Carmen: The hospital facility will be located there, facing north in that grove of trees. And the school and the arts center will be standing there, centrally located among the residential pods.
Riker: Very good. At this rate we'll be able to bring the next wave of colonists in in about six months. I've to tell you I envy you. This is a beautiful place to put down roots.
Carmen: Somehow, Riker, you don't strike me as the kind that puts down roots.
Riker: No? How do I strike you?
Carmen: As a free spirit. An adventurer.
Riker: An adventurer? Aren't you pioneers adventurers at heart?
Carmen: Of course. But we also have this nesting instinct. It's exciting to find a new world but the joy comes in making it a home. Building houses, having children.
Riker: Very interesting. I'd love to discuss this further with you. Dinner tonight?
Carmen: If you want to share camp rations in my tent, I'd be delighted.
Riker: Haven't we gotten you a replicator yet?
Carmen: No, we haven't, but I've been saving my ration of dried chicken curry. It should go very nicely with that bottle of wine I happen to know you brought with you.
Riker: This is sounding better all the time.
Carmen: And as you know, I provide the most memorable desserts.
Riker: My favorite part of dinner.
Crusher: Will? Carmen? We've been going over the schematics for the hospital. The location seems fine.
Riker: When the Enterprise comes back tomorrow, we'll get a crew started on that.
Riker: Carmen, have you got construction started I didn't know about?
Carmen: No. What is that?
Riker: Data?
Data: I do not recognize the sound. I believe it is coming from above.
Carmen: Will, what is it?
Riker: Data, what's our best bet for cover?
Data: Subterranean caverns to the east, sir. Doctor.
Carmen: Will.
Riker: Start gathering everybody together. We've seen this before. We know what it is. Now get moving.
Riker: Follow him. Let's go! Come on, come on!
Riker: No, stay together! Stay together! This way! This way! This way!
Riker: I've got you.
Carmen: Will, help us!
Riker: Data! Carmen!
Worf: Captain, sensors indicate a disturbance near the outpost on Melona Four.
Picard: What kind of disturbance?
Worf: I cannot tell. We are still too far away. It could be an electrical storm.
Picard: See if you can contact the colony.
Worf: Aye, sir. Captain, there is no response from Melona colony, but the disturbance in the atmosphere is increasing.
Picard: How far are we?
Worf: At current speed, twenty seven hours.
Picard: Bridge to La Forge.
Laforge: La Forge here, Captain.
Picard: Are you picking up any readings from Melona?
Laforge: Yes, sir. Something strange is going on. There are violent disruptions in the atmosphere.
Picard: Ensign, increase to warp eight.
Riker: Come on, keep moving.
Crusher: Watch your step but keep moving.
Riker: Let's go, let's go. Keep moving. Deeper into the cave. Come on. Deeper into the cave. Keep moving.
Riker: How much protection will this cave give us?
Data: The refractory metal in the rock formations may act as an effective barrier.
Riker: Let's seal off this entrance.
Crusher: Let's hope there's enough air in here.
Riker: There's got to be a ventilation source somewhere. We need some light.
Riker: How are the others?
Crusher: Just scrapes and bruises, I think. I'll check further. Where's Carmen?
Riker: She didn't make it. She was trying to save an old man who'd fallen.
Crusher: I'm sorry.
Riker: I think we're going to be all right in here. I'm not sure about the air supply, so stay put, don't move around. Don't expend unnecessary energy. With any luck, we'll be able to wait this thing out.
Riker: Riker to Enterprise. Riker to Enterprise.
Data: Commander, the refractory metals in the rock strata may also interfere with communication.
Riker: Data we've only seen the Crystalline Entity once before. How do you know these metals will protect us?
Data: I am not entirely certain they will, sir.
Riker: I was afraid you were going to say something like that.
Worf: Sir, the disturbance on Melona is becoming more intense.
Picard: Keep hailing them. All channels, Mister Worf.
Troi: Captain, the fact that they're not responding doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong. The atmospheric disturbance could be jamming the signal.
Picard: I know, Counselor.
Worf: Still no response, sir.
Picard: Increase to warp nine. How long, Mister Worf?
Worf: Six hours.
Crusher: I've got one man unconscious. We can't stay in here much longer.
Riker: If I open that entrance and it's still out there, we're dead.
Crusher: If we all stay in here, we're dead.
Data: It has been over an hour since we heard the Entity, sir. It may be gone.
Riker: Or it may be out there waiting for us.
Riker: Everybody stay here.
Worf: Commander? Commander Riker, are you there?
Riker: Lieutenant Worf, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful sight.
Laforge: It's good to see you're all right, Commander. What's happened here?
Riker: The Crystalline Entity paid us a visit. We lost two colonists, but we got the rest in here.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 45122.3. We have notified Starfleet Command of our intention to pursue and investigate the Crystalline Entity. To that end, we have been joined by Doctor Kila Marr, a xenologist who has made studying the Entity her life's work.
Riker: Welcome to the Enterprise. I am Commander William Riker.
Marr: Commander, Doctor Kila Marr.
Riker: Glad you're here.
Marr: You were on the surface during the attack?
Riker: That's right.
Marr: Remarkable. You and your group are the only known beings ever to survive an assault by the Crystalline Entity.
Riker: We were lucky.
Marr: I should say. And your android. He was there, too?
Riker: Lieutenant Commander Data was there, yes.
Marr: Well, shall we get started?
Riker: I'd be glad to show you to your quarters.
Marr: Oh, Commander. A chance to talk to survivors so soon after an attack? I've been waiting years for this. I don't want to waste a moment more.
Crusher: And when we came out of the cave there was nothing left. Everywhere we looked there was complete devastation. Trees gone, nothing.
Marr: That's typical. It could take years for anything to grow again.
Data: Doctor, I ran a full spectrographic analysis, section by section. Trace elements confirm that it is the same entity which destroyed the colony at Omicron Theta.
Marr: The Crystalline Entity seems to function like a gigantic electromagnetic collector. It needs a lot of power to keep going so it strips every form of life from the worlds it encounters and converts it all into energy.
Riker: There's no vegetation, no insects, not even soil bacteria. It left nothing.
Marr: Except witnesses, for the first time in eleven recorded attacks. Now why, I wonder, did it spare your group?
Riker: It didn't spare everyone, Doctor. If you'll check your reports, you'll find that two of the colonists didn't survive.
Marr: My point is that until now there have never been any survivors.
Data: Doctor, the cave in which we hid was made of rock which contained heavy concentrations of kelbonite and fistrium. We surmise that the Entity was unable to penetrate that barrier.
Marr: I would like to do interviews with each of the survivors. Collect as much specific detail as I can of their observations.
Picard: Of course.
Marr: And I'd like to inspect the remains of Melona Colony as soon as possible.
Picard: Commander Data, you will accompany the Doctor to the surface.
Data: Yes, sir.
Marr: If you don't mind, Captain, I prefer to choose my own team.
Picard: Doctor, there is no one on this ship with more knowledge of the Crystalline Entity than Commander Data. He originated on Omicron Theta.
Marr: I am aware of his origins. I'm very much aware that his brother, Lore, worked with the Crystalline Entity, led it to Omicron Theta where it killed every living thing. I don't think it's unreasonable that I should prefer to make another choice.
Picard: You may request additional team members, but in the best interest of this investigation, I think you should work with Commander Data.
Marr: As you wish, Captain.
Picard: Well?
Troi: I don't think you need an empath to sense that woman's feelings. There's hostility that she seems to have transferred from Lore to Data. Perhaps you shouldn't have forced them together so soon.
Picard: If her discomfort is going to affect her judgment or her objectivity, I need to know now.
Data: Doctor, there is evidence of residual bitrious matter in the soil. It was not present before the Entity's attack.
Data: Doctor? Doctor Marr, you have made it clear that my presence disturbs you. However, I do not see how we can achieve our task if you continue to ignore me.
Marr: Commander, I can hear everything you say to me. If there is anything worth my response, you can be sure I will not be silent.
Data: Then I do not understand your lack of interest in the bitrious filament I mentioned.
Marr: It's old news to me. I found evidence of bitrium on the last three attack sites. It seems to be a residual that the Entity produces after it absorbs living matter. I'm actually more interested in this cave. It still amazes me that your group was spared.
Data: As I have speculated, the presence of refractory metals
Marr: Refractory metals. Yes, I know. On two separate occasions settlers sought refuge in caves. Some of them deeper than this one. They perished anyway.
Data: Were those caves laced with kelbonite or fistrium?
Marr: The tunnels on Forlat Three had strong deposits of kelbonite, yes.
Data: Then perhaps the combination of the two metals prevented the Entity from
Marr: Perhaps it was you.
Data: I do not understand.
Marr: Maybe it was your presence which made the Entity pass over the people in this cave. Did that occur to you?
Data: I cannot see what effect my being here would have had
Marr: If you had been in contact with the Entity, if that's the reason Melona was attacked, it surely wouldn't have killed its ally.
Data: Do you believe that I lured the Entity here?
Marr: Did you?
Data: No, Doctor. Because Lore betrayed the colonists on Omicron Theta, you believe that I am capable of the same behavior. You are mistaken, Doctor. My programming is distinctly different from Lore's.
Marr: You don't understand. I am accusing you of collaborating with that monster!
Data: I do understand, and I am attempting to explain to you it is impossible.
Marr: It's amazing. You can't feel anything, can you? Nothing I say to you hurts you.
Data: That is true, Doctor.
Marr: I'm getting a slight elevation on monocaladium particulates in this cave wall. Are you making note of it?
Data: Yes, Doctor.
Marr: My son died on Omicron Theta. He was sixteen when the colony was attacked. That is the reason I have became an expert on the Crystalline Entity. I have spent my life studying it, tracking it, and hoping someday to find it. And if I learn you have been helping that thing in any way whatsoever, I will see to it that you are disassembled piece by piece.
Laforge: Okay, Doctor. We've input all the data you collected on the surface.
Marr: Just a minute, Commander. I have some cellulose readings from soil samples that weren't included.
Laforge: You handle that unit like a veteran, Doctor.
Marr: One thing about spending your life gathering information, you learn your way around computers. Hydrocarbons slightly elevated, bitrious filaments in trace amounts, lanthanides, nitrates all normal. Nothing different. Everything falls within the parameters I established at the other attack sites.
Data: Were you expecting a different result this time, Doctor?
Marr: I've never surveyed a site so soon after an attack. I thought maybe I'd find something new. Something that would make a difference.
Data: Doctor, have you ever scanned your samples for gamma radiation?
Marr: Why would I do that?
Data: We are seeing high energy reactions that may show up in a gamma scan.
Laforge: And if they do, we might find a pattern, a kind of marker left behind by the Entity. That's a good idea, Data.
Marr: Frankly, I just don't see what that would get us.
Data: If the Entity left a residual trace of antiproton in the samples we collected, a gamma radiation scan would reveal that.
Laforge: Getting that readout now, Data.
Data: If we try a logarithmic scale, we will have better resolution.
Laforge: There it is. Do you see it?
Data: Yes. Doctor?
Marr: A sharp spike at ten keV. Another. A pattern.
Laforge: So we know the Entity leaves antiprotons behind.
Marr: If it also deposits antiprotons in space as it travels, can we detect them?
Laforge: Sure. We can set the ship's lateral sensors for gamma radiation.
Marr: Well, let's get to it, shall we?
Marr: It seems I owe you thanks, Commander.
Data: The thanks actually go to Doctor Clendenning on Omicron Theta who did the first experiments with gamma scans.
Marr: I've never read that. It wasn't in any of his records.
Data: That is correct. But I possess much of his knowledge. He was working on new detectors at the time of the attack on Omicron Theta.
Marr: I'd heard that you'd been programmed with the experiences of the colonists, but frankly I find it hard to believe. Bridge.
Data: It is true, Doctor. The contents of their logs and journals were transferred into my memory cells. The man who created me also experimented with scanning the synaptic patterns of the colonists' temporal lobes and programming them into my neural nets.
Marr: You possess their thoughts?
Data: To some degree. Doctor Soong hoped to provide me with an amalgam of the colonists' memories.
Marr: Interesting.
Marr: There. A spike at ten keV. And again. It's the same pattern we saw in Engineering.
Picard: Mister Data, can you project a course from it?
Data: Yes, sir. There are two possible destinations. The Brechtian Cluster and the Argos system.
Picard: Is either populated?
Data: Yes, sir. The Brechtian Cluster has two inhabited planets.
Picard: Ensign, set a course for the Brechtian Cluster.
Marr: Captain, I've done some preliminary estimates on the firing pattern we need in order to destroy the Entity. The photon torpedoes will require some reprogramming, but with your permission, I'll give the calculations to Lieutenant Worf.
Picard: Reprogram the torpedoes, Mister Worf. Let's hope we don't have to use them.
Marr: I beg your pardon?
Picard: If we can possibly avoid firing on it, I would hope it would be
Marr: You aren't going to kill it?
Picard: Perhaps you should join me in my Ready room.
Marr: I don't understand. Why are we pursuing the Entity, if not to destroy it?
Picard: We're not hunters, Doctor. Nor is it our role to exact revenge.
Marr: What do you propose? We track it down, greet it warmly and ask if it would mind terribly not ravaging any more planets?
Picard: I don't denying that it may be necessary to fire on it. But I look on that as a last resort.
Marr: Why? Why not just kill it?
Picard: I want to try to communicate with it.
Marr: What?
Picard: We know from our own experience that our shields will protect us. So long as we're in no danger, I will make every effort to communicate.
Marr: To what end?
Picard: If we can determine what its needs are, we might find other sources to supply it.
Marr: Its needs are to slaughter people by the thousands. It is nothing but a giant killing machine.
Picard: Doctor, the sperm whale on Earth devours millions of cuttlefish as it roams the oceans. It is not evil. It is feeding. The same may be true of the Crystalline Entity.
Marr: That would be small comfort for those who have died to feed it. We're not talking about cuttlefish, we're talking about people.
Picard: I would argue that the Crystalline Entity has as much right to be here as we do. Now, Commander Data has some theories on how we might communicate. Please confer with him.
Data: Come in.
Marr: Am I disturbing you?
Data: Not at all, Doctor.
Marr: Commander, there's something I want to say. You have been helpful to me, and kind, and I repaid you with accusations, and I realize I may have been wrong.
Data: That is very gracious of you to say, Doctor, but I have not been injured by you.
Marr: Captain Picard has told me you've done work in trying to establish communication with the Entity.
Data: That is true. I have experimented with producing vibrations in crystals by means of graviton pulses.
Marr: Like tapping a crystal goblet?
Data: Exactly. I will call up the results I have achieved this far for you to study.
Marr: All right. Commander, just what kind of memories do you retain of the colonists?
Data: I do not possess the minute to minute remembrances of each person, although the more intense recollections are contained in my memory banks.
Marr: Do you have any of my son's memories?
Data: Marr, Raymond. Called Renny. Yes. I do.
Marr: I see. And his journals?
Data: Yes.
Marr: I was wondering. Do you know? Did he blame me?
Data: Blame you?
Marr: For going away. For leaving him on Omicron Theta.
Data: There are no records of any blame against you.
Marr: I left him with friends. I chose to pursue my own career. I planned to go back, but things kept interfering. I kept thinking, I'll go next month. And there weren't any more next months.
Data: There are no records of any negative thoughts about you. His personal journals indicated that he was proud that you were such a fine scientist.
Marr: He was? What else do you know?
Riker: Commander Data, Doctor Marr, report to the Bridge immediately.
Captain: We are being chased by an unidentified entity traveling at warp speed.
Picard: A distress call from a ship called the Kallisko. It's being pursued by an unknown object.
Captain: Sensors indicate a crystalline structure of indeterminate mass.
Picard: How strong are your shields, Captain?
Captain: We are a transport ship. Our shields are minimal.
Picard: Do you carry weapons?
Captain: Only low level particle phasers. Do you know what this being is?
Picard: Kallisko, change course. Take evasive action. Do whatever you can to outrun it.
Captain: we are under attack! Captain, notify our people on Boreal Three
Picard: Mister Worf, try to reestablish.
Worf: I cannot, sir. There is no response.
Data: The Crystalline Entity is moving away, sir.
Picard: Ensign, set a course for the Kallisko. Mister Riker, prepare an away team.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 45125.7. An away team led by Commander Riker has conducted a thorough survey of the alien ship Kallisko, and has returned to the Enterprise to report.
Riker: It was pretty much as we expected, sir. No survivors.
Crusher: Not a trace of anything that was ever alive. Not even a seed in their greenery storage.
Data: Warp and impulse engines are down, sir, but they can be restarted. A skeleton crew could take the ship to a starbase.
Picard: No, we don't have time for that now. Mister Worf, send a message to the nearest starbase. Ask them to dispatch a crew.
Data: Aye, sir.
Picard: Mister La Forge, make certain that we're still picking up the gamma radiation pattern of the Entity.
Laforge: Aye, sir.
Picard: Have you and Commander Data made any progress in finding a means of communication?
Marr: I believe so. There are some details to iron out.
Picard: Please keep working at it. We may need it soon.
Data: Deck seventeen. Doctor, you have seemed preoccupied since we surveyed the Kallisko.
Marr: I've found it easy to talk to you, Commander. Do you mind if I tell you something?
Data: Not at all.
Marr: After hearing the screams of those men, I found it hard not to think about my son, about what happened to him. I've read stories about soldiers in the battlefield, wounded, dying. They call for their mothers. And I've often wondered if my son called for me. If he died wondering why I didn't come to him.
Picard: Come.
Riker: It's still headed for the Brechtian Cluster. We've re-established our course.
Picard: Very well. Oh, one thing, Number One. Starfleet will be notifying Carmen Davila's family of her death and returning her personal effects. Would you care to enclose a letter?
Riker: Yes, sir. I'd like that very much.
Picard: Is there something more, Number One?
Riker: Permission to speak freely, sir?
Picard: Of course.
Riker: I've been thinking maybe Doctor Marr is right. Maybe we should destroy the Entity.
Picard: Why do you think that?
Riker: It's already killed thousands. It will undoubtedly continue to kill unless we stop it. I don't want those deaths on my conscience.
Picard: Are you sure that that's it, Number One, or are you being influenced by personal feelings?
Riker: With all due respect, sir, I'm not a raw cadet. I've lost people on missions before. If we take time to try to communicate with this thing, we may lose our chance to destroy it. And I don't think we can risk that. I think I'll go write that letter to Carmen's family.
Data: We should program the bridge science station to vary the emissions we direct toward the Entity.
Marr: I'll write a subroutine that will allow us to change the frequency of the graviton beam. Data? You told me you carried some of my son's memories.
Data: That is correct, Doctor.
Marr: What can you tell me about Renny? What were those thoughts? Was he was he happy at all, on Omicron Theta?
Data: I have some vivid memories of sporting events. He played parrises squares with a group of his schoolmates.
Marr: Renny started parrises squares when he was young. Too young, really. But the older children kept asking him to play, and I couldn't keep him away. He had this natural gift.
Data: Yes, he was pleased to have won a championship emblem.
Marr: I remember he wrote me about that. He was so proud. I'm characterizing pulse widths in nanoseconds. Sound right to you?
Data: Yes, Doctor. Your son's most intense memories revolve around a young woman named Jenina.
Marr: A girlfriend? I never knew about that. Of course, the last person he would tell would be his mother. What was she like?
Data: He enjoyed her kindness, her gentleness, her physical attributes.
Marr: There. Now we can vary all the parameters directly from the Bridge.
Data: Yes, Doctor.
Marr: Could you do something for me? It would mean a lot.
Data: I would be happy to be of help.
Marr: You see, all I have left of Renny, the only connection of him is there, inside you. I was wondering if you would talk to me in his voice. I know you have the ability to sound like other people, isn't that right?
Data: That is true, Doctor, but what would you want me to say?
Marr: Maybe something from his journals.
Data: Many of his journal entries took the form of letters to friends and family. I could access one of those.
: I took my last exam today I think I did all right on everything except cellular biology. I know you think it's important, Mom, but I don't see how I'm ever going to use this stuff. In a couple of weeks, a bunch of us are going on an archeological dig in the mountains. The Wallaces said it would be all right as long as we had adult supervision, so don't worry. They're looking out for me. They're really great people and I like them a lot, but they're kind of serious. They don't have your sense of humor, Mom. Mom, I miss you.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 45129.2. We are still in pursuit of the Crystalline Entity. Data and Doctor Marr are prepared to attempt communication with the being when we intercept it. I will admit to some uncertainty about the prospect. It could prove to be a scientific triumph, or a catastrophe.
Worf: Sir, the Brechtian Cluster is now five light years away.
Riker: Are we still picking up the Entity's pattern?
Data: Yes, Commander, but sensors have not yet locked onto its exact whereabouts.
Marr: Captain, we are reasonably sure it's between here and the Brechtian Cluster. If I start emitting the graviton beam now, it may serve as a lure. A kind of beacon.
Picard: Make it so.
Marr: We'll start with a pulse width of five nanoseconds, frequency one pulse per second.
Data: Commencing graviton emissions now.
Laforge: No change in the sensor readings.
Marr: Let's ramp frequency.
Data: Emissions now at ten pulses per second.
Worf: Sir.
Marr: What is it? Do you have something?
Worf: A large mass approaching at warp speed.
Picard: Full stop.
Helm: Aye, sir.
Picard: Doctor, continue emitting the signals. Mister Worf, on screen.
Riker: Shields up.
Picard: Magnify.
Marr: It's beautiful.
Riker: What's it doing? Checking us out?
Picard: Possibly. Just as we're checking it out.
Data: Doctor Marr, do you wish to change the frequency? Doctor Marr?
Marr: Yes. Yes, proceed, Commander.
Data: Changing to twenty pulses per second.
Troi: Is it responding to us?
Marr: Let's test that. Ramp the frequency again, Commander.
Data: Emissions now at thirty pulses per second.
Laforge: Captain, I'm reading a transmission from the Entity. A series of graviton pulses.
Marr: It's working. That's a response to our signal.
Picard: Remarkable.
Data: Captain, there is a pattern emerging from the signals.
Picard: It's trying to communicate with us.
Data: I believe so, sir, but it will take some time to decipher the patterns.
Picard: Then it's possible. Communication, understanding.
Marr: Let me try something else. A continuous graviton beam.
Laforge: All graviton pulses from the Entity have stopped.
Troi: Maybe it doesn't like what we're doing.
Picard: Doctor, return to the intermittent signal.
Data: Doctor? Doctor Marr? Doctor Marr, we must return to the intermittent signal.
Picard: Counselor?
Troi: Something's very wrong, Captain.
Data: Sir, the Entity is beginning to resonate. Vibrations are increasing.
Picard: Doctor, stop the transmission. That is an order. Doctor Marr, do you hear me?
Marr: It's for you, Renny I did it for you.
Picard: Mister Worf, take charge of the Doctor. Mister Data, shut down the transmission.
Laforge: Vibration amplitude is increasing. It can't last much longer.
Data: I cannot stop our graviton signal, Captain. Doctor Marr has isolated the access code.
Laforge: Maybe I can create an override sequence. Shut it down from here.
Data: The amplitude is still rising, Captain. Resonance is approaching critical.
Laforge: I can override her program, but it's going to take some time.
Picard: Mister Worf, will you escort the Doctor to her quarters.
Worf: Yes, sir.
Marr: It will never hurt anyone again.
Data: Perhaps I should escort the Doctor, sir.
Picard: Fine, but don't leave her unattended.
Data: Please come with me, Doctor.
Marr: Of course.
Data: I will stay with you, Doctor.
Marr: How long will you live, Data?
Data: There has been no predetermined limit placed on my existence, Doctor.
Marr: I'm glad. As long as you're alive he'll be alive. I need your help, Data.
Data: In what way, Doctor?
Marr: Like you did before. Tell me that you understand, Renny. That you know I did it for you, because I love you. Because I wanted to give you peace at last.
Data: I do not find such a file in your son's journals. However, from what I know of him by his memories and his writing, I do not believe he would be happy. He was proud of your career as a scientist, and now you have destroyed that. You say you did it for him, but I do not believe he would have wanted that. Yes, I believe your son would be very sad now. I am sorry, Doctor, but I cannot help you.


Picard: Captain's log, stardate 45156.1. Our mission to Mudor Five has been completed and since our next assignment will not begin for several days, we are enjoying a welcome respite from our duties.
O'Brien: If it's a boy, Michael, after my father.
Keiko: Wait a minute. We decided on Hiro, after my father.
O'Brien: We talked about this last night.
Keiko: That's right, and we decided on Hiro.
Riker: Wait. I've got it. William. It's a great name. William O'Brien. It's got a nice ring to it.
Keiko: It's all right. He's just doing somersaults. Here, feel.
Keiko: Right there.
Riker: He's going to be a hell of a gymnast.
Data: May I?
Keiko: Sure. There, feel it? When he's not turning, he's kicking and punching. When I want to sleep, he wants to wake up. At this point, I just wish it were over.
O'Brien: I have to go. I've got a transporter simulation on the bridge. Bye-bye, Michael.
Laforge: No.
Crusher: Come on, Geordi.
Laforge: No.
Crusher: Just try it once. It is not as hard as you think. I'm telling you, you will be terrific.
Laforge: All right. I am the very model of a modern major general, I've information vegetable, animal and mineral. I can't do this.
Crusher: Yes you can!
Laforge: I cannot sing in front of people.
Crusher: You were terrific! You were a little off pitch, but I think I can take care of that. Okay, La Forge as a modern major general.
Troi: Captain, I'd like to introduce you to the winners of the primary school science fair. This is Marissa, Jay Gordon, and Patterson. They're here for their tour.
Picard: Hello.
Patterson: Can we see the battle bridge and torpedo bay?
Picard: No, I'm afraid not. But we will be visiting the hydroponics and astrophysics laboratories.
Troi: I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.
Picard: Well. If you'll come with me.
O'Brien: I'm not sure who to feel sorry for, the Captain or the kids.
Picard: I want you to know we're very proud of the science fair winners. Perhaps some of you will choose to pursue a career in Starfleet. Well, then. What did you do for your science projects?
Patterson: I planted radishes in this special dirt and they came up all weird!
Picard: I see. That's very, very commendable. And you?
Jay Gordon: An analysis of the life span of the swarming moths of Gonal Four. They only live for twenty hours, then they all die.
Picard: How interesting. And you
Picard: We're falling!
Monroe: What happened?
Mandel: Sensors are picking up subspace distortions and high energy particles directly to starboard.
Monroe: Looks like we ran into a quantum filament. Damage report?
O'Brien: We've lost primary life support. Switching to secondary systems. Impulse and warp engines are offline.
Mandel: There's another filament moving toward us, sir.
Monroe: All decks brace for impact!
O'Brien: Counselor?
Troi: I'm all right. Medical team to the Bridge. Troi to Sickbay. Counselor Troi to Captain Picard. Troi to Engineering. Counselor Troi to any crew member, please acknowledge.
Troi: Medical team to the Bridge.
O'Brien: The computer's down. It looks like we still have impulse power but not much else.
Troi: Lieutenant Monroe!
Mandel: Chief O'Brien. The turbolifts aren't working. We're trapped up here.
Picard: Are you, are you children all right?
Picard: Bridge, this is Picard. This is the Captain. Can anyone hear me?
Patterson: Why don't they answer?
Picard: I don't know.
Jay Gordon: They're all dead.
Picard: They're not dead. Communication is down, that's all.
Jay Gordon: We're going to die, too.
Picard: We most certainly are not. Now listen to me. No one here is going to die. The bridge will be sending a rescue party as soon as possible. So I want you all to stop crying. Everything is going to be all right.
O'Brien: This is the Federation Starship Enterprise calling any vessel within range. We are in distress and need assistance. Please respond. I'm still not sure we're even transmitting. I'll set the message on auto repeat and see if we get a response.
O'Brien: Are you all right?
Ro: I'm alive. What the hell happened?
O'Brien: We were hit by a quantum filament. Most of our systems are down and we haven't been able to contact anyone off the bridge.
Ro: Well, don't count on leaving through there. An emergency bulkhead closed just beneath that lift.
O'Brien: Confinement mode.
Ro: Right. Isolation protocol.
Troi: I'm not really familiar with that protocol.
O'Brien: If the computer senses a hull breach, it automatically closes emergency bulkheads to isolate the breach. Until we can clear those bulkheads, we'll be cut off from the rest of the ship.
Mandel: I have partial sensors back online. I'm picking up sporadic life signs throughout the saucer section. There are definitely survivors.
O'Brien: What about Ten Forward?
Ro: Ten Forward?
O'Brien: My wife's there.
Mandel: I'm sorry, Chief. The readings are not that specific.
Ro: Can you scan the drive section?
Mandel: I'm not reading any life signs in the drive section.
Ro: Could the sensors be malfunctioning?
Mandel: There's no way to know. Without the main computer, I can't run a full diagnostic.
O'Brien: Can you sense anything, Counselor?
Troi: There are a lot of people still alive. Many of them are hurt but I can't tell where they are.
Ro: We need to start emergency procedures. Who's the duty officer?
O'Brien: Lieutenant Monroe was in command, but she's dead. I believe Counselor Troi is the senior officer on the deck.
Ro: Counselor Troi?
O'Brien: She carries the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Troi: I'd appreciate some suggestions.
O'Brien: I recommend we initiate emergency procedure alpha two. Bypass computer control and place all systems on manual override.
Troi: Very well.
O'Brien: Aye, aye, sir.
Ro: May I suggest that our next priority be to stabilize life support and try to re-establish intership communications?
Troi: Yes. Mister Mandel, I'd like you to assist Ensign Ro.
Mandel: Yes, sir.
Riker: How do you feel?
Keiko: Okay. A little foggy.
Riker: Just lie still for a while. We'll get you to Sickbay as soon as we can.
Keiko: Okay.
Riker: Report.
Data: I have surveyed all the turbolifts and service crawlways on this deck. Access to the Bridge has been completely severed by emergency bulkheads.
Worf: Sickbay?
Data: Heavy damage to section twenty three A has cut off access to Sickbay. I have ordered a security team to bring casualties here until further notice.
Riker: I think we should assume the worst, that everyone on the Bridge is dead. There's no one is in control of the ship.
Data: In that circumstance, re-establishing control should be our top priority.
Riker: Agreed. Can we get to Engineering?
Data: Yes, sir. The most direct route is blocked, but I believe we can use a starboard service crawlway.
Riker: Okay, you and I will try to get there. Mister Worf, this room is going to fill with wounded in a few minutes and they're going to need help. I want you to stay in charge here.
Worf: Yes, sir.
Riker: Let's go.
Worf: Over here.
Crewman: Yes, sir.
Laforge: Okay. Clear the power shunt.
Crusher: The shunt is cleared.
Laforge: Right. And bypass the flow current, and . The computer still won't release the doors.
Crusher: Can we force them open?
Laforge: Yes, we can try. There's an emergency hand actuator.
Crusher: Geordi?
Laforge: Yes?
Crusher: This wall is hot.
Laforge: Where?
Laforge: I'm all right, but I think we've got a new problem. One of the energy conduits must've ruptured and ignited the polyduranide inside the bulkhead. That's a plasma fire.
Crusher: It's putting out a lot of radiation. We can't stay in here very long.
Laforge: We've got a bigger problem than that. The quaratum in these containers is used in emergency thruster packs. It's normally pretty stable stuff but when you expose quaratum to radiation, it has a way of exploding.
Picard: The external power is cut off.
Jay Gordon: We're going to die.
Patterson: What was that?
Picard: I don't know.
Picard: Your name is Marissa. Is that right? Well, Marissa, I'm going to need a first officer to help me. You're the oldest and so that makes you my Number One.
Marissa: Number One?
Picard: That's what I always called my first officer. So, here.
Picard: There. Now, Number One, we need a crew to help us get that hatch off. Don't you think that Jay here would make an excellent science officer? What do you say, Jay? Will you join our crew?
Jay Gordon: It's Jay Gordon.
Picard: Of course. Forgive me, Jay Gordon.
Jay Gordon: I accept.
Picard: There.
Patterson: Can I be an officer, too?
Picard: Well, let me see. Your science project involved radishes, did it not?
Patterson: Yes, sir.
Picard: Then I shall appoint you my executive officer in charge of radishes.
Picard: There. Right, then let's get to work.
Riker: Thirteen sixty five baker. That should put us right behind shuttlebay two.
Data: That is correct, sir. We have approximately fifty two meters remaining in this crawlway before we can safely exit into a main corridor.
Riker: Coolant leak!
Crusher: We can withstand this level of radiation for another three or four hours without any permanent damage. We'll need a few days of hyronalin treatments.
Laforge: What are the radiation levels in the quaratum?
Crusher: They're at eighty three rads and rising at a rate of about four rads per minute.
Laforge: That stuff gets unstable at around three hundred and fifty rads. I still haven't been able to get any power to this transporter.
Crusher: The radiation levels is about twenty percent lower at this end of the bay. Let's move the containers over to here.
Laforge: That's a good idea. It should buy us some time. You know we're going to have to do this by hand. With all the radiation floating around in here we can't trust the antigrav units.
O'Brien: There. Just before the second time we were hit. See the subspace distortion?
Troi: Yes. How big is a quantum filament?
O'Brien: It can be hundreds of meters long, but it has almost no mass, which makes it very difficult to detect.
Troi: So, it's like a cosmic string?
O'Brien: No. that's a completely different phenomenon.
O'Brien: How did you do that?
Ro: I diverted power from the phaser array and I dumped it into the engineering control system.
O'Brien: You what?
Ro: Engineering station's online, Counselor.
O'Brien: But that's a completely improper procedure. You can't just dump that much raw energy into a bridge terminal without blowing
Ro: We're not going to get out of this by playing it safe.
Troi: What is our engine status, Ensign?
Ro: We've got half impulse power available, but I'm getting some odd readings from the warp drive. I'm reading a spike in the warp field array. It looks like a containment deviation.
O'Brien: Switch to primary bypass.
Ro: Nothing. Field strength's at forty percent and falling. We've got a problem. The quantum resonance of the filament caused a polarity shift in the antimatter containment field.
O'Brien: When the filament hit us, the ship was momentarily charged, as if it had come into contact with a live electrical wire.
Ro: That weakened the containment field surrounding the antimatter pods. The field strength is at forty percent and it is still falling.
O'Brien: If it falls to fifteen percent the field will collapse and we'll have a containment breach.
Troi: Which means?
Ro: Which means the ship will explode.
Data: Commander, the current cannot be off down from this relay box.
Riker: We can't just sit here.
Data: If the energy flowing through that arc were interrupted by a nonconductive material, it is likely the circuit would be broken.
Riker: I don't see any material in here that could handle that much current.
Data: Commander, much of my bodyframe is made up of tripolymers, a non conductive material.
Riker: Are you suggesting we use your own body?
Data: Yes, sir.
Riker: Data, there's half a million amps flowing through that arc. Could your body handle that much current?
Data: The power surge would cause a system failure in my internal processors and melt my primary power couplings. However, there is a chance that the damage would not be irreparable.
Riker: No.
Data: Commander, our options are very limited.
Riker: First of all, android or not, I wouldn't ask anyone to take that kind of risk. Second, if the computer is not working in Engineering, I'm going to need your help to get control of the ship.
Data: My positronic brain has several layers of shielding to protect me from power surges. It would be possible for you to remove my cranial unit and take it with you.
Riker: Let me get this straight. You want me to take off your head?
Data: Yes, sir. Is something wrong, sir?
Riker: Well, Data, would you be all right?
Data: My memory core and neural nets are self-contained. I would be fine, sir.
Riker: Well, like you said, our choices are very limited.
Riker: Data? Data! Data.
Data: A remarkable experience, Commander.
Riker: Are you all right? Did the shielding work?
Data: Apparently so, sir. My neural nets are still fully operational. You may begin by opening the ventral access panel located two centimeters beneath my right ear.
Picard: Can you climb up?
Jay Gordon: Yes, I think so.
Picard: Good. Now look down the sides of the lift. Can you see two big clamps?
Jay Gordon: Yes, I see them.
Picard: Can you see if those clamps are attached to long beams inside big grooves?
Jay Gordon: Yes. But one of them looks broken. It's half out of the groove.
Picard: All right. Come down.
Picard: All right. Number One, those big clamps are part of the emergency system. If something goes wrong, they're designed to hold the turbolift in place. But it would seem that they're damaged.
Marissa: Is that why we keep shaking?
Picard: That's right. Now, when they give way, we shall fall. So you've got to get your crew out of here before that happens. Now, there is a ladder along the wall of the shaft. You can climb up that until you come to an open doorway.
Marissa: What about you?
Picard: My ankle is broken. I will just slow you down when you need to move quickly. Now, you are the leader. And that's an order.
Marissa: We have to climb up the shaft.
Patterson: I want to stay here with you, Captain.
Picard: Patterson, you're an officer. You have to obey orders.
Patterson: I don't want to be an officer any more. I want to stay here with you.
Jay Gordon: If the captain stays here, we won't make it. We'll all die.
Picard: We don't have time to argue. You must go now.
Marissa: The crew has decided to stick together. We all go or we all stay.
Picard: All right. I'll try. But I want you to know this is mutiny. Now, Number One, look at that control panel. Now, the yellow control pad, hit that once. Now the one below it, hit twice. Now that should release the panel underneath.
Marissa: Yes, it did.
Picard: Now, you can pull it away.
Marissa: Okay.
Picard: Good. Now, that bundle of wires, that's optical cabling. See how much of that you can pull out.
Crusher: The levels are still rising. There must be some way to put that fire out.
Laforge: The energy's being fed by the ship's internal power grid and we can't even get near that. The only way to stop it would be to eliminate its supply of oxygen. Wait a minute. Doctor, I've got an idea. It's kind or wild, but we just might be able to kill two birds with one stone.
Crusher: Let's hear it.
Laforge: Okay. We open the external door. That would depressurize the cargo bay and suck all of those containers out into space. At the same time, the lack of oxygen should put out the plasma fire.
Crusher: What about us?
Laforge: We just need to find something in here to hold onto while the air is evacuating. Then, we close the door, repressurize the bay.
Crusher: What about this?
Laforge: Yeah, that ought to do it.
Keiko: There that should do it.
Worf: There will be a sharp pain as I set the bone. Prepare yourself. Good. Good, you bore that well.
Worf: Keiko?
Keiko: I'm all right. I think.
Worf: Perhaps you should lie down.
Keiko: Oh, oh, oh. I'm having contractions.
Worf: I believe that is not uncommon in the late months of pregnancy.
Keiko: No, I mean contractions. I'm going into labor.
Worf: You cannot. This this is not a good time, Keiko.
Keiko: It's not open for debate. Like it or not, this baby is coming.
O'Brien: If the containment field strength continues to drop at its present rate, we still have at least two hours before it becomes critical.
Ro: But you're ignoring the fact that the power coupling is also damaged. If that coupling overheats, the field strength could drop a lot faster. We could have a containment breach in a matter of minutes.
Troi: What do you suggest?
Ro: We should separate the saucer now, and put as much distance as possible between us and the drive section.
O'Brien: Excuse me, sir, but that's damn cold blooded. What about the people down there?
Ro: There's no evidence that anyone is still alive in the drive section.
O'Brien: No evidence they're dead, either. If you were trapped down there, would you like us to just cut you loose and leave?
Ro: No, of course not. But I also wouldn't expect the bridge crew to risk the safety of the ship and hundreds of lives in a futile effort to rescue me.
Troi: You said there was no way to stabilize the containment field from the Bridge. Could it be done from Engineering?
O'Brien: Yes, but my readings indicate there's no power down there. They don't even have monitors to tell them there's a problem.
Troi: Could we divert energy from the Bridge to those monitors?
O'Brien: Yes, sir.
Ro: I'll say it again. There is no reason to believe that anyone is alive in Engineering. We're wasting time even talking about this. We have to separate the ship now.
Troi: I believe there are still people alive down there and I'm going to give them every chance. Assuming they're alive, they'll be hoping there's someone up here who can help them. So we'll help them. Chief, divert the necessary power to Engineering.
O'Brien: Aye, sir.
Ro: I remind you, Counselor, that power coupling could overheat at any moment. By not separating the ship now, you may be responsible for all our deaths.
Troi: Thank you, Ensign. Proceed.
Picard: I can't open this door. We're going to have to climb up to the next deck.
Patterson: What if that one doesn't open either?
Jay Gordon: Then we'll never get out.
Marissa: Quiet, both of you. That's an order.
Picard: We're going up. Ready?
Marissa: Ready, sir.
Picard: The lift's falling! Hang on!
Picard: We're all right. We're going to keep on climbing. Just don't look down.
Jay Gordon: What's wrong?
Marissa: He's scared.
Picard: We're right with you, Patterson. You're not going to fall. Everything will be all right if you just keep climbing. What we need is a climbing song. Marissa, is there a song you sing at school?
Marissa: The Laughing Vulcan and His Dog?
Picard: I'm afraid I don't know that one. I know. Frere Jacques. That's a song I used to sing when I was at school. Patterson, do you know that one? Good. It goes like this. Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques, dormez vous? Dormez vous?
All: Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines, ding ding dong, ding ding dong.
Picard: Very good. Now, keep singing.
All: Frere Jacques, frere Jacques, dormez vous? Dormez vous? Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines. Ding ding dong, ding ding dong. Frere Jacques, frere Jacques, dormez vous? Dormez vous? Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines. Ding ding dong, ding ding dong. Frere Jacques, frere Jacques
Worf: Your contractions are now only thirty seconds apart. Dilation has gone to seven centimeters since the onset of labor. That did not take long.
Keiko: That's easy for you to say.
Worf: You are doing very well. I am sure the child will arrive soon.
Keiko: Worf, has the baby turned?
Worf: Turned?
Keiko: So the head is down. Doctor Crusher told me a few days ago that it hadn't. She wasn't worried because I still had a month to go.
Worf: I am not certain. Can't you tell?
Keiko: Worf, have you ever done this before?, delivered a baby?
Worf: Yes. No. I have taken the Starfleet Emergency Medical Course. In a computerized simulation, I assisted in the delivery of a human baby.
Keiko: Sometimes it doesn't go by the book, Worf.
Worf: I am sure everything will be fine.
Crusher: Once the air is vented, the first thing you'll feel is extreme pressure in your lungs. You have to resist the temptation to exhale. Next, our hands and feet will get cold, then numb, and some of the capillaries on exposed sections of the skin may burst.
Laforge: Sounds like fun.
Crusher: We will have about fifteen seconds of useful consciousness, then about ten seconds of extreme disorientation, then we pass out.
Laforge: Okay. Once the air is evacuated, one of us is going to need to get to that panel to repressurize the bay.
Laforge: We're ready. Are you okay?
Ro: The field strength is down to twenty percent. We cannot run the risk of staying here any longer.
O'Brien: We're in no danger until it drops below fifteen percent. We can afford to wait and see if anyone in Engineering notices those monitors.
Troi: Have you made preparations to separate the Saucer section?
Ro: Yes, sir. We're in stand by mode for docking latches.
O'Brien: Ensign there's a thermal inversion in the power coupling!
Ro: Quick, cross-connect to the transfer coil. That was close.
Troi: What happened?
Ro: Exactly what I said might happen. The power coupling overheated and the entire containment field almost collapsed. O'Brien's fixed it temporarily, but this could happen again at any moment, and next time we might not be able to stop it. You can't let wishful thinking guide your decision, Counselor. It's time to leave.
Troi: We will separate the ship when I decide that it's time, and not before. Is that clear, Ensign?
Ro: Yes. Perfectly.
Riker: Okay, try it.
Data: Very good, Commander. You have established a connection. I can now raise the door.
Riker: There's no power on this entire deck, yet somehow these monitors are working.
Data: The power reaching those monitors has been diverted from the Bridge, sir.
Riker: But why? Unless there's something they want us something they need us to see. Wait a minute. Data, the containment field strength is down to eighteen percent. Can you stabilize it?
Data: No, sir. I do not have access to the containment field. You will have to establish a new link. Locate the ODN conduit, sir.
Riker: Got it.
Data: Yes, sir. You must now change the input matrix in my secondary optical port and then connect the ODN conduit.
Data: That is not the correct port, sir.
Riker: Sorry.
Data: You must hurry, Commander. The containment field has dropped to sixteen percent.
Riker: I'm trying. You need a bigger head.
Data: The field continues to drop, sir. Collapse is imminent.
Riker: Try it now.
Data: I have a connection, sir. I am now stabilizing the containment field.
O'Brien: Sir, the field strength is stabilizing. Eighteen percent, twenty, twenty five.
Ro: I guess they got our message. I was wrong, Counselor.
Troi: You could have easily been right.
Worf: Congratulations. You are fully dilated to ten centimeters. You may now give birth.
Keiko: That's what I've been doing.
Worf: Bearing down is the next stage. It should start at full dilation. Why has it not begun?
Keiko: I don't know. I don't think it's up to me. It happens when it happens.
Worf: The computer simulation was not like this. That delivery was very orderly.
Keiko: Well, I'm sorry!
Worf: Did you feel an uncontrollable urge to push?
Worf: Good. You are bearing down. Now you must push with each contraction and I must urge you gently but firmly to push harder. Push, Keiko. Push hard. Push, Keiko. Push. Push.
Keiko: I am pushing!
Worf: The baby is emerging head first. One more contraction.
Keiko: Okay.
Worf: That's good. Push. Push. Hard. I have the baby. I will smack the child to induce breathing.
Worf: Now I will cut the umbilical cord. Blanket. I believe she looks like Chief O'Brien.
Keiko: Hello. You were wonderful, Worf. I couldn't have done it without you. Hello.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. We are en route to Starbase sixty seven, to undergo repairs. Life aboard the Enterprise is slowly returning to normal.
Troi: Now just wait here.
Riker: You just can't stay away from the big chair, can you?
Troi: I don't think I'm cut out to be Captain. First officer, maybe. I understand there aren't many qualifications.
Riker: Captain Picard to the Bridge, please.
Picard: Hello. It's good to see you again. What brings you to the Bridge?
Marissa: In appreciation for the way you helped us get out of the turboshaft, and the way you helped us not be scared, we want to present to you this commemorative plaque. Give it to him.
Picard: Thank you. Thank you very much.
Patterson: I made the back piece.
Picard: And a wonderful job you did of it, too. Well, later this afternoon, we're going to finish the tour I promised you, starting with the battle bridge. I'll see you at fourteen hundred hours. You have the Bridge, Number One. RIKER +
Marissa: Aye, sir.


Riker: Etana? I know you're back there. Don't make me come after you.
Riker: Give me that.
Etana: You don't need that.
Riker: Yes, I do.
Riker: I need that communicator.
Etana: Commander Riker to the Enterprise. I've a terrible problem down here on Risa.
Riker: Give me that.
Etana: Go get it.
Riker: I don't believe you did that.
Etana: Believe it.
Riker: What is this?
Etana: It's a game. Everyone here's playing it. It's fun.
Riker: Do I keep my eyes open, or closed?
Etana: Open.
Riker: What am I seeing?
Etana: The playing field.
Riker: Now what?
Etana: See the disk and the cone?
Riker: Yeah.
Etana: Concentrate. Make the disk go into the cone.
Riker: How do I do that?
Etana: Just let go. Relax. You'll do it.
Riker: What was that?
Etana: Your reward for clearing the first level.
Riker: How far does this game go?
Etana: As far as you can take it. Would you like to go for level two?
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 45208.2. Commander Riker has rejoined the Enterprise from Risa, and we are on our way to an uncharted area called the Phoenix Cluster. We're all anticipating this historic first look at the region.
Riker: It's starting to get busy around here. Five new science teams just beamed in from the Zhukov. Quarters are filling up fast.
Picard: On top of everything, there's been a change. We've been given only two weeks to complete the exploration.
Riker: Two weeks? That's not enough time to explore a region that size. I thought we had five weeks.
Data: Commander, Starfleet has added a diplomatic mission to Oceanus Four.
Picard: Will, I'm leaving it up to you to make sure that all science departments have an equal chance of completing their research.
Riker: That'll be quite a juggling act.
Picard: Oh, and one piece of good news.. We're to rendezvous with a shuttlecraft carrying Wesley Crusher. He's on vacation from the Academy.
Riker: Wesley? Good. We'll need an extra hand around here.
Riker: Geordi, how are you coming with the survey preparations?
Laforge: I'm up to my neck in observation schedules right now. Our biggest hurdle is sensor availability.
Riker: Especially since two new exobiologists and three stellar cartographers have joined us from the Zhukov.
Laforge: Fifteen science teams, only two weeks, and one long-range array don't make for a great combination.
Riker: What about the lateral sensors?
Laforge: They're booked solid for planetary observation.
Riker: And the gamma ray scanner?
Laforge: We're reprogramming them now. Lefler, a moment of your time, please?
Laforge: You know Robin Lefler.
Riker: Of course.
Laforge: Her work around here's been so sensational, I've decided to make her a mission specialist.
Riker: Congratulations.
Robin: Thank you, sir.
Riker: Okay, specialist, what's our sensor status?
Robin: We're increasing the available bandwidth so more science teams can use the sensors at once. We figured out a way to do it by multiplexing the array.
Riker: Can we have that done before we arrive?
Robin: Yes, sir. You can count on it.
Riker: Keep it up, Lefler.
Riker: Geordi, I brought something back from Risa that you have got to try it.
Laforge: I'd love to, but I'm running a full sensor recalibration in ten minutes. Can it wait?
Riker: Of course. I'll catch up with you later.
Riker: Chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge and chocolate chips. You're not depressed, are you?
Troi: I'm fine, Commander.
Riker: Would you like me to leave you two alone?
Troi: No, you can join us.
Riker: No, thanks. I don't like fudge.
Troi: Really? I never met a chocolate I didn't like.
Riker: Doesn't it taste good?
Troi: Of course it does, but it's not just a matter of taste. It's the whole experience. First of all, you have to spoon the fudge around the rim, leaving only ice cream in the middle. Then, you gently spoon the ice cream around the sides, like you're sculpting it. Relish every bite. Make every one an event. And then, with the last spoonful, close your eyes.
Riker: I had no idea it was such a ritual.
Troi: Chocolate is a serious thing.
Riker: I brought something back from Risa. Better than chocolate.
Troi: Oh? What is it?
Riker: Just a game.
Wesley: Chief O'Brien.
O'Brien: Welcome back, Wesley.
Wesley: Congratulations on little Molly.
O'Brien: Thanks you. Wait till you see her. She's the spitting image of her dad.
Wesley: So, where is everybody? Is my mom around?
O'Brien: The senior staff is in a meeting. You're supposed to go to your mother's quarters.
Wesley: Oh. Do you think it'd be all right if I dropped in just to say hi?
O'Brien: I'll check. Chief O'Brien to Bridge.
Worf: Bridge here.
O'Brien: Wesley Crusher has arrived and wants to know if he can stop by the Observation lounge to say hi.
Worf: I suppose that is acceptable.
Wesley: Thanks.
All: Surprise!
Wesley: Mom!
Crusher: Welcome home.
Wesley: Hi, Mom.
Picard: Wesley.
Wesley: Captain.
Picard: Quomodo tua Latinitas est?
Wesley: Praestat quam prius.
Picard: Oppido bonum. Your Latin has improved.
Troi: You're looking very handsome.
Crusher: You really do that cadet uniform justice, Wesley.
Laforge: I bet you're driving all the girls wild.
Worf: Wesley. Tarvokian pound cake. I made it myself.
Wesley: Thanks, Worf.
Data: Wesley, was our attempt to make you uncomfortable effective?
Wesley: You bet it was. For a second there, I thought I was on the wrong ship.
Data: Did you find our deception pleasing?
Wesley: Yeah. It's fun to be surprised.
Riker: Are you here to work or to play, Mister Crusher?
Wesley: Sir.
Riker: I know you're on vacation. Probably like to sleep and spend some time on the holodeck. But if you're so inclined, we could use your help with the Phoenix Cluster survey.
Wesley: Sounds great, sir.
Laforge: Excellent. As soon as you get settled, come down to Engineering and we'll get you started.
Crusher: So what kind of game is this?
Troi: Come by my quarters and I'll show it to you.
Data: Have you found the Academy challenging, Wesley?
Wesley: Yeah. I thought after being on the Enterprise, it would be a breeze, but there's a lot more to learn than just starship operations. What was your first year like?
Data: Although I did extremely well scholastically, my lack of human understanding often created social obstacles.
Wesley: Like what?
Data: I particularly remember the phenomenon of practical jokes, several of which I fell victim to.
Wesley: Tell me about it. My first week that I was there, this guy named Adam Martoni reprogrammed the sonic shower to cover me with mud. It took me a while, but I got him back really good.
Data: Good for you.
Wesley: Thanks.
Data: I also found social gatherings difficult. There was one event, an Academy tradition, the Sadie Hawkins Dance?
Wesley: They still hold it, every year.
Data: A notably awkward experience.
Wesley: I know what you mean. I can't even dance.
Data: Really? Your mother is quite an expert. She recently taught me.
Wesley: The Dancing Doctor? She tried to teach me too, but I just don't have the knack.
Data: I would be happy to teach you dancing. I have programmed a comprehensive seventeen part course with some interesting holographic partners.
Wesley: I'll let you know.
Wesley: I'll modify the planetary scanners.
Laforge: Just make sure we keep enough data lines open for stellar physics.
Wesley: No problem. I'll compress the signal flow.
Laforge: All right.
Wesley: Why aren't these registering?
Robin: You might try calibrating them manually.
Wesley: Excuse me?
Robin: The detectors. They tend to get temperamental. You can try calibrating them by hand.
Wesley: You're kidding. The computer has to do this.
Robin: No. Look. The subroutine lets you do it from the panel. Law Seventeen. When all else fails, do it yourself.
Wesley: It's working. Thanks.
Robin: Sure.
Wesley: By the way, I'm Wesley. Wesley Crusher.
Robin: I know. Just came back from the Academy.
Wesley: That's right.
Robin: Robin Lefler.
Wesley: Hi.
Robin: Hi.
Robin: Your neutrinos are drifting.
Wesley: They're what?
Data: Geordi, a conflict has started between the planetary evolution team and the stellar physicists. Each wishes to be the first to use the thermal imaging array.
Laforge: Well, tell them to flip a coin. We've got to work together on this mission, otherwise we're never going to get it done.
Data: A coin. Very good. I will replicate one immediately.
Crusher: Doctor Crusher to Data.
Data: Data here.
Crusher: Do you have a minute to join me in Sickbay? I need your help with something.
Data: Yes, Doctor. On my way.
Data: You wanted to see me, Doctor?
Crusher: Yes, Data. I need to ask you to do something for me. I'm working on a new experiment with bioactive silicon. Would you reprogram this tricorder to these specifications?
Data: Certainly.
Crusher: I'm sorry to bother you with it, but I need it done quickly.
Data: It does not bother me. In fact, I am happy to
Riker: Computer, secure Sickbay.
Computer: All entries to Sickbay are secured.
Wesley: Let's see. I have Novakovich for anthropology and Horne for creative writing.
Picard: Walter Horne? Is he still teaching?
Wesley: Yeah, he is. And he's good too. And you'll be pleased to know I took your advice. The first week that I was there, I went and met Boothby.
Picard: How is old Boothby? I hope he didn't tell you a lot of stories about me.
Wesley: He didn't remember you, sir. At first. I found an old yearbook photo and he remembered you right away. He said he's very proud of you that you're Captain of the Enterprise.
Picard: Is he still tending grounds, or have the years finally caught up with him?
Wesley: Not that I can tell. He took me on a grand tour of the place. He showed me every single blade of grass, practically.
Picard: I had the very same tour.
Wesley: Sir, what do the initials A F stand for?
Picard: AF?
Wesley: Boothby said he caught you carving those initials into his prized elm tree.
Picard: AF. Just an acquaintance of mine. Wesley, if you meet someone whose initials you might want to carve into that elm tree, don't let it interfere with your studies. I failed organic chemistry because of AF.
Crusher: Crusher to Captain Picard.
Picard: Go ahead, Doctor.
Crusher: I need you in Sickbay immediately.
Picard: On my way.
Crusher: He came in complaining of a servo malfunction but my scans came out negative. Then he just collapsed.
Picard: What have you found?
Crusher: His biosystems and positronic functions seem to check out, and his power cells are active.
Laforge: From what I can tell, his higher functions are intact, but the signals aren't getting from his brain to the rest of his body. It's like he's in a coma.
Riker: Data performs self diagnostic routines on a regular basis. We should take a look at his logs. They may reveal something.
Laforge: I recommend going through his quarters, as well. You never know what we might find.
Picard: Agreed. Continue the analysis. Keep me informed.
Riker: Standard security sweep shows nothing out of the ordinary.
Laforge: Personal logs, diagnostics, duty logs, they all appear normal. There's no evidence of anything that could lead to Data's shutdown.
Riker: Maybe we should ask his cat.
Laforge: I guess I'd better get back to Sickbay, see if there's any change in his condition.
Riker: Doctor Crusher's got everything under control, Geordi. If there's any change, you'll be the first to know.
Laforge: I guess so.
Riker: Looks to me like you need a break. Unwind a little.
Laforge: Yeah, maybe you're right.
Riker: I've got just the thing. Why don't you join me in Ten Forward? There's something I'd like you to try.
Wesley: Conduits twelve and twenty two are still down for testing.
Robin: We can re-route through junction fourteen B.
Wesley: You have a funny way of looking at conduit configuration. But it works.
Robin: That's Law Thirty Six. You've got to go with what works.
Wesley: What are all these laws that I keep hearing about?
Robin: They're my personal laws. Every time I learn something essential, I make up a law about it so I never forget.
Wesley: How many do you have?
Robin: A hundred and two so far.
Robin: Looks like the starboard array needs another subprocessor.
Wesley: It'll be online in a few minutes. I'm way ahead of you.
Robin: They said you were good.
Wesley: Why do I get the feeling that you already know me?
Robin: I have a few friends at the Academy. Your name's come up a couple of times. That was really some stung you pulled on Adam Martoni in the physics lab. I just want to know how you got the antimatter regulator to spray chili sauce.
Wesley: There is another side to that story.
Robin: Is it true what they say about your birthmark?
Wesley: This isn't fair. I hardly know anything about you.
Robin: Hey, that's Law Forty six. Life isn't
Wesley: Always fair. Yeah, I know that law. I still have to work on the sensor relays, but I'd like a chance to even the score. Ten Forward, nineteen hundred hours. Will you join me for coffee?
Robin: No. But I'll meet you for dinner.
Picard: Captain's log, supplemental. We have arrived at the Phoenix Cluster, but it will take us several hours to determine the best possible location from which to conduct our survey. Commander Data's condition remains unchanged with no further indication as to the cause of his collapse.
Wesley: Mom?
Crusher: Wesley.
Wesley: What are you doing?
Crusher: I'm embarrassed to say. This was meant for you. But it was so much fun, I couldn't resist.
Wesley: What is it?
Crusher: It's a game. Riker brought it back from Risa. Everybody's playing it. Want to try?
Wesley: Maybe later. How's Data?
Crusher: Geordi's still working on him. He's going to be fine.
Wesley: I think I should go give him a hand.
Crusher: No. Wesley, you are on vacation. You have done enough already.
Wesley: Yeah, maybe you're right. Computer, increase light level.
Crusher: Are you in a hurry?
Wesley: Yeah, I'm late for a dinner date.
Crusher: Really. With who?
Wesley: Robin Lefler from Engineering.
Crusher: Why don't you invite her here? We can all play the game together. I can replicate a couple more.
Wesley: Mom.
Crusher: Sorry. It's just that I want to spend some time together while you're here.
Wesley: We'll have time together. I promise.
Crusher: Okay.
Wesley: Okay.
Crusher: Just one game. Come on, try it on for size.
Wesley: Mom! I really need to get ready.
Crusher: Have a good time.
Wesley: Thanks. I will.
Robin: When your parents are the only plasma specialists in the sector, you do a lot of traveling around. We went from base to base to base. I felt like a piece of luggage after a while. I spent all of my time around technical gear. My first friend was a tricorder.
Wesley: Really? My very first friend was a warp coil.
Robin: My parents work came first. They didn't really have time for me, even when I needed them. So that's how I learned my first law. Law One. You can only count on yourself.
Wesley: Sounds kind of lonely. Well, now you're here.
Robin: Now I'm here.
Wesley: Well, I'm glad.
Robin: You wouldn't believe what's going on in Engineering. Commander La Forge and all the others, they're crazy about some new game.
Wesley: Yeah, what kind of game is it?
Robin: It's some Risian gadget that fits over your ear.
Wesley: Have you played it?
Robin: Not yet.
Wesley: My mom has one. She keeps trying to get me to play it.
Robin: It's everywhere.
Robin: See what I mean?
Wesley: Don't you think that's a little strange? Everybody playing it all the time.
Robin: It's just a fad. It's here this week. Next week we won't even know it existed.
Wesley: I wonder how it works?
Robin: Why don't you try it and find out?
Wesley: I'd like to know a little bit more about it before I try it.
Robin: I bet if we worked together we could figure it out.
Wesley: Yeah, we could hook it up to one of the computers. The medical programs in the lab can be set up to emulate human responses.
Robin: I noticed it uses a visual interface. We could connect it through an optical sensor.
Wesley: I've loaded the neurological behavior program. This sensor pad should allow the computer to process whatever information the game sends at it.
Robin: Let's see what happens.
Wesley: Okay.
Robin: It's activating the reticular formation.
Wesley: There's heavy synaptic activity all over the place.
Robin: I wonder what happens after prolonged exposure?
Wesley: Speed up the processor and we'll find out.
Robin: The effect seems centerd around the frontal lobe.
Wesley: Computer, enhance frontal lobe, full spectrum.
Robin: It's stimulating the septal area.
Wesley: That's the pleasure center of the brain. Whatever this thing does, it must feel pretty good.
Robin: No wonder it's so popular.
Wesley: Look at this. Serotonin levels are way off. Let's run a neurochemical analysis.
Robin: I'm seeing widespread bonding to neuro-receptors.
Wesley: Correct me if I'm wrong, but this looks like a psychotropic reaction.
Robin: Are you saying you think the game's addictive?
Wesley: What's going on in the prefrontal cortex?
Robin: Doesn't that area control higher reasoning?
Wesley: Yeah, it sure does. I'd better go talk to the Captain.
Picard: Come.
Wesley: Sorry to bother you, sir.
Picard: It's no bother, Wesley. Please, sit down.
Wesley: Thanks.
Picard: How are the survey preparations coming along?
Wesley: They're coming along fine, but that's not what I'm here to talk to you about.
Picard: What then?
Wesley: There's a game going around. It's something that Commander Riker brought back from Risa. It's a device that hooks around the ears.
Picard: Yes, I've seen it.
Wesley: I did some preliminary tests on the game, and what I found leads me to believe that it may have some harmful side-effects. Specifically, sir, I think it's psychotropically addictive.
Picard: Addictive? What have you discovered?
Wesley: The game initiates a serotonin cascade in the frontal lobe of the brain. Now I know that's nothing conclusive, but it could explain why everyone is so attracted to it. And at the same time, it stimulates the brain's reasoning center. I don't know what that's all about.
Picard: I'll start an investigation immediately. Thank you, Mister Crusher.
Wesley: Thank you, sir.
Picard: Wesley? It's good to have you back again.
O'Brien: Have you tried this?
Robin: I've tried it, thanks. It's great.
Wesley: Robin.
Robin: Where have you been? Everyone's after me to try it.
Wesley: I know. I got stopped in the corridor twice. I talked to the Captain. He's going to look into it.
Robin: I hope he makes a shipwide announcement or something, because this thing is really starting to give me the creeps.
Woman: Did you forget your games?
Robin: We left them in our quarters.
Woman: Well then, use mine.
Robin: No, thanks.
Woman: Try it.
Wesley: She said no thanks.
Wesley: You know what else is really weird? If this game is so addictive, there's only one person onboard we can be sure wouldn't be affected by it.
Robin: Data.
Wesley: Right. And he managed to get injured right when the game was brought on board. We'd better take a look at him.
Wesley: Maybe you should go check again.
Robin: The nurse is still playing the game.
Wesley: I don't know what to make of this. There's brain activity all his systems seem to be working.
Robin: How can that be? He's unconscious.
Wesley: Maybe there's a signal breach between his brain and his body. Let's map his nervous system and see if we can isolate a weak link. Patch the neural output through to that station. Here. The signal stops just below his cortex processor. There's some kind of damage. It's almost undetectable. Let's look at it on the viewer.
Robin: Wesley, look at that.
Wesley: It looks like some of his positronic links have been severed.
Robin: The cuts are precise. Look how clean the edges are. Computer, increase magnification, factor four.
Wesley: Only two people on board know enough about Data to do something like this. Commander La Forge and my mother.
Robin: Why would one of them do this to him?
Wesley: Maybe there's more going on here than we thought. What if someone's trying to use the game for some purpose other than pleasure?
Robin: Then Data would be a threat to that plan. And only with Data out of the way would everybody become addicted.
Wesley: And everyone has. Except us.
Worf: We've reached the designated coordinates, Captain. There is a ship bearing three two seven mark one five two on an intercept course.
Picard: Advise them of our status, Mister Worf. Go. Replicate what you need, and see that the devices are properly distributed. Not forgetting Mister Crusher.
Crusher: Wesley? Wesley?
Wesley: In here, Mom.
Robin: It worked.
Wesley: We should keep these mock-ups with us. We can't trust anyone anymore. Not even the Captain.
Robin: I'm supposed to be on duty in Engineering. I've got to get back before Commander La Forge suspects something.
Wesley: Okay. When you get there, start accessing the codes for the security tracking system. There's something I want to try.
Robin: Wesley, don't forget Law Ninety One. Always watch your back.
Wesley: You too.
Worf: The vessel is approaching, Captain.
Picard: Computer, all senior officers report to the Bridge. On screen.
Etana: Report.
Picard: Welcome, Etana. The Enterprise has been secured. We await your further instructions.
Etana: The expansion will proceed as follows. Commander Riker, you will pilot a shuttlecraft to the Cleon system, where you will rendezvous with the starship Endeavor. Proceed with distributing the device to that vessel. Commander La Forge, Counselor Troi, take a shuttle to Starbase sixty seven. Distribute the device to all starships currently docked there.
Picard: We also have an opportunity to introduce the game to Starfleet Academy.
Etana: Excellent. See to it. The Ktarians commend your efforts, Picard. Once the expansion is complete, you and your crew will be rewarded.
Wesley: Deck thirty six.
Ogawa: Wesley, at what level are you?
Wesley: I'm only level ten.
Ogawa: I'm at level forty seven.
Wesley: That's great.
Ogawa: You know what the secret is, don't you? Don't force it. If you just let the game happen, it almost plays itself.
Wesley: I'll try that.
Wesley: I think we're going to be okay. I've just got one more thing to do. Help me compile the forcefield overrides.
Robin: What are you doing?
Wesley: I created a site to site transporter program. If things get difficult, this'll keep us one step ahead of them. Were able to access the security tracking codes? Robin?
Robin: It's your turn, Wesley. Play the game.
Riker: Get back here!
Riker: Computer, activate security containment field. Deck thirty six, section fifty two.
Wesley: Computer transport program Crusher One.
Riker: Riker to Bridge. We lost Crusher. It appears he rigged a site-to-site transport.
Picard: Security alert, condition three. Computer, shut down all transporter systems and shuttlebays. Mister La Forge?
Laforge: I can't track him, sir. He's done something to the internal security sensors. I'll try bypassing his subcommands. Hold on. I'm picking up a piece of his trail, sir. Sensors show power activation in transporter room three. That would put him somewhere on deck six.
Picard: Seal off deck six. Activate security fields sections twenty three through twenty nine.
Laforge: Aye, sir.
Laforge: We've got him, Captain. Section twenty five. It looks like he's trying to cut through the forcefield with a phaser.
Picard: Security to deck six, section twenty five.
Security: On our way.
Security: You check left.
Riker: Where the hell is he?
Worf: I am attempting to isolate him with thermal sensors.
Riker: Narrow the scan field. Go deck by deck if you have to.
Worf: Unfortunately, he knows our procedures. He will avoid corridors and public areas. Commander, an unidentified heat source. Deck seven, section twenty three. There.
Wesley: No! Let go of me!
Crusher: It's okay, Wesley.
Picard: You led us quite a chase, Mister Crusher. Doctor Crusher.
Wesley: No!
Picard: Hold him steady.
Crusher: It's okay, Wesley. It won't hurt.
Wesley: No!
Crusher: You'll like it.
Picard: His eyes.
Crusher: That's right, Wesley. just let it go. Yes, just let yourself go. Relax.
Data: Computer, resume normal illumination.
Data: Mister Worf, you will find a small alien ship off the starboard bow. Please secure it with a tractor beam and raise our shields.
Worf: Engaging tractor beam.
Data: Are you all right, Captain?
Picard: I think so, Mister Data.
Worf: Captain, we are being hailed by the alien vessel.
Picard: On screen.
Etana: Explain yourself, Picard.
Picard: The explanation is simple. Your attempt to capture our ship has failed.
Etana: Release us immediately, or we will open fire.
Riker: Tactical analysis, Mister Worf?
Worf: Their weapons systems are substantially inferior to ours. They are not a threat.
Riker: Get her off the screen.
Laforge: I can't believe what we were about to do.
Riker: Data, we deactivated you.
Wesley: I managed to reconnect his positronic matrix.
Data: Wesley's subsequent diversions gave me adequate time to modify the palm beacon. The optical burst patterns we programmed were successful in counteracting the addictive effects of the game.
Picard: And the rest of the crew?
Data: We programmed the main computer to transmit the same optical burst to all display screens, work stations and terminals throughout the ship.
Riker: That should reach almost everyone. Take a medical team to treat the rest.
Data: Aye, sir.
Picard: We'll take the alien ship to the nearest Federation starbase. Ensign, lay in a course.
Picard: Captain's log, stardate 45212.1. We have delivered the Ktarian vessel to Starbase eighty two and are now on a course to rendezvous with the Starship Merrimack, which will transport Wesley Crusher back to Starfleet Academy.
Robin: I never saw you wear these. Afraid someone might see your birthmark?
Wesley: Now, I wonder who started that birthmark rumor?
Robin: I wish you didn't have to go.
Wesley: Me too.
Robin: You'll write, won't you?
Wesley: Somebody has to kill all those rumors you keep hearing about me.
Riker: Mister Crusher, we've rendezvoused with the Merrimack. Please report to transporter room two.
Wesley: On my way, sir. I've got to go.
Robin: Here. A gift, so you'll remember. Robin's Laws. All one hundred and two of them.
Wesley: Thanks. Law one hundred and three?
Robin: Yes?
Wesley: A couple of light years can't keep good friends apart. Bye.