have no recollection of her at all. What was she like?
Troi: Min was beautiful, of course, strong, intelligent, patient.
Riker: Well, if she was married to me, she had to be patient.
Troi: She was an excellent Captain's wife, and a very good ship's counselor. She took over after I left.
Riker: I can't imagine you leaving the Enterprise.
Troi: Admiral Picard offered me a position at Starfleet Command. It was a tremendous opportunity. I couldn't refuse. But, what's important right now, today, is that you have a son who needs you. Spend time with him. You may find part of what you've lost.
Luc: Pretty bad, huh?
Riker: I've heard better. JEAN-
Luc: I've been practicing but I still can't get a good tone.
Riker: You're putting too much pressure on the mouthpiece. Relax the embouchure. Don't use any muscles you don't need.
Jean Luc: Show me again.
Riker: Left hand. Right hand.
Riker: Sixteen years, you'd think I'd be able to hit that note.
Jean Luc: Come on, Dad, you always make that mistake.
Riker: Computer. Summarize service record. Riker, William T, Captain. Begin with the Fornax disaster.
Computer: Please restate question.
Riker: Service record, Riker, William T.
Riker: Damn it. JEAN-
Luc: Dad?
Riker: Computer lag. I can't believe Geordi's still running his diagnostic. JEAN-
Luc: Is that what you wanted?
Picard: Picard to Captain Riker. The Romulan Ambassador is ready to transport over from the Decius.
Riker: On my way. I'd better go. JEAN-
Luc: Sure. Dad. Everything's going to be fine.
Picard: Troi tells me you met Jean-Luc. How's my namesake holding up to all this?
Riker: Better than I am.
Troi: We did our best to prepare him.
Riker: I'm trying to catch up with all this. I've still got a long way to go. A long way.
Picard: Just follow my lead with the Ambassador. You'll be fine.
Chief: The Decius reports the Ambassador is waiting to transport.
Riker: Beam him aboard.
Tomalak: Admiral Picard, Captain Riker. It's good to see you again.
Picard: Ambassador Tomalak. Welcome aboard the Enterprise.
Tomalak: Thank you, Admiral. It is an honor to be the first Romulan to freely walk about a Federation Starship.
Riker: Ambassador Tomalak? At Nelvana three, he threatened to take the hull of the Enterprise home as a war trophy.
Troi: That was a long time ago. Many things have changed, including Tomalak.
Tomalak: As soon as we arrive at your Outpost twenty three, the final negotiations should go quickly.
Picard: I agree, Ambassador. All of the difficult issues have been resolved.
Tomalak: After much debate. Your Captain Riker is the kind of negotiator even the Ferengi should avoid.
Picard: But we have come to an agreement both sides are happy with, largely thanks to Captain Riker.
Tomalak: And we are grateful, Captain. The new alliance will greatly benefit my people.
Riker: As I hope it will benefit mine.
Tomalak: It will, Captain. It will.
Riker: Main Bridge.
Tomalak: The virus you contracted, Captain. Have you fully recovered?
Picard: I assure you Captain Riker is quite well. He's looking forward to attending the final negotiations as planned.
Tomalak: Excellent. The signing of this treaty is an historic occasion. You, of all people, deserve to be there.
Riker: Thank you, Ambassador.
Tomalak: So this is the Bridge of the Enterprise. And this, I assume, is your Tactical position. Impressive.
Riker: Excuse me. Admiral, Deanna, I need a moment with you. Commander Data, if you would accompany the Ambassador on his tour.
Data: Certainly, sir.
Riker: Excuse us, Ambassador.
Data: Ambassador, you may find this of interest. These newly refined sensors are capable of pinpointing the power emissions of a cloaked warbird even at warp.
Riker: Are you saying you trust Tomalak?
Picard: I trust the process we have built with the Romulans over the past four years. They have nothing to gain by betrayal.
Riker: Are you sure? You've always said it's a chess game with the Romulans. Move, counter move, guile and deceit.
Troi: I sense no such dishonesty in Tomalak. His desire for peace is sincere. He wants this alliance. There is no cause for concern.
Riker: No cause for concern? We're talking about revealing the location of Outpost twenty three, the key to all of our defenses in the Neutral Zone.
Picard: I'm sorry, Will, your information is out of date. The strategic importance of Outpost twenty three is minimal. Has been for years.
Crusher: Doctor Crusher to Riker. Are you there, Captain?
Riker: What is it, Doctor?
Crusher: Your son has been injured. He's been taken to Sickbay. You'd better come down here right away.
Luc: Dad.
Riker: Are you alright? JEAN-
Luc: I'm fine.
Riker: What happened?
Crusher: It's broken, but it's going to be all right in just a minute. Now, let's go easy on this arm for a little while, okay?
Riker: How'd this happen? JEAN-
Luc: I was in the gym playing parrises squares.
Riker: Parrises squares? JEAN-
Luc: I fell off the ramp.
Riker: At your age? You could break your neck! JEAN-
Luc: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.
Crusher: Continue the compression attenuator for two more minutes.
Ogawa: Yes, Doctor.
Crusher: Can I talk to you for a moment?
Riker: I'll be right back.
Crusher: Will, how old were you when you first started playing parrises squares?
Riker: Alright, I was probably a little younger than he is. It's just that, for all practical purposes, this is my first day as a father and he almost kills himself.
Crusher: He didn't almost kill himself. He just broke a wrist, just like a lot of other boys his age when they fall.
Riker: You're right. It's difficult.
Crusher: Difficult for you? What about for Jean-Luc? Can you imagine how he feels? You've lost sixteen years. Jean-Luc has lost a lot more than that. First his mother and now his father.
Ogawa: Good as new, Captain. You can take him home.
Riker: Thanks. How's the arm?
Jean Luc: It's fine. Dad, I'm really sorry. I mean, I know you've got more important things to do.
Riker: There is nothing more important than this, son.
Luc: Deck eight.
Riker: Halt. I know how hard this is for you. JEAN-
Luc: It's okay, Dad.
Riker: No, okay's not good enough. When I was your age, my own father he wasn't there for me. And I really needed him. I've often wondered what kind of father I'd be. I never felt quite ready. The idea even scared me a little. JEAN-
Luc: Scared? You?
Riker: Yeah. But I guess I got over it. You're here. Resume. It's important to me that I don't let you down, Jean-Luc. JEAN-
Luc: You never have, Dad. You've always been there for me.
Riker: I'll have to take your word for that because I don't remember any of it. Your first step, your first tooth, nothing. And I want to remember. I guess there's only one thing we can do. We've got to build some new memories.
Riker: I'm not sure it's still in the memory banks, but I used to have a great fishing program on the holodeck. JEAN-
Luc: The Curtis Creek program?
Riker: You know it? JEAN-
Luc: Sure. We've gone to Curtis Creek lots of times.
Riker: Would you like to go again? JEAN-
Luc: You bet.
Riker: Well as soon as these negotiations are out of the way, you and I are going fishing. JEAN-
Luc: Great!
Luc: And then Mom tried to net the fish, and she fell in the creek, too. And then you tried to pull us both out, and you fell in.
Riker: I'm not sure I want to remember that. JEAN-
Luc: Mom really liked Curtis Creek. We went there for picnics and stuff lots of times.
Riker: What was she like? JEAN-
Luc: She was great. I think of her a lot. I'd better go change.
Riker: Computer. Display family record. Riker. William T. Limit to visual.
Riker: Display family record. Riker, Mrs. William T.
Computer: Please restate request.
Riker: Damn. JEAN-
Luc: What's wrong, Dad?
Riker: The computer still isn't working properly. I can't get a visual of your mother. JEAN-
Luc: But I know Mom's pictures are there. Did you give a stardate? Computer. Display family record. Riker, Mrs. William T. Home file. Stardate 58416.
Riker: Min! Minuet. JEAN-
Luc: Mom was beautiful, wasn't she?
Riker: Yes. JEAN-
Luc: What's wrong, Dad?
Laforge: La Forge to Riker.
Riker: Riker here.
Laforge: Captain, please come to the Bridge.
Riker: On my way.
Riker: What's the problem?
Laforge: I've had to shut down the warp engines, Captain.
Riker: Why?
Laforge: Antimatter containment fields are fluctuating. It's nothing to worry about though.
Riker: We're on the edge of the Neutral Zone on impulse power, and you're not concerned?
Laforge: I'll have the engines back online in no time, sir.
Riker: Like you tracked down that faulty processing accelerator?
Laforge: I'm running a level one diagnostic.
Riker: For thirty hours? It would never take you more than four. You're incapable of that level of incompetence, Mister La Forge. Worf, where did you get that scar?
Worf: In combat.
Riker: What battle? When? Which sector? Which unit? Mister Data, if we left immediately, when would we arrive at Outpost twenty three?
Data: At warp one, in three days, four hours.
Riker: How about at warp seven? At warp eight? At warp nine? What's the matter, Data? What happened to those millions of calculations per second?
Data: Pardon me, sir. I am experiencing subspace interference which limits my abilities. I can't operate as quickly as
Riker: What did you say?
Data: I said I cannot operate
Riker: No! That's not what you said. You said I can't. You used a contraction, didn't you?
Data: Sir, I can explain if you would just give me a moment.
Riker: No you can't. Don't even try.
Picard: Captain, perhaps it would be best if we discussed this
Riker: Shut up!
Picard: I beg your pardon?
Riker: I said, shut up. As in close your mouth and stop talking.
Troi: Will, I sense how upset you are. You're angry and impatient.
Riker: Deanna, back off. Well, would anyone else like to speak up? Or shall we end this charade?
Tomalak: As you wish, Commander Riker.
Tomalak: The charade is over.
Riker: The Enterprise? my son you created it all.
Tomalak: With the help of our neural scanners and what you would call a holodeck. Now, please tell me. How did you discover the truth? The future we constructed for you should have been convincing.
Riker: It wasn't. There was a computer time lag, for one thing.
Tomalak: Unavoidable. Our scanners have a limited response time, so whenever you strayed from our expectations. But surely that was not enough to
Riker: To smash your house of cards? No. It was the visual record of my wife, Minuet. Bad move.
Tomalak: But we chose someone from your past who is still alive. A woman you were extremely attracted to
Riker: Your mistake, Tomalak. Minuet was nothing more than a computer generated fantasy I once experienced on another holodeck.
Tomalak: Impossible. In your mind that woman exists, physically. Your feelings toward her remain quite passionate.
Riker: She was part of a very special program.
Tomalak: So much effort, so little accomplished.
Riker: If it was Outpost twenty three you were after, why didn't you use your neural scanners to probe my mind?
Tomalak: Our scanners are calibrated for Romulan brain patterns. When it comes to human brains, they are less efficient. There were gaps in the information we gathered from your memory.
Riker: Gaps? From what I saw, I find that hard to believe. You recreated the Enterprise, the crew, every nuance and smell, sound, with perfect accurate. I didn't see any gaps. I don't buy it, Tomalak.
Tomalak: We're wasting time. Bring him.
Tomalak: When you and your colleagues transported to this planet, you were less than a kilometer from this base. Your capture was a simple matter.
Riker: My colleagues, where are they?
Tomalak: We allowed them to transport safely back to the Enterprise, but your signal was diverted.
Riker: My people won't stop looking for me, Tomalak.
Tomalak: They already have.
Tomalak: Please, say hello to your son.
Riker: Jean-Luc?
Tomalak: That is not his name, of course, nor have you ever really met him. We merely used his image to augment your program.
Riker: What have you done to him?
Tomalak: While I am gone, please give careful thought to your situation.
Riker: What's your name?
Riker: Whoa. If we're going to get out of here, you're going to have to trust me. Easy, I'm not going to hurt you. Who are you? How did you get here? My name is Will.
Ethan: Ethan. They brought me here with my parents. We were at a research station on Miridian six.
Riker: Miridian six? On the edge of the Neutral Zone? I thought that was uninhabited.
Ethan: The station was set up last year. Then the Romulans came.
Riker: It's odd that the Enterprise wasn't advised. Where are your parents now?
Ethan: They took them away.
Riker: Do you know why the Romulans are keeping you here?
Ethan: No. I just want to get away.
Riker: I'll get us out of here, Ethan.
Ethan: How? Even if we do get away, they'll find us. They found me when I escaped before.
Riker: You escaped?
Ethan: Yes. I hid in a secret place for weeks, but they caught me when I came out to find food.
Tomalak: I want that information, Commander. I want the location of Outpost twenty three. Very well. I have been given permission to use whatever means are necessary
Riker: Ethan, no!
Tomalak: Stop him!
Riker: That secret hiding place of yours?
Ethan: This way
Ethan: In here.
Riker: Their sensors should have picked us up.
Ethan: No, they can't. I heard them. There's something in these rocks.
Riker: Heavy metals?
Ethan: Right.
Ethan: The Romulans forgot all about this storeroom when they rebuilt their tunnels. Here, use these. Help me.
Ethan: After I got away last time, I mapped out all their tunnels. Supply depot, communications, living quarters and shuttlebay.
Riker: How many guards in the shuttlebay?
Ethan: Only two or three.
Riker: If we stole a shuttlecraft, that would get us nowhere. The Romulans could follow their own ship to easily. But if we broke into their communications system, we could send a message to the Enterprise.
Ethan: We can't do that. The transmitter is on a voice-activated security system.
Riker: Do you know whose voice activates it?
Ethan: Only Ambassador Tomalak.
Riker: Who?
Ethan: Tomalak.
Riker: Ambassador Tomalak? Tomalak is a Romulan Captain. The only time he was ever called Ambassador was in a holodeck fantasy. How do you know about that?
Ethan: You, er, you told me about him.
Riker: Who are you? What is your part in all this?
Ethan: They've found us!
Riker: But you said their sensors didn't work in this tunnel.
Ethan: They must have fixed them. We've got to go!
Riker: Where are we going to go, Ethan?
Ethan: The shuttlebay. There's still time.
Riker: I've had enough.
Tomalak: Commander, surrender your weapon.
Riker: No more games. No more fantasies. I'm not going to play anymore.
Riker: It was never the Romulans. It was you all along, wasn't it?
Data: There is no question about it, sir. It is his signal.
Picard: Picard to Commander Riker. Do you read me?
Riker: Riker to Picard. I'm here.
Picard: Are you all right?
Riker: Yes, sir, I'm all right. What about
Riker: Geordi and Worf?
Picard: We beamed them up an hour ago. They're fine.
Picard: But we lost you in mid-transport. Where've you been? What is going on down there?
Riker: I'm not sure yet, sir.
Riker: But I think I'm about to find out. Stand by. What shall I call you? Ethan? Jean-Luc?
Ethan: It doesn't matter.
Riker: This room, it's more than a holodeck, isn't it?
Ethan: Much more. The neural scanners read my mind, give me everything I want. Just like they tried to give you everything you wanted.
Riker: Everything I wanted? You probed the Enterprise. You lured us here so you could play games with me. I didn't want that, you did. Why?
Ethan: My world was invaded. My people killed. My mother brought me here so our enemies would never find me.
Riker: They found her, didn't they?
Ethan: She knew that they would never stop looking for her, so she made sure I would be safe.
Ethan: She left the scanners to protect me, to give me anything I wanted.
Riker: Anything? Then why did you kidnap me?
Ethan: I wanted you to stay. It's been so long. I just want somebody real. I thought that you'd be happy. I'm sorry.
Riker: I have to return to my ship. Come with me. You don't have to stay here anymore. You don't have to be alone anymore.
Ethan: My name is Barash.
Riker: To me, you'll always be Jean-Luc. Two to transport.