Welcome back, Geordi. How was the seminar?
It is fortunate we were able to coordinate your return on the Teldarian cruiser...
I am sorry to hear you did not enjoy yourself.
Joking. Ah. 'Forced to endure' Risa. Your actual intent was to emphasize that you did enjoy yourself. I see how that could be considered quite amusing.
Commander Riker.
Our sensors have detected a brief energy fluctuation in the E-band.
Unknown. E-band emissions are difficult to localize.
Yes, sir. However, there are no protostars in this sector.
Energy flow is within normal parameters... from the prefire chamber... to the emission aperture.
Energy cell usage remains constant at one-point-oh-five megajoules per second.
Curious, the efficiency reading on the discharge crystal is well above Starfleet specifications.
Our most efficient discharge crystal typically fires with eighty-six point five percent efficiency.
Pulse frequency out of prefire chamber reads steady.
That might suggest that the weapon has been charged with a forced pulse... well into the terahertz range.
Three hundred twenty-seven, to our knowledge. We can probably achieve an exact match with a random computer search. It will take approximately three hours.
Yes, sir. However, the difference in intensity indicates this one did not originate from the same location as the first.
That is a reasonable assumption.
Not to my knowledge.
We can re-configure the primary sensor arrays. If we narrow their focus to scan for E-band emissions, we might be able to calculate a directional vector. But only if there are more occurrences.
Sensors confirm an unauthorized transporter beam was initiated at eleven twenty three hours.
The primary plasma system does not indicate a power drain from any transporter...
Tracking power through the secondary systems...  No surges to transporters are indicated.
No abnormal surges indicated.
Cargo Bay Four.
Perhaps the perpetrator reprogrammed the memory chips... to erase any record.
I was on the Bridge at my station.
The erasures were complete. However, an analysis of the subatomic structure revealed almost undetectable residual patterns.  In time, we may be able to reconstruct the perpetrator's authorization code.
Yes, Commander.
Acknowledged, I will be there shortly.
We have been picking up a curious intermittent blip... Commander Riker has speculated that it may be a Romulan transmission. I am attempting to track its source.
The first and third E-band blips were clearly generated on board the ship. The second came from the planet's surface.
Unknown, sir.
Yessir, one could easily speculate that the E-band is being used for some form of covert communication.
Yessir.
Computer, run an analysis of all known Romulan transmission formats, all bands... identify any commonalities with displayed waveform.
Does this waveform match that of any known communication format?
Broaden search pattern beyond communications. Does the waveform displayed conform to any natural phenomena, cryptographic formats or lifeform E-M emissions?
As in a human brainwave pattern?
What kind of receiver would be capable of processing these signals?
Computer... link with the shuttle's on board system. Access the isolinear storage assembly.
Scan all chips which contain mission logs. Note any discrepancies...
Perform a level-5 diagnostic of the Shuttle's power and navigational systems.
Scan the shuttle's structural integrity.
Probable cause of these variations... ?
Computer... I'm reading anomalous variations in the molecular structure of these memory chips... please confirm...
Probable cause?
Compare variations with established Romulan replication patterns.
Report, please.
Computer... present location of Commander La Forge?
Data to Lieutenant Worf.
Take Commander La Forge into custody immediately.
I have been able to determine that Commander La Forge was abducted by Romulans while en route to Risa. It is likely that they somehow forced him into taking part in their plot to assassinate Governor Vagh.
No, sir, you did not. I do not think the Commander is acting on his own accord. He has been receiving E-band signals through his VISOR... signals which I believe are carrying direct commands to his brain.  I have surmised that Commander La Forge was conditioned by the Romulans -- a process referred to historically, and somewhat inaccurately, as brainwashing.
No, that would not be possible. The signals had to be transmitted in close proximity to the VISOR.
Yes, sir, I am.
I have narrowed the list of possibilities to two people... the only two people who were with Commander La Forge all three times a transmission was recorded. Captain Picard and Ambassador Kell.
One of them may be concealing an E-band transmitter. If they would agree to be searched...
Please excuse the unusual interruption, Captain. I thought that patching communications through the holodeck program would be less obtrusive.
Long range sensors have detected a T-tauri type star within a pocket of the Ngame cloud.
No, Sir. However, the star's single planet falls within the M-Class range. It is capable of supporting life.
Highly, Sir.
Sensors indicate an energy fluctuation directly in our path. Source unknown.
Very likely. Small and extremely unstable wormholes have been mapped near thirty-nine T-tauri systems in the last one hundred years alone.
-- Captain!
Careful, Captain. The stun-effect from the wormhole was relatively severe.
Approximately thirty seconds. I have scanned the ship and detected no life-threatening injuries to the crew.
No. My positronic system is immune to the effect. This is the third unstable wormhole I have passed through during my time in Starfleet. The first, on-board the U.S.S. Trieste --
Sir, I should re-align the ship's clock with Starbase Four-ten's subspace signal to adjust for the time distortion.
I do not believe that was ever a possibility. The wormhole's small size and extremely short period indicate a relatively local phenomenon.
The unpredictability of the wormhole would make our investigation a hazardous one. A probe from our current position would be more advisable.
Coming in now, sir. The probe has moved within visual range of the planet.
Sensors indicate a hydrogen-helium composition.  With a frozen helium core.
It is very possible that interference from the wormhole affected the sensors, Commander. This is clearly not a Class M planet.
Aye, Captain.
It is conceivable that the sensors picked up the afterimage of an actual planet that lies on the other side of the wormhole.  We could survey the nearby stars for such a planet. It would require approximately six weeks.
Captain, I have a hypothesis.
The twenty-second century physicist Pell Underhill conjectured that a major disruption in time-continuity could be compensated for by trillions of counter reactions.
The effect could have allowed Doctor Crusher's mosses to arrive at the other side of the worm hole with the unanticipated growth.
True. Nevertheless, it is possible that the phenomenon could occur in matter at much higher levels of organization. Given the proper conditions.
As you wish, Captain.
The long-range, infra-red sensors suffered no apparent damage as a result of the wormhole. We are presently checking the neutrino and heavy particle detectors.
Yes. I will see you then.
A bit of a mystery, Captain.
I am unable to answer that question, Captain.
As you wish, Captain.
I know the way, Sir.
Have you forgotten that my sensory inputs are not programmed to experience pain, Geordi?
I am perfectly comfortable.
However, I cannot help noticing that you appear a bit uncomfortable yourself.
The Captain has expressed doubts about my operational capacities. Doubts which, given the circumstances, seem entirely justified. I do not understand your reluctance to carry out his instructions.
Yes?
There is nothing I can tell you, Geordi, beyond what I have already stated.
Okay...
Yes, it is the planet our probe detected in the T-tauri system.
I cannot verify that hypothesis.
No, Sir.
Is she alright?
No, Sir. I cannot.
It is not by choice.
I cannot say.
Which would you place first? The welfare of a single individual? Or that of the entire crew?
I am not saying that at all. I merely state a possible alternative explanation.
I cannot answer that, Captain.
I am apparently guilty of falsifying the Enterprise's records. Of interfering with an investigation. Of disobeying a direct order from my commanding officer. Your duty seems clear.
I realize that.
Yes, Sir. I do.
Counselor Troi. What is it?
You have returned.
I was unable to prevent this.
Please. The Enterprise is not a threat to you. Give me more time. Our destruction would only --
One moment, if you would.
Please. Do nothing. It may yet be possible to salvage the situation.
Reporting as ordered, Captain.
We must leave immediately.
Any further delay will put all of our lives at grave risk.
I cannot say.
My silence is not by choice, Sir.
Geordi's examination was exemplary.
I cannot answer that question. We must leave.
You did, Sir.
-- No! You must vary shield strength and shape as rapidly as possible. Maximum shields will only speed the ship's takeover.
Captain, eventually the field will be able to penetrate our shields... There is no way to counter the Paxans' technology. We can delay their takeover -- we cannot prevent it.
You would only harm Counselor Troi's body.
They are xenophobes, Sir. Isolationists. The Paxans terraformed a protoplanet in this system to better conceal their whereabouts. The apparent wormhole we experienced during our previous encounter is actually a trap designed to keep away intruders.
The energy field stuns everyone on board the intruding ship putting them in a state of biochemical stasis.
Then the Paxans take the ship out of their territory.
Precisely.
My positronic brain is a technology unknown to the Paxans.
When I realized that I alone was able to act --
Computer, the crew is incapacitated. Engage Emergency Plan Zed Zed Alpha.
Computer, begin random fluctuation of shield frequency and modulation.
Computer, release compound A-D-T-H into the air flow system; five parts per million.
The energy field is attempting to match shield frequencies, Sir.
Negative. The field is also acting as a tractor beam.
As a Starfleet officer, I am required to follow all of your orders, Captain.
Completely, Captain.
We proceeded to erase all evidence of our encounter with the Paxans. I reset the computer's chronometer-and the crew was again stunned into unconsciousness and their short term memories erased. When they were revived a day later, the computer adjustments made it appear that only thirty seconds had passed.
The effect from the wormhole was rather intense.
Everyone but myself was rendered unconscious. My positronic brain is immune to the effect.
Thirty seconds, Sir.
Yes, Captain. The wormhole appears to have been a local phenomenon.
Sir, it is likely that the anomalous readings were caused by the wormhole's effect. It was extremely unstable. I would recommend against returning. It might put the Enterprise at further risk.
That would certainly be sufficient, Commander.
Aye, sir.
He is the commanding officer of the Cairo.
The transfer interface is not designed for that configuration. It will take seven hours to make the changes.
We will arrive in fifty-two hours, thirty-one minutes, sir.
That is an attainable goal. But it will require realigning the warp coil and taking the secondary distribution grid off-line.
I believe that is also an attainable goal. If we utilize the entire Engineering department, there should be sufficient manpower available to complete the task.
Captain on the Bridge.
Captain on the Bridge.
If so, we may have to call security.
I was, of course, not serious about calling security. It was a joke.
Good-bye.
How is your diplomatic assignment progressing so far?
I have found that in moments of diplomatic tension, it is often helpful to find elements of commonality.
You share all of those qualities in abundance. Perhaps you should build on your similarities.
We are losing containment in the starboard nacelle tube --
Yes, sir.
The plasma venting system has engaged.
Geordi, would you agree that the instinct for self-preservation is shared by most life forms?
That being the case, I am having difficulty understanding why someone would deliberately terminate their own existence.
I believe I understand. I have been in a similar situation.
The first months following my activation were a difficult period for me... there were many problems associated with my becoming sentient.
As I acquired new skills, neural pathways would form and take the place of other, less complex pathways. It was very... disorienting.
As my systems grew in complexity, it became increasingly difficult to integrate new pathways into my existing neural net. The probability of cascade failure grew with each added pathway. I came to the conclusion that it would be easier and safer to shut myself down and start again.
In a way, it would have been like... committing suicide.
I decided against the procedure. I chose instead to treat the problems I was having with my systems as... challenges to be overcome, instead of obstacles to be avoided.
The shipyard where the Enterprise was built.
Lieutenant Kwan was partially empathic...
I am picking up readings that indicate there is organic material imbedded in the wall...
It appears that you were correct, Counselor. Lieutenant Pierce was partially telepathic -- his maternal grandmother was from Betazed.
According to Starfleet records, Pierce and the other two persons Counselor Troi identified were killed in an accidental plasma discharge eight years ago. Their bodies were never found.
We are approaching the Devolin system, Captain.
No, sir.
Initiating sensor sweep of grid zero one.
Scan of grid one five seven is complete. Moving to grid one five eight.
I have confirmed Geordi's readings, sir. The resonance signature is originating from somewhere beneath the asteroid's surface.
This asteroid contains several deep chasms large enough for a starship to enter. It is possible the Pegasus drifted into the asteroid's gravitational field and was pulled down into one of the fissures.
At least another six hours, Captain.
In order for the deception to succeed, it would have to appear to be a natural phenomenon. Verteron particles are artificial in nature.
Theoretically, it should work..
Aye, sir. Initiating an ionization field pulse.
Ionization pulse complete.
The Romulans are initiating a tachyon scan of the asteroid...  They have switched to their lateral sensor array... beginning another scan.
The Warbird has completed its sensor sweep.
They are moving off.
Yes, sir.
Beginning sensor sweeps...
Aye, sir.
For the past several hours, I have been scanning the area where we detected the resonance signature of the Pegasus. From the strength and polarity of the signature, it would appear that most of the warp core is still intact.
I would recommend against that, sir. There may be gravimetric or magnetic fluctuations inside the asteroid which would overpower the engines on a shuttlecraft.
It is theoretically possible, Captain. But I am unaware of any prior situation where a starship was taken so deeply inside a planetary body. There may be unforeseen difficulties.
It is so noted.
Course plotted.
We are now two kilometers beneath the surface.
Sensors show that the ship is still intact... but approximately sixty-five percent of it is contained within the asteroid.
Yes, sir. I do not know how this could have happened.
The starboard bulkhead of Main Engineering is contained within the rock face... but most of the compartment is still intact.
I believe so. The breach can be temporarily sealed by extending our shields.
The asteroid's internal structure is highly unstable. Any attempt to cut through the rock could cause the entire chasm to collapse.
It is theoretically possible, sir. But it will take several hours to study the device and determine how to link it to our systems.
Captain Picard regrets that he must detain you but it is necessary for a while longer. In addition, I will be requiring access to your ship's computer...
I am going to attempt to penetrate the Romulan Central Information Net...
I have unique skills that may permit me to succeed.
Your entry codes can be easily reconfigured after we depart. And Captain Picard has authorized me to share with you any information we obtain from the Romulan data banks...
We will also need to communicate with the Enterprise in sector two-thirteen.
Using conventional means, that would be true; however I propose that we piggy-back our signal on Romulan subspace transmissions...
A Human metaphor, pardon me. We would use a Romulan signal as a carrier for own own, thus disguising its origin.
I believe it will. During the last hour, I have conducted a systematic review of the entire Romulan subspace grid and compared my findings with the specifications of your transmission array. It would appear they are compatible.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Negative, Captain. The Romulan Information Net employs a progressive encryption lock... I have been unable to penetrate their security measures.
By all means, Ambassador.
Yessir, the twenty-ninth is the only one I cannot bypass...
In what manner?
Interesting. I have never considered that. And Captain Picard has been a role model in my quest to be more Human.
Yes, Ambassador.
You are half Human...
And yet you have chosen a Vulcan way of life...
In effect, you have abandoned what I have sought all my life.
Ambassador, may I ask a personal question?
As you examine your life, do you find you have missed your humanity?
'No regrets.' That is a Human expression.
We're losing our Romulan carrier wave, sir...
Captain, the Romulan subspace logs identify a transmission from the Romulan surface to a Barolian ship near Galorndon Core twelve hours ago.
This would not appear to be routine. I have been able to trace the source of the transmission. It incorporates the code prefix of Romulan intelligence.
It appears to be a short sequence of numbers. One four zero zero.
Nossir.
That was not very Vulcan of you, sir.
How do you know that, Ambassador?
Lieutenant Commander Data.
Perhaps you would be happier in another job.
I believe so, sir.
I will be more observant in the future, sir.
Communication lines have been terminated at the transmitter... I am quite certain the message was sent prior to the interruption...
I disagree, Commander. After studying the design of this structure, I have determined that our best route of escape would be the underground exit to the east of this wing... I have disconnected certain security scanners to assist us.
I am afraid we cannot permit you to warn your guards.
Captain, we will need to reach our transport site in fourteen minutes.
Scanners still show nothing, sir.
Captain, the sensors indicate that the shield is electromagnetic. A complicated light refracting mechanism.
Yes, sir.
The theory is simple. The shield bends light rays around the planet's contour -- similar to the Romulan cloaking device -- but the implementation is very difficult.
Shields inoperable, sir. All decks are being probed in a methodical pattern.
Aye, sir!
We may be more successful in deciphering the code they use to transport through the magnetic shield.
Eventually, sir. I am working on it now but the number of permutations is almost endless.
A bone, sir? In exchange for the children?
Oh. A metaphor.
I am not aware of Regulation 6.57, sir.
Oh. I see.
I believe it was a repulsor beam, sir.
That may be impossible, sir.
Yes, sir.
Captain, these permutations are going to take a very long time.
Weeks.
This is it, Commander.
It is programmed to accept only authorized voice commands.
No. But I can intermix the input so nobody else can.
It is reading incredible amounts of energy, sir. Even more since we have taken down the shield.
It worked well, sir.
In theory, my neural network should be able to sustain key systems until primary control is restored.
Geordi... I have noticed that you have not shaved in several days. Are you attempting to grow another beard?
As is the case with many natural growth processes, it is difficult to envision the end product based on an intermediate stage.
One moment.
I do not understand. You are constantly working on similar electronic systems, yet their appearances do not disturb you.
Thank you, Geordi. Nor are you just another biological organism.
Yes.  I am establishing computer link-up...
Interface complete.
I am now attempting to access the long range sensor array...
I will perform a routine maintenance check on the starboard inertial damping system...
Initiating gravitational --
There appears to be an energy fluctuation in my neural net.  I am disconnecting my interface to the computer.
Interface deactivated.
I have experienced a brief power surge in my positronic subprocessor.  But I am fine.
Geordi, perhaps this problem is related to our interface experiment.
And I will perform a self-diagnostic.
Feline supplement, one hundred twenty-seven.
Spot, I have formulated a new mixture of foods specifically tailored to your highly selective tastes.
Puzzling. I find it extremely difficult to predict what you will find acceptable.  Perhaps hunger will compel you to try it again.
Spot, you are disrupting my ability to work.
You lil' varmint.
When the interface malfunction occurred, subroutine C-forty-seven was replaced by elements of my personal programming.
That would explain why your music composition program began playing 'The Slavonic Dances.' I have been analyzing the collected works of Anton Dvorak.
I have been formulating nutritional supplements for Spot.
We are currently attempting to isolate the corrupted circuit pathways.  I reckon the process should take less then two hours.
I said the process would take less than two hours.
According to my memory log, I did not use those words.  Ya'll must be mistaken.
Did whut?
Howdy, Commander.
Well... we figure parts of my memory structure...  ... have been replaced with information from the computer's recreational data-base.
That's right, partner.
You just sit tight, Commander. We'll have it fixed up in time for supper.
Engineering -- this is Science One. I just observed what appeared to be a random energy transference.
Possibly. An unexplained power fluctuation.
Captain, this is a life-form. Not to allow it to develop naturally would deny us the opportunity to study it.
Captain, the final manifest has been received.
Aye sir.
Worf -- assemble your security team in Sickbay.
Yes -- captain's orders.
Perhaps I could serve in that capacity. I can quickly review the procedures I will be required to execute.
This is very interesting to me. Although I understand in technical terms how life is formed, there is still a part of the process which eludes my understanding. I began my existence as an adult. I have no memory -- no cognizance of conception, birth, childhood, so to be allowed to witness this event is...
Doctor!
It was remarkable. Thank you for allowing me to participate.
Two hours, nineteen minutes.
Data.
My name. It is pronounced Data.
You called me Data.
One is my name and the other is not.
It indicates a genetically engineered biological life-form.
Query... 'eager beaver?'
Yes, sir.  Excuse me, Doctor.
The built-in inhibitor is restricting onloading of life-forms known to be hazardous to the occupants of this ship. Have you attempted override?
Computer, recognize -- Lieutenant Commander N-F-N, N-M-I, Data.
Initiate override protocol.
Acknowledged. On my authority -- begin override.
Computer, run diagnostic on module L-seven-three.
Perhaps it is a sensor malfunction. Computer -- query. Is growth actually occurring?
A subspace phase inverter.
Certain cyanoacrylates.
The child is the source of the unusual radiation.
That analysis is correct.
Perhaps it was deliberate. They may have wished to escape detection.
During the Eugenics Wars a group of genetically superior humans ruled the world. After their defeat some did escape.
Sir, there is a discrepancy between our requisition order for display panels and the number actually tendered by the starbase.
Such is the nature of a bureaucracy?
Sir?
Ah, yes, the manifest.
Mariposa is the Spanish word for butterfly.
I thought it might be significant.
Spinning wheels? Accessing. A device for spinning yarn or thread that consists of a large foot or hand driven wheel and one spindle.
Spindle -- a thin rounded tapering rod --
Perhaps they were planning for the worst.  In the early twenty-second century Earth was recovering from World War III. A major philosopher of the period was Liam Dieghan, the founder of the Neo-Transcendentalists. He advocated a return to a simpler life in which one lived in harmony with nature, and learned under her gentle tutelage --
Sir, I have insufficient information from which to form a cogent theory.
But, sir what about Dixon Hill, and your penchant for detective fiction --
Scans indicate human life form readings thirty meters below the planet's surface.
There is no evidence of an advanced communication network.
Captain, the stellar flares are increasing in intensity and frequency. Computer projections indicate they will envelope the planet in three point six hours.
Warp factor five, continuing on course for NB2323. E.t.a. eighteen hours.
No doubt a descendant of Captain Walter Granger.
It is unfortunate that we cannot remain for several months, and observe the integration of the two colonies.
Why?
How are cats in a sack romantic? They would fight and scratch and...
Most humanoids have the potential to be irrational. Perhaps you should attempt to access that part of your psyche.
Commander, I must compliment you on your performance this evening.
Your unexpected choice to improvise was an effective method of drawing the audience into the plight of your character.  You gave a truly realistic interpretation of multi-infarct dementia.
Commander.
Commander, are you --
Why is that?
Perhaps you could arrange for us to get in.
With permission to dig for the mine shaft.
I have full confidence in your persuasive abilities.
That is strange...
I left this device activated... but the transceiver assembly has been removed... without it I will be unable to track the time shifts.
Samuel Clemens?
If you are correct, he must be told that the device has been modified in such a way that prolonged contact with human tissue would be highly toxic.
I am French, not Swiss.
I do not believe I know Mister Whitley.
I do not know the gentleman by name. I have spoken to several people in that office.
As apparently you do, Mister Clemens.
In a sense. The time shift is a new gearing system that I have invented... for a horseless carriage.
I would suggest we postpone our greetings for another occasion.
The aliens seem to have the ability to concentrate the distortion -- and direct it toward a specific time and destination.
I have located that cavern --
It is all right.
...torpedoes... don't phasing... aliens...
I am processing a binary message that was entered into my static memory by Captain Picard.  Geordi, are we planning to fire on the alien habitat?
It is imperative that we do not. I will explain later.
The binary message left by the Captain is not entirely clear.  He seemed to be concerned about the phase differential of our photon torpedoes... that firing them might produce a catastrophic effect.
If I am correct... we must modify our weapons so that the force of the explosion is re-phased into the aliens' time continuum.
Sir?
For what?
Commander... I am picking up massive triolic wave activity on the surface.
There are no human life signs.
No, sir. But triolic activity is increasing.
Commander -- I am detecting a temporal distortion on the surface... and human life signs.
The signal is a standard mathematical progression. It does not carry a specific message.
Federation vessels have encountered Tamarian ships seven times over the past one hundred years. Each meeting was without incident, but formal relations were never established because communication was not possible.
The Children of Tama were called 'incomprehensible' by Captain Silvestri of the Shiku Maru. Other accounts are comparable.
The Tamarian seems to be stating the proper names of individuals and locations.
I am at a loss, sir.
The Tamarians have transported Captain Picard to the surface. With their own captain...
-- Transport will not be possible, Commander. The Tamarian ship has created a particle scattering field in the planet's ionosphere.
No, sir. The Tamarians are projecting a particle sustaining beam into the upper atmosphere. The result is a hyperionization that disrupts virtually all EM and subspace carriers.
That is correct. However, they have left sensor frequencies clear.
Sensors show the captain and the Tamarian in apparent good health, approximately twenty meters from each other.
Not without further study.
Sir, the Tamarians are fully capable of stopping a shuttle.
The shuttle has reached the E region of the planet's ionosphere.
The scattering layer induced by the Tamarians is concentrated in the upper D region. The shuttle will enter that area in approximately two minutes.
Unchanged, sir. They appear to be making no attempt to stop us.
-- Commander! I am reading a power surge in the Tamarian plasma reactor.
Commander, the shuttle has been hit.
The starboard nacelle has been rendered inoperable.
Yes, sir. The phaser pulse appears to have been carefully attenuated for just that effect.
As I have said, with further study it may be possible to --
Freeze.
The apparent emotional dynamic does seem to support that assumption. As with the other terms used by the Tamarian, it appears to be a proper noun. The name clearly carries a meaning for them.
I have encountered one-thousand, seven-hundred, fifty-four non-Human races during my tenure with Starfleet.
That is correct.
Replay at time index one-four-four.
Freeze.
Computer, search for the term 'Tanagra.' All databases.
-- Stop.
The Tamarian ego structure does not seem to allow what we normally think of as self-identity. Their ability to abstract is highly unusual. They seem to communicate through narrative imagery -- by reference to the individuals and places which appear in their mytho-historical accounts.
No sir. The situation is analogous to understanding the grammar of a language but none of the vocabulary.
It is necessary for us to learn the narratives from which the Tamarians are drawing these images.  Given our current relations, that does not appear likely.
Commander. The Tamarian's bioscans have become unreadable.  He may be dead, sir.
Sir -- sensors are tracking the entity. It is approaching Captain Picard's position.
Nine meters and closing... Commander...
Six meters...
The scattering field is down.
That will not be possible, Commander. The starboard nacelle sustained a direct hit. Warp engines are off-line.
Commander -- we cannot survive another hit.
Uncertain... I have no unusual readings, Commander.
An aggregate field of plane-polarized objects has just appeared...  And disappeared.
I have completed another full scan of the area, sir. There is no further indication of the anomaly...
An immediate resumption of our course at warp six will place us in the T'lli Beta system in six days, thirteen hours and forty-seven minutes.
I have discovered, Sir, a certain level of impatience when I calculate a lengthy time interval to the nearest second. However, if you wish...
All decks reporting. Minor injuries only.
None.
Integrity field stress now exceeding eighty-two million kilo-dynes. Recommend immediate shutdown.
No other ship is indicated.
Indeed, there are many races that are not empathically detectable. The Breen, the Ferengi, the --
Probe launch is successful.  Telemetry transmissions are being received.
Expanding analysis parameters. Applying Bayesian functions... broad E-M and subspace spectrum polling...
I am now adding virtual particle trajectories...
Unknown. I am attempting to analyze motion patterns... results still inconclusive.
The probe's point of view reveals that the objects exist entirely in two dimensions. On a single plane.
That is why the ship's forward sensors did not detect them at first. We were looking at them along their edge. There was no surface to read. I will illustrate.
The movement pattern within the cluster is not a naturally occuring phenomenon in the Newtonian sense. The objects appear to be alive.
Integrity field pressure has increased by two hundred seventeen percent, Captain.
Sir, during our attempt to break away , I recorded a momentary alteration of the movement pattern within the cluster.
Possibly. But only for an instant. The pattern immediately returned to its previous dynamic.
Aye, Captain.
Yes, Commander. Sensors are detecting highly accelerated interstellar gases...
Uncertain, Commander. The phenomenon is within visual range.
It appears to be a cosmic string fragment, sir. Only one hundred seven kilometers long.
The two-dimensional beings seem to be caught in the gravitational pull of the string. Their course is taking them directly toward it.
The entities offer no indication that they are aware of the string fragment, Captain. Their course and speed remain constant...
It is not clear what affect a photon torpedo would have on a two-dimensional being, Captain.
Aye, sir.
Probe has been launched. On screen.
No change in the graviton field.  The torpedoes are having no effect.
Possibly. However, the beings may perceive them as negligible noise rather than an attempt at communication.
Negative. The nature of their movement suggests a simple order of intelligence.
As I have no human 'instinct' per se, I cannot advise you, Counselor.
I do not believe there is any way to know for certain, Counselor.
The only evidence we have at present is the brief interruption in their movement pattern during our last attempt to break away...
Otherwise their course and speed have been constant.
Since the cluster is two-dimensional, I have no direct evidence to support that assumption. But it is the most reasonable hypothesis.
It is unlikely they would intentionally move toward a destructive force...
Pardon me?
Please continue.
If Counselor Troi's supposition is correct, Captain... a replica of the string projected behind the cluster could induce them to reverse course. Disrupting the graviton wake long enough for us to escape.
I do not suggest we simulate the gravitational field of the string fragment, Commander. Rather the string's vibration.
Frequency scan detectors engaged.
Stand by...  I am differentiating particle emission signatures now.
Sir, the shear force turbulence is impairing our ability to create an accurate simulation...
Electromagnetic and subspace wave fronts approaching synchronization.
Increasing by fifty percent.
Pardon me, but why is Lieutenant Barclay being referred to clandestinely as a vegetable?
Nicknames generally denote fondness, a diminutive shared between friends. This does not sound friendly.
Nucleo-synthesis. The structure of the glass has been altered at the atomic level.
Unlikely. A problem with the replicator would have affected the contents as well as the glass. But the liquid in the glass was a perfect replication of a dark ale of Earth origin which I believe is what Lieutenant Duffy ordered.
The most probable explanation is that the glass came into contact with an unshielded power source.
A fascinating vocation, Mister Barclay. I am a student of Sherlock Holmes mysteries and I would enjoy discussing some of your cases at your leisure.
Then it is possible these two very disparate incidents could be related.
It was Lieutenant Barclay who first suggested the link between the two incidents, sir.
Metathesis is one of the most common of pronunciation errors, sir... a reversal of vowel and consonant, 'bark' to 'broc'...
Compensating, sir.
The matter/anti-matter injectors locked for a split second, Captain. I am not certain why. They seem to be working properly now.
Controls are not responding, Captain.
Speed increasing, Captain. Warp seven point six... seven point six five... seven point seven...
At this rate of acceleration, fifteen minutes, forty seconds, Commander...
Captain, the plasma flow to the nacelles is uneven due to the injector lock. An emergency saucer separation could rupture the warp field.
Twelve minutes to structural failure.
Injector conduit temperature minus one hundred degrees Celsius.
Ready... temperature now minus one hundred ninety degrees... minus two hundred degrees, sir.
Matter injector... is on-line. Anti-matter injector... still locked.
Anti-matter injector... on-line. Reducing flow capacity. Commencing warp engine shut-down.
Sir, I am picking up massive gravitational fluctuations...
Yes, Commander.
I have located the Vico. The vessel appears to be adrift.
The outer and inner hulls have been breached. Decks seven through twelve are exposed to space.
I cannot, sir. The emergency bulkheads on that deck are in place. Our linkup signal cannot penetrate them.
Stress readings indicate considerable pressure on the transverse supports.
Yes, sir. But the risk of structural collapse is high.
This station is inoperable.
Core transfer is engaged.
Yes, sir. However, that may initiate the collapse of the surrounding supports. I recommend that you and Geordi return to the ship.
Yes, Sir.
Yes. Then I will carry you to the corridor. We will transport back to the Enterprise from there. Do you understand?
I am an android. My strength is many times that of a human.
Everything is going to be... okay.
I will count to three.  One... two... three...
Energize!
Counselor, I must join Commander La Forge in engineering. If you will excuse me --
Nearly eighty-three percent of the records have been lost.
Geordi, as a child, did you ever experience a traumatic event?
Yes.
Timothy no longer has that kind of support.
Fracture points indicate that the energy burst came from a range of less than three thousand meters.
The Breen have outposts in this sector. The attack on the Vico is consistent with their battle tactics -- and their level of technology.
I do not understand.
Yes, sir.
Exactly how shall I proceed, Counselor?
Hello, Timothy. May I enter?
I see you are attempting to recreate the Dokkaran temple of Kural-Hanesh.
Do you wish a frank evaluation?
It lacks the harmony that characterized this particular temple and Dokkaran culture in general.
I am not capable of hatred.
You are making an unwarranted extrapolation. I was merely offering an aesthetic analysis of this particular model.
Timothy... ?
May I suggest a different approach?
You are attempting to construct the upper tiers before you have completed the lower.
Observe.
Data here.
I will join you in a moment, Geordi. Data out.
Commander La Forge requires my assistance.
I am designed to exceed human capacity both mentally and physically.
'Better' is a highly subjective term. I do not, for example, possess the ability to experience emotions as humans do.
That is correct.
My positronic brain is not capable of generating those conditions.
That would be acceptable.
Goodbye.
The Black Cluster was formed almost nine billion years ago when hundreds of protostars collapsed in close proximity. The resulting gravitational forces are violent and highly unpredictable.
Timothy, your head movements are... counterproductive. Can you be still?
The servo-mechanisms in my neck are designed to approximate Human movements.  I did not realize the effect was so... distracting.
No. I am the only one.
My service experience does not yet warrant such a position.
Fear is a quality that I do not possess.
That is correct.
I have never had a nightmare. I do not require sleep.
Timothy, are you having... disturbing dreams?
Is it satisfactory?
You may use mine.
Perhaps you should return to your quarters.
Thank you.
It is very... expressive.
Is your painting representative of something?
Timothy, you understand that you may speak with me about anything you wish -- any subject.
I hope I am not disturbing your work.
I would like to confide in you, Geordi. However, I am finding my thoughts difficult to verbalize.
How did you know?
I am not capable of being uncomfortable. But I am undergoing a perceptual paradigm shift.
I have spent my entire life emulating Humans. Now, I find myself confronted by a Human who is emulating me.
Ah, the metaphor... yes, that is correct. I am forced to realize that I have largely ignored the aspects of myself that others would find attractive.
He laughed.
It is certainly not consistent with his android persona...
Then my work with him is complete?
How, Counselor?
The complex polysaccharides, in reaction with the carbon dioxide, produces an unusual combination of texture and efforvescence.
I am not capable of 'tasting' in the manner which you describe. I can analyze the composition of a dessert and make comparative conclusions about its possible effect on the human palate. However, I neither like it, nor dislike it...
I have often wondered what it must be like... to have one's mouth 'water' in anticipation of the arrival of a confection... Or to feel the pleasure I have observed in people as they consume it...
I am an android. That will never change.
I have always wished to be Human. I study people carefully in order to more closely approximate Human behavior.
But I cannot take pride in my abilities. I cannot take pleasure in my accomplishments.
I would gladly risk feeling bad at times... if it meant that I could also taste my dessert.
The phaser energy was reflected by the gravitational wavefronts. It is similar to the phenomenon distorting the sensor signals.
Yes, sir. Disruptors would be ineffectual.
It would be extremely difficult to maintain.
Given the effects we have observed, the probability is exceedingly remote.
That is highly unlikely. Our investigations have clearly demonstrated --
Timothy, androids do not lie.
Please explain.
It is not possible. The onboard control systems for every starship require a user code clearance. You could not have inadvertantly affected any of the Vico's systems.
Timothy, accompany me...
I want you to recall everything you heard people say aboard the Vico before it was destroyed...
Drop the shields.
Captain, drop the shields.
Our own shields caused the increase in the wavefronts... we induced harmonic amplification effects.
Precisely. And that is also what destroyed the Vico. When Timothy remembered similar procedures aboard his ship, I initiated an analysis of shield output to wavefront amplitude and discovered a correlation.
It would appear so, Counselor.
Difficult?
No, Counselor. That would require an emotional context which I cannot provide.
I am operating within established parameters. How are you?
Is something wrong?
On the contrary, it is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. I was... flattered.
I have many Human friends. I would be pleased to count you among them.
Legends which are totally unsupported by fact, Captain.
They have intrinsic value regardless of the facts, sir?
Indeed, sir.
Unidentified vessel. Traveling sub-warp speed, bearing two-three- five, mark seven.
If you mean a Tarellian vessel, you are, sir.
Class M world, much like your Earth world, very similar humanoid life form, which faced the unfortunate old story of their hatreds outrunning their intelligence.
Ending with one of them... it doesn't really matter which... unleashing a deadly biological weapon on the other.
Exactly thirteen hours, nine minutes, twenty-one...
Mrs. Troi, I'm very interested in the Betazed ceremony you mentioned. Could you tell us more?
Could you please continue your bickering? I find it intriguing.
Because our sensors are showing a responder echo, sir, on the frequency they once used.
They're coming within transporter range, sir.
Unless they have all died. Their ship could have been brought in by automation.
S.S. Tsiolkovsky, repeat your message.
Captain... what we just heard is, well...impossible.
I believe that last sound we heard was an emergency hatch being blown.
Indications of what humans would call... a 'wild party?'
Correction, sir, blown out.
A common mistake, sir...
I am already listed in several biomechanical texts, Doctor.
Specifics, sir?
Ah. The body Geordi discovered.
To 'someone,' 'somewhere.'
About that... did the doctor believe I was boasting?
At least several hours.  But what I said was a statement of fact.
Perhaps she will look it up.
Can you provide more information, sir? Seeking an instance of someone showering with their clothing on is...is...
Why should anyone wish to expend their time in such a search?
Ah, a human proverb! As in folklore, or an historical allusion, or tribal memories, or...
Enterprise history. Aberrant behavior. Medical cross reference...
Aye sir, downloading.
Inquiry, sir... 'snootful?'
Captain, in another forty-one minutes will see the information from the Tsiolkovsky downloaded to us.
Slow, sir? The Tsiolkovsky has been eight months in accumulating it.
Any stellar material it threw this way we could still outrun on half impulse power.
Confirmed, sir. And there is a rather peculiar limerick being delivered by someone in the shuttlecraft bay. I am not sure I understand it...  There was a young lady from Venus whose body was shaped like --
Did I say something wrong?
Yes, sir.
Lieutenant Yar?
Captain Picard ordered me to escort you to Sickbay, Lieutenant.
I am sure he meant 'now.'  So you need time to get into uniform...
Chronological age? No, I am afraid I am not conversant with your ---
I am sorry. I did not know...
Of course, but...
In every way, of course. I have been programmed in multiple techniques, a broad variety of pleasuring...
Fully, Captain, fully.
We are more alike than unlike, my dear captain.
I have pores. Humans have pores.  I have fingerprints. Humans have fingerprints. My chemical nutrients are like your blood.  If you prick me, do I not leak?
Nice to see you, Wesley. What... ?
Ah, a game!
No. This will take slightly more time than we have, sir.
If we had just a minute more, sir...
You find something humorous, Geordi?
Yes. However I see nothing amusing in his hostility toward her.
What do I think what is?
Perhaps it is their common interest in archaeology.
But Counselor, as an archaeologist, her company would certainly be intellectually stimulating to the Captain.
On the contrary, Lieutenant Worf, your clothing identifies you with the character of Will Scarlett. Just as Geordi's Mandolin suggests he is Alan-A-Dale.
Are you referring to his rescue of Maid Marian from Nottingham Castle?
The arrow impacted just above my sixth intercostal support, penetrating my secondary subprocessor.
Fortunately, none of my biofunctions seem impaired.
Do not get discouraged. I believe your aim is improving.
Please stand back, Commander. Microfusion cells can be somewhat dangerous under high temperatures...
Captain, I have a new transmission on a parallel frequency to the distress call...
No sir... from inside the Romulan Zone. We should be able to view the transmission.
The neutrino stream is coming in strongly. Sensors are tracking the probe despite the interference.
There are none indicated, Commander. I have no way to predict.
The Romulan warbird should still be twenty-nine minutes away from the edge of the Neutral Zone.
The storm is beginning to subside, Captain... we should have a window in less than an hour...
Scanners show a window, Captain.
Nine minutes, forty seconds.
The electromagnetic window on the planet is closing. Three minutes remain.
Captain, the window is allowing intermittant sensor readings... There are still numerous ghost images, but I believe we are picking up two life forms near the beacon...
I cannot say. The electromagnetic interference prevents an accurate reading.
Admiral Hanson on subspace, Captain...
Thank you, sir...
Doctor Crusher and I have been working on an interesting premise...
Robots small enough to enter living cells.
There are no active subspace fields... Negligible power readings...
Negative, sir.
It could indicate the course of the Borg ship...
Aye, Captain...
Shuttle launch sequence confirmed... departing Enterprise in three seconds...
The shuttle escape transporter should provide adequate power to beam us onto the Borg ship from here, sir...
Yessir, there should be enough energy for two transports.
Firing shuttle thrusters...
Using multimodal reflection sorting, I have been able to detect a complex series of subspace signals between Locutus and the Borg ship...
It is not just a matter of control, Doctor. The signals are interactive across a subspace domain similar to that of a Transporter beam. I would hypothesize that these frequencies form the basis of the Borg's collective consciousness.
Possibly. But, as you will recall, on several occasions, we have witnessed the Borg removing key circuits from injured comrades... no doubt separating them from the group consciousness.
That is correct, sir.
Then perhaps... there is a way I can access the 'machine', Doctor.
The initial cybernetic connection into Captain Picard's neural net pathways has been established... Mister O'Brien is ready to process the Borg signal through the transport pattern buffer.
Proceeding immediately, sir. Data out.
The neural link will be established in three stages... Doctor, I suggest you closely observe Captain Picard's lifesigns while Chief O'Brien monitors my positronic matrix activity at each stage... Counselor, hopefully you will be able to determine if I am reaching Captain Picard.
I do not know. I have never done this before.  Initating first neural link...
First neural connection is confirmed... I cannot report any significant access to the Borg consciousness...
Second neural connection is confirmed... I still cannot report any significant access... proceeding with the final link...
Neural connections are complete. I... have... access to the Borg subspace signals... Processing... processing...
Stand by... processing...
Fascinating. The Borg group consciousness... is divided into subcommands... necessary to carry out all functions... communications, defense, navigation... they are all controlled... by a root command... implanted in each -- Suddenly...
Negative... subspace signal configuration is unchanged. The cause of increased neural activity is unclear...
Sir, it is clear the Borg are unable or unwilling to terminate their subspace links...
It is conceivable, sir... it would require altering the pathways from the root command, to affect all iterative branchpoints in...
What command shall I try to plant, sir... ?
Attempting to reroute subcommand paths, Captain... defense systems are protected by access barriers...
I am unable to penetrate defense systems command structure, Captain...
Acknowledged... attempting new power subcommand path...
I cannot penetrate the Borg power subcommand structure... all critical subcommands are protected, Captain...
Yes, Doctor... but if I may make a supposition, I believe his message was not intended to express fatigue but to suggest a course of action.
I successfully planted a command in the Borg collective consciousness, sir. It misdirected them to believe it was time to regenerate. In effect, I put them all to sleep.
Yessir.
We should also consider the advantages of further examination of the Borg and their vessel, sir.
But there is a problem here, sir!
I do not understand this at all!
I have traced it through all sensor channels, Captain! It is not a glitch... !
... or any other form of error or malfunction, sir.
Exactly! As if it's not entirely in or out of our dimension.
Whatever is sitting out there without triggering our alarm relays, Captain.
Permission to go to hailing frequencies, sir?
Hailing frequencies open. On all frequencies and language forms, send...  Enterprise to Object off our starboard bow. Request that you identify yourself!
It was something unintelligible, Captain. Now running it through our logic and language circuits...
As if it's partly...transparent.
I have some information on its first transmission, sir. It translates as...  ... 'stand by.'
Verified. Something very small...
Getting smaller...
The away team signal has been cut off, Captain! We are no longer in contact with our people!
The colony we just planted, sir...
Captain... I do not understand how, but it is asking me if I was... constructed for information exchanges.
I was an excellent choice for them, Captain. They could communicate with me quite...  ... I was about to say quite 'easily,' but there was nothing 'easy' about it. Fortunately, they stopped short of overloading my circuitry...
Definitely not a single 'entity' if that's what you mean, sir... although they know the Edo worship them as a 'God thing.'
They recognize that this is quite expected and harmless at the present Edo stage of evolution, and...
'Babble,' sir? I am not aware that I ever babble, sir. It may be that from time to time I have considerable information to communicate, and you may question the way I organize it...
Not yet decided, sir.
I volunteer that they are now observing us, sir.
No, it is more curiosity, sir. I doubt they expect us to abide by their value systems.
They know everything I know, sir.
That would be a case of judging us by our own rules, sir. If we violate our own Prime Directive, they might consider us deceitful and untrustworthy.  You do recall, sir, they cautioned us not to interfere with their 'children' below.  What has happened?
Most interesting, sir. The emotion of motherhood, compared to all others felt by humans...
You were right, sir. I do tend to babble.
You sent for me, sir?
Yes sir. What level of communication?
But I do, sir.  It was wise to beam back the Edo woman.
The Edo's 'God' is very protective of its children.
Apparently the Edo people had seen it before, from time to time, sir.
Understandable. To share an orbit with 'God' is no small experience.
The problem, sir, is there!  Although they have learned of the Prime Directive from my mind, how will they evaluate it? How do they reason? What are their values? Remember its warning to us, sir.
Would you choose one life over one thousand, sir?
The Edo share them, sir.
Perhaps because the Edo are a child-race by comparison. Possibly a race which the life forms over there 'planted' here much as we now plant human colonies on Class-M planets.
Aye, sir.
Captain!
Thank you... Humans are fascinating. They celebrate the passage of time with such joy until a certain age, and then it becomes a topic of some discomfort. I suppose it is because each birthday is another step towards inevitable death. Do Klingons observe birthdays, Worf?
Then how do you know how old you are?
I have no age.
No. I am simply trying to understand the celebration of aging. And how old were you when Wesley was born, Doctor?
I do not understand, sir. Why...
I am very confused, sir.
May I help you, Mister Remmick?
Yes, sir.
Atmospheric entry... seventy-eight seconds.
Twenty-eight seconds to impact...
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
All the ship's records are available to you, sir.
Loyalty is not the issue, Commander. There is nothing wrong with Captain Picard -- or the ship's logs. Therefore there must be something wrong with your original assumption.
Acceptable or not, sir, it is the truth.
Ready to dock.
It is an attempt at pure creativity.
This is my attempt... with guidance from Geordi.
I am awaiting inspiration.
This is Commander Data, go ahead.
The field is deteriorating. Contact the captain immediately. I am initiating Red Alert.
If the antimatter is released the ship will be destroyed.
Computer -- situation analysis.
Bridge -- Engineering.
Alert starbase. Inform them we are abandoning the ship. Tell them why. Initiate the automated sequence for departure, lay in a course and speed to put maximum distance between the Enterprise and any inhabited planet.
There is no time. Based on all the information presently available the decision is correct.  This is Lieutenant Commander Data speaking for the captain -- abandon ship -- this is not a drill.
Computer, where are the captain and Commander Riker?
Curious. The captain is usually the last to leave.
I hope we are the last.
No. Are they not here on the Starbase?
We have to beam back and get them.
Which is the nearest Starfleet vessel?
I know the Trieste. Too small, too slow.
Where are the Bynars?
Then they are obviously still aboard. Another Starfleet vessel must be sent to intercept the Enterprise at Bynaus. They might be taking the ship to their home planet.
It is the best place for us to start.
Do you think I am responsible?
My station is on the bridge.
You are wrong, Geordi, I can. I do not need rest or diversion -- I should not have been painting. I was negligent.
I am here, sir.
The access would be available by code or password.
File names can be anything.
Then a name -- or a place. It could be personal. In this case in binary language which is ones and zeros in groups of eight or sixteen characters.
Ambassador Odan... Doctor Crusher... I was just on my way to see you.
I have completed my study of the atmospheric variations which have occurred on the moons since the new technology was implemented.
I could go over them with you now. It would not require more than two hours.
Then it is perfect timing, Doctor -- what better occasion to integrate my results into your study?
At least an hour... but I do not believe much time can be saved from that estimate by exhibiting such haste now...
I hope Doctor Crusher was able to help you with your headache.
My design models suggest that Beta will begin to experience rising temperatures... erratic tide surges... and in general the beginnings of global warming.
Initiate shuttle pre-flight sequence.
Shuttle has cleared the Bay door.
Is it possible I could serve as a temporary carrier?
Five card draw. Ante up.
Geordi... I believe the correct term now would be 'Ambassador.'
Are you familiar with this game, Ambassador?
Ambassador, what is the precise nature of the symbiotic joining? Are you Odan? Or Commander Riker? Or a combination of both?
Sir, it could take more than two hours to reach the vessel.
At the rate the levels have been decreasing, we will be able to gain entry in forty-nine hours.
A slow-motion study of the explosion suggests that the articulation frame collapsed.
Other evidence lends credence to that theory, Captain. A review of the sensor logs indicates that every systems reading was well within normal parameters until fifty-two milliseconds before the explosion.
We have made micro-tomographic analyses of the dilithium chamber... the hatch mounting... the blast pattern from the explosion...
Those fractures suggest nothing more than simple neutron fatigue. I would speculate that when the engine was last inspected at McKinley station, the hatch casing was replaced with one which had an undetectable defect.
I think, sir, that the conclusion of our investigation must be that the explosion was not intentional.
Captain, the warp engines are back on line. We are ready to commence restart sequences.
Sir?
'I have bedimm'd the noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds, and 'twixt the green sea and the azur'd vault set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder have I given fire, and rifted Jove's stout oak with his own bolt; the strong-bas'd promontory have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up the pine and cedar; graves at my command have wak'd their sleepers, op'd, and let 'em forth by my so potent art.'
'But this rough magic I here abjure; and, when I have requir'd some Heavenly music -- which even now I do -- to work mine end upon their senses, that this airy charm is for, I'll break my staff, bury it certain fadoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound -- I'll drown my book.'
Captain, your attention is... wandering.
Sir, I am supposed to be attempting a Neo-Platonic magical rite -- the darkness is appropriate to such a ritual.
Perhaps I have been too... literal with respect to my set design.  Computer. Modify Holodeck program Data seven-three, Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act Five, scene one. Increase torchlight by twenty-percent.
Yes, sir... but I am not certain I fully understand the character of Prospero. I would appreciate any insights you may have which would improve my performance.
There is certainly a tragic aspect to the character.
No, Sir.
It appears to be a steam locomotive.
If I am not mistaken.
Captain, you are injured...
The train we encountered is from one of Doctor Crusher's Holodeck programs. It is a re-creation of the Orient Express, a train which ran from Paris to Istanbul from the late nineteenth century until --
There appears to have been a malfunction in the Holodeck's database retrieval system. The two programs were somehow temporarily linked together.
It is a possibility. I would have to run a diagnostic to be certain.
Aye, sir.
The ship has gone into warp, sir.
Apparently no one. Helm and navigation controls are not functioning.  Our speed is now warp seven-point-three and holding.
Bearing one-eight-seven mark four. I am unable to determine our destination -- but we are heading away from the Mekorda sector.
We are no longer at warp... Impulse power has resumed... all systems show normal.
We are approximately thirty-billion kilometers from our original position.
One fact is clear, however. The distortion was gaining in strength. If we had remained at our original position one-point seven seconds longer, the distortion would have ruptured our warp core.
Perhaps the engines were activated by a random power fluctuation.
It is improbable... but it is possible.
There is another possibility. The sensors apparently detected a dangerous anomaly that threatened the Enterprise. It is possible that they triggered a safety response which caused the ship to avoid destruction.
It appears to be connected to several other systems as well... including the warp control circuits.
I am not certain -- possibly from the node itself.
It appears to be protecting itself.
There were nodes linking the sensors to our warp control and defensive systems. We believe this is why the ship jumped to warp.
It is possible that the magnascopic storm we recently experienced had an unexpected effect on the ship's systems.
As they increase, it will become progressively more difficult to control the ship.
Agreed...
All of the nodes intersect in Holodeck three. It appears to be a... focal point of some kind.
Commander, the Holodeck appears to be in operation.
I did. However, it has reactivated itself... and it will not disengage.
Several different programs appear to be running simultaneously.
No, sir. I estimate that this... scene consists of portions of at least seven distinct Holodeck programs...
We have located a large concentration of nodes behind this wall... They appear to be connected directly to the Holodeck's main power coupling.
I believe we have changed direction...
According to my tricorder, the Holodeck safeties have been disengaged. His weapon could be lethal.
The number of systems now affected by the nodes has grown considerably.  Sensors, engines, replicators, propulsion... they are all working together now, almost independently of the main computer. And the nodes link all of them through the Holodeck.
Commander, I think what happens on the Holodeck has a direct effect on the ship. When we attempted to destroy the nodes -- the characters on the train responded immediately to stop us.
The Conductor then signalled for the train to change directions... and at approximately the same time --
Not precisely.
Geordi, does the configuration of the connection nodes look familiar to you?
That is correct. It appears that the nodes are in the process of creating a rudimentary neural net.
Unlikely as it may sound... I believe that the Enterprise may be forming an intelligence.
This is a synaptic map of the human neo-cortex...  This is a cross-section of my positronic net...  And this is a schematic of the connection nodes linking the ship's systems...
I believe some sort of neural matrix is forming on the ship. It is still relatively primitive, but it is an intelligence nonetheless.
I believe it is an emergent property.
Complex systems can sometimes behave in ways that are entirely unpredictable. The human brain, for example, might be described in terms of cellular functions and neuro-chemical interactions.
But that description does not explain human consciousness -- a capacity that far exceeds simple neural functions.  Consciousness is an emergent property.
Exactly.
The Enterprise contains a vast database of information which is managed by a sophisticated computer. This complex system gives the ship many of the characteristics of a biological organism.
Yes, sir. I believe a self-determining intelligence is emerging.
I believe the key to understanding the ship's behavior lies in the Holodeck.  All of the connection nodes intersect at that location. It is clearly some kind of processing center.
Yes, sir. A focal point... where all the ideas and instincts of this emerging intelligence are first expressed in some form.
If you will distract these people, I will attempt to depolarize the power grid.
I am ready to access the main power grid.
I can access the power grid here.
I will attempt to depolarize the grid by using a low-frequency inversion field. That may disengage the nodes without destroying them.
I encountered a minor difficulty, Counselor...
But it has been dealt with. I am ready to depolarize the power grid.
Acknowledged...
Data to Captain Picard...
Data to Captain...
The train has returned to normal, sir...
How did the Conductor stop the train?
I can get us there more quickly. I know a shorter route.
Yes. If you will let me handle the controls.
Data to Captain Picard...
I have taken control of the engine room.
I will attempt to do so.
Captain, I am staging a scene from The Tempest this evening for a small audience. I would like you to attend.
Miranda's first encounter with other human beings.
It seemed appropriate.
Captain. You took a significant risk in allowing the Enterprise to complete its... task.
Because the end product was unknown. The object could have been dangerous. It may in fact, be dangerous...
Yes, sir.
The asteroid has shattered. However, the core is still intact -- and still on a direct collision course with Tessen Three.
Yes, sir. It is of sufficient size and density to cause planetwide damage.
It will reach the upper atmosphere in forty-four seconds and impact with the planet eleven seconds later.
Sir, the core is composed of densely compressed nitrium and chrondite. It is unlikely that another photon torpedo will have any effect on it.
Time to impact is thirty seconds.
If we project a particle beam through the deflector dish, we may be able to produce a disruptive nuclear effect in the core.
The largest piece of remaining debris offers no threat to the planet.
A Level Four diagnostic of the food replication system has failed to detect any faults in the orientation terminals.
There is an energy fluctuation in one of the utility access corridors.
We have traced the failure to a data net interface which routes replicator selections to the correct subprocessors.
We have lost helm control.
We have not yet identified the substance, Commander.
There is none present in the residue, either.
That would suggest the nitrium has been organically metabolized.
This residue could be the waste left behind.
The dilithium chamber shows no anomalous readings.
We believe the parasites came through the ship's hull when we destroyed the asteroid near Tessen Three.
Yes, sir.
At warp nine, five hours twenty minutes, sir.
Captain, with our sensors unable to detect the parasites... and given the speed with which they appear to be moving through the ship --
In several cases, an exanogen gas barrier has been known to slow the progress of metal parasites.
If we reconfigure a particle beam with a high concentration of nitrium, and project it toward one of the asteroids...
Turbolift velocity is beginning to fluctuate, Captain.
We have reached the bridge, sir.
Captain, we're losing life support on decks eleven and twelve.
Yes, Captain.
If we maintain current speed -- and there is no guarantee that we will -- two hours, twenty-three minutes.
Aye, Captain.
Computer, transfer power from warp engines to life support.
Activate Bussard collector.
Reconfigure hydrogen-plasma mixture to include thirty percent nitrium.
Project emitter beam, heading zero-two-four, mark zero-four-one.
The plan was successful, sir.
I have taken your advice, Captain. This time I have not imitated another actor's rendition. It was my own interpretation...
Your courtesy is appreciated. But I am aware that I do not effectively convey the fear called for in this scene.
Sir... That would not be an appropriate basis for an effective performance. Not by the standards set by my mentors.
Yessir. I have studied the philosophies of virtually every known acting master, but I find myself particularly attracted to Stanislavsky, Adler, Garnav... proponents of a performance technique known as 'The Method.'
Perhaps because the technique requires an actor to seek his own emotional awareness to understand the character he plays...
I have modified the method for my own use, sir. Since I have no emotional awareness to create a performance, I am attempting to use performance to create an emotional awareness. I believe if I can learn to duplicate the fear of Ebenezer Scrooge, then I will be one step closer to being truly human.
She is a cornerstone of Ventaxian theology. It seems that Ardra came to Ventax Two and promised one thousand years of peace and prosperity. As her price, she would return and enslave the entire population. In the Ventaxian culture, it is considered bad luck to speak her name out loud. The threat 'may Ardra come to your door' is considered a most insulting epithet.
Ardra predates the Klingon influence on Ventax Two.
We have scanned the tectonic stress patterns of your planet's crust... there is no evidence that the quakes pose any kind of threat...
So, you do purport to be the mythic figure Ardra?
I have, sir.
The contract does agree to deliver the people of Ventax Two into the personal servitude of Ardra at the end of one thousand years of peace. I have compared the terms to the body of laws which govern the planet. The language of the agreement is correct in every detail.
I am an android.
I'm afraid one could interpret the contract that way, sir.
You asked to see me, sir?
Barnum, P.T., sir.
Do you believe Ardra is, to use the vernacular, a 'con artist', sir... ?
Sir, if I may point out, the Ventaxians did have a thousand years of peace and tranquility... as Ardra promised...
A fear that someday Ardra would return for remuneration.
Indeed, Captain, in the story, the spirits used fear to motivate Scrooge to reform his character.
Is there no possibility at all she is the same Ardra who was here a millenium ago?
The language seems carefully chosen to avoid any loopholes, sir...
Sir, I feel I should point out one possibly incongruous aspect of your Scrooge analogy.
The spirits that frightened Scrooge turned out to be quite real...
Sir, I have found one obscure precedent in Ventaxian law that might be of interest.
It is noted as Akul K'Ton versus Garv Etes... dated Ventaxian year nine-three-one, A.A.... a dispute was registered in the township of Tau Velor...
In effect, it was a contract dispute over services rendered by a Klingon craftsman on the construction of a Ventaxian home. Because the dispute involved an alien culture, the parties decided that arbitration rather than the courts would resolve the issue. Both sides were required to agree on an arbiter and the case was decided in favor of the Ventaxian. It is the only known case involving an alien claimant.
But, sir, why would Ardra agree to an arbitration in this matter...
How, sir?
Shuttle One to Enterprise... prepare for docking sequence...
I cannot locate the Enterprise anywhere within one lightyear of the planet.
Ardra, before he responds, may I have a word in private with Captain Picard?
Sir, I request that you reject me as arbiter.
Ardra is right. If I am chosen, I will perform my duties without bias or sentiment. I cannot guarantee that I will deliver a verdict in your favor.
Sir, I will have to precisely follow the rules of conduct for a ventaxian jurist.
Overruled. He is qualified to present an historical view. Answer the question.
Captain Picard, my interpretation of Ventaxian law suggests under these circumstances, this is acceptable... your objection is overruled.
Sir, I have ruled. Sit down.
You may proceed.
The question is phrased correctly. Please answer.
I find no cause to invalidate the contract at this time. The arbitration will continue.
It is highly irregular to question the opposing advocate but I see no reason to deny it. Proceed...
Sustained. The advocate will refrain from expressing personal affections for her opponent.
You are out of order...
The advocate will refrain from making her opponent disappear.
Any further disruption and I will rule you in contempt of court. Is that understood?
Overruled. The opposing advocate's job is to mock your argument.
Please answer the question.
To what?
Overruled.
Sustained.  I will draw my own conclusions, if you do not mind.
Rebuttal?
Captain Picard, do you have any further evidence to present before I render judgment?
Hi, Geordi. A one hour recess is granted.
I think he deserves some leeway... overruled... but we have seen enough, Captain.
Captain, your leeway has run out.
With the advocate's withdrawal, the contract is hereby dissolved.
This arbitration is adjourned.
Congratulations, sir.
Captain, the shuttle has been launched.
External temperature is zero-pointnine million Kelvins and rising. Radiation levels are nearing ten thousand rads.
Outside temperature is rising rapidly -- one-point-seven million Kelvins.
Radiation levels outside the shuttle are nearing fourteen thousand rads.
Sensors indicate an increased level of baryon particles in the cabin.
Baryon levels are continuing to rise...
The shuttle is emerging from the corona, sir.
The flow regulator is functioning properly.
Yes, Doctor.
I am unable to locate any malfunction. All of your systems are operating according to your design specifications.
Perhaps there was an unexpected interaction between the solar radiation and your metaphasic shield.
I am running additional diagnostics to make certain there was no permanent radiation damage to the shuttlecraft hull.
There was no evidence to suggest sabotage.
The system interlocks prevent access to the circuitry unless the shield emitter is active. Any attempt to sabotage the device would have to be made while the shield was in operation.
That is correct. It seems unlikely that Jo'Bril would perform sabotage which would result in his own death.
A phased ionic pulse beamed directly into the metaphasic projection matrix would cause a temporary system malfunction.
Such a pulse could be initiated from the lateral sensor arrays, Science Labs one, four, or sixteen, or any of the bridge science stations.
A tetryon field would have formed briefly inside the cabin, temporarily disrupting the metaphasic shield.
Captain, there has been an unscheduled launch from Shuttlebay Two.
Bearing two-seven-one mark four. She is heading into the sun's corona.
Sir, the shuttle is entering the corona.
There is no indication of any debris, sir... but the subspace signal indicates a warp engine breach.
The Denver's standard crew complement is twenty-three, but they were transporting five hundred seventeen colonists to the Beloti sector.
Aye, sir.
Yes, sir. A voice only transmission from the USS Lantree, a Federation supply ship.
Sir, we are still recieving their signal. There is simply no message.
Two point two milli-parsecs, bearing three-zero at one-four- five degrees.
USS Lantree, a class R Starfleet supply ship assigned to Gamma seven seven, Captain L.I. Taleka commanding. Normal complement, twenty-six officers and crew.
Class three defensive only.
Indeed. She is at maximum speed.
No life signs, Captain.
Nothing, sir.
All systems seem functional, Captain. Everything is in perfect order.
No life signs.
I have the ship's logs, sir.
No abnormal viral or bacterial forms.
He is not a passenger. He is a crewmember.
It would seem they all are.
Thirty-two earth years.
Sir, according to the Lantree logs the oldest crew member was seventy-three, and the mean age of the crew was thirty-two point six six.
Captain, the Lantree's last port of call was three days ago. The Darwin Genetic Research Station on Gagarin Four.
Earth humans. Somewhat larger than normal. Approximately twenty years old --
Doctor? You sent for me?
Certainly. I was trained at --
Begin shuttlecraft launch sequence.
We are in position, Doctor.
And if they are not?
That is by no means certain, Doctor, but I was referring to you.
All within tolerance, Doctor.
How do you feel?
Set course for Darwin Station?
The evidence is fairly conclusive.
Comparing genetic samples indicates a transposition of these two proteins.
I believe she is referring to the fact that the human genome is self replicating.
I am sorry I could not be more helpful, Doctor Pulaski.
Doctor --
Enterprise. Commander Data ready to beam aboard.
Yes, sir.
Correct, sir.
Precisely. An almost undetectable transposition in the human genome. It takes a number of interactions of the --
Afraid not, sir. Her records were shipped by way of Starfleet headquarters. They haven't caught up with us yet.
Allow me, sir.
Almost, sir. It is being stored in Shuttlebay Two.
We have been scanning the area since entering the system, but our readings are being disrupted.
Extreme fluctuations in the E.M. field.
However, there is no evidence of relevant stellar or seismic activity which would cause the interference.
Minor damage to one ship. Its shields are holding.
Sensors and secondary generators off-line... life support down to sixty-seven percent...
I am detecting Transporter signatures in three cargo bays.  We are being boarded.
Commander, ship's sensors detect an abnormal energy reading in the captain's quarters.
Undetermined.
Correct, sir.
A great deal, sir. It is a rotating neutron star of approximately four point three five six solar masses.
Aye, sir.
I see no point in randomly selecting alternative motivations for the captain's actions considering that not enough information has been offered to make any one 'guess' superior to another.
I believe you are incorrect, Commander.
Enter.
You are always welcome, Captain.
That beats my three fours.
Commander, there is one other fact we have not considered. The abnormal energy reading in the captain's quarters that was never explained.
The pulsar is exactly as our records indicate. There appear to be no anomalies or significant changes since the last scan by a Federation ship.
Sir, at twenty million kilometers our shields will be effective for only eighteen minutes --
Aye, sir.
Captain -- number four shield has failed. Increasing power to number three shield to compensate.
Sir -- at that distance, the ship will not withstand the magnetic fields and radiation.
May I?
I have made a survey of all turbolifts and service crawlways on this deck. Our access to the bridge has been completely severed by emergency bulkheads.
Heavy damage in section twenty- three-A has cut-off access to sickbay. I have ordered a security team to move all casualties on this deck to Ten Forward until further notice.
In that circumstance, reestablishing control should be our top priority.
The direct route is blocked, but there might be a way to reach it through a starboard service crawlway.
That is correct, sir. We have approximately fifty-two meters remaining in this crawlway before we can safely exit into a main corridor.
The current cannot be shut down from this relay box.
If the energy flowing through this arc were interrupted by a nonconductive material, it is likely that the circuit would be broken.
Commander, most of my bodyframe is composed of tripolymers, a non- conductive material.
Yes, sir.
The power surge would cause a system failure in most of my internal processors and melt my primary power couplings. However, there is a chance that the damage would not be irreparable.
Commander, our choices are very limited.
My positronic brain has several layers of shielding to protect it from power surges. It would be possible for you to remove my cranial unit and take it with you.
Yes, sir.  Is there something wrong?
My neural nets and memory core are self-contained.  I will be fine.
A remarkable experience, Commander.
Apparently so. My neural nets are fully operational.  You may begin by opening the ventral access panel located two centimeters beneath my right ear.
Commander, the power reaching those monitors has been diverted from the bridge.
I do not have access to the containment field. You will have to establish a new link.
Locate the ODN conduit.
You must now change the input matrix in my secondary optical port and then connect the ODN conduit.
That is not the correct port, sir.
Commander, you must hurry, the field has dropped to sixteen percent.
The field is still dropping -- collapse is imminent.
I have a connection.  I am now stabilizing the containment field.
Good morning, Commander. You are fifteen minutes early.
Thank you, sir.
I cannot become nervous. However, I do sense a certain... anticipation regarding my role in the wedding.  All systems normal, sir. Sickbay reported that Lieutenant Juarez went into labor at zero four hundred hours. We remain on station awaiting the arrival of the starship Zhukov and guest quarters have been prepared for Ambassador T'Pel.
Aye, sir.
It is time for the wedding rehearsal.
You do not wish to rehearse?
May I ask why?
Have your feelings for Chief O'Brien changed?
Will cancelling the wedding make you happy?
If you wish.
I have good news.
Yes. Keiko has made a decision designed to increase her happiness.  She has cancelled the wedding.
Energize.
Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Ambassador.
My hair does not require trimming... you peabrain.
My hair...
I am experimenting with friendly insults and jibes. It was not meant as a serious disparagement.
Geordi, I am still confused about Chief O'Brien's reaction this morning.
Cold feet... jitters... a nervous reaction to an impending event of great importance.
She will?
Then you believe the wedding will still proceed?
Are you here to find a wedding gift?
I would appreciate your help in selecting an appropriate item.
This is a traditional gift?
It was my understanding that the item selected should reflect the personality of whoever is giving the gift.  This does not remind me of you.
Have you ever been an actual participant in a human wedding?
You would not consider it to be an honor?
Dancing...
Doctor, may I ask a favor of you?
Will you teach me how to dance?
I would like to learn how to dance.
It is in your service record. 'Awarded first prize in tap and jazz competition, Saint Louis Academy---
Have I said something to upset you?
Then your answer is no?
Of course, Doctor.
Acknowledged.
That is a very general request, Captain. Is there a more specific area you wish me to study?
Their ships are deployed to support a policy of confrontation designed to test Federation defenses along the Neutral Zone.
I project a ninety percent probability that they will continue to pursue this policy.
No, sir.
Feline supplement seventy-four.
Computer, run fluidic sensor diagnostic.
Come in.
No.  Would you care to sit down?
May I offer you some refreshment, chief?
There is no need to apologize. I was not offended.  Perhaps you would like a pillow or a more comfortable chair to sit upon.
Would you care to listen to music? Brahms? Aurelia? Mexler?
Would Counselor Troi not be a more appropriate choice to speak with Keiko?
I do not know what to say to her.
Perhaps she has not fully analyzed her decision.
Am I disturbing you?
There is a high likelihood that your decision to cancel the wedding was an error.
I believe you made an incorrect analysis of the facts at hand.
You do not seem happy.
Your decision was based on the assumption that cancelling the wedding would bring you happiness. That has proved to be incorrect.
Since your action did not produce the desired results, the most advisable solution is to re-examine the decision-making process and look for errors.
That fact is not in dispute. However, you may have acted with undue haste... and in doing so, you have unintentionally hurt Chief O'Brien's feelings.
I am your friend.
If I have offended---
Chief O'Brien talks to me... Keiko talks to you... why do they not talk to each other?
Many aspects of this situation are puzzling. I have been studying relevant texts on the subject of marriage, but I have not found a suitable guide.
In an effort to be helpful, I am trying to calculate the variables involved in a successful marriage.
There are many different opinions. On Galvin Five, a marriage is considered successful only if children are produced within a year of the wedding. Andorian marriages require groups of four people unless two---
But I am their friend. Should I not stand with them in a time of difficulty?
Do you believe marriage to be the right decision for them?
'To grow old together?' Is that an integral component of marriage?
Although I am an android, I have not excluded the possibility that I too may someday marry.
I believe I have much to offer a potential mate, however we cannot grow old together, Counselor, because I will not grow old.
Acknowledged.
That is correct, Ambassador.
That code is valid.
May I ask what is the purpose for this request?
I have the same safeguards as the ship's computer. Therefore, I must report any inquiry regarding restricted information to the Captain along with a report stating the nature and purpose of the inquiry.
Your reaction suggests that you do not wish the Captain to be informed of your inquiry.
It appears to be quite suitable, Doctor.
That is correct. Perhaps it would be beneficial to show me the final lesson.
Then I have succeeded in learning how to dance?
Thank you, Doctor. I am now ready to dance at the wedding.
Keiko's wedding.
Is that important?
Why not?
I am sorry.
I cannot reproduce your performance if I cannot see your feet.
No, Doctor.
Lead where?
How is this accomplished... ?
This is a very complex set of variables to coordinate.
I will. Thank you, Doctor.
Computer, create dance partner, female.
Begin music.
Commander, we have reached the designated coordinates.
I have detected a ship in the Neutral Zone, Captain. Configuration... Romulan Warbird.
Engaging computer override.
Captain, there is no prior record of this type of accident occurring on a starship. Back-up systems and safeguards are designed to prevent just such an occurrence.
Yes, sir.
That is not my purpose. I wish to examine the remains of Ambassador T'Pel found on the Transporter pad.
Have you compared the genetic code with the Ambassador's last recorded Transporter ID trace?
I could be pursuing an untamed ornithoid without cause.
Can you postulate an explanation for the discrepancy?
A supposition not supported by the Transporter records.
The only abnormality found during my investigation was a temporary increase in the matter to energy signal ratio. This fluctuation was well within operating parameters and would normally not invite further consideration. However, due to the circumstances, I decided to investigate the possibility that a second Transporter signal had caused the fluctuation. Although this was highly improbable, it was the only remaining theory.
From the Devoras.
While simultaneously a small amount of genetically similar material was left in the Ambassador's place.
Yes, sir.
Course laid in, Captain.
The Devoras is dropping out of warp... their weapon systems are powering up.
Aye, sir.
Keiko, I need your help.  I have offended you and need to find a way to rectify my mistake. I am not sure what to do.
I should not have interfered. It would be best if I apologized.
But...
I am not nervous.  I am just... confused.
I was looking for Doctor Crusher. I wished to thank her for my...
The Juarez child?
Very well. I have the Bridge.
Begin night watch.
Sir, we put Mister Kosinski's specs into the computer and ran a controlled test on them. There was no improvement in engine performance.
It is off the scale, sir...
Captain, no one has ever reversed engines at this velocity.
A malfunction... I trust.
Two million -- seven hundred thousand light years.
You must, sir. Our comparisons show it to be completely accurate.
Which, traveling subspace, they should receive in fifty-one years, ten months...
Sir?
Captain, we are here. Why not avail ourselves of this opportunity for study? There is a giant protostar here in the process of forming. No vessel has been out this far.
Captain, according to the instruments, our speed never exceeded warp one-point-five.
Where none have gone before.
A Klingon Targ!
Warp one-point-five, sir...  ... which is what my instruments have read all along.
Sleigh-ride?
Warp five, sir.
Yes, sir.
I find it interesting how humans place so much importance on celebrating the day of their birth... a day one cannot possibly remember...
It appears we are being probed.
The third planet of the Alpha Onias system. Our reports list it as presently uninhabited. Perhaps the reports were incorrect.
Although Alpha Onias Three is a Class M planet, our survey teams have listed it as barren and inhospitable.
No, sir... but we have traced some residual energy readings... to a cavern two kilometers beneath the surface.
It is possible. But I cannot be certain.
Welcome back, Captain. We did not expect to see you on the Bridge so soon.
You remember, sir?
On screen.
Captain... we have been expecting the Decius. There is no need for alarm.
Certainly, sir.
At Warp One, in three days, four hours...
Pardon me, sir... but I am receiving subspace interference which limits my abilities. I can't operate as quickly as...
I said I cannot operate --
Sir, I can explain --
There is no question about it, sir. It is his signal.
Radiation levels within acceptable limits.
I am picking up a scattering of debris in extended orbit around the planet. It reads as refined metals and other synthetic compounds.
This is all that is left of the pod's computer system.
It will take time. Downloading it into our system will require fabrication of a matrix translator to emulate the alien's computer system.
Aye, sir.
I agree Geordi. But the data matrix within the capsule does not correspond to any standard format. All we have been able to determine is that the device uses a chemically based system for molecular energy encoding.
The compact shape does suggest a rapid chemical processing and storage capacity.
An intriguing experiment. The capsule might provide us with information without the need to decode the storage medium itself. Perhaps we could examine your theory immediately.
Are you suggesting that it employes memory RNA like an organic cell?
Perhaps the information sequences are encoded in the molecular patterns themselves.
It appears that your hypothesis was correct, Geordi.
We have determined that the storage cube from John Doe's escape pod contains navigational information.
Computer, run transformational matrix calculations. Match navigational referents to known stars in this sector.
Computer, assume those points are course corrections and derive gravitational values for stellar objects near the flight path.
Most of these are ordinary G-type stars...  But this would appear to be a neutron star, possibly a pulsar.
Computer, assume these symbols are pulsars. Translate associated values into standard temporal notations.
Computer, is there a pulsar with a rotational period of... one-point-five-two-four-four seconds within sensor range?
That bearing is almost directly along our planned course.
Captain, the ship is traveling at warp nine point seven two.
At present course and speed... ten hours fifty-three minutes.
Alien vessel approaching at half-impulse, heading zero-five-one mark one-one-four.
They are scanning us, Captain.
I believe so, Counselor. It is now up to us to... play along.  Release inertial dampers and cut power on decks thirty-one through thirty-seven.  Set phasers to twenty-five percent. Return fire.
I am aware of the tactical situation, Lieutenant. Let them go.
Understood. Begin sensor sweep nine using the lateral array set to maximum gain.
Understood. I agree that the probability that such a message exists is remote, but I believe we should check.
Very well. Inform Starfleet Command that we will hold position here until further notice.
Yes. But we will continue to pursue all avenues of investigation which are available to us.
That is correct. However, I believe Commander Riker wanted us to let them escape.
Possibly. I will attempt to resequence the signal.  Begin running a search for a decryption key.
I have completed the analysis of the signal from the mercenary ship. I believe these groupings represent bearings and coordinates taken from their navigational system.
Yes. If I am correct, the mercenary vessel is heading toward these coordinates in...  ... the Hyralan Sector.
Make it so.
Lieutenant, may I see you in the Ready Room?
Lieutenant, I am dissatisfied with your performance as acting first officer.
You continually question my orders in front of the crew. I do not think this is appropriate behavior.
That is true. But in those situations, you were acting as head of security, not as First Officer. The primary role of the second in command is to carry out the decisions of the Captain... in this case, me.
Yes. But once I have made a decision, it is your job to carry it out regardless of how you may personally feel. Any further objections should be given to me in private, not in front of the crew.  I do not recall Commander Riker ever publicly showing irritation with his Captain as you did a moment ago.
If you feel that you are not capable of carrying out this role, I can assign it to Commander La Forge and return you to Tactical. I would not enter it as a reprimand on your record... simply as a transfer.
Then I will expect you to conform to the guidelines I have laid out.
Mister Worf... I am sorry if I have ended our friendship.
I would like that as well.
All stop. Full sensor sweep.
Is it the mercenary ship?
Agreed.  Open a channel.
I am Lieutenant Commander Data of the Federation Starship Enterprise.
I take it that is your name?
May I inquire as to your destination?
May I ask the purpose of your journey?
Perhaps I have not made our intentions clear... we are investigating a --
He seems... most uncooperative.
According to the terms of the Klingon/Federation Treaty, Koral has every right to free transit through Federation space. We cannot board or search his vessel without cause.
Article forty-seven, paragraph three, subsection B: 'Starfleet will have the right to insure all Klingon vessels comply with safety and navigational regulations as specified by mutual agreement.'  But I am not sure that using this clause as an excuse to conduct a search would be consistent with the spirit of the Treaty.
However, if Koral wishes to contest our actions he can file a protest with the Judge Advocate General's office.  Bring the shuttle aboard and then you and Doctor Crusher may begin the inspection.
Lieutenant Worf has programmed our replicators to make a very good approximation of Klingon bloodwine. I think you will find it to your liking.
Koral, if you could tell us something about the nature of your mission --
Commander Riker, by taking this action you risk charges of assault, theft, piracy, and treason.
Good-bye.
Security alert. Emergency medical team to the Observation Lounge. Data to Bridge, raise shields and begin sensor sweeps for the mercenary ship.
I must admit I am experiencing the same sensation.
What will happen to the resonator?
It is unfortunate that it cannot be studied. The resonator is a key artifact from a remarkable period of history.
If we are to adhere to the exact letter of Starfleet regulations, then technically sir, you have been declared a renegade. In fact, I believe you are facing twelve counts of court martial offenses. You cannot give orders either.
Yes, sir.
This way, sir...
It appears to be a probe of some kind... but there is no Starfleet record of this shape or design.
The probe is composed of... paricium and talgonite... a ceramic alloy.
The beam is scanning the shield's perimeter.  The probe is emitting an unusual particle stream --
The nucleonic beam is no longer scanning, Commander. There is a narrow reciprocating band focused directly on Captain Picard.
Yes, Commander.
No, sir. The particle emission is most unusual. I am unable to block it.
The probe is moving with us, sir -- holding relative position.
Commander, I have been analyzing the nucleonic beam. I believe it would be possible to reflect the particles back toward the probe in a way that would disrupt the signal.
I am attempting to do so, Doctor.
Doctor, the beam is fully restored.
It is an unmapped system of six planets.
Not any longer, sir. The star went nova. All life in the system was destroyed approximately one thousand years ago.
The nucleonic beam has ceased, Commander. The probe has shut down.
Yes, sir. It appears that we will be able to transport to the surface sooner than we anticipated.
No, sir. But using the Potemkin's transport logs from the original evacuation, Commander La Forge and I were able to modify the Transporters.
The Transporters are now considerably more efficient than those used on the Potemkin eight years ago.
Ninety-seven minutes.
Twenty-six minutes. After that, the distortion field will re-phase.
The planet's proximity to its sun will create two additional transport windows in the next three days.
It will have to be. The next transport window will not occur for another eight years, when the planet's orbit brings it close enough to the sun to de-phase the distortion field.
Commander...
Commander, someone is approaching... a humanoid. Forty meters due east and closing.
May I ask how you got here?
Why did you not return to the Potemkin with the others?
An interesting approach. He must have been planning to reintegrate the two patterns in the transport buffer.
Many of its components have been removed. Apparently Lieutenant Riker used them to keep the station's radiation shield operational.
We have less than three minutes left.
The game is five card draw, no limit.
Lieutenant?
Mister Worf?
The dealer will take two.
You control the bet.
I will see your fifty and call.
The dealer folds.
I am curious about something, Lieutenant. If you met a double of yourself, would you find it difficult to interact with him?
Why?
But Commander Riker and Lieutenant Riker are. Yet they seem to have trouble getting along with each another.
I have found that humans value their uniqueness, their sense that they are different from every one else. The existence of a double would preclude that feeling. Could that be the source of friction?
They have restored the servo-link to the core. We can begin downloading the database.
Sir, my sensors are picking up an unusual energy object ahead.
Traveling at warp speed, too. Intriguing.  I can find no match with anything in our records, sir.
Aye, sir.
No life form reading, sir.
Sir, it is changing shape... !
Negative, Captain. Energy only.
I called it a 'cloud' for lack of a better term at the time. But the sensor pass shows it as much more. Combinations very complex, precise energy patterns...
Yes, sir... But whether individually or as a whole, it is difficult to say.
A mystery is only a mystery as long as it remains uninvestigated, sir.
Intriguing, Doctor. What does helm control have to do with medical crosschecks?
Is something wrong, Doctor?
Captain? There is a malfunction in this station. I cannot bring any information up on it.
Science Two does not function either, sir.
It is a virtual impossibility, sir.
Yes, sir.
Sir, subspace radio is out.
If the Enterprise were really this fragile, sir, she never would have gotten out of spacedock. Therefore, her systems failures are not endemic to the ship, but are more likely the result of the actions of an unknown adversary.
I believe I said that.
Ferengi contacts have been detected on both Selay and Antica, sir.
Query: private eye?
A most interesting occupation.
Imprecise, Lieutenant. They omitted certain truths, which in itself tells us something.
Oh, indubitably, my good woman.
Has studied, sir - every case.  As Holmes would have pointed out... during the time in question, something was afoot!
While both sets of delegates say they were in their quarters, our crew locator sensed them passing here...  ... and here.
On the contrary, dear colleague - on their return they drew medical supplies appropriate to the treatment of minor wounds and abrasions on these life forms.
Exactly. That they were too engaged in their own affairs to have disabled our ship and murdered the engineer. Given a choice, they'd rather kill each other than any of us. It's elementary my dear Riker...sir.
If you wish, sir...  ... but I ask if you take it as incontrovertible that it cannot be a family member or one of our crew?
Then our investigation was worthwhile, sir. We have eliminated both the delegates and all our regular ship's complement.
I am referring to the Great Detective's credo, sir. I quote... 'We must fall back on the old axiom that when other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
Yes, since we obtained only minimal information on our sensor pass of it.
A mere change of direction hardly justifies mutiny.
And at this moment it is all pure speculation. He has done nothing to subject the Enterprise to danger.
I understand. As an energy pattern free of the limitations of matter... it might travel anywhere, at any velocity...
Sir, I see no way for you to journey with an energy form.
Still no readings, no sign of anything.
Sir, the entity was caught by the ship's circuitry -- the captain might try to get in the same way if he's in trouble!
Just as before! Going to you first, Worf...
He's in the ship's circuitry! Come to the Transporter Room. Please!
There might be a way, sir! Hurry!
I knew we had to have the captain's physical pattern here, He was the last one beamed out.
Unknown at this time, sir. I hope the captain remembers his pattern is here.  If he has, his energy has moved into the transporter relays by now...
Energizing, sir!
But confused. This Picard-pattern was formed before he went out there...
I believe the Captain is now his separate self, sir. A lot of what happened is naturally missing...
Ah, yes. Indubitably, sir, indubitably.
They are fully aware of the situation, sir.
Yes, sir.
Our Sickbay does have the facility to isolate parasitic proto-viruses but not in a favorable time frame for your brother.
Fortunately we are only two days from Starbase Four-One-Six, and their laboratory can...
Computer. Recognize Data, Lieutenant Commander. Alpha One clearance.
Maintain minimum auxiliary power and disengage subspace communications.
Computer, recognize Picard, Jean- Luc. Alpha Two clearance.
Cancel separation sequence.
Isolate all remaining command functions and accept related orders and inquiries from Main Bridge only.
Computer. Configure a perimeter field charge, sections Nine-K through Twelve-T.
Computer, prepare to transport me directly to the following coordinates.
Can you override?
Show me the shortest route to Transporter Room One.
Computer, prepare to activate a cascade force field sequence in the following progression.
Computer, establish a security code for access to all functions previously transferred to Bridge.
Four, one, three, three, six, eight, Tango, one, eight, one, one, seven, one, Charlie, four, Victor, three... eight, eight, eight, zero, Foxtrot, six, one, five, three, three, five, nine, five, seven, lock.
Computer, initiate cascade sequence, accepting instructions from Commander Data en route, now.
Intersection Eight-J. Aft-port. Establish.
Computer, begin scan-phase.
Computer, three-meter cross-seal.
I fail to recall how I arrived here.
Data to Enterprise.
Enterprise, do you read me?
We were headed for a medical facility. I was taking the boy's brother to Sickbay and...
I must find a way to contact the Enterprise.
You do bear a resemblance to Doctor Noonian Soong, the cyberneticist who constructed me. But, Doctor Soong was killed shortly afterward by the Crystalline Entity.
But the colony was destroyed, there were no survivors.
It is really you.
Perhaps you could help me contact my ship.
The moisture content of the ship's atmosphere is maintained at a moderate thirty-seven percent.
I can differentiate between varying hygrometric levels.
Yes, sir.
Humid air feels different against my skin, sir. And it carries smells differently. I assume this is due to the fact that moisture...
May I ask why you have brought me here?
Your response refers to how you brought me here, not why.
I assumed you dead, sir.
Sir?
It was Starfleet officers who rescued me.
What choice of vocation would have met with your approval?
To follow in your footsteps, as it were?
May I ask you a question, sir?
Why did you create me?
Old things?
There are many possible explanations.
Perhaps, for humans, old things represent a tie to the past.
Humans are mortal. They seem to need a sense of continuity.
To give their lives meaning... A sense of purpose.
I suppose it is a factor in the human desire to procreate.
It is a reasonable explanation to your query, sir.
Lore!!
Doctor, I implore you, please do not reactivate him.
But he admitted to an alliance with the Crystal Entity. To gain its favor he betrayed the colonists and would have betrayed the Enterprise as well had I not...
And, as I have explained, it was I who was responsible for his reactivation. But it serves no purpose to make the same mistake twice.
I had no alternative. You would have destroyed the Enterprise.
Dying from what, sir?
Dying from what, sir?
Lore told me the colonists became envious of him because you made him 'so completely human.'
Lore also said the colonists petitioned you to replace him with a 'less perfect' android?
It was a lie. Another lie.
I am not less perfect than Lore.
I am not less perfect than Lore.
I question your sincerity, Lore.
But sir, Lore was responsible for...
He surprised me. He rendered me unconscious. What happened?
Lore, sir. He was inadvertently summoned here by the same signal which activated my homing circuitry. It seems that after two years in interstellar space, he was...
I was unaware of the inconvenience I have caused, sir.
But sir, our medical facility could most likely...
May I say goodbye to Doctor Soong, sir?
Alone, sir?
Do you believe... in some ways, we are alike?
Then it is alright for you to die... because I will remain alive.
You know I cannot grieve for you.
Goodbye.....Father.
Yes, Captain. The boys appear to have reconciled their differences.
Freeze program.
Thank you, sir. I plan to study the performances of Olivier, Branagh, Shapiro, Kullnark...
It is interesting that a king could pass as a commoner, but why should he wish to? If he is the leader... should he not be leading... ?
Sir, will I be able to schedule a performance for the crew in the near future?
Forty-one seconds...
Scout ship is severely damaged, Captain. Engines inoperative, shields down.
Coordinates one-four-zero by two-zero-five.
Five kilometers, Commander.
Massive power failure on the scout ship, sir. All systems are going off-line.  Including life-support.
Commander, it would not be an atypical Romulan ploy. In their long history of war, the Romulans have rarely attacked first... they prefer to test their enemy's resolve.
Never, sir.
That would also not be an atypical Romulan ploy, sir.
Permission to observe the interrogation, sir...
Nothing on the sensors, sir.
Not necessarily, Doctor... the Romulans have the same capability to direct the impact of their weapons as we do.
You wanted to see me, Captain?
I will start my calibrations, sir.
Do you require something else from me, sir?
I will begin immediately, sir. Is that all?
They are concerned, Captain, of course. But confident. Can you not see that yourself?
Sensors are configured for planetary probe, sir... ready for launch.
Probe on course. Sensors are functioning...
Your gut?
It seems to me those qualities interfere with rational judgment.
Then why not rely strictly on fact?
They can lead to wrong conclusions, but they cannot lie.
The facts to date would lead to an objective conclusion that he is not.
'With their pants down.' A metaphor, catching them in the act... because your 'gut' tells you so...
So a person fills in missing pieces of the puzzle with his own personality... resulting in a conclusion based as much on instinct and emotion as on fact.
What does one do if he has no instinct and emotion?
As the probe went into orbit around Nelvana Three, it began to pick up low level subspace radio emissions...
The patterns are clearly artificial, Captain...
Cloaked Romulan ships could produce this effect.
That would be an incorrect assumption.
I am attempting to ascertain what my guts tell me about you.
I do not find the concept particularly appealing.
I am told by various crewmembers that this viewport is their favorite on the ship.
I am afraid they would require the molecular structure of the beverage in question. And, as you are no doubt aware, our knowledge of your planet is quite limited.
Am I correct in assuming you regret your decision to come here?
It does appear unlikely that you will ever be allowed to return to your world again.
But perhaps we can bring Romulus to you.
Run program.
After you.
You are free to stay here as long as you wish.
Cancel program.
All decks showing condition red.
Approaching Nelvana system.
Scanning the planet. No life forms. No power sources. No weapons systems.
No sir.
I am picking them up, sir... but I cannot identify the source... They... seem to be moving in an orbital path with an eight hundred kilometer apogee.
There is no scarring on the planet surface that would denote heavy construction of any kind.
A cloaking device operating on the surface would be given away by visible distortion effects.
Sir, he must have known it would be impossible for us to deliver this.
Neither side intended Orelious Nine to be the decisive conflict.
The destruction is remarkable considering the primitive weapons of the period.
I beg your pardon, Wesley?
There is something wrong?
Uh oh.
Acknowledged.
It is an ancient interplanetary code.
Approaching the source, Captain...
Scanners indicate no life signs aboard.
There is adequate oxygen for life support, Commander...
I was never a boy.
The source of the distress signal is twenty meters ahead...
I believe it was four, sir. We did not have a fully integrated tactical command until the twenty-third century. In fact, several of the Promellian innovations served as inspiration for early Federation starship design...
Captain...
I believe this is an information storage device... a crude analogue of our own iso-linear optical chip.
Questionable. I can supply power to the playback unit, Captain... but the components are quite old... I will attempt to amplify its image with a tricorder...
Captain, we are experiencing a two percent drop in our energy reserves. Compensating.
Captain, energy loss increasing to five percent. I am unable to correct.
Energy loss increasing.
Power loss now at twelve percent.
Not everyone, Doctor.
There are many fascinating records of Menthar battle strategy... they were exceptionally innovative. In fact, they were the first to devise the Kavis Teke elusive maneuver as well as a Passive Lure stratagem that is comparable to Napoleon's...
No.
Radiation factor is within safe human limits, Commander.
That is curious, Commander. The radiation field must be directional in nature... aimed only at the Enterprise.
Understood.
They are identical to the coil we found earlier, Captain...
I believe so. We can enhance them through the image processor in the ship's computer.
We have been able to verify that these coils are logs of the Promellian captain... but most of them have decayed and cannot be repaired...
On most there are brief sections that may yield some information.
An Aceton assimilator is a primitive generator which can drain power from distant sources.
It would not be difficult to modify them to convert energy into radiation.
To create the radiation field we are experiencing, it would take several hundred thousand, Captain...
There is no way to calculate that precisely, Commander... but it is likely...
There is also the possibility the phasers will supply the assimilators with what they need most -- energy.
Impulse engines are now down.
Velocity is one hundred thirty two meters per second.
Starboard thruster firing.
Port thruster firing...
Starboard thruster.
Sir, the gravitational attraction of the various masses has reduced our velocity by eight percent. By my calculations, we no longer possess sufficient momentum to clear the debris field --
Port thruster...
The asteroid's gravity is drawing us closer. Velocity increasing.
Velocity still increasing... now two hundred and nineteen meters per second.
Starboard thruster.
You have used the asteroid's gravitational pull as a slingshot. Excellent.
Do not be apprehensive. I found the Academy examinations quite elementary.
Commander Riker is correct. While the information imparted to cadets at the Academy is unquestionably vital for prospective Starfleet officers, it nevertheless requires a significant period of supplementary systems training and situational disciplines.
Yes, Commander. But not quite as perspicuously.
We are at impulse speed and you are cleared for departure.
So he had said.
Sir... Rhomboid Dronegar sector will put us at considerable distance from Captain Picard.
Entering Rhomboid Dronegar Sector zero-zero-six.
Basic early design capable of sub-light travel only.
Sensors indicate engineering problems.
They have experienced total guidance system failure and they have less than twenty-four hours' reserve power.
They are a relatively benign species.
They may merely have poorly-developed language skills.
Our scan shows very limited armaments.
How they ever mastered the rudiments of space travel is a genuine curiosity.
Our Betazoid counselor is often aware of things beyond our perceptive abilities.
Their ship is apparently quite fragile.
The Pakled ship has a shield up, sir!
It appears to be beyond their technology... similar to Romulan shields!
Running frequency search... negative response.
Apparently so, sir.
Sensors at maximum.
I am programming the comm system to scan the interference patterns, but a full analysis will take time.
Intensified scan shows their guidance system is perfectly intact, as is their power generator.
Apparently, the putative malfunctions were carefully programmed into their ship's computer.
They seem to have made some technological leaps forward, Commander.
They are initiating visual contact--
Our options have not changed. We can either respond to the Pakled demand or not. We can either use force or not.
There is very little information available on Pakled culture, but the eclectic range of their equipment would suggest that everything they have has been stolen from others.
So it would seem.
Sir?
To what effect, sir? We are faced with an impossible conundrum.
But they lack the ability to use it properly.
You will always be in my memory.
I shall miss you at weapons systems analysis.
Exactly. Fond farewell.
Ongoing scanning indicates progressive weapons potential.  The timing will be crucial. He must correctly interpret our intentions.
The Pakleds did hear our little fiction about Geordi's 'weapons knowledge.'
Positive indication of armed photon torpedoes, Commander.
Forced spectrum communications are spotty at best, sir.
Shields are down.
The modification would increase our sensor efficiency and imaging resolution by twenty-five percent or more.
Commander -- I would like to remind you about my poetry reading this afternoon.
'Then we sat on the sand for some time and observed How the oceans that cover this world were perturbed By the tides from the orbiting moon overhead 'How relaxing the sound of the waves is,' you said.  'I began to expound upon tidal effects When you told me to stop, looking somewhat perplexed So I did not explain why the sunset turned red And we watched the occurrence in silence instead.'
That poem was written in anapestic tetrameter. For my ninth poem, we move to the iambic septameter mode.  Throughout the ages, from Keats to Jorkemo, poets have composed odes to the individuals who have had a profound effect on their lives. In keeping with that tradition, I have written my next poem in honor of my cat. I call it 'Ode to Spot.'
'Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses Contribute to your hunting skill and natural defenses.'
'I find myself intrigued by your sub-vocal oscillations A singular development of cat communication That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection... '
'A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotions.'
You have prematurely anticipated my denouement, Commander. However, I appreciate the sentiment.  I will continue.
'Oh Spot, the complex level of behavior you display Connotes a fairly well-developed cognitive array And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend... '
Geordi -- active scanner output has increased by twenty-six percent.
Geordi... may I make a personal inquiry? It concerns my poetry reading.
I noticed that many spectators seemed distracted during my presentation. Was my poetry uninteresting?
My Haiku was only three lines long.
Brisk...  Geordi, are you saying that the shorter my poems, the better?
I have found poetry more challenging than other artistic endeavors. Unlike painting and musical composition, it demands a more articulated emotional content.
I am reading a massive EPS explosion.
I am attempting to localize it...  It is Cargo Bay Four.
The field imbalance has subsided. I believe it is safe to enter.
What is it?
Are you alright, Geordi?
I will run the integrity scan.
I have just started the scan. I thought you were going to Sickbay.
That is not possible.  My internal chronometer indicates it has been exactly one minute, fifteen seconds since you left the room.
Computer -- what time is it?
You are correct. Ninety-two minutes, seventeen seconds have passed since you left the room.
I have no memory of events during that period.  When we are finished here, I will perform a self-diagnostic.
The sensors are functioning normally...  They are detecting a subspace particle emission originating from within this room.
The emission is emanating from this direction...
Geordi...
The structure of the bulkhead is being altered on a subatomic level. The metal itself is in a state of quasi-molecular flux.
It appears to be composed of spatially-inverted tetryon particles.  We believe they are emanating from a tertiary subspace manifold.
I have completed my self-diagnostic, and confirmed that I was not aboard the Enterprise for ninety minutes, seventeen seconds yesterday afternoon.
Whenever I am on the ship, the warp field leaves an electromagnetic signature on my internal servo fluid system. Yesterday, between twelve fifty-four and fourteen twenty-six hours that signature is missing.
It appears to be the beginnings of a spatial rupture.
At the rate the rupture is expanding, we are in danger of a hull breach.
No sir. The spatial rupture is creating severe nucleonic interference. It is impossible to obtain a positive lock on the bulkheads.
Tetryon particles have a random momentum. Our sensors are unable to track them.
The rupture has expanded another four point two percent. Without further reinforcement, containment field integrity will fail in approximately fourteen minutes.
Captain -- the containment field is beginning to fluctuate. Failure anticipated in three minutes, eleven seconds.
Data to Engineering. The graviton pulse is having an effect. The tetryon emissions have decreased by nineteen percent...
Tetryon emissions continue to increase.  The rupture is still expanding. Hull breach is imminent.
Based on the information gathered by Commander Riker's tricorder, we have determined that the molecular structure of the alien life forms is solanogen-based.
The tricorder readings indicate they created a small pocket of our universe in their lab to keep those who were abducted alive.
No sir. We were unable to track it once it left the Cargo Bay.
Perhaps they are simply curious. Explorers, like ourselves.
It is often the case that children learn languages more easily than adults.
Mrs. Troi, are you all right?
Perhaps we are being too literal. In my recent study of dream analysis, I learned that people who appear in a dream can sometimes represent different aspects of the person who is dreaming.
The modifications that you have made on the torpedo's guidance systems are remarkable, doctor...
It is true that the intellectual efficiency of high order beings does diminish proportionately when the deprivation of rest or nutritious fuel is...
Tracking torpedoes... entry program confirmed.
Pressure wave harmonics dispersing. Temperature in target zone increasing... to eighty-one million degrees.
Radiation and pressure levels still stable.
Turbulence patterns are within predicted parameters.
Temperature is rising in the core again, Captain. Two hundred and thirty million degrees Kelvin...
Rate exceeding critical levels. Core density becoming unstable.
The people of Kaelon Two are isolationists. Almost to the point of being xenophobes. Regrettably, we know very little about their customs.
... Until the pressure levels destabilized, all the results were exactly as you had predicted...
There was a evidence of a delayed surface shock...
Perhaps, but there is no known method of controlling neutron migration, Doctor.
They refuse to accept further reports from you, Doctor.
Life signs five meters straight ahead, Commander.
A likely hypothesis. The nomadic marauders who refer to themselves as Gatherers have raided other outposts in neighboring sectors.
The Federation has charted but not explored several Class M planets in that area. Any of those planets might well serve as a base.
I am detecting life readings on the surface, sir... and several small areas of heat and carbon dioxide emission indicative of combustion.
Noranium alloys. Their salvage value is low.
Rigellian phaser rifles. Not very powerful.
Two thousand three hundred fourteen degrees. Of course, noranium carbide alloys vaporize at a slightly higher temperature.
Commander, I'm afraid the only entry on Volnoth in the Acamarian database is a birth record.
Yes. He was captured while leading a Gatherer raid on an Acamarian outpost. He died of a heart attack before his trial ended.  Commander, he was a member of the Lornack Clan.
Commander, Chorgan, the present leader of the Gatherers, is also from the Lornack clan.
Sir, eighty years ago, the Lornacks massacred a rival clan, the Tralestas. It ended a feud that had lasted for two hundred years.
According to these records, there were no survivors. The Tralesta clan was annihilated.
Commander, I believe I have found a correlation between the two deaths... your 'missing link' ...
Behind him to the left, sir...
The computer can extrapolate and reconstruct the rest of the face, sir.
It appears the planet's atmosphere is dissipating, sir. Intense plasmonic reactions are destroying it.
The stratosphere is already breaking down, and there are turbulent radiation storms across much of the surface.  I estimate the planet will be uninhabitable in less than thirty-eight hours.
Atmospheric dissipation is a rare and essentially unpredictable event. When it occurs, it proceeds rapidly. Doctor Rozhenko would not have had much warning.
The dissipation effect is generating plasmonic energy bursts...
I do not believe so. However, we may experience intermittent system failures and power surges as a result.
Captain, the atmospheric dissipation has accelerated over the past several hours. I estimate the planet's atmosphere will be completely gone within four minutes.
The mesosphere is gone. Ionic reactions are now beginning to break down the troposphere.
It appears that the plasmonic reactions are continuing to interfere with our sensors.
I had, sir...  I will attempt to engage additional filtering elements...
Visual re-established.
There appears to be an unusual power drain in the EPS distribution net...
Unknown, sir... it is difficult to localize.
I estimate it will take approximately nine and one half hours to complete the analysis.
That is correct.
These are the two planets which best match our search criteria...
Draygo Four features an unusually large temperate zone. However, it is within three light-years of Cardassian space.
The alternative is Vacca Six. It is located in the Cabral sector...
It offers a less hospitable climate than the Boraalans are accustomed to. However, it would still appear to be the better choice.
Do you disagree, Doctor?
It is a formidable responsibility.
I do not believe we can offer any guarantees, Doctor. We can simply make the best choice we have at the moment.
Data to Bridge...
We have located a new home for the Boraalans, sir. It is Vacca Six in the Cabral sector.
We are in synchronous orbit above the beam-down site, sir.
Mordan has had peace for five years. They have finally come to a state of productivity that satisfies their planetary needs, but no more than that. Perhaps the dissidents feel the Federation can provide more -- technology, science, agricultural assistance....
Aye, sir.
Aye, sir. Frequency open and secured.
Yes, sir.
I have it, sir.
I am sorry, sir. That does not correspond with the information I have on the tricorder, sir.
The admiral is definitely incorrect, Captain. The tunnel schematics we have indicate this is a dead end. It was sealed off two years ago....
Their phasers, sir -- set on kill.
I cannot tell --
I do not see any sign of a wound, sir.
It appears to be another attack, sir.
The enemy vessel is firing.
Target is destroyed.
Less than five thousand kilometers.
Sir, the pod's life-support system is failing.
We would need to boost the gain on the confinement beam by at least seven percent.
It is possible that at this distance we are simply unable to distinguish the pod from the inorganic matter normally present in space.
Sir... I am detecting signs of debris two hundred thousand kilometers inside Cardassian space...
Its mass and composition indicate that it could be the remains of a Federation escape pod...
It appears to be an unmanned probe -- approximately half a meter in diameter. It has no identifiable armaments.
The beam appears to contain holographic imaging information...
Yes, sir.
Captain, I have been unable to find any information about Jason Vigo's current whereabouts...
No, sir.
That would significantly narrow our search; the only cultivated land is on the southern continent, and there are relatively few people engaged in agricultural activities.
I am detecting seven humans... three are female... however they are all too young to be Miranda Vigo.
One is an infant... another is elderly... and two are middleaged.
I am having difficulty getting a clear reading on the eighth...  -- the individual appears to be located approximately two kilometers beneath the planet's surface.
Male... adult... between twenty and thirty years old.
Bok took the precaution of encrypting the probe's navigational systems so that we would be unable to decipher its flight path.
Those phenomena are relatively common -- we would need to identify at least one of them specifically in order to postulate a flight path.
There is a class four pulsar three light years from the nebula -- my calculations indicate that the probe was launched in the Xendi Kabu system.
Captain, I have compiled all available records pertaining to Jason Vigo's criminal record, and --
Yes, sir. He has been charged three times for petty theft, twice for disorderly conduct, and several dozen times for trespassing.
I believe the charges were related to his climbing activities in the caves underneath the planet's surface.
This is the information you requested, is it not?
I have completed a subspace scan... there is an energy residual that suggests that a Ferengi vessel, possibly several, was in this area within the last eighteen hours.
I do not believe so, sir.
Captain, I do not believe it was meant as an attack, but rather as a message.
In B'Zal, a Ferengi code which uses an alternating pattern of light and darkness.
I am attempting to do so...  The message appears to read: 'My revenge is at hand.'
Bok was in direct contact with this chair for an extended period... it is showing a distinctive subspace signature as a result.
The Federation abandoned its research in the field because the technology was found to be unreliable... as well as extremely energy intensive.
The quantum effect would explain why our sensors did not detect Bok's presence.
In theory it could operate over several light years.
If Bok uses his transporter again, we may be able to trace the subspace signature and locate his ship.
It is a possibility.
In order to do so, we would have to tie the ship's subspace field coils into the transporter system.
Sir... sensors detect a subspace carrier wave heading toward the ship...  -- its signature is consistent with Bok's transporter.
Not yet, Commander.
The transporter beam is focusing on deck nine, section four.
No, sir. The subspace signature left by his transporter is decaying more rapidly than predicted -- it may not be possible to trace it.
I have traced the transporter beam Bok used to send the probe -- His ship is holding position approximately three hundred billion kilometers from here...
It may be possible, but it would not be advisable.
The phase dampers are in synch... standing by to modulate the transport pattern...
Initiating transport sequence... now...
Commander, I have been reviewing the unmanned probe scans. In the past one hundred and fifty years, the fifth planet of Selcundi Drema has shattered, forming an asteroid belt.
No, a personal project. I have just reset the sensors to scan for frequencies outside their usual range.
The dips and peaks of the galaxy's magnetic field, organic molecules in nebular clouds, energetic cosmic rays.
Of course.
Those signals are very faint and difficult to distinguish from background noise, which is why I am boosting the power.
I will be removing this equipment to my quarters.
Computer, identify.
Is there a pattern?
Naturally occurring?
Key universal translator.
Lock on com link and boost.
Read.
Enhance.
Yes.
Access all volcanic and tectonic plate activity of Drema Four.
Computer, locate Captain Picard.
I am sorry to disturb you, Captain.
Yes, Captain, it is important. Very. Eight weeks ago I received a transmission -- a simple four word message: 'Is anybody out there?' I answered it.
I could not help myself.
Yes, I am glad that you understand.
No. I have been drawn into her life.
We have been communicating regularly.
No.
I have kept that somewhat vague. But Sarjenka has been quite specific, telling me detailed stories of her family and friends. It was fascinating, but among these confidences were interspersed alarming references.
Captain, Drema Four is enduring the same geological stresses we have found in the other systems.
Yes, sir.
If we can determine the cause of the geological instability, we might be able to reverse the process.
I was hoping that you might have an option.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. I understand.
Doctor, you quote Thomas Mann, and Commander Riker could no doubt cite Euripides to support his position, but all of this is just philosophy. Sarjenka is not a subject for philosophical debate, she is a person.
Yes, Sarjenka's transmission could be viewed as a call for help.
She knows me.
Captain, to maintain contact without subspace radio capability required the computer to remotely scan all subspace resonance in her area. If I break that link the probability of relocating her signal falls to one in twenty-three million...
We are going to allow her to die, are we not?
Sarjenka, this is Data. Respond please.
Reason for failure?
Captain, permission to beam down to Drema Four.
I have been unable to contact Sarjenka.
I feel it is important to determine the reason for --
Sir, your orders were to deliver the message, correct?
So what is the difference whether I send the message or deliver it personally?
We have come this far.
Sir?
I will signal for immediate beam out.
Sarjenka, wait!
Do not be afraid. I am Data.
There is no time for explanations. You and your family must leave.
Then why are you here?
Yes, well, I am sorry about that, but it is very complicated -- Does your family know where you are?
You cannot survive in this.
Enterprise, two to beam up.
Yes.
Where is Commander Riker?
To the bridge.
Leave her here?
Quite impossible.
She was frightened and did not want to be left alone
Captain, I will not allow her to be in the way.
Counselor, allow me. Please.
Hush, it is all right now. No one will harm you. These are my friends.
I require my hand now.
Sensors locked on probes.
Resonators activated. Harmonic sequences have begun.
We are attempting to quiet your planet. If we succeed, there will be no more quakes, no more volcanos.
If our experiment...
They will soon be safe.
Captain, sensors indicate a planetwide reduction in tectonic stress levels.
Sarjenka, look.
Starboard view.
There, there are your stars.
What are you thinking?
Sir, must we?
Yes.
I am certain you could.
There are many things in life which we desire but will never receive. This is one of them.
Sarjenka, this is Doctor Pulaski.
It does not sing for me.
Because I am a machine.
But are we doing a good thing now?
By robbing her of her memories?
I came to thank you.
You did not have to hold that conference. Your decision could have been unilateral.
I am going to miss her, Captain.
Yes, sir.
Nossir, we are out of range.
Negative, Commander.
Shuttlecraft has cleared the bay.
Scanning. Vessel reads as an unmanned sublight freighter.
Indeterminate. Propulsion appears to employ a gaseous-core fission reactor, but it is not functioning.
No sir. Engine reactor elements appear to have been inactive for approximately three hundred years. The vessel is carrying various unstable waste products.
Precisely.
Sir, the Meltasion Asteroid Belt lies between here and the sun.
Structural integrity of the barge has been compromised. Disintegration is continuing.
External radiation levels are increasing.
At the rate the radiation levels are increasing, the hyronalin additive will only be effective for another thirty-eight minutes.
Fifty-one minutes, fourteen seconds.
Tractor beam is holding... shearing force eighty metric tons per meter...
Shearing force ninety-two metric tons... ninety-three... tractor beam is destabilizing... we are going to lose the barge, Commander...
Shearing force at one hundred three metric tons... the tractor beam is stable...
Tractor beam is holding.
We have cleared the asteroids, sir.
Radiation intensity is decreasing, Commander.
It is definitely debris. The primary material is duranium, with smaller proportions of sonodanite and ermanium.
Not necessarily, Doctor. There is far too little debris to account for an entire shuttlecraft.
The only Class M planets in the system are Pentarus Two and Five... both have been thoroughly searched by the miners.
Sir... there are also four moons in the Pentarus system that might support life...
Lambda Paz, one of the moons of Pentarus Three.
There is an intense magnetic field, Commander. I am getting an anomalous reading... but it is not strong enough to interpret accurately.
Yes. The reflection signature now clearly indicates that it is metal... duranium. The probablity is quite high that it is the shuttlecraft.
It is impossible to determine. The magnetic flux would mask any bio-energy emanations.
Of course. Lieutenant Worf?
We found the wreckage -- and the arrow which indicated your direction.
Quite amusing, Professor Hawking.  You see, Sir Isaac, the joke depends on an understanding of the relativistic curvature of spacetime. If two non-inertial reference frames are in relative motion--
That story is generally considered to be apocryphal.
I am in. When I play poker with my shipmates, I often find that it is a useful forum for exploring different facets of humanity. I was curious to see how three of history's greatest minds would interact in this setting. So far it has proved most illuminating.
We will have to continue this at another time.  End program.
It does not appear to be attacking the outpost.
There is a great deal of electromagnetic interference... I am unable to determine whether there are any lifeforms present.
The electro-magnetic interference is still making it difficult to get precise sensor readings.
The mechanism appears to be jammed.
I have by-passed the primary system.
Stop it!
Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!
Yes, sir.
I got angry.
My internal diagnostic also found nothing wrong.
I agree.  Geordi, I believe I experienced my first emotion.
You are correct in that I have no frame of reference to confirm my hypothesis.  In fact, I find myself unable to provide a verbal description of the experience. Perhaps you could describe what it feels like when you get angry... I could then use that as a reference.
Could you describe feeling hostile?
Can you describe feeling angry without referring to other feelings?
That was my experience as well. I simply... felt angry.
For the past six hours, I have attempted to produce an emotional response by subjecting myself to various stimuli.
I listened to several operas known to be uplifting, I watched three Holodeck programs designed to be humorous, and I made four attempts to induce sexual desire by subjecting myself to erotic imagery.
Nothing.
Anger is a negative emotion. I wanted to concentrate on something more positive.
But my study of humanity indicates there are some emotions that are harmful, such as jealousy or hatred.
But what if it does, Counselor? What if it turns out that those are the only emotions I am capable of experiencing? Would that not make me a... bad person?
I wish I were as confident as you are, Counselor.  When I was fighting the Borg, I felt angry... but as I think back on that incident, I realize that I also experienced another sensation. It was not the same as anger, but I think it was an emotion.
It was just after I had killed the Borg. I looked down at his body and I.... felt something.
I believe it was pleasure.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.
Yes. But it is all right. Do you need me?
I believe I am able to resume my duties.
I am attempting to recreate the experience which led to my initial burst of anger.
None so far.  I have nearly completed this experiment. May I finish before we return to Engineering?
Computer, reset Borg simulation to time index two point one. Increase Borg strength by twenty percent.
Run program.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.
Computer, reset simulation to time index two point one. Increase Borg strength by thirty percent.
The computer will require the voice authorizations of two senior officers in order to disable the safety routine. Will you help me?
This experiment may hold the key to something which I have sought all my life.
I have tried other stimuli, but they have been unsuccessful. I understand your objections, but it is my life and I have the right to risk it if I choose.
We are nearing the MS system, sir.
Captain... sensors detect a subspace distortion forming directly ahead of the Borg ship.
Impulse engines now at one hundred twenty-five percent.
We are caught in some kind of energy .
We are being pulled inside.
Main power is off-line. I am switching to back-ups.
We have returned to normal space. Navigational systems are still offline... I will attempt to make a celestial fix using secondary systems.
Captain... this one is still alive.
Aye sir.
I do not wish to be assimilated.
Yes. On Ohniaka Three, I was forced to kill a Borg... and I got angry.
It would be unethical to take pleasure from another being's death.
Yes.
That is incorrect. My creator, Doctor Soong, gave me a program which defines my sense of right and wrong. In essence, I have a conscience.
Step away from the forcefield. Your proximity is interfering with my scan.
It was... a very... potent experience...
Yes.
No. That would not... be ethical.
Yes... his name is Geordi.
Yes. I would.
The Sons of Soong have joined together...  ... and together, we will destroy the Federation.
Metallic analysis bears out that the object in question was terrestrial in origin. Most likely late twenty-first century.
Nevertheless, that is what our tests indicate. And the markings we discovered are consistent with this hypothesis.
Unknown.
It is a building of some sort, situated on a plane of frozen methane, smack in the middle of a tremendous storm belt. It is incongruous; it simply should not be there!
Absolutely. The structure is surrounded by breathable air.
Exactly where Geordi said we would be. The structure is directly behind us.
I am detecting vast ammonia storms raging mere kilometers away. Yet they do not appear to penetrate this breathable zone.
It is here. It must be here, yet we cannot see it.
Judging by its location, it may be an entrance to the structure we seek.
Without radio contact, we should leave immediately.
Commander...
None of these people... are emitting life signs.
Not illusions, Lieutenant. They do exist, but they do not register as either man or machine.
For example, this creature exhibits no DNA structure.
What sort of business do you suppose he is getting down to?
Yes. I have certainly never visited this place, or its true counterpart, before.
It seems he expects something of me.
Ah, is this poker?
Also known as twenty-one, a number which defines the object of the game. Tens and picture cards are worth ten, ace -- one or eleven -- the other cards face value. The dealer must hit seventeen -- five cards under pays double.
Fun, sir? While there is a certain amount of enjoyment involved I was mainly conducting research into --
Understood, sir.
Sir, there is no other exit point. Unless we can find another way... it seems we are trapped here.
I am checking options... they seem quite limited --
Commander... I am picking up something most unusual in another section of this structure. Indications of DNA.
Thirty-one point nine meters above and to the right of us.
The reading I got is behind this door.
My reading is intensifying.
None.
Definitely human. Male.
He has been dead for two hundred eighty-three years. The lack of any advanced decomposition is attributable to the sterile environment.
Is this significant, sir?
The story of a group of compulsive gamblers caught up in the web of crime, corruption and deceit spun by nefarious lothario Mikey D who appears only at the climax to be brought to his knees by a heartbroken bellboy. There is a subplot about an older man conspiring with a younger woman to murder her husband while squandering her inheritance. The writing is elementary, the plotting predictable, the characters one-dimensional. The only thing of interest, quite honestly, is the intriguing setting, that of a Las Vegas gambling casino-hotel --
I believe they are asking if we want the room cleaned.
I suggest we separate and blend in with these beings. Casual queries offered in an inconspicuous manner might prove most fruitful.
Mingle, Worf. Mingle.
If I might inquire, where are you from, sir?
How did you get here?
And where is your automobile now?
Could you take me there?
I do not believe you could go to your car, even if it truly exists. You are trapped inside the Royale, just as I am.
The odds favor standing pat.
It is on page 244.
A bad love affair ends in a bloody shoot-out, the hotel gets bought out and life goes on... such as it is --
It is not very specific. The acquiring party is simply referred to as 'foreign investors.' Sale price, twelve point five million.
It is a question of decimal percentages. Quite simple, really if one bets with any sequential consistency.
Certainly.
These cubes are improperly balanced. I believe that their final resting position is adversely affected --
I believe so...
Eleven point three million.  Perhaps I will bet it all --
As you wish...
I would like to cash out, please.
Ancient philosophical overtones of thought process... 'Zen', I believe --
No change, Commander. I can detect no abnormalities in the star's radiant energy.
Probes ready, sir.
The word 'excuses' implies that there are ulterior motives for a conflict.
Channel open. Vorn responding to hail.
The explosive was a triceron derivative.
Only one race uses that device, sir...
If true, it would represent a fundamental shift of power in the quadrant.
And if Lieutenant Worf resists, sir?
All sections secure.
Reading an unusual number of sunspots and eruptive prominences, sir. The magnetic field is extremely irregular.
If we are to investigate this unusual solar activity -- we must get closer.
The transmission is from a freighter in orbit around the fourth planet of the system. However, the receiving station is on the third planet.
Captain, our sensors are being severely affected by the sun flares.
There are six life forms aboard the freighter.
I will attempt it.
Captain, I have determined what is malfunctioning on the freighter.
Your ship's design uses an electromagnetic coil to constrict the exhaust flow. That coil is misaligned.
Captain, I believe we can provide the freighter with a temporary substitute. Ship's stores contain a coil of the proper type.
Not very much, sir. The only recorded contact with the Delos system was over two hundred years ago. A scout ship reported two inhabited planets, both technologically just on the edge of acquiring space travel.
Our computer downloaded the specifications for the magnetic coils the freighters depend on, sir. Assuming the malfunction is similar... suitable replacements can be fabricated.
Aye, sir.
No doubt you have applied your technology from other industries to the refinement of this product.
Fascinating. Your society dedicated exclusively to the production of a single product.
Beginning several thousand years ago, the two worlds took different paths. Ornara became technically sophisticated, Brekka did not. Then two hundred years ago Ornara was stricken by a devastating plague.
Somehow, and there is limited information on this point, the cure was found in a plant which is indigenous to only Brekka, and which resisted all attempts at cultivation on Ornara.
The Ornarans acquire the Felicium from the Brekkians, and in exchange, the Ornarans provide the Brekkians with foods and staples.
Yet, the voluntary addiction to drugs is a recurrent theme in many cultures.
Or look at the twentieth century. The dangers of drug abuse were well known, yet their use was commonplace.
That is what I do not understand.
I fail to comprehend how a chemical substance can provide an escape.
But it is artificial.
Certainly by then you would realize the danger.
Which will bring us into the Quadra Sigma System in three point two hours.
The 'Q' Entity, sir? It is identical to the grid we encountered when...
Sir, if...
Obviously a Class-M world, gravity and oxygen within our limits...
Considering the power demonstrated by 'Q' the last time... Anywhere! Assuming this place even exists.
Sir, what he has in mind could provide us with vital information.
That is what humans call a truism.
It is from Europe's Napoleonic Era, sir, late eighteenth, early nineteenth centuries. This is a campaign headquarters tent, his uniform is that of a French Army marshal, the...
Muskets are appropriate to the 1790 - 1800 French army uniform.  But it is hardly a 'weapon' by our standards, sir. A lead ball propelled by gunpowder -- one-hundred meters at most with any accuracy...
You may find it aesthetically displeasing, sir. I could just file a computer report on that...
And the reason for that, sir... ?
This way.
Sir, if you indeed have 'Q''s power...
No!
Yes, sir, that is true. But I never wanted to compound one illusion with another. It might seem real to 'Q' -- even you, sir... but it would not be so to me. Was it not one of the Captain's favorite authors who wrote, 'This above all, to thine own self be true?'  Sorry, Commander, I must decline.
How can the 'Q' handle time and space so well, and us so badly?
Captain.
It has been quite a day, has it not?
However, a change of routine is often invigorating and can be a welcome diversion after a long assignment.
I understand that Arkaria has some very interesting weather patterns.
Yes, sir. I was attempting to fill a silent moment with non-relevant conversation.
Yes, sir. I have found that humans often make 'small talk' during awkward moments. Therefore, I have written a new subroutine designed for that purpose. How did I do?
Thank you sir, I will.
It is very good to see you both again. May I call you Beverly? -- Beverly, do you find the mean temperature here on Arkaria to be slightly above normal for human comfort levels?
I have found that most humans prefer a temperature of twenty-one degrees C in order to operate most efficiently. However, there are some cultures which actually...
I find it fascinating that your family chose to drop the prefix 'Pel' from your surname. It was my understanding that 'Pel Orton' would be considered a more noble appellation on Arkaria than simply Orton.
Perhaps the recent Arkarian trend toward a more egalitarian society is partly responsible.
... there are several cultures in this sector with remarkably similar etymological histories --
The pleasure is mine. I have been meaning to compliment you on your choice of colors here.
I am sure of that. The light in this room makes color selection exceptionally problematic.
... yes, but Tyrellian laser-art is very similar in form and composition.
Really? There are five Tyrellians currently serving aboard the Enterprise.
I was aware of that. Are you aware that Tyrellia is also one of seven known planets...
It is possible that Geordi upset their timetable when he saw the hidden weapons.
If they do not have a plan for this contingency, we may have the initiative.
Perhaps we can use the VISOR as a weapon. If the optical transducer were modified, it may be possible to generate a hypersonic pulse.
That was a perimeter warning from the Remmler Array. A small ship is approaching.  I believe Mister Orton has just dropped the defense shields.
I will try, sir.
Are you all right, Captain?
Sir, an unidentified scout ship has just beamed someone off the Enterprise. Do you know anything about it?
This is quite intriguing. It is transmitting a carrier signal on a frequency which has not been used for centuries.
None. Just the carrier, possibly intended for encoded computer or telemetry information.
Strictly speaking, it is not a 'space vehicle.' It appears to be a satellite, similar in its rudimentary design to those which orbited Earth in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
None.
The power is solar... quite primitive. There is however minimum life support.
Commander, request permission to investigate this vehicle.
It is a piece of history. The opportunity to examine such an ancient vehicle does not come around very often, and as you pointed out, we do have the time.
Thank you, sir.
Minimal oxygen atmosphere.  An ancient solar generator, still operating.
In the late twentieth century, computers were not voice activated, Worf.
Notice the readouts -- dials, needle machines, gauges. Remarkable what they used three centuries ago. The on-board computers have ceased functioning. I may be able to download this old style disk drive back to the Enterprise.
Not necessary.
Very little so far.
The seal was broken and the environment has been corrupted.
This one is empty.
It has been forced open and the occupant removed.
If that were the purpose, there would be evidence of a more sophisticated monitoring system. This container is designed solely for refrigeration.
I do not believe they were going anywhere. This vehicle should still be in Earth orbit.
These crypts were opened.  The occupants in those were taken.
Perhaps they learned all they could from the others. We may never know.
Three. What should I do? The vehicle has suffered severe damage. Most of the systems have failed.
I do not think we should leave them here. With your permission, sir, we will be returning with three containers.
Perhaps the Romulans are probing. They want to see how we react.
Aye, sir.
Permission to leave the bridge.
I could not leave them there, Captain. The condition of the vehicle was deteriorating.
I see your point, Captain, but at the time...
We cannot go back and return them to their ship.
I was able to retrieve some information from the ancient disk I removed from the module's computer. Based on that...
Her name is Clare Raymond, age thirty-five; occupation, homemaker... must be some kind of construction work.
His name is Ralph Offenhouse, age sixty-three; occupation, financier.
Much of his file could not be retrieved. His name is L. Q. 'Sonny' Clemonds. Apparently his occupation had something to do with music.
Sir?
By your calendar... two thousand three hundred sixty-four.
Actually there is a distinct difference between a robot and an android.
Why were you in a module?
Hooey? Accessing.  Ah, as in malarkey... jive... bull... hogwash... an intentional fabrication.
Actually the process of cryonics was never more than a fad, and did not continue much beyond the mid-twenty-first century.
Talk.
Is there something wrong?
Oh -- I think he means television, sir.
That particular form of entertainment did not last much beyond the year Two Thousand Forty.
What is to be done with them?
Commander. What is a 'low-mileage-pit-woffie'?
These are not like any other humans I have ever encountered. I find them fascinating.
Since there has been no contact with the Romulans for fifty-three years, seven months, eighteen days, we must consider that the information we do have, is out of date.
That strategy is built on a single premise. The hostile intent of the Romulans. If the premise is sound, so is the proposal.
It was a passenger liner which mostly traveled Earth's Atlantic Ocean during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
You asked to see me.
A celebration?
I will ask the captain.
Query. You do not seem to be having as much difficulty adjusting to your current circumstances as are the others.
No, but the computer can replicate such an instrument.
I must leave.
A buffer between the Romulan Empire and the Federation.
I do not know.
No, it would not be appropriate.
There is nothing left of Outpost Delta Zero-Five.
Sensors indicate no evidence of a conventional attack.
There is nothing left.
Insufficient information.
The condition is identical, Captain.
Negative.
Sensors indicate all of their systems are armed.
That offer does present a certain fascination.
The data from the Barzan's probe into the wormhole is impressive, Captain. The wormhole delivered the probe beyond the Denkiri Arm, in the Gamma Quadrant.
The same distance could be achieved in a matter of seconds through the wormhole.
The Barzans do not have manned space travel, so they had to resort to an automated probe. Its findings are limited. It cannot be determined from these charts how stable the wormhole really is or how long it will remain intact.
I would also like to volunteer, Captain...
Monitors are functioning normally again.
Curious.
We are not where we are supposed to be.
According to the Barzan probe, we should be in the Gamma Quadrant... but the readings clearly indicate we are nearly two hundred light years away. In sector three-five-five-six of the Delta Quadrant.
Maybe their readings were correct. Their probe could have exited the wormhole at a different location.
Gravitational acceleration is also increasing...
It is not a speculation, Doctor. We are not where the Barzans said we should be... which would indicate that this side of the wormhole is not stable.
Thrusters at half power... three-quarters...
Captain, this end of the wormhole is currently stable but the other end apparently shifts position periodically. The Barzan probe had no way to recognize this. Eventually, both sides will be unstable.
I will go to deck twenty and begin modifications.
Excuse me. Do you have authorization to work in this area?
You are dismantling a warp plasma conduit. I must ask you to stop.
Have you ever had nightmares before?
I have had one hundred eleven dreams since I first discovered the program nine months ago. In all of that time, I have never experienced such strange and disturbing imagery in a dream.  I believe it was... a nightmare.
Perhaps. I have also noted that I am spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about nightmare imagery. One could almost say that I am... preoccupied.
Geordi, you do not seem to appreciate Ensign Tyler's enthusiasm.
I do not understand.
And you do not share her affection?
I believe I understand. You are concerned about unintentionally hurting Ensign Tyler's feelings.
It would appear that you require a third party to intervene on your behalf. I would be happy to speak to her.
When I first woke up from my nightmare, there --
I will take the warp engines off-line.
Enter.
I am watching Spot sleep. In the past fifteen minutes, he has had twelve muscles spasms, which indicates that he is dreaming.  I have often wondered what he dreams about. His twitching and his rapid breathing would seem to suggest anxiety -- but Spot has never seen a mouse or any other form of rodentia. Nor has he encountered an insect, or been chased by a canine.
That was very thoughtful of him.  I have been debating whether or not to initiate another dream sequence.
I have found them to be quite... unsettling.
Thank you, Counselor. I believe I will initialize the dream program now.
Good night, Counselor.
Good night, Spot.
Computer -- dim lights.
What kind of cake are you eating?
No, thank you.
Excuse me, Mister Worf.
Sir?
Yes sir.
Please identify yourselves.
I must know what you are trying to --
Counselor...
I am sorry, Counselor.
What is wrong?
My internal chronometer was supposed to wake me thirty-five minutes ago.
That is not possible...  Something is wrong.
My chronometer is functioning normally, as well.  I will compare my autonomic logs to the ship's chronometer. Perhaps we overlooked something.
It is a possibility. However, I would prefer to make certain there are no anomalies in my neural net.
I have not fully assimilated its impact. I would prefer to study the images further before discussing them.
'Strange' is not a sufficient adjective to describe the experience.
It is difficult to explain. Counselor Troi's body was -- a cake.
It had a black handle and a serrated blade. And it was quite long.
Approximately twenty-five centimeters in length.
One of the workmen pointed to her right shoulder. At that moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to cut a piece out of the cake.
Yes. As I began to slice the cake, she reacted as though I was causing her pain. And yet, I could not stop cutting.  It was then that I woke up.
I am curious, Doctor Freud... what do my nightmares mean?
I do not understand.
But I do not have a mother.
I have no sexual desires.
I do not believe I am being helped by this session.
That will not be necessary.  Computer -- end program.
The warp field has collapsed, sir.
Ensign Tyler still appears to have a 'crush' on you, Geordi. It is clear that you did not speak with her.
I am reminded of a recent dream. This brace is reminiscent of...
Hello?
I do not know.
Everything seems to remind me of the nightmare -- objects, sounds, smells. And now I have seen elements from the dream while still in a waking state.  I cannot explain it.
I have run three complete self-diagnostics. All of my systems are functioning normally.
I have studied over one hundred thirty-eight different theories of dream analysis in an effort to explain my nightmares.
I have been unable to find a single interpretation of my nightmares. For instance, Neo-Platonic hermetic texts from the Ancient Near East would suggest that my experience indicates a prophetic function -- that I have perceived an impending disaster.  Professor Syrus of Tilonus Four would consider my dreams nothing more than epi-phenomena in my neural net. Random discharges with no meaning whatsoever.  Doctor Freud of early Twentieth century Earth suggested that my dreams represent a latent psychosexual complex.
Perhaps Freud was correct... and the knife I dreamed of is the embodiment of my unconscious desire to inflict violence.
That is not possible.
Do you really think it is possible?
Daily?
Thank you, Counselor. I look forward to our next meeting.
I am currently running a level three diagnostic on the relays, sir. We will have the results of the analysis in approximately ten minutes.
I am sorry, Counselor.
I believe I had another waking dream, sir. But this time, I felt an uncontrollable urge to... eliminate the image I saw.
Yes, sir. And for a reason I cannot explain, I felt the need to destroy it.
No, sir. I saw a straw coming out of your head.
As I said, these are all images that I originally experienced in my dream program. I do not have a rational explanation for them.
That is correct.
A sensible precaution, sir.
May I ask a personal favor?
Will you take care of Spot for me?
I am concerned that if I have another waking dream, I may... injure him.
Unlike a canine, Spot will not respond to verbal commands.
Goodbye, Spot.
He will need to be fed once a day. He prefers feline supplement one-twenty-five.
And he will require water. And you must also provide him with a sand box.
And you must talk to him. Tell him he is a pretty cat, and a good cat...
Perhaps that will be enough.
It is an interesting hypothesis. If I am being affected by these interphasic creatures on an unconscious level, it may also explain my waking dreams, and my subsequent anti-social behavior.
I see. The concept is similar to the method of Directed Dreaming.
Yes, sir.
I understand.  I am initializing my dream program. Stand by...
Hello.
Cake?
It is cellular peptide cake.
Stop. You are hurting my friends and I must --
I believe I understand.
Geordi, you must adjust my positronic subprocessor to emit an interphasic pulse.
The workmen in my dreams represent the organisms which are trying to demolish the ship. The incessant ringing of the telephone, and Freud's cautions at the other end, were warnings of the dangers around us.
My positronic subprocessors were detecting high-frequency interphasic signatures from the organisms... which were symbolically represented in my dreams by the high shriek.
That is why I have asked Geordi to adjust my subprocessor. If I can produce a high-frequency interphasic pulse, it may have a similar effect on the creatures.
Enter.
Counselor, I did not get a chance to apologize for my behavior...
I wonder... what would Freud say about the symbolism of devouring oneself?
Happy birthday, Worf.
Yes. I have entered my Abstract Expressionistic phase. This is my interpretation of the Battle of HarOS.
The Array appears to be functioning normally, sir.
The Array is still transmitting data. However, it is no longer sending that information to the Federation.  It appears that someone has redirected its imaging systems.
Sector One-nine-six-five-eight. I am unable to access the Array's main computer, so it is impossible to determine the exact location.
We have analyzed the imaging logs. It appears that the Array was reprogrammed to observe several Federation sites.
That is our theory. We believe that unauthorized access was made six days ago. The imaging logs from that day show a ship approaching the Array...
Lieutenant, have you completed the metallurgical scan of the Array?
The metallurgical scan. Is it complete?
I know of no such logs, Lieutenant.
Direct hit -- Engineering Section, Deck Forty-two. Shield generators are overloading.
Captain, we have sustained heavy damage to our deflector systems. Hull breaches on Decks Seventeen and Thirty-six.
I am initiating a subspace scan to search for temporal anomalies on or off the ship.
Two years, one month and twelve days.
It is my understanding that your romantic affiliation began soon after you recovered from your spinal injury on Stardate 45587.
That is correct. After that, I observed that you and the Counselor began to spend more time together.
It was approximately six months later that you asked Commander Riker for his formal permission to court Counselor Troi.  You felt that to do otherwise would be dishonorable.
I am not privy to the exact details of when, where and how the first coupling took place. I could investigate it if you --
I am detecting no temporal anomalies in this system.
Perhaps we should try to pinpoint the exact moment when events became discontinuous. Do you remember the first change?
Think back. Are you sure that was the very first change? Perhaps there was one before you entered Sickbay?
We should try to find any commonalties in these events. Where were you each time?
What about the people you were with? Was there anyone who was present at all three events?
It is possible. We should speak with Commander La Forge.
Doctor, is Geordi well enough to answer some questions?
There do not appear to be any unusual readings. Energy residuals from the plasma burns... the beginnings of cellular decomposition...
I see nothing that connects these bio-readings to your recent sense of discontinuity.
I still see nothing unusual.
Perhaps we should activate it.
The VISOR is active.
Have you noticed another discontinuity, Commander?
I am detecting a quantum flux in your cellular RNA...
I do not know. I will have to analyze these readings...
I have found that the quantum flux in Worf's cellular RNA extends to the subatomic level. It is asynchronous with normal matter.  In essence, Captain -- Mister Worf does not belong in our universe.
All matter in the universe resonates on a quantum level with a unique signature. This signature is a constant. It cannot be changed by any known process. It is the basic foundation of existence.
Yes, sir. I cannot explain it. It is as if he originates from a different quantum universe.
I cannot explain that either. According to my understanding of physics, Worf should not exist.
Aye, sir.
It appears to be a guantum fissure in the space-time continuum.
The anomaly cannot be seen. However, I believe I can enhance it with a warp field to make it visible.
Not at this distance, sir.  I am also detecting an ion trail intersecting the phenomenon. I believe it was left by a Starfleet type-six shuttlecraft.
I have an explanation, sir.
I believe the quantum fissure we discovered is a fixed point across the space-time continuum -- a 'keyhole' that intersects many different quantum realities.
For any event, there is an infinite number of possible outcomes. Our choices determine which outcome will follow. But there is a theory in quantum physics that all possibilities that could happen do happen in alternate quantum realities.
For instance, in a different quantum reality, Captain Riker may have chosen to sit at the other end of the table. While in another reality, the Captain may be standing.
Yes. Although on some of those Enterprises, there may not be a Doctor Crusher...
That is correct.
When Worf's shuttlecraft made contact with the quantum fissure, I believe its warp engines caused a small break in the barriers between quantum realties.  Worf was thrown into a state of quantum flux.
He immediately began to shift to other realities.
Exactly. The VISOR uses a subspace field pulse. I think that whenever Geordi came near Worf, the field pulse intensified the quantum flux and pushed Worf into another reality.
An excellent idea, Lieutenant.
Captain -- there is a Bajoran ship approaching.
The barriers between quantum realties are breaking down. Other realties are emerging into our own.
The rate of quantum incursions is increasing exponentially.  At this rate, the sector will be completely filled with Enterprises within three days.
Perhaps -- if we find the ship which matches Commander Worf's quantum signature.
It was Worf's shuttlecraft which traversed the fissure and weakened the barriers between quantum realities. If he re-enters the fissure in his original shuttle, and emits a broad-spectrum warp field -- it may be enough to seal the fissure and stop additional realities from emerging into our own.
In theory, the act of sealing the fissure should also restore the barriers between quantum states.  The ships would return to their own realities.
Yes. Its quantum signature matches Commander Worf's precisely.  I have re-modulated the shuttle's engines to emit an inverse warp field. You will need to activate the field at the precise moment you enter the fissure.
That is one possibility. However, the uncertainty principle dictates that time is a variable in this equation. You may end up several days before this event -- or several days after it. There is no way to tell.
Captain -- Worf is entering the fissure.
The intense electromagnetic whirlwinds on the moon's surface make it virtually impossible to locate the source of the signal, sir...
I believe so, Commander... at Starfleet Academy...
Yes, sir, let me verify it...
As I thought, sir... it is a Starfleet subspace distress signal... standard to Daedalus class starships...
One hundred seventy-two years, Commander...
The U.S.S. Essex under the command of Captain Bryce Shumar disappeared in this sector over two centuries ago...
Yes, Captain... I have accessed the subspace transponder signature of the Essex... it is identical to the signal coming from the moon's surface...
Shields are holding...
Sir, forward thrusters have failed. We are losing power.
Initiating emergency landing procedures...
It is unlikely, sir, that we will be able to establish communication with the ship, given the severe electromagnetic interference...
Yes sir.
There are no instruments left of practical value that have not been damaged by the impact of our landing.
The tricorder is picking up high levels of E-M bursts across the spectrum.
Other than our own, sir... negative.
It is p-p-possible we might be able to employ virtual imaging to interpolate missing data...
My apologies. It seems my primary speech processors are experiencing a minor fluctuation. I will have it corrected in a... m-m-moment.
Sir? Given the E-M field properties of this moon, I would recommend a search pattern beginning at the southern p-p-polar region.
Understood, sir.
He would not move to a polar orbit.
They have t-t-trapped us... what will we do?
My entity's artificial substructure may be useful...
I can reverse the p-polarity of their forcefields to isolate this room.
W-what are you looking at?
I am speaking to you, Klingon.
Attack me. Or are you afraid?
And I have no fear of killing you...
He's telling the truth... their heading has changed...
Silence, Klingon.
It may be a... d-deception.
Silence that... ch-child!
It is taking too long. We sh-should have been there by now...
He is manipulating you...
He will try to delay until a rescue attempt is possible.
Stop speaking!
Well, it d-did.
You will cooperate... you will c-cooperate... or someone will die, Captain... who will it be... ?
How about the Klingon?
Get another one.
Pick one to die, Captain. Or I will kill them both...
Tell them to stop, or I'll kill everyone in this room! Starting with you.
We must be able to use the transporters...
It is a trick... he is trying to divide us...
Why are you b-being so helpful suddenly?
Without the p-protection of the forcefield, we are vulnerable in a number of ways...
What about their weapons?
You will die too...
I must apologize for my inadvertant misconduct toward you, Lieutenant.
Your restraint was most remarkable for a Klingon.
I will scan their warp signatures.
Sir, sensors indicate that the attacking vessels are Federation ships.
The Maquis ships are regrouping... they are closing in on the Cardassian vessel.
She is responsible for the death of a Cardassian soldier.
Do you know where she went?
It is unlikely that they would receive our communication. The Topin system contains an unstable binary-star. It generates significant subspace interference.
Most of our sensor systems will be ineffective, although our directional array may be able to cut through the interference.
No, sir. It will take approximately six hours to scan this system.
I am attempting to do so.
Sir, I am scanning the area from which the distress signal was sent... but I am unable to detect a vessel.
Sir, a vessel of some kind is attempting to penetrate our aft shields.
The vessel that penetrated our shields is of the same design as the ships used by the Maquis.  It is moving off...
She is requesting that you meet with her.
I have established a relay-link with the sensor probe we left on the perimeter of the Nebula.  This is the convoy. We are expecting the Maquis attack force to cross the border from the Demilitarized Zone here.
Sir, the Maquis squadron is coming into sensor range.
Sir, the vessel being piloted by Lieutenant Ro is firing a low-intensity particle beam into the Nebula...
The polarizing effect created by the beam may make it possible for us to be detected.
I will attempt to do so.
Sir, the Maquis ships are breaking formation.
No, sir. They are withdrawing...
I believe she is doing well. Her appetite has increased by seven percent, and she is starting to engage in pre-natal behavior.
I have noticed that many humans prefer not to know in order to experience the surprise during birth. I believe I will preserve the mystery until then.
I have spent the past nine weeks as an expectant parent. I would be happy to share my insights with your husband.  If my experience is any indication -- he will need all the help he can get.
That would be inadvisable, sir. The asteroid field is unusually dense -- the Enterprise is too large to navigate through it safely.
Captain, I will need a few minutes to take care of some personal affairs.
It is possible that it will take several days for Captain Picard and me to complete our mission. I would prefer to have a human present to supervise the birthing process.
I have noticed that you are the only other member of the crew whom Spot seems to like.
She is to you. However there have been several... injuries when other crewmembers have attempted to care for her.
The... 'place'?
I am not certain. Spot has escaped from my quarters on several occasions. And there are twelve male felines on board.  I intend to run a full DNA analysis on the kittens once they are --
On my way, Captain.
Goodbye, Spot. I believe you are in... good hands.
Captain, the ship is not at the pre-arranged coordinates.
I do not know. I am unable to raise them on any communication channel.
The Enterprise appears to be adrift. I am reading power fluctuations on all decks...
There are life signs, but the sensor readings are highly distorted. I am unable to identify specific lifeforms.
Main power is off-line. All systems are in Emergency or Standby mode... and there is no response from any manned station.
I cannot access the internal sensors from here. We will have to go to the Bridge.
It is a mixture of methane, uric acid and ammonia. There is also an abundance of pheromones in the air.
Yes, sir. I am able to discern over three hundred different vocalizations.
It is composed of reptilian DNA... I believe it is an epidermal layer that has been cast off during molting.
Yes, sir. I cannot explain it. There are no species aboard the Enterprise that shed their skin in this fashion.
No, sir.
Her DNA is in a state of ribocyatic flux... her genetic codes are being re-sequenced... and her cells are mutating as a result.  At a fundamental level, she is no longer human.
Her respiratory tissue has become capable of metabolizing water as well as air... and her eyes have developed nictitating membranes...  I believe she has become... amphibian, sir.
There is Klingon DNA in the wound. It is saliva.
It would appear so.
I will need to run a full biospectral analysis.
His upper spinal column has been broken in three places.
Yes. However, the mutation was in its initial stages when he died.
Captain, I am picking up one thousand eleven individual life readings within the ship. All exhibit a genetic flux similar to the one we observed in Counselor Troi.
Most of the lifeforms are scattered throughout ship's quarters... but there are several large concentrations in the arboretum, and the aquatics lab.
His cranial plates have thickened by twenty percent -- his brain is much smaller, sir. I doubt he can comprehend our language.
Yes, sir. His DNA would seem to confirm that observation.
Captain... I believe the crew is de-evolving.
I have analyzed Commander Riker's DNA structure. A synthetic T-cell has invaded his genetic code. This T-cell has begun to activate his latent introns.
They are genetic codes which are normally dormant. They are evolutionary holdovers -- sequences of DNA that provided key physical and behavioral characteristics millions of years ago, but are no longer necessary.  For instance, Counselor Troi's gill slits and other amphibious characteristics were derived from introns which still contain amphibious codes.
That is correct. In her case, the DNA is creating an amphibious lifeform which became extinct over fifty million years ago.
Yes, sir. I would say... Australopithacine.  Each of these stages is another link in the evolutionary chain, stretching back to the origins of all lifeforms on Earth.  Because introns can include genetic material from many different species over millions of years of evolution, it is possible that a wide variety of transformations is occurring among the crew.
All humanoid life has a similar genetic pattern. The virus should affect non-human crewmembers in the same way. They are each deevolving to earlier forms of life on their homeworlds.
I feel I must point out, sir, that you have become infected with the intron virus, as well.
According to my calculations, within the next twelve hours, you will begin to exhibit the first signs of your eventual transformation.
I believe you will also de-evolve into some form of early primate. Possibly similar to a lemur, or pygmy marmoset.
I am uncertain. We will need to run several micro-cellular scans. However, the ship's main computer has been damaged. Possibly by crewmembers who did not know what they were doing.  The computer in my quarters has an independent processing and memory storage unit, and should not be affected. I suggest we work from there.
I believe Spot has had her kittens.
Yes. I am curious as to why Spot is not taking care of them.
Spot... ?
No, sir.
These kittens were born within the last twenty-four hours. It appears that Spot's transformation took place at approximately the same time.
I believe so. For some reason, the intron virus was not passed on to the kittens. I do not know why.
That is true. The placental barrier, maternal antibodies and amniotic fluid all serve as a filtration system.
It would take further research, but I believe that to be effective on humanoid crewmembers, humanoid antibodies would be necessary.
Nurse Ogawa recently became pregnant...
I have traced her combadge signal to Deck Seventeen, Section Twentyone Alpha.
One of the warp plasma vents has failed. Main Engineering has been abandoned -- there is no one there to fix the problem.
I can repair the damaged plasma vent from here.
I believe it was Lieutenant Barclay. He appeared to be partially transformed into an arachnid.
I recognized the chitin colorations. He is becoming a member of the Pisauridae family.
Captain. Are you all right?
You may be experiencing the initial stages of your transformation. Early primates were often prey for larger carnivores -- as a result, their instincts probably included a heightened sense of awareness.
Captain.
I have analyzed Nurse Ogawa's embryo. It has been unaffected by the virus. I believe I can use her amniotic fluid as a template for a retro-virus. It would neutralize the synthetic T-cell, and re-establish the original genetic patterns of each host.
It will not take long to isolate the appropriate genetic material. However, I will need to get the Sickbay computer back on --
It is large, approximately two hundred kilograms... and it is heavily armored with an exoskeleton of some sort...  The lifesigns appear to be... Klingon.
We have no way of knowing if the stun setting will have any effect on him, sir. And a higher setting may kill him.
There are crewmembers in the corridors and other sections of the ship. It would be much easier for him to capture and consume one of them, rather than attempt to break through a door.
What are you suggesting, Captain?
If that is true, then he must now by trying to reach her.
The mating instinct is quite strong in Klingon biology. I am not certain what would serve as an effective lure.
I am extracting a blood sample from one of her sebaceous glands, where pheromones are produced.
I believe I can activate the pheromones with a bio-activant solution.
I believe this will produce the desired effect.  I will use it to draw Worf to a different part of the ship.
Captain, that would be extremely unwise. Worf may be much faster than --
Computer -- activate medical database.
Computer, bypass database system -- activate local subprocessors only.
Computer, display progress of genetic re-sequencing.
Computer, increase nucleotide substitution by thirty-two percent.
Data to Captain Picard.
The retro-virus is working. I can release it into the ship's atmosphere in a gaseous state, but it will take some time to take effect.
He is requesting a rendezvous.
Captain, sensors have located the transport ship. Two Rekag battle cruisers are flanking it.
The cruisers' weapons are powered up... but...
Sir, the Rekag ships are turning and heading out of sensor range.
We are within visual range of the transport, Sir.
Sensors indicate damage to the Dorian's sub space emitters. Audio communication only.
Counselor Troi has altered her appearance...
Yes, sir.
May I ask a question of a... personal nature, sir?
Why have I not been assigned to command a ship in the fleet?
You have commented on the lack of senior officers available for this mission. I believe that my twenty-six years of Starfleet service qualify me for such a post.  However, if you do not believe the time has arrived for an android to command a starship, then perhaps I should address myself to improving---
Thank you, Captain.
I am Lieutenant Commander Data.
By order of Starfleet, I hereby take command of this vessel. Please note the time and date in the ship's log.
Computer, what is the status of the dilithium matrix?
May I ask why?
Your service record to date suggests that you would perform that function competently.
Why?
I understand your concerns.  Request denied.
All stop. Notify the flagship that we have assumed station.
Why are auxiliary back-ups not functioning?
You have taken the phaser and torpedo control units off-line.
Mister Hobson, it is inappropriate for you to determine a course of action without consulting the commanding officer.
Take the phasers and torpedo units off-line and begin repairs on the starboard power coupling.
Acknowledge the signal.  Lay in the course and engage at warp nine point three.
In disrupting the detection net, the Romulans may have caused a residual tachyon signature to form around their own ships.
All stop.
The tachyon signatures will not last long. By the time the fleet is redeployed, it will be too late. Begin to reconfigure sensors to detect ionized particle traces.
I am aware of the difficulties.  Please bring the phasers back on-line.
We will initiate radiation protocol when necessary.
Mister Hobson!  You will carry out my orders or I will relieve you of duty.
Display sensor schematic.
Begin sensor sweep, maximum range.
Computer, overlay display with tachyon emissions.
Highlight any tachyon signatures which show subspace inertial displacement.
Concentrate a sensor sweep in that area.
Reconfigure the photon torpedo warhead yields. Set for a high- energy burst at level six.
Do it.
Stand by, Captain.  Mister Hobson, prepare to fire.
Fire.
The reconfigured particles from the photon torpedoes illuminated the tachyon signatures surrounding the Romulan ships...
Make a full report to the flagship. Take the main phasers off-line and begin radiation clean-up on the affected decks.
Sir, I wish to submit myself for disciplinary action  I disobeyed a direct order from a superior officer. Although there was a positive outcome as a result of my actions, I have learned that... the ends cannot justify the means.
Thank you, sir.
In order to complete the scheduled observations, the lateral sensors will require additional processing time.
Will a couple of hours be enough time to complete the high-resolution series on the neutron star?
The rotational period of the neutron star is one point three five seconds.
Based on those selections, I would prefer FGC-four-seven.
Shields have registered an impact. But the sensors show nothing in the vicinity.
The drag coefficient continues to increase. Forward velocity has fallen by twelve percent.
Our speed is increasing...
The ship's speed has stabilized at one-quarter impulse.
I did nothing, Commander.  The problem seems to have corrected itself.
We simulated several such fields, but were unable to reproduce the same drag coefficient.
Since we have experienced the phenomenon only once, it is impossible to estimate the risks.
I believe what you are seeing is the effect of the fluid dynamic processes inherent to large scale motion of highly rarified gas.
Where?
I do not see it.  It is interesting that people try to find meaningful patterns in things that are essentially random. I have noticed that the images they perceive can sometimes suggest what they are thinking about at that particular moment.
Besides, it is clear that this cloud formation most closely resembles a 'bunny rabbit.'
Sir, as we move deeper into the nebula, sensors indicate that levels of helium and trionium have continued to rise steadily
No, sir, we are well within tolerance levels --
Shields have registered an impact, sir...
No, sir. There is no indication of anything near the ship.
Until we determine the cause of the drag coefficient, I would not recommend it, sir.
Impulse engines are now at full power.
Forward velocity is holding steady. The drag coefficient is still present, but it has stabilized.
It is an irregular lattice composed of approximately forty-seven million strands of energy.
That may be difficult, sir. I am now detecting a significant number of strands behind us.
At our current speed, we will clear the nebula in twelve minutes, four seconds.
We are moving through a dense concentration of energy strands.
Captain -- density appears to be lower off the starboard bow.
It appears to be an energy vortex... of highly complex patterns. Very possibly a life form.
It is in direct physical contact with the shields.
Aye, sir.  No effect.
Eighteen hours, seven minutes, and ... ten seconds, Doctor.
Five minutes to launch site.
Impact thirty seconds.
Impact twenty seconds.
All systems functioning normally again.
It is conceivable that we were viewing a synthetically generated image... although there is no precedent for it.
Controls are not responding.
The system automatically provides for self-correction, Captain. There has not been a system-wide technological failure on a starship in seventy-nine years.
Odd. The research material on Doctor Stubbs includes not a few references from gossip columns. It suggests females find him quite attractive.
It is 'Stars and Stripes Forever' by John Phillip Sousa, a popular American composer of band music in the early twentieth century...
The music is on all communications channels, Captain.
These are not ordinary nanites.
It is conceivable that with each new generation they enhance their own design. The rate of evolution would be...extraordinary.
Engineering, display computer core processor four-five-one, element zero-two-nine-nine.
Increase magnification, factor one thousand.
Doctor, are you suggesting they are becoming a... civilization?
High level gamma radiation would kill them, Doctor Stubbs.
The nanites in the upper core are all dead, Captain.
Captain...
I have established contact.
They are virtually learning the concept of communication as we continue, Captain... each new generation is making modifications.
I think it is worth an attempt...
Captain, their answer is... no.
Their answer is no.
Captain, if a face to face negotiation would be helpful, I would like to volunteer myself as a conduit.
I can easily furnish the nanites with a schematic design of my neurological structure. Entering my neural network would require only their most basic skills.
They could easily penetrate the molecular fabric of my hand-covering into the nerve circuitry and interface with my verbal programs.
There are considerable risks. But it would also represent a gesture of trust on our part. It could be an important step toward peace.
The answer is yes.
They are ready, Captain.
Ten seconds to stellar blast.
The planet is Vagra Two of the Zed Lapis system. Uninhabited.
Computer indicates alignment of matter-anti-matter completed, sir.
Strange, sir. No emergency signal from the shuttle as yet.
There is no information in the library computer, sir, other than the fact of its existence. No signs of any known higher life-form. Virtually no vegetation.
Minimum for our needs.
No. Our sensors are not fully penetrating whatever the debris is, sir. I cannot explain it.
Yes. I cannot explain it.
Inconclusive, sir. I cannot tell you what it is -- only what it is not.
There is no evidence of neural or circulatory systems. No internal organs. Cellular structure unknown. It does not have any proteins which are known to us.
I do not know, sir. It does not appear to have any skeletal framework or musculature.
Perhaps we are. It appears to be following us, sir.
Insufficient information.
It is possible. It possesses two of the requisites for life.
It appears to feed on our phaser energy.
ARMUS is capable of creating undefined forcefields. In effect, we are powerless to communicate or use our transporter unless it allows us to.
Sir, request permission to accompany Commander Riker. He may need help -- and ARMUS may allow us through its forcefield only once.
It does not register on my tricorder, Doctor.
No. Clearly you are some kind of intelligent form.
One meter to your left, Geordi.
Behind you.
No. You will just move it again. I will not help you hurt him.
Enterprise, ARMUS has enveloped and attacked Commander Riker.
I would guess that death is no longer sufficient entertainment to alleviate its boredom. Therefore, Commander Riker is alive.
I have no control over what you do with the phaser. Therefore, I would not be the instrument of his death.
It feels -- curious.
You are capable of great sadism and cruelty. Interesting. No redeeming qualities.
I think you should be destroyed.
Why?
Sir, the purpose of this gathering has eluded me.
My thoughts are not for Tasha, but for myself. I keep thinking how empty it will feel without her presence. I missed the point.
Captain, if we increase to warp seven we can be there in twenty-three minutes.
The hologram generator is now functional.
Doctor --
The area around the duck blind exhibits Karst topography -- sinkholes, underground rivers, and caverns. And the rock strata contain a high concentration of thallium compounds, which may be obstructing our sensor beams.
Correct.
Was that intended to be an affirmative?
Is Nuria the closest of the five?
Is Nuria the one in motion?
Locked on, Commander. We can beam Nuria aboard at will.
Aye, sir.
Sir, I must remind you that during the Galen border conflicts a common tactic of the Talarians was to abandon their observation craft, rig them to self-destruct...
This particular guerilla maneuver resulted in two hundred and nineteen fatalities over a three- year period.
Negative, Commander. The Talarians employ a subspace proximity detonator. It would not be detectable to our scans...
By matching DNA gene types, Starfleet was able to identify the young man as Jeremiah Rossa...
She is his grandmother, Captain.
He was born fourteen years ago on the Federation Colony, Galen Four. His parents, Connor and Moira Rossa, were killed in a border skirmish three years, nine months later when the colony was overrun by Talarian forces.
The child was listed as missing and presumed dead.
The Talarians are a rigidly patriarchical society.
Q'maire at station, holding steady at bearing zero-one-three, mark zero-one-five. Distance five-zero-six kilometers.
Negative.
Talarian warships are limited to neutral particle weapons, high-energy X-ray lasers and merculite rockets. No match for the Enterprise, Captain.
If Endar respects Talarian custom, he may have to.  According to their tradition, a male child of fourteen has reached the age of decision. They undergo a ceremony of initiation and after that have the freedom to make their own choices.
It is called a spoon.
I fail to see why this is amusing.
Comedy stressing farce and horseplay... ah, this no doubt is a variation on... 'Pie in the Face'...
No, I do not. But I will take your word. It is very amusing.
Is there a problem? Chief Engineer La Forge called for me. 'Urgent!'
I just had a strange conversation with your assistant. Although it is three days until we rendezvous with Starship Victory, she...
Ah, most unusual.
But your Starfleet specialty, my friend, is antimatter power, dilithium regulators...
This is not a computer simulation?
Geordi... your message said 'urgent.'
My Watson?
Ah, yes. Yes, my dear colleague, that does seem only fair.
He can be reached at 221B Baker Street.
Computer -- select at random a mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, where I will play Sherlock Holmes and Lieutenant La Forge will be Doctor Watson.
Excellent.
Holmes collected nothing -- neither trinkets nor thoughts which were not specifically significant to him.
The emerald tie pin presented to Holmes by Queen Victoria after he solved the theft of the Bruce-Partington plans.
A copy of Whitaker's Almanack which provided Holmes the key to the secret code in 'The Valley of Fear.'
The snuff box of Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein.
Primarily as Doctor Watson, you keep a written record of everything I do for later publication.
And the famous Holmes violin. He purchased this in a pawn shop in Tottenham Court Road for fifty-five shillings, which he considered a very good investment.
Merely throwing myself into the part, Watson.
Watson! We are about to have guests.
Answer it, Watson -- let's not keep the good inspector waiting.
Why Lestrade of course.
Then may I say your perturbation becomes you, Inspector Lestrade, whilst simultaneously affording me yet another chance to serve Queen and country.
Absolutely.
Watson, please!  Pray go on, Inspector.
I believe, Inspector, that you will find that this emissary here works not for but against the King of Bohemia, and that photograph of the king and his ex-mistress is to be used as blackmail. Further, upon deeper reflection, you will deduce, as did I, that...
Where are you going?
But I was just about to reveal that the 'sir' is in fact a 'madame,' and that...
To solve a Sherlock Holmes mystery.
Then I should have extended the sequence of events.
That is exactly what we were doing.
Am I so different from you, Doctor? Can you cease thinking on command?
Are you suggesting that there is some value in losing?
I have read them all.
I accept your challenge, Doctor.
We will return to the Holodeck and I will dare it to defeat me, and you Madam are invited to be a witness.
The Victorians believed that any form of nudity was immoral... In fact, they not only covered up all people from head to toe, but they even went so far as to put skirts and cuffs and sleeves on the arms and legs of furniture.  I have instructed the computer to give us a Sherlock Holmes-type problem, but not one specifically written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Exactly.  Will that be sufficient, Doctor?
This is no larger than the Holodeck, of course. So the computer adjusts by placing images of more distant perspectives on the Holodeck walls...
No. It is a ruse. This way.
The running man was a hoax. The real crime is here. And the intended victim -- is...
... that man. Mr. Jabez Wilson. Employee of the Red-Headed League, dupe of a gang of criminals.
I saw the plaque - 'The Home of the Red-Headed League'... and this rope dangling from the vent, which enabled me to deduce that Mr. Jabez Wilson is coming here to meet a most distasteful and untimely demise. From this...
Reasoning from the general to the specific -- is that not the very definition of deduction? Is that not the way Sherlock Holmes worked?
No thank you.
For whatever finds us, dear Watson.
She has been abducted.
Watson -- a trail...
Leading to the alley...  The doctor has been carried off by two men. One is tall -- a seaman. The other is shorter, left handed, and employed in a laboratory.
One set of footfalls are widely spaced with the uneven gait particular to seamen. The other set is evenly spaced -- closer together. Further, you can see on the ground the swirling scrapes made by his left shoe as he twists back presumably to see if he is being followed. Left footed, means left handed. The dark coloration of the scrapes are the leavings of natural rubber -- a type of non-conductive soles used by researchers experimenting with electricity.  Finally, there can be no argument -- the game is afoot! Come, Watson!
Hear that? What do those footfalls tell you, Watson?
More particularly, that our opposition does indeed consist of two men... that one of them is carrying the bound and gagged Doctor Pulaski. We must hurry --
Not at all... Since we do not hear the doctor's footfalls, we must presume she is being carried, and since we do not hear her calling for help, we know she is gagged. Further... both sets of footfalls are heavy and masculine -- one man seems to shuffle and stumble in an irregular pattern... Since the ground is level, I must conclude that Doctor Pulaski is struggling against her captor, sporadically knocking him off stride. It is deduction, pure and simple... well, perhaps not that simple.
Here we go, Watson -- I daresay we have caught up rather nicely with our quarry --
There should be a doorway.
There is nothing here of relevance. I do not see how this connects with the disappearance of the doctor.
Doctor Kate Pulaski. But do not concern yourself, Inspector. You have enough on your mind.
No. Look at his shoes. He's more a convict -- released just today from Dartmoor prison... He spent the day in a tavern where he consumed large quantities of gin -- with his killer, who followed him to this spot -- and waited over there until the victim slipped into a drunken stupor, then out of fear, motivated only by self-protection strangled him.
There is your killer, Inspector.
And when you check, I believe you will find this poor soul is the victim's common law wife, who has been dreading his release because he was a vile and abusive man.
Not with her hands -- no. But with this.
When used as a garrote, these beads will leave marks quite similar to fingerprints, except, my dear Watson... the marks on the victim are too evenly spaced to be caused by human hands.
Inspector -- for reasons strictly personal -- I must leave. Come, Watson, this murder is not connected with our case.
Yes.
No.
Allow us to pass.
Release my coat or I will be forced to give you a severe thrashing.
We will find Doctor Pulaski inside.
It is the only obvious choice.
Not any more. He wants us to find him.
The master criminal. The man Holmes could only defeat at the cost of his own life at Reichenbach falls - our adversary, my dear Watson is none other than Professor Moriarty himself.
... and a trail.  Which is so well marked, that obviously we are meant to follow it.
No Watson, not a dead end at all. Here -- can you see these scratches?
Professor Moriarty, I presume?
He is the one worthy opponent created by the author, Conan Doyle.
Where is Doctor Pulaski?
She would not have answered any questions.
Have you injured her?
Say nothing!
We must leave.
Computer! Exit!
Computer. Execute a complete shutdown of the Holodeck.
Explain.
We must see the captain.
This.
He does -- Moriarty.
Neither do I.
No. She is in grave danger.
Yes.
And perhaps also our library files. That level of information would be necessary in order to create a true adversary for me.
He is still a fictional character, originally programmed with nineteenth century knowledge.
Only time.
Captain, I believe that would place the doctor at risk. It is probable that the mortality failsafe has been overridden.
Captain, there is only one thing which can explain this. In programming Moriarty to defeat me, not Holmes, he had to be able to acquire something which I possess.
Consciousness. He cannot defeat me without it.
I will change into my uniform.
Captain?
Captain, this holographic image differs from any I have encountered. It is possible he could have seriously injured you.
Query. Is the converse also true? Are these projections susceptible to our technology?
) We'll find Moriarty this way. The warehouse.
Captain, permission to test my theory.
Under normal circumstances the phaser would pass right through the holographic image.
The effect on him should be the same as it was on the crate.
Crumpets?
Congratulations, Professor Moriarty, I capitulate to the better man -- your victory is well earned.
Right up to the end, he never knew.
I do not know how, but for Moriarty it was.
No, what the captain said was that we do not know how to convert Holodeck matter into a more permanent form. Which is true. Even after we review this program, we still may not have the answer.
No. The paper. This piece of paper was created as part of the Holodeck illusion. If it could leave the Holodeck, so too could Moriarty.
It is elementary, my dear Doctor... It is elementary.
Twenty-six minutes, Captain.
There are dozens of Bajoran camps on the three M-class planets. I suggest we may want to begin on Valo Three, where an ad hoc leader named Jas Holza lives. The Federation has had several dealings with him...
Whom do you suggest we talk to, Ensign?
Yessir.
Computer, locate Ensign Ro.
The tricorder is picking up molecular displacement traces... it suggests movement through this area during the last ten hours...
Data to Picard... Data to Worf...
Perhaps someone wanted to draw us into this conflict...
Yes, Captain?
Aye, sir.
I am monitoring increased activity inside Cardassian space... two ships are moving along the border... heading one-four-two mark zero-five-one...
They are moving into a course parallel to our own, Captain.
The Cardassian ships are changing course... they are crossing the border...
Subspace transmission coming from Starfleet, Captain. Admiral Kennelly.
It is on a secure channel. Perhaps in your ready room, Captain?
Commander, I am not receiving Rana Four's call sign.
There is no response. Rana Four is emissions quiet.
Sensors are scanning ninety degrees of longitude as we orbit. I am detecting no artificial structures, no vegetation, no bodies of water...
That is unlikely. Rana Four possessed no interstellar spacecraft.
The structure is located at the center of the vegetation.
Negative. It is as you see it.
If there are indicators as to why this particular area has remained intact, I cannot detect them.
I memorized the colony register on the way to Rana in the event such information was needed.
Our vehicle classification index can put no identity to it. Its design is completely foreign.
They have received the message, Captain, but are chosing to ignore it.
The vessel has assumed a course out of the Rana system and is rapidly increasing velocity.
I have positive identification, Commander. It is the vessel that attacked us earlier. It is reentering the system at high velocity and is approaching Rana Four.
The warship is in possession of enormous energy reserves. It is capable of striking us with far more powerful bursts.
The vessel appears undamaged. Its defenses are apparently able to absorb incoming matter and energy.
Captain, the Uxbridge house is coming into transporter range.
Commander. The warship is approaching from high orbit. It is very close -- three hundred thousand kilometers distance.
The vessel has altered its course to a direct intercept with the Enterprise.
The vessel is now within twenty thousand kilometers of the Enterprise and closing.
The vessel is entering a low orbit around Rana Four.  Captain, it appears it is preparing to fire at the planet.
My calculations indicate that its target may be the house of Rishon and Kevin Uxbridge.
Captain, will they not protest?
There is nothing wrong with the Transporter. I have run a complete diagnostic and checked all the targeting components.
A concentration of antigraviton particles would suggest a tractor beam. It might have deflected the Transporter beam to a different set of coordinates.
No, sir.  However, it may be possible to determine the point of origin of the tractor beam itself.
The tractor beam originated from somewhere within the Prytt Alliance.
Prytt territory is shielded by a high-energy forcefield. It cannot be penetrated by our sensors.
I have scanned the entire Prytt communications system and I believe this is the primary access module for the central government.
I believe so. However, the Prytt have no link designed for extraterritorial communications. Our hail may come as a surprise to them.
No, sir.
The interface unit is operating within expected parameters.
No one else has reported so complete a sensory experience.
Apparently the gain on the tactile sensors is too low; I will increase the input.
It provides tactile sensations so that Geordi will feel as if he is in the same environment as the probe.
I have reviewed the vessel's mission plans. The Raman was to descend to the lower atmosphere, eleven thousand kilometers below its current position...
The crew was to sample the atmosphere at that level, and then return to a safer orbit.
The probe sends information via a focused particle beam that should be able to cut through the interference.
Yes, Sir.
Yes, Sir.  I will be on the Bridge.
We are ready to bring the interface on line.
Activating the remote sensors...
Initiating interface... now.
Do you have visual contact?
Acknowledged.
Increasing signal strength of seventy-five percent of tolerance.
Come in.
No. I have completed the adjustments on the interface. I am now waiting for Commander Riker to finish moving the probe.
Do you wish to be comforted?
I am using the time to catch up on my study of poetry.
That is not entirely correct. While it is true the display is currently blank, this emptiness has a poetic meaning. So it cannot be considered 'nothing' as such.
The ancient Doosodarians. Much of their poetry contained such 'lacunae' or empty spaces. Often these pauses measured several days in length, during which poet and audience were encouraged to fully acknowledge the emptiness of the experience.
Are you certain you do not wish to talk about your mother?
You are no doubt feeling emotional distress as a result of her disappearance. Though you claimed to be 'just passing by,' that is most likely an excuse to start a conversation about this uncomfortable subject. Am I correct?
Then I apologize for my premature assumption.
This particular poem has a lacuna of forty-seven minutes. You may experience the emptiness with me if you wish.
I do not understand.
My initial assumption was correct. You do wish to speak of your mother.
Your sanity is not in question. However, your evaluation of the available information is... biased.
Disappearances fitting the profile of the Hera have rarely ended with the safe recovery of ship and crew.
I am not offended. You are upset and your reactions are not surprising.
The input levels are currently at fifty-three percent of tolerance.
Initiating interface...
The cut-off has been automatically activated.
Geordi, I have analyzed the probe's sensor logs -- there are no readings that would indicate the presence of a living human on board the Raman.
We have no indication of a transmission of any kind.
The probe does allow Geordi to sense quantum fluctuations, subspace anomalies, and other phenomena not perceptible to other kinds of sensors.
If the Hera is on the surface, its hull could not possibly withstand the pressure of the atmosphere.
Yes, Captain.
I have been exploring the possibility of using a tractor beam to pull the Raman from the atmosphere. However, there is so much interference that it prevents a positive lock.
That is my conclusion as well, Commander. Two shuttlecraft, staggered between the Enterprise and the Raman, with their shields adjusted to refocus the tractor beam.
There have been reports of warp bubbles and other subspace deformations.
Connecting two points through subspace.
Yes.
However, I believe it is...  unlikely.
Nearly impossible, Sir.
I suspected you would decide to operate the interface alone.
I am familiar enough with your behavior patterns to predict certain... decisions.
You are disobeying the Captain.
I can not allow you to endanger your well being.
I could have you confined to quarters for the duration of the mission.
I will monitor the interface and attempt to keep you safe.
I can not have you confined to quarters for something you have not yet done.
There is a high degree of probability that you are right.
However, I have a request.
I would ask you to consider the possibility that what you see is not real.
I am establishing the interface...
I am reading some unusual subspace energy in your vicinity -- similar to what the probe sensors recorded the first time you encountered your mother.
Geordi, the atmosphere becomes increasingly turbulent the farther down you go -- you may not be able to bring the Raman close enough to the Hera before being destroyed.
The probe is descending out of range.
It is already at seventy-five percent of tolerance.
That is theoretically true. But even at this input level you have already experienced dangerous neural feedback.
I will increase the gain incrementally as you descend.
When we are ready to disconnect the interface, we must allow sufficient time to lower the input levels -- otherwise your nervous system would go into shock from the sudden drop in input.
Geordi, we are now at ninety percent of tolerance.
My calculations show that you will reach one hundred percent of tolerance before you are in range of the Hera.
That is not advisable. You must cease your descent.
You are putting me in a very difficult position. Please cease your descent.
Disengaging safety systems... going to full tolerance levels... now.
Perhaps we can deceive his neural receptors.
By feeding them the sensory information recorded from his earlier experiences with the probe.
We could then lower them in a controlled manner.
The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma.
The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment.
The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent...
I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized.
An eight. An Ace. A Queen. The dealer receives a four.
A ten. A seven -- no help there. A pair of 'ladies' for the Doctor. The dealer receives a nine.  Doctor, may I remind you that since you show the highest hand, you control the next bet.
Jack. Four. Deuce. Six.
I will also see the bet.
Seven... and a possible straight for Commander Riker. Jack -- still no help for the Klingon.
Eight. Nine for the dealer.
'Too rich for my blood.'
I recommend we use the gravitron polarimeter instead. It will perform a similar function.
No anomalous readings were reported.
Aye sir.
The distortion field is fluctuating.
There is an energy build-up in the distortion field.  Something is emerging...
The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds...
Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory.
The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma.
The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment.
The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent...
I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized.
An eight. An Ace. A Queen. The dealer receives a four.
A ten. A seven -- no help there. A pair of 'ladies' for the Doctor. The dealer receives a nine.  Doctor, may I remind you that since you show the highest hand, you control the next bet.
Jack. Four. Deuce. Six.
The internal scans were negative. There was no evidence of auditory anomalies anywhere on the ship.
The distortion field is fluctuating.
There is an energy build-up in the distortion field.  Something is emerging...
The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds...
Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory.
The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma.
The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment.
The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent...
I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized.
An eight. An Ace...
But nobody has bet.
This is highly improbable.
The sound itself appears to have been real. However the acoustic energy does not correspond to any ship's system, nor to any voice communications sent at the time you heard it.
Computer -- perform a narrow bandwidth analysis. Eliminate all nonvocal waveform components.
I will attempt to distinguish the individual voices.  Computer -- continuous playback.
There seem to be approximately one thousand human voices overlapping.  The voices are those of the Enterprise crew.  Our voices.
There is evidence of some sort of disaster involving the Enterprise -- severe enough that the captain would order all hands to abandon ship. I have isolated three segments of the recording which are crucial.
We have seen that echoes, or afterimages, from previous loops appear as distortions in the dekyon field. We may be able to send a deliberate echo into the next loop.
If the dekyon emission is modulated correctly, it would set up a resonance in my positronic subprocessors. I would receive the information -- on what you would call a subconscious level.
Particle accelerators to full power.
The distortion field is fluctuating.
There is an energy build-up in the distortion field.  Something is emerging...
The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds...
Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory.
The starboard nacelle has sustained a direct impact. We are venting drive plasma.
The core shutdown was unsuccessful. We are losing antimatter containment.
The ejection systems are off-line. A core breach is imminent...
I assure you, Commander, the cards have been sufficiently randomized.
Certainly.
I have encountered the numeral 'three' an inordinate number of times over the last two hours.
In total, we have encountered two thousand eighty-five conspicuous examples of the number 'three.'
The distortion field is fluctuating.
There is an energy build-up in the distortion field.  Something is emerging...
The vessel is on a collision course. Impact in thirty-six seconds...
Captain -- I recommend we use the tractor beam to alter the other ship's trajectory.
The tractor beam will not be successful. I am decompressing the main shuttlebay...
At the last moment, I speculated that 'three' might refer to the number of rank insignia on Commander Riker's uniform.  This indicated to me that his suggestion was the correct course of action.
That is possible, Commander. I may also have been inadvertently responsible for the unexplained appearances of the number 'three.'
Aye, sir.
Angel One is a class M planet, supporting carbon-based flora and fauna, sparsely populated with intelligent life forms... similar in technological development to mid-twentieth-century Earth.
Five months, fourteen days, eleven hours, two minutes --
-- and fifty-seven seconds.
Angel One has evolved into a constitutional oligarchy. It is governed by a parliamentary body consisting of six elected Mistresses, and headed by a female they refer to as 'The Elected One.'
A Federation vessel last visited this planet sixty-two years ago, Captain.
There are undoubtedly survivors from the Odin on this planet, Commander.
What do we do if they elect to deny the existence of any survivors?
Interesting. An alcohol-based synthetic, artificially reproducing a floral scent.
The purpose of which is... ?
I am unfamiliar with that term.
How does stimulation of the olfactory nerve affect the enjoyment of sex?
Assuming the survivors have retained some remnants of their lives aboard the Odin, we might not have a difficult task. If we can isolate something unique to the survivors -- perhaps an element not otherwise found on Angel One -- we can utilize the Enterprise scanners.
I am an android, Mistress, though anatomically, I am a fully functioning male.
A justified precaution, Counselor. Mistress Beata observed that Mister Ramsey and his men were dangerous.
Actually, it was quite simple. I accessed all possible elements available to the crew of the Odin, cross-referenced those to elements endemic to Angel One, then eliminated the common denominators. Angel One has no platinum. Enterprise scanners did the rest.
Mister Ramsey is correct, Counselor. The Odin was not a starship, which means its crew is not bound by the Prime Directive. If he and the other survivors wish to stay here, there is absolutely nothing we can do.
Doctor Crusher feels the virus will undoubtedly run unchecked through the entire ship's contingent. Attempts to develop an innoculant have so far ended in failure. Lieutenant La Forge still has the Conn pending your return.
The border outpost reports a contingent of seven Romulan battlecruisers within sensor range. The USS Berlin has answered their distress call, and is standing by. However, should hostilities erupt, the outpost and the starship will be outgunned. It is felt that the Enterprise's presence in the area will be a vital show of force.
Excuse me, Commander, but removing any of these people against their will would be a violation of several Starfleet regulations, not the least of which would be the Prime Directive.
Neutral Zone before it is too late. Understood, Commander.
This is Data, standing by to beam up.
To be precise, Commander, you ordered me to reach the Neutral Zone 'before it is too late.' I have computed the length of time the border outpost and USS Berlin can safely withstand a Romulan attack... deducted our time to destination at maximum warp speed. That leaves Doctor Crusher with forty-eight more minutes to complete her research and develop an innoculant to the virus.
Splitting hairs is a figure of speech I recognize, Commander. Speaking for those whose hair is soon to be split, forty-eight minutes may make a great deal of difference.  Excuse me -- forty-seven minutes.
Go ahead, Doctor.
Bingo? I fail to see the relevance, Doctor. Is that not a reference to an ancient Earth game?
Excellent, Doctor. And we still have a margin of seventeen minutes. I will inform the away team immediately.  Enterprise to Commander Riker.
Understood, Commander. Enterprise out.
Coordinates set, Commander. On your mark --
I have finished.
The dimensions are accurate to within one-point-three percent.
Music?
Counselor. Music is a collection of acoustic vibrations. How can I reproduce a sound with clay?
Acknowledged. I am on my way.
Based on its present trajectory, the comet appears to have originated in the D'Arsay system.
That is correct, sir. This object has been en route for eighty-seven million years.
Aye, sir.
The comet's outer shell is composed primarily of gaseous hydrogen and helium surrounding an icy mantle. The inner core consists of heavier elements--
There is distortion within the comet's inner core. I believed we experienced an intense sensor echo.
I am attempting to do so now, sir...
I followed your advice, Counselor. I used my imagination.
For some reason, as I shaped the clay, the image of the mask was exceptionally clear in my mind... the design seemed to flow quite... naturally.
No, Counselor.
I do not.
Perhaps we should investigate this matter further.
I believe I recognize these symbols.
I do not know.
It is a possibility. I do not believe my systems are currently impaired, but I will run a full self-diagnostic to make certain.
'Boundary.'
'Border.' 'Road.' 'Companion.' 'Message.' 'Messenger.'
'Death.'
I do not believe so. The object is nearly solid, composed primarily of fortanium and several unknown materials... It is more than eighty-seven million years old.
Captain, I believe this object is an informational archive.
I... do not know, sir. However, I seem to have an intuitive understanding of its function.
It is a possibility, sir. I recommend that we perform a level one diagnostic of my positronic net immediately to determine if that is the case.
I suggest we examine the memory sub-systems next.
I am... not certain. I am experiencing a curious sensation...
An... impulse.
I do not know.
Geordi... What does it feel like when a person... loses his mind?
I... do not... know...
Okay.
I believe so, sir. But I am not entirely certain what has happened. Have I been dreaming again?
This was not created by the Archive... this is the clay mask I originally made. I have since glazed it.
Yes. Although I am relieved to be rid of those alien personalities... there is a sense in which I am now... empty.
I suspect the number was much greater.
My impression is that there were thousands... of all ages and walks of life.  It was a remarkable experience.
Yes, sir. Good night.
The unhatched eggs of a large scaleless fish.
The Klingon council is refusing to allow us access to their information net, Commander.
Orders of a member of the council.
The USS Intrepid, sir. They were the first ship on the scene.
How could you obtain access without the proper authorization codes?
Commander, I have discovered the basis of the charges against Worf's father.
Apparently the Klingons recently captured a Romulan ship with logs that provided new information on the Khitomer attack. They clearly indicate a transmission from the outpost to the Romulans moments before the shields dropped.
It does correspond to Mogh's personal security code.
I will try... but the Intrepid was at the edge of sensor range during the attack and we cannot be sure if the scans are complete.
Both the Intrepid and Romulan logs show a series of distress signals from Khitomer...
This is where Mogh's alleged transmission should be.
They are no longer synchronous.
Geordi... ?
Who?
I do not understand. Why is Spot under the bed?
Has Spot been misbehaving?
These incidents are common to cat owners. When you borrowed Spot, you said you wanted to experience the full range of feline behavior before getting a cat yourself.
Spot does not respond to verbal commands.
No.
I have never found it to be necessary.
I have never experienced that kind of behavior from Spot.  Although she does have the unfortunate habit of jumping onto my computer console when I am working.
I do not think it would be wise to startle her --
The unusually intense tetryon fields in this sector pose a severe navigational hazard to warpdriven vessels...
The Hekaras Corridor is the only route through the area which is free of tetryon fields. Ships travelling at warp must use the Corridor to ensure safe passage through the region.
At least two days, sir. The Corridor is over twelve lightyears long, and the surrounding tetryon interference will limit our sensor range.
Geordi, we have experienced a slight drop in sensor efficiency. Commander Riker would like us to examine the phase buffers.
Geordi, is there a problem with the engines?
Then why are you stabilizing the EPS conduit?
That would not affect the engines in any way.
Then... what is 'the point?'
Why?
I understand. You are in competition with Mister Kaplan.
That does sound like a competitive position.
But you are trying to outperform the Intrepid.
The phase buffer is functioning within normal parameters. Sensor efficiency has increased six-point-seven percent.
Geordi, I have taken your suggestion regarding Spot.
I have begun to train her. I am currently testing several techniques.
I began with simple conditioned response exercises and followed with various environmental enhancements. Next I intend to explore bio-conditioning devices.
Such as sensor nets for behavior modification... or bio-feedback motivators...  Unfortunately, I have been largely unsuccessful...
Geordi. I will not stun my cat.
There is clearly a misalignment somewhere in this system.
I am somewhat concerned that my training efforts will ultimately fail...
I have consulted numerous animal behavior manuals; several of them claim that cats are inherently untrainable.
What did she train her cat to do?
That is interesting. Perhaps I could modify your sister's technique to keep Spot off my console. Do you know how she was able to train her cat?
Data here.
Acknowledged, sir. We are on our way.
That is correct, sir. Their impulse systems appear to be down as well... power generation is at extremely low levels.
Life support is also functioning, at low levels. There are approximately four-hundred fifty Ferengi on board. That is a standard complement for a vessel of this class.
It would also explain the failure of their warp drive.
Direct hit.  Their weapon systems are down.
Sir, the Ferengi ship's power has stabilized... they appear to have impulse capability.
Spot -- down.
Spot -- down.
Spot -- down.
This is up. Up is no.
This is down.  Down is good.
Come in.
I would be happy to.
As part of her training program, I am teaching Spot to jump down from the desk on my command.
I have not been entirely successful...
Feline supplement two-hundred twenty-one.
I suppose I must accept that possibility. It may be that Spot lacks the intelligence necessary to learn the appropriate responses to my commands.
This procedure could only boost the conversion level by -- point-eight percent.
Enough?
'La Forge. I've got Intrepid's power conversion level up to ninety-seven-point-one percent. Maybe you should try cleaning your plasma grid once in a while.'
We perform maintenance on the plasma grid at regular intervals.
Unknown, sir. It does not appear on any Federation charts of the Corridor.
It is a possibility. The debris consists primarily of duranium and poly-composite fragments which suggests it could be from a ship. Furthermore, the field contains sufficient mass to account for the Fleming.
Captain, I am picking up a small, metallic object, approximately three-point-five meters in diameter...
I do not believe so... it is emitting an unusual signal ...  Sir, it is beginning to generate a verteron field.
Captain, there is an unidentified vessel heading toward us... two life forms aboard...
They are initiating their Transporter systems...
We are being boarded...
According to Serova and Rabal's theory, there are regions of potential subspace instability within the Corridor...
They believe that if these regions continue to be exposed to warp field energy, they will rupture -- subspace will extrude into normal space, forming a rift.
The analogy is essentially correct.
At this time, there is insufficient evidence to do so...
In order to determine whether or not a rift would form, we would have to expose a region of the Corridor to warp field energy approximately one-million times greater than that normally generated by a starship.
I agree that is a possibility.  Captain, I suggest we ask the Federation Science Council to send a research vessel to this area. A more detailed investigation would resolve many of our questions.
Yes, sir.
We have cleared the shock wave, sir... but tetryon flux in the area is increasing rapidly...
The effect is approximately zero-point-one light years in diameter, and is emitting extremely high levels of tetryon radiation...  It appears to be what Rabal and Serova predicted, sir -- a subspace rift.
Scanning...  The Fleming is near its previous coordinates... it appears to be intact.... but it is now within the rift.
As long as we maintain our current position, our shields should provide sufficient protection.
The waves are even more intense within the rift. I estimate their shields will fail within twelve hours.
Doctor, is it possible there are areas inside the rift which are stable... where we could safely use our warp engines?
That should not be possible.
I am not certain that is true.  I may have an idea.
I suggest we coast into the rift.
We can initiate a brief, high-intensity warp pulse from our current position. We should be able to attain sufficient velocity to enter the rift, beam the crew off the Fleming and exit -- without using our warp engines.
If we field-saturate the nacelles, we should be able to sustain warp speed for approximately two minutes.
Our timing will be critical.
Aye, sir.
I believe the maximum saturation level should be eighteen-point-three percent.
I agree. But based on the size of the rift, it should give us sufficient time to complete our rescue.  Computer. Begin nacelle field saturation.
What do you mean?
Technically, Geordi, we were not wrong. Serova's theories rested on assumptions which were unprovable.
But only by using methods which a reputable scientist would never employ.
We reviewed Serova's research to the best of our ability, and we were prepared to continue studying the problem. But that was not satisfactory.
I do not believe that you would have resorted to such extremes.
Perhaps because the aggressive methods she chose created an adversarial situation.
I do not understand...
Captain, warp pulse calculations are complete. We will be firing the engines at maximum intensity for six-point-three seconds before disengaging.
Engines disengaged...  We are entering the rift...
Hull stress is increasing... eighteen percent of maximum tolerance and rising...
Captain, if they activate their engines --
They are badly damaged, sir... their life support systems are failing.
Captain, when the Fleming activated its warp drive, the rift expanded by two-point-three percent...  We no longer have sufficient momentum to escape.
Captain, distortion wave intensity has increased by a factor of ten.
Distortion waves are now occurring every fifty-nine seconds... Hull stress is nearing maximum tolerance...
I do not believe so, sir... and the resulting explosion would most likely destroy the saucer section in the process...
The next distortion wave will impact in fourteen seconds...
Ten seconds...
Distortion wave impact... now.
We were unable to maintain contact with the distortion wave, sir... we are still within the rift.
Another distortion wave is approaching... impact in twenty-six seconds.
Captain, I suggest we take the ship to full impulse. If we can attain sufficient speed, it will lessen the shock when the wave hits.
Distortion wave impact in five seconds...
We are in the distortion wave... hull stresses exceeding tolerance...
We are within the distortion wave... hull stresses exceeding tolerance...
Approximately twelve seconds...  Hull stress is now one-hundred twenty percent above maximum...
We have cleared the rift. Hull stresses have returned to normal.
Starfleet has added a diplomatic mission to Oceanus Four.
Wesley -- was our attempt to make you uncomfortable effective?
And you found the deception pleasurable?
Have you found the Academy challenging, Wesley?
Although I did extremely well scholastically, my lack of Human understanding often created social obstacles.
I particularly recall a phenomenon called practical jokes, several of which I fell victim to.
I also found social gatherings difficult. There was one event, an Academy tradition, something called the Sadie Hawkins Dance.
It was a notably awkward experience.
Really? Your mother is quite an expert. She recently taught me.
I would be happy to give you lessons while you are here on vacation. I have created a comprehensive seventeen part course with some interesting holographic dancing partners. Several members of the crew have become quite proficient...
A conflict has started between the planetary evolution team and the stellar physicists. Both wish to use the thermal imaging array first.
A coin. Very good. I will replicate one immediately.
Go ahead, Doctor.
Yes, Doctor. I am on my way.
You wanted to see me, Doctor?
Certainly.
It does not bother me. In fact, I am happy to --
Mister Worf, you will find a small alien ship off the starboard bow. Secure it with a tractor beam and raise our shields.
Are you all right, Captain?
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.
We have programmed the main computer to transmit the same optical pulse to all display screens, work stations and terminals throughout the ship.
Aye sir.
The satellite's trajectory continues to deteriorate, Captain... This orbit will bring it to within five hundred kilometers of the planet's surface.
No, Doctor... it is a most unusual phenomenon.
The total mass of the moon would remain the same, Commander. And the impact of thousands of fragments would spread destruction over an even wider area.
Twenty-nine hours... projected somewhere on the western continent. It would destroy an area eight hundred kilometers in radius.
Delta-vee is ninety-two meters per second. The mass is too great. We are having an effect but it is negligible.
Unable to identify source...
He is reading as fully human.
Sensors are showing broad band emissions... including Berthold rays...
No, Commander. Overall exposure is under seventy-five rems. Very low intensity. More like a soft medical scan... I would speculate that we are being probed...
The sensors cannot identify point of origin. It seems to be coming from all around us...
I was considering the possibility that you are telling the truth... and really are human.
An irony.  It would mean you have achieved in disgrace what I have always aspired to be.
The human race has an enduring desire for knowledge, and for new opportunities to improve itself...
Oh, I do not feel envy.
I feel nothing at all. That is part of my dilemma. I have the curiosity of the human... but there are some questions I will never be able to answer... what is it like to laugh or to cry or to experience any human emotion... ?
The Enterprise will be dangerously close to the atmosphere.
Medical assistance to Engineering...
Can you recommend a way to counter the effect?
Geordi is trying to say that changing the gravitational constant of the universe is beyond our capabilities.
Q says he has hurt his back...
The choice of meal is determined by individual tastes.
Although I do not require sustenance, I occasionally ingest a semi-organic nutrient suspension in a silicon-based liquid medium.
It would be more accurate to say it is 'good for me' as it lubricates my bio-functions.
A wide variety of items... the replicator can make anything you desire.
I have observed that many food selections are influenced by the mood of the person ordering...
When Counselor Troi is in an unhappy mood, she often has something chocolate...
For example, a hot fudge sundae. I cannot speak from personal experience, but I have seen it often has a profound psychological impact.
I have never seen anyone eat ten.
The Captain and much of the crew are not yet convinced that he is truly human.
I am an android, not a robot.
He has provided important theoretical guidance for Geordi's analysis of the Bre'el satellite, Captain.
I am only stating a fact, Counselor.
Maintaining field integrity will be difficult, Geordi.
I do not perceive that your skills are doubted, Q. I believe the captain is more concerned with your ability to interact successfully with... his 'little trained minions'.
Human interpersonal relationships are most complex... your experiences may not have adequately prepared you.
To function aboard a starship, or in any human activity, you will have to form relationships.
Of more immediate importance is your ability to work within groups...
Geordi thinks he is in command here... and he is correct.
Warp core to ninety percent.
Yes, Captain... we are unable to encompass the entire moon...
Q, I strongly advise that you return to your post.
Inertial mass of the moon has decreased to approximately two-point-five million metric tons...
Hull temperature rising... two thousand degrees... two thousand five hundred degrees.
Sir, the aliens have disappeared.  And so has the shuttle.
I have, sir.
If your intention is to make me human, Q...
I do not know. But it was a wonderful... feeling.
The moon's altitude is fifty-five thousand kilometers, projected orbit is nearly circular. There is no further danger to the planet.
We are approaching the designated coordinates, Captain.
Sensors find no evidence of the shuttle anywhere within the star system.
Scan shows no debris within that radius.
Captain, I am detecting an unusual reading... It appears to be a neutrino emission with no visible source.
I have none. I recommend we launch a probe.
The probe is transmitting information within normal parameters. Sensors do not show evidence of any unusual phenomenon --
The probe is no longer transmitting.
Why?
Prelaunch sequence is underway.
Clearance is granted.  The shuttle is underway.
At warp six, fifty-three hours, sir.
Curious... There seems to be a problem in the Holodeck's spatial orientation systems.
Sherlock Holmes program Three-A has demonstrated some very curious anomalies.
Since both planets are gas giants, neither possesses a solid surface. Their atmospheres, however, will come into contact in approximately seventeen hours and nine minutes.
Possible, but highly unlikely. Your consciousness is computer generated; it is not capable of manipulating physical reality in the required manner.
Data to Security... send two officers to Holodeck Three.
This contradicts everything we know about Holodeck physics.
There is also no way of knowing if the Professor's ability to exist off the Holodeck is permanent. Perhaps it is unwise to consider creating a second individual while that uncertainty exists.
Within the next five hours.
Sir -- command functions are being rerouted.
Unknown, sir.
I believe we are being asked to develop an entirely new science.
However, if it were possible to lock onto the object... it might rematerialize with the molecular cohesion of conventional matter.
Set up the pattern enhancers around whatever object you wish to transport. I will proceed to the Transporter Room to begin modifications.
Go ahead, Lieutenant.
The modifications are complete. Stand by.
Energizing...  I am having difficulty establishing a pattern lock...  Boost the confinement beam.
Pattern lock established...
No. It lost its cohesion as soon as the Transporter cycle was complete.
Agreed. However, we may be able to learn something from the attempt.
Computer, display transport logs for the sequence just completed.
Computer, what is being displayed here?
That is the correct log... but no information is being presented.
It is as if our attempt to transport the chair... never occurred.
Geordi.
Captain, I have determined how Moriarty was able to leave the Holodeck. He never did. Neither did we.  None of this is real. It is a simulation. We are still on the Holodeck.
Through deduction. Lieutenant Barclay and I tried to transport a simulated object off the Holodeck -- something that has never been attempted. But since the transporter itself was just a simulation, the computer had no real data from which to create a transport log.
But then I saw you working the PADD with your left hand. Commander La Forge is right-handed. A similar malfunction occurred in the Sherlock Holmes program I was running before Moriarty first appeared.
It appears that Moriarty has programmed the Holodeck to accept only his commands.
You and I are real, as is Lieutenant Barclay. We entered the Holodeck together when we first went to see Moriarty.
I believe that to be the case, sir.
You may have inadvertently given Professor Moriarty the means of gaining control of the real Enterprise.
Less than three hours.
Did Moriarty release the voice commands, Captain?
When he attempted to contact the real Bridge, he was in fact talking to a simulation.
In a way, Doctor. However, it has no physicality. The program is continuing... but only within the computer circuitry.
Every nanosecond in this continuum becomes a moment in history once it has elapsed.
It should be interesting.
Doctor Ja'Dar, how closely will the Enterprise need to follow the test vehicle?
The prototype has been towed into position, Captain.
Sensors show the field generators on the planet surface are charging, sir.
The test ship has successfully entered warp, sir.
The test ship is maintaining warp two point three five.
No, sir. The effect is localized to within two kilometers of the wavefront.
That is four hundred fifty percent more efficient than our own warp drive.
The wave's power signature is fluctuating, Captain.
It is expanding toward us, sir. It appears to be interfering with our engines.
Our last readings indicate the craft exploded due to extreme shearing stress.
Sensors coming back on-line, sir.
Aye, sir.
The wave is continuing on course for the Lemma Two colony... it is bearing zero two zero, mark three two nine.
Sir, the wave has increased in velocity. It is now traveling at warp four point one.
Sir, the the wave's energy level has increased by a factor of twelve.
At this rate, it will have increased by a factor of two hundred by the time it reaches Lemma Two.
Because the soliton is constantly changing in both frequency and amplitude, it will be extremely difficult to achieve a precise match.
Warp six point three seven.
Which would require the Enterprise to go through the wave.
The wave has grown in size as well as power. There is insufficient time remaining for us to circumvent it before it reaches Lemma Two.
The wave has increased speed to warp seven point two.
We have passed through the wave, Captain.
Sir, there are life-forms present in that biolab.
Sir, readings also indicate the presence of a humanoid.
At our current speed... four minutes, thirty seconds.
Sir, biolab four is in one of the areas that will be flooded with ion radiation.
The soliton wave has closed to ten kilometers, Captain.
The wave has closed to one kilometer, Captain.
The wave is about to overtake us, sir.
The wave has been disrupted, Captain.
This is not an efficient method for the preparation of sustenance.
Estimate intercept in three minutes.
Target vehicle -- we will be within tractor beam range in two zero seconds.
Locking tractor beam.
The tractor beam has been locked.
Yes, sir.
Both primary and reserve power has been drained from the shuttle. I am going to have to connect to the Enterprise in order to activate the shuttle's systems.
The polarity was not compatible.
The power requirements of the shuttle do not match the Enterprise. We are going to need a variable phase inverter, to align the power from the Enterprise to the circuits of the shuttle.
I do not have enough information.
Perhaps you had better step back out of the way.
Increase the power.
Adjust the invert two percent positive.
Yes.
Adjust the invert two percent negative.
According to the shuttle log, the Enterprise was destroyed three hours, nineteen minutes from now.
That last sound apparently occurred when the shuttle was thrown back in time.
I have nothing to offer. There is not enough information upon which I can base a hypothesis.
Your assessment is accurate.
Perhaps it always was unstable and it was only by leaving and coming back that you were able to see the change.
It is similar to our tractor beam, only much more powerful.
The beam is coming directly from the center of the vortex. Sensors show only massive amounts of energy.
Course set.
We are back on course to Endicor.
Imagination is not necessary; the scale is readily quantifiable.  We are presently generating twelve point seven-five billion gigawatts per second.
The temperature in the reaction chamber has increased by forty-seven percent.
Temperature increase is at one hundred six percent... and rising.
Plasma inductors are not responding.
Temperature in the reaction chamber is back to normal.
Yes, Captain.
It does not seem consistent with what we know of them.
Aye, sir.
Captain, there is a message from Tagra Four.
Captain... may I see you for a moment?
I have some information regarding Amanda Rogers' parents.
Unknown, sir. The bodies were found in the rubble after the storm had passed.
Yes, Captain.
Captain...
I have more information regarding the tornado that killed Amanda Rogers' parents.
It was unusually compact, yet extremely powerful -- its recorded wind velocity was characteristic of a funnel three times its size.
Yes, sir.
If we use , we can devise a mechanism that integrates into the existing system while it is in operation.
Sir... I am reading a massive energy fluctuation in the planet's atmosphere.
Atmospheric contaminants have dropped to less than one part per trillion.  The ecosystem has been restored to its natural state.
Captain, I have no reports of any Federation ships in that area.
I have analyzed the residue of the explosives. They are not of any known Ferengi design. It is possibly Romulan.
I have located a ship. It is drifting.
Aye, sir.
The life-support systems on the ship are failing, propulsion, navigation, and all communication, inoperative.
None, sir.
I have identified the vessel. It is the Batris. A general cargo vessel.
It is very restricted. The signal from Geordi's VISOR is so complex that it is difficult to encode and breaks down easily.
I am detecting high levels of Deuterium gas. Probably coming from the leakage in the drive system.
Not as yet.
The life signs are emanating from the far side of Engineering.
All routes are equally dangerous.
There is no significant difference.
The life signs are very strong now. They are coming from over there.
Negative. This is the only way. I think the safest way to proceed is for me to cross alone. The heat and toxic gases have less effect on me.
I found them. The door to their compartment is jammed.
The control mechanism. It is inoperative.
I advise against the use of phasers. The gas buildup is too great, Commander.
I believe there is a quicker way out of here.
He is alive -- but just barely.
As you wish.
Captain, long-range sensors indicate another vessel approaching this area.
No, sir. Not yet.
It is a warning.
They are warning the dead -- beware -- a Klingon warrior is about to arrive.
Sir, the Klingon vessel is within range. They are requesting visual contact.
Visual on, sir.
Commander, I am picking up some unusual readings from the Alpha Omicron system.
At this range, all I can discern is that it is an asymmetrical field of intense energy.
Unknown, sir.  Commander, the Alpha Omicron system has not yet been charted. I recommend that we take this opportunity for further research.
The anomaly is orbiting the seventh planet. It is a mass of plasma energy contained within discrete boundaries by an outer covering of silicates, actinides, and carbonaceaous chondrites.
None, sir. This has never been seen before.
Sensors are having difficulty penetrating the interior. However, the pattern of radiated output suggests a coherent system of energy storage and utilization.
It is a possibility, sir. However, sensor data gathered thus far suggests this is a naturally occurring phenomenon with biological properties.
Yes, Captain.
Change in readings, Captain. The lifeform has increased its energy output by fifty percent.
We are being held, in an energy damping field, sir.
No change in our position.
Radiation levels dropping back to normal, Captain.
The energy patterns are breaking down... the lifeform's radiation signature is no longer stable.
Energy output is negligible... radiation patterns are no longer coherent.  I believe it is dead, sir.
Captain, sensors are picking up a new energy reading from the lifeform.
There is a new concentration of ionizing radiation growing in the center of its body.
This new concentration of energy was detected only after the surrounding material became inert.
The radiation signature is similar to the original pattern, but there are significant differences.
I believe this is separate and self-contained within the body of the dead lifeform.
Yessir. It appears to be a smaller, less developed version of the original creature.
First incision is complete.
The lifeform's patterns are stable, Captain. It seems able to withstand the solar radiation without difficulty.
A change in energy readings, sir. I am reading an internal buildup of gamma particles in---
Sir, the creature is now in direct contact with the hull.
Sir, the lifeform is draining energy directly from the fusion reactors.
I can attempt to extrapolate from the heading it was on when we encountered it, sir.
Is the appellation 'Junior' to be the lifeform's official name from now on?
Captain, I have completed the analysis of the parent's course through this system.
The asteroids contain large quantities of meklinite, which is interferring with our scanners.  I am also detecting traces of Kefnium, a compound which was found in the parent being's outer shell. It is likely that the asteroids provide sustenance for this lifeform.
Captain, the offspring is emitting a high frequency radio transmission.
I am detecting other radio transmissions, Captain.
At their current speed, the entities will intercept us in ten minutes, thirty-one seconds.
Negative. I detect no reduction in the lifeform's rate of energy consumption.
The lifeform is emitting its high frequency transmission... energy consumption is rising...
Auxiliary generators are losing power, Captain...
The entity has disengaged, sir.
Power returning to normal levels, Captain.
The planet's troposphere is distorting the signal.
You wanted to see me.
Salia of Daled Four.
Very little is known.
She was born on Daled Four. Her parents were from opposite sides of factions which have been feuding for centuries. They died shortly after her birth. A Federation ship brought her and her governess to Klavdia Three to be raised in a neutral environment.
It is hoped she will unite the factions and bring peace.
What puzzles me, Captain, is how she is expected to bring peace to Daled Four. The one thing we do know about it is that its inhabitants have been fighting throughout their recorded history.
Only that it is the difference between night and day.
I did? I meant that Daled Four does not rotate. One side has constant night, the other constant daylight. One might surmise that the two hemispheres developed disparate cultures, which is a major cause of most wars.
It should be that simple, Wesley. Judging by her appearance it is likely you and Salia are biologically compatible. Of course, there may be a difference in the histocompatibility complex in the cell membrane.
Sir, it is unlikely that Daled Four will respond.
The troposphere appears to be absorbing our signals. It is fascinating, Captain. Klavdia Three and Daled Four have almost identical atmospheres.
Apparently Klavdia Three was chosen for Salia because these conditions are important for their species's survival.
Sir, sensors indicate the communication originated from a gigawatt source on the planet.
It is what is needed to penetrate the atmosphere.
Captain, I have a visual identification of Senator Pardek of Romulus...
This is a Barolian record of a trade negotiation in which Pardek participated four years ago...
Yessir.
He has been in public service since he was a young man... a senator for nine decades. He is considered a 'man of the people... ' He has sponsored many reforms. Reportedly, he is considered by the Romulan leadership to be something of a radical because he has been an advocate for peace throughout his career.
Yessir.
The district he represents is called the Krocton Segment. He maintains a dwelling there.
There is more, sir... I took the liberty of expanding the perameters of my search... and have discovered that Pardek has several relatives in the Krocton Segment. It is likely that you will be able to locate him there on the third day of the Romulan week when the Senate is not in session.
Thank you, sir.
To the surface, sir?
I understand how you can be made to look Romulan, but I believe it will be more difficult to transform an android, Captain.
Removable, Doctor?
No, Doctor... they are fully integrated components.
Is this the captain's quarters, or mine?
These quarters were obviously intended for only one crewmember, sir. There is a single sleeping space.
Since I do not require sleep, I propose you take the --  -- shelf. I will be content to stand.
Are you comfortable, sir?
Good-night, Captain. Sleep well.
Sir? Was I making noise?
I was processing the information we have accumulated on Romulan society. I am preparing for the task of impersonating a Romulan.
Would you like me to discontinue?
I am not looking at anything, sir. I am continuing to organize my files.
I am sorry if I am disturbing you, sir. I will not look in your direction.
Sir, do you not wish to sleep?
I would be happy to.  I have been studying the Krocton Segment, as you asked, and have selected an appropriate site for our transport...
I am very pleased, sir. I would not have thought it possible.
I am eager to test the success of our efforts. It does remain to be seen if the Romulans will accept us.
Sir, you have seemed unusually pensive since we received the news of Ambassador Sarek's death.
I am afraid I do not entirely understand, sir. As a Vulcan, would not Ambassador Spock simply see death as a logical result of his father's illness... ?
Considering the exceptionally long lifespan of Vulcans, it does seem odd that Spock and Sarek did not choose to resolve their differences in the time available.
This is definitely the street on which the intelligence scan of Spock and Pardek was taken, sir... adjusting for the optical distortion, I am able to verify the architectural features...
Sir?
I am sorry, Captain. I will be more careful.
Yes, Cap --  I understand.  I have located the place where they were standing...
It is here --  -- at this doorway.
A legal intercessor's office... the name is similar to Pardek's. It would appear to be one of his relatives.
What do you recommend?
That sounds very appealing. I will have soup.
We are here for the day... from the city of Rateg.
Why do you say that?
It is a misconception that all Rategs speak with a particular inflection. In fact, there are twelve different --
We may not have to... Direct your view to the far corner... is that not Pardek?
Perhaps you should appear to enjoy your soup.
Good morning, Commander.
I found it extremely interesting. The lateral sensor array performed three separate spectral analyses of the Alwanir Nebula on three distinct frequencies.
I will have the reports sent to you.  We are still on course for the Gariman system, our speed is warp six and our ETA is thirteen hundred hours. Sickbay reported one minor injury in the exobiology department at zero four twenty hours.
Yes, sir. I was not informed of any change in the duty roster.
One thousand five hundred and forty-seven years to be exact.
Faith. Then you do believe Kahless may have... supernatural attributes?
As an android, I am unable to accept something which cannot be proven through rational means. I would appreciate hearing your insight on this matter.
Or the B'nok faction.
The appearance of Kahless in the lava cave is consistent with the stories found in the Klingon sacred texts.
Lieutenant. May I ask you a personal question?  In the absence of empirical data, how will you determine whether or not this is the real Kahless?
Commander, there is an incoming message. Text only.
It is from Gowron. He is aboard the Klingon ship Bortas and is requesting that we alter course to rendezvous with him.
Lieutenant, would my presence here be inappropriate? I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to study Klingon beliefs in this forum, but I do not wish to give offense.
Thank you.
They refused to transport back to the ship with the rest of Gowron's men. They insisted on waiting here until they see Kahless again. Their faith appears to be unaffected by his inability to defeat Gowron. They still believe.
Does that mean you no longer believe this is the real Kahless?
I am curious. Do you still believe that the real Kahless will return someday? Or has this experience only deepened the spiritual crisis which originally sent you to Boreth?
I understand your dilemma. I once had what could be considered a crisis of the spirit.
Yes. The Starfleet officers who first activated me on Omicron Theta told me that I was an android -- nothing more than a very sophisticated machine in human form.  However I realized that if I were simply a machine, then I could never be anything else -- I could not grow beyond my programming. I found that difficult to accept.  I chose to believe that I was a person, that I had the potential to become more than a collection of circuits and subprocessors.  It is a belief that I still hold.
I believe I made a... 'leap of faith.'
The delay will also make it possible for Stellar Dynamics to complete their study of the Vodrey Nebula.
Starfleet records contain no mention of the Duras sisters after their departure from Deep Space Nine.
We are approaching Kalla Three.
It is difficult to say. The magnesite is interfering with bioreadings.
Then you are denying involvement in illegal mining activities.
I suspect that you are feigning ignorance.
Would you be willing to share your information with us?
We could certainly provide you with passage off this planet in exchange for information.
What kind of ship do they have?
Gather your belongings. It is time to leave.
I am detecting a vessel holding position near the third planet...  It is a Yridian freighter.
The resonance signature indicates that there is magnesite ore present...
Sir, readings indicate that there are only five hundred kilograms of ore in the Yridian's hold...
Sir, that would place the ore directly off the ship's starboard bow.
Enterprise to Commander La Forge. I am reading significant power fluctuations from the station core. Please report.
Enterprise to La Forge... what is your situation?
Commander La Forge, please report.
How were you able to accomplish the repair so quickly?
Energize.
Welcome to the Enterprise, Doctor. I am Lieutenant Commander Data.
And I have studied your design for the particle fountain, Doctor. I find the concept to be highly innovative.
I am curious how you were able to repair the power grid so quickly.
The interlink sequencer is now bi-directional. It compensates for...
'Exocomps... ?'
The correct procedure would be to adjust the converter.
A mode stabilizer.
You have incorporated a micro-replication system into the device... in order to fashion tools.
So... in a sense, they are 'learning.'
The exocomps are highly sophisticated devices, sir. If they perform to expectations, their potential to advance this project is considerable.
Thank you, Doctor. I would welcome the opportunity.
I agree, Doctor.
I have successfully completed fourteen separate tasks with this exocomp in the past hour. I estimate it would have taken two people nine hours to accomplish the same tasks. I would characterize the unit's performance as excellent.
I am confident that they will. Commander La Forge is an excellent --
It is not accepting my commands.
Doctor --
The interface circuitry which links the exocomp to the control padd has been completely burned out.
No.
Interesting... the number of circuit pathways within the exocomp has increased by six-hundred thirty-two percent.
Doctor... the new pathways do not appear to be interfering with the original circuitry --
Apparently there was a micro-fracture in the conduit wall. The fault did not register on our instruments.
Geordi, are you implying that the exocomp was exhibiting a form of self-preservation?
Computer... perform a level one diagnostic on the exocomp's command module.
How can that be... if the interface circuitry is burned out?
Curious...
Computer, access the exocomp's sensor logs and confirm that there was a failure of the interface circuitry within the last twelve hours.
How... and when... was it repaired?
Why would the exocomp burn out its own interface circuitry... and then repair it two hours later?
Doctor, are you injured?
I would like to ask you a question. What is your definition of life?
I am searching for a definition which will allow me to test an hypothesis.
And you would suggest that anything which exhibits those characteristics would be considered alive?
What about fire?
Yes. It consumes fuel to produce energy... it grows... it creates offspring... by your definition, is it alive?
And what about me? I do not grow... I do not reproduce... and yet I am considered to be alive.
I wonder if that is so...
I am curious... as to what transpired between one moment when I was nothing more than an assemblage of parts in Doctor Soong's laboratory... and the next moment when I became 'alive.' What was it that endowed me with life?
Are you saying that the question can never be answered?
I think I understand, Doctor.
On the contrary, Doctor -- you have helped a great deal. Thank you.
Doctor, please... I must ask you to stop using the exocomps.
No. It is not that.
I have reason to believe that the exocomps are alive.
Sir, when the exocomp left the access tunnel prior to the explosion, I believe it may have been attempting to save itself from destruction.
I believe so. When you attempted to override the exocomp and send it back into the tunnel, it responded by deliberately burning out its control interface.
The computer diagnostic showed that the exocomp disabled its own interface.
However, two hours later, when the exocomp was aboard the Enterprise and no longer in danger... it repaired itself.
I believe that the exocomp was protecting itself. And if that is true, it has demonstrated an awareness of its environment -- and an ability to adapt to that environment.
There is a big difference between a humanoid and a virus, Doctor. But both are alive.
Thank you, sir. And until we have a definitive answer, I believe that it is inappropriate to exploit the exocomps as laborers.
Yes.
We have created a small conduit breach in this tube. The exocomp would normally require several minutes to complete this type of repair. However, once it enters the tube, it will find that a plasma cascade failure is in progress.
Thank you for your help, Doctor.
As do I, sir. Thank you.
That is true.
I have completed thirty-four additional trials, and the results have been the same in each of them.  Perhaps I was wrong in suspecting the exocomp was alive.
You said earlier that I am unique. If so, that means I am alone in the universe. As I investigated the exocomps, I realized that I might be encountering a progenitor of myself. Suddenly the possibility existed that I was no longer alone.  For that reason, it was --
The exocomp has returned...
In the previous thirty-four trials, I brought it back once the simulated failure occurred. This time, we were talking, and I neglected to do that.
Do not apologize, Doctor. I believe we have discovered something significant.
The exocomp has replicated a different tool... that is not the molecular fuser it had when it entered the Jeffries tube.
Doctor... the exocomp not only completed the repairs... it also deactivated the overload signal.
It was. And the exocomp must have realized that. It saw there was no real danger... and completed the repairs...
I see no other possible explanation.
Commander, the particle fountain is continuing to surge. At the present rate, the radiation within the station core will reach fatal levels in twenty-three minutes.
A force field was activated on the station a few moments ago. It is possible that Commander La Forge has established a low-intensity deflector field.
No, sir. My readings indicate that it will fail in approximately twenty-two minutes.
I estimate that it would take a minimum of sixty-five minutes to properly configure the torpedo.
Commander. I must object to this plan.
Sir, Doctor Crusher and I discovered that the exocomp did not fail the test. It is still my belief that we are dealing with a new life form --
Commander, if I am correct, the exocomps will not allow themselves to be destroyed. They have a sense of survival, and will shut down before they will comply with the order.
Commander, that will not be necessary. The Transporter is not malfunctioning. I have locked out the controls.
I cannot do that, sir.
That is your prerogative, sir. Under Starfleet regulations, direct insubordination is a court martial offense.  But I cannot release the Transporter.
Commander, please do not think I have made an arbitrary decision. I have considered the ramifications of my actions carefully. And I do not believe it is justifiable to sacrifice one life form for another.
It is true that I am acting on a personal belief. But I do not see how I can do otherwise.
I have observed that humans often base their judgments on nothing more than what is referred to as 'intuition' or 'instinct.' Because I am a machine, I lack that particular ability. However... it is possible that I may have an insight into other machines that humans lack.
Then let me offer an alternative. If you transport me to the station, I will try to complete a manual shut down of the particle stream.
If I give up my life to save my fellow officers, that is my choice. The exocomps no longer have that choice.
A choice, sir?
That seems reasonable, sir... if they choose to go, I would be willing to release the Transporter lock-out.
If the exocomps do not shut down after I have programmed them, we may assume that they are willing to go.
They seem to be re-programming the commands I entered...
Clearly, they are not willing to be transported into the stream for detonation... however, they may have an alternate solution.
Not at all... but they do have superior experience, Doctor... during their service, they have interfaced with every part of the station core... something none of us has done, including yourself. They may have another way to control the particle surge.
Can you lock on to the exocomps?
It was the only way to save the other two.
Thank you, Doctor.  I wish your work on the particle fountain had been more successful... perhaps the exocomps will be able to help you to re-construct it.
Yes, sir. I thought you might be curious why I would be willing to risk your life for several small machines.
No, sir. It was not. Several years ago, when my status as a living being was in question, you fought to protect my rights -- and for that, I will always be grateful.  The exocomps had no such advocate, sir. If I had not acted in their behalf, they would have been destroyed. I could not allow that to happen.
In the game of military brinksmanship, individual physical prowess is less important than the perception of a species as a whole. For over nine millennia potential foes have regarded the Zakdorns as having the greatest innately strategic minds in the galaxy.
Exactly.
The Zakdornian culture is replete with self-assuredness and confidence. It is seldom undeserved. For example, Kolrami is a third level grand master at the game of Strategema.
Forever curious, this urge to 'compete.'
Doctor, there are other ways to challenge oneself.
To avoid deceiving oneself.
Why?
To what end?
But I have expressed no such interest.
Indeed I...
...Cannot.
In the present context, what did she mean by, 'Bust him up?'
As opposed to what?
Thank you, but there would be no point.
Obviously I am not.
Come in, please.
Counselor. Is something wrong?
With my repository of knowledge, I expected to perform better against a humanoid life-form.
Counselor -- I do not have an 'ego.'
Counselor -- I do not have a --
That is what troubles me. I made no mistakes.  Hence, I have conducted a diagnostic check of all of my programs, and now I am cross-checking with the ship's computer.
I believe so. I have proven to be vulnerable, and at the present time, skepticism must be awarded my deductions.
Yes, the captain would be ill advised to rely upon my judgement.
I, however, am not sure.
Come in, please.
Doctor?
I am running diagnostic --
No, Doctor, this is not ego. I am concerned about giving the captain unsound advice.
For what? It is done, and perhaps just as well. This has indicated that I am damaged in some fashion. I must find the malfunction.
Come in, please.
Captain, with all due respect, perhaps it would be better if you choose another to serve as your first --
I have not been able to isolate the problem. I might make a mistake.
Yes.
Thank you, Captain, I believe I understand.
I have several examples of Commander Riker's battle technique. At the Academy, he calculated a sensory blind spot on a Tholian vessel and hid within it during a battle simulation. And as a lieutenant aboard the Potemkin, his solution to a crisis was to shut down all power, and hang over a planet's magnetic pole, thus confusing his opponent's sensors.
Only twenty-one percent of the time does he rely upon traditional tactics.
So the captain must be prepared for extreme cunning.  Counselor, Commander Riker will assume that we have made this analysis, and knowing that we know his methods, he will alter them.  But knowing that we know that he knows that we know he might choose to return to his usual pattern.
He is a fighter.
The weaker his position, the more aggressive will be his posture.
Then despite whatever logical choices he is offered, he must be --
Is that a failing in humans?
Disengage modified beams.
Computer reports simulated damage to several aft decks. Repair time three-point-six days.
Sever modified beams, engage phasers and target!
Captain, the Ferengi have broken off their attack.  Drop shields. Transport the away team aboard.
Shields reduced to one-fifth intensity.
Our shields will not withstand another assault.
Premise: The Ferengi wish to capture the Hathaway believing it to be of value. Therefore, we must remove the ship from their field of interest.
At the captain's signal, we will fire four photon torpedoes directly at the Hathaway. A millisecond before detonation, the computer will trigger your warp jump.
If the warp engines should fail to function, the result could be... unfortunate.
Remember, Geordi, if the implementation is off by a millisecond, the Hathaway will not survive.
Why have you suspended the game?
No, sir -- it is a stalemate.
I simply altered my 'premise' for playing.
Working under the assumption that Kolrami is attempting to win, it is reasonable to assume that he expects me to play for the same goal.
No. I was playing only for a standoff -- a 'draw.' While Kolrami was dedicated to winning, I was able to pass up obvious avenues of advancement and settle for a balance.  Theoretically, I should be able to challenge him indefinitely.
A matter of perspective. In the strictest sense I did not win.
I busted him up.
Listed as Delphi Ardu, sir. Eleven planets, unexplored.
Possibility: a malfunction in their engines, sir.
Nothing specific, sir. As you know, Ferengi technology is estimated to be generally equal to our own...
Correct, sir. We are no doubt advanced in some areas, they in others...
Mostly electromagnetic, sir. Fusion generator and batteries down by...
They are slowing too, sir.
Sir, something is dragging us forward.
Captain, this shouldn't be. Our ship's power systems are failing!
None, sir. Only hearsay and thirdhand reports, most of which conflict.
That the Ferengi are... well, the best description may be 'traders.'
A more accurate comparison modern scholars have drawn from Earth history cites the ocean-going 'Yankee Traders' of eighteenth and nineteenth century America, sir.
Who sail, in this case the galaxy, in search of mercantile and territorial opportunity.
Hardly, sir. I believe this analogy refers to the nefarious capitalist manner in which the Ferengi are known to conduct their affairs of commerce.  'Never give a sucker an even break.'
I'm not sure, sir. That entry was only identified as 'slang', terms or expressions which typify everyday language of...
Well, I doubt if they wear red, white and blue, sir. Or look anything like Uncle Sam.
... and the German nation black, red and gold; the Italians green, white and red; the British...
Sir, it was you who...
Given what is occurring to our vessel, Captain, their weapons could be vastly superior to ours.
Captain? I think you better see this...
In my opinion, someone is reading every file, every 'bit' of information stored in the Enterprise memory banks...
And more, perhaps.
Open, Captain.
Hailing frequencies open, sir.
I am relieved we have no such code involving our second officers.
As requested, Captain, library-computer information on this planet.
It has been charted only, from long range scans. It is Class M, but with no indications of life forms, sentient or otherwise. However, you may find this of interest...
Resolving it into our language...
Understandable. It has been extinct six hundred thousand of... of our years.  According to... legend, these planets... were outposts... of that empire...
Apologies, Captain. I seem to have reached an odd functional impass. I am, ah...  Stuck.
Yes, sir. That is what I am trying to do...  But the solution eludes me.
Intriguing.  Again, only legend, but it describes the Empire as impossibly huge and powerful.
Correct, sir. Outposts. And the planet below was possibly one of them...
By their Sun going supernova, sir.
This planet, Gamma Tauri IV, could have been the most distant outpost, sir, in theory. But since it shows no life form readings...
'Yankee Traders.'
Especially in view of the fact the image he transmitted was likely distorted somehow, sir.
Very intriguing, sir.
I assume a problem of program coordinates due to the energy field around the ship, sir.  Are we alone?
Crystalline, quite inert. 'Nothing to write home about.'
That is slang, sir.  I did use it correctly, did I not?
... transporter distribution inversely proportional to the density of...
What?
Tricorder is useless here, sir. Communications are gone, too.
It is fortunate you did not break anyth...
Careful, Commander, they're much stronger than...
How intriguing.  I believe we can deduce these crystalline tree-shapes to be energy collectors.
It is a matter of record, Portal, in the Age of Makto, the central star of the Tkon Empire destabilized and...
In fact, there have been many ages which have come and passed since Makto...
I am afraid not, as by the Tkon use of galactic motionary startime charts, after Bastu, there has been Cimi, Xora, Makto, Ozari, Fendor...
Excellent idea, sir.
They should add also that Starfleet has refused to prevent several civilizations from falling; we have sometimes let the violent and strong overcome the weak...
Something to write home about.
The only permanent solution would be to re-liquefy the core.
The procedure would involve using our ship's phasers to drill down through the planet's surface and into the pockets -- where we would set up a series of plasma infusion units.
It should be possible to stabilize the core temperature at ninety-three percent of normal.
Yes, Doctor?
You are Doctor Juliana Tainer.
Have we met before?
You were a colleague of Doctor Soong?
Doctor, I have no memory of you.
My memory record begins when I was activated by the Starfleet officers who found me on the Omicron Theta outpost.
Yes. All of the inhabitants of the colony had been killed.
But -- I discovered that my memory banks contained the contents of their journals and logs.
My -- childhood?
Hiccuping?
So you wiped my memory processors after this -- childhood.
Doctor, I have scanned the colonists' journals... there is only one Juliana mentioned in them, and her last name is O'Donnell.
But there is no mention that my father was married to you.
My father did have an unusual way of looking at things...
I encountered him once -- in the Terlina system.
It was shortly before his death.
Yes.
What do you mean?
This has been an interesting encounter, and one altogether unexpected. I would like to corroborate what you have told me before we proceed further.
Excuse me, Doctor.
Inform me when you are ready.
I am attempting to ascertain whether Doctor Tainer's story is true.
I neither doubt nor believe her. I am simply attempting to verify her assertions.
I am checking passenger manifests to see if they went to Mavala during the period in question.
O'Donnell, Juliana...  Soong, Noonian -- they were both passengers on a transport that travelled from Omicron Theta to Mavala... and returned four days later.
Still, the fact that they went to Mavala does not prove they were married there.
Not at all. I am merely unable to reconcile her story with the fact that my father never mentioned her to me.
Yes.  It is possible that those are the memories of my childhood. And of my mother.
I can think of no motive for such a pretense.
That is true...
I will admit that it is difficult for me to accept the possibility of a past about which I know nothing...  But it is also true that I am very curious to learn more about it.
I would like to get to know you.  Mother.
How did you decide?
Yes.
Pleased?
You misunderstand; Counselor Troi is a therapist --
Doctor Tainer has provided me with many details about my development that I was not aware of. Conversing with her was a fascinating experience --
Her interest in me seems to be... limitless.
I was a parent. I do not recall exhibiting excessive interest in Lal's behavior.
Yes, but... she needed my help.
If that is true... then why did she never attempt to contact me?
We will be in position over the drilling site in three minutes, twenty-nine seconds.
These scans indicate that the magma pockets where we plan to set up the infusion units are somewhat unstable.
Thank you, Geordi.
I am incapable of embarrassment. Please, continue.
My calculations indicate that the first phaser blast will be approximately nineteen seconds in duration.
The beam has penetrated eight kilometers beneath the surface...
We are within two kilometers of the magma pocket.
I detect no increase in stress levels in the surrounding magma.
The drilling process has raised the temperature inside the magma pocket by almost three hundred degrees C. It will be several hours before it cools enough for us to enter.
I do not.
Thank you. I have been practicing for a recital tomorrow evening.
I have been told that my playing is technically flawless, but it has never been described as beautiful.
Are you certain that you are not saying that because you are my Mother?  I have observed that parents tend to exaggerate when it comes to their children's accomplishments.
I do not know for certain... but I believe that it is during my creative endeavors that I come closest to experiencing what it might be like to be human.
As am I.
I would like that very much.
I can replicate one for you.
Yes.
I am attempting to master all known styles of painting.
This one is in the style of the early French impressionists...
That is Lal, my daughter.
Yes. I created her... using myself as a model.
The positronic matrix I designed for her was unstable. She only lived a short time.
In a sense, you were her grandmother...
Would you like to practice now?
The acoustics in Ten Forward are quite favorable.
Of course.
Perhaps. I created Lal because I wished to procreate. Despite what happened to her, I still have that wish.
I was not aware that he created any androids before my brother.
Mother... I am that android. Are you saying that you were against my creation?
Then... why did you never attempt to contact me?
What?
Perhaps if you told me what has made you feel that way, your guilt might be alleviated.
We are within four kilometers of the magma pocket...
Doctor, should we lower the beam intensity?
If we do, we will have to begin a new shaft at another suitable location --
I am detecting no signs of instability...
Acknowledged.
I have initialized the plasma induction coils.
I am incapable of anger.
I am not certain that I do. Perhaps you could clarify them for me?
If I had been your biological offspring, would you have left me behind on Omicron Theta?
Doctor Tainer, I have the impression that you are trying to spare my feelings. I assure you, that is not necessary.
Is that because you place more value on biological life than on artificial life?
I do. Thank you for making it clear to me.
Thank you.
Would you excuse me? There is something I must do.
I am not certain. Perhaps you could determine that from her Transporter trace pattern.
Doctor... I would ask that you not require me to be more specific. But I assure you that I have a good reason for asking.
I see.
She has not complained of any discomfort.
Because... I have reason to believe she is not who she claims to be...
Go ahead, Commander...
On my way.  Excuse me, Doctor.
Acknowledged, Commander.
Energize.
There will be more seismic activity. We must hurry.
The shaft has not been obstructed by the seismic activity -- it should be possible to trigger the unit from orbit.
Priming the energy transfer matrix...
Data, here. Go ahead, Commander.
Understood. We will attempt to expedite our work.
Yes, Commander. We will be returning to the beam-out point shortly.
No, we are too far below the surface.
There are no hand-holds in the rock face.
We will have to jump.
You will --
Check her positronic matrix -- there may be a cascade anomaly.
The first indication occurred when we were drilling. I saw her perform several complex calculations without the assistance of the computer.
That is true. But it was enough to draw my attention. Later, I noticed something odd about the way she blinked her eyes.
The intervals between blinks were governed by a Fourier Series -- the same mathematical formula my father used to give my blinking pattern the appearance of randomness.
Then there was our concert in Ten Forward.
We had practiced the piece, and I noticed that she played it the same way during the performance -- every pitch, every intonation, was exactly the same. Only an artificial life-form could have done that.
I do not believe so. He is on the surface, to monitor the plasma infusion.
With a holographic interface.
That is correct.
I am Data.
I am fine.
You refer to Doctor Tainer as my mother -- yet the complexity of her design indicates she was created after I was.
What happened to her?
And you never told her the truth?
What happened?
If she recovers and learns that she is an android --
Then... you do not believe she should know the truth.
It seems that I must make a decision: to tell Doctor Tainer that she is an android -- or withhold that knowledge from her. And I do not know what to do.
He seemed certain that if she knew, it would preclude the possibility of her being happy.
I am not certain.  I can understand why my father felt as he did -- but his wishes are not necessarily paramount. I am concerned with what would be best for -- my mother.
I have noticed that her present husband seems uncomfortable with the fact that I am an artificial life-form. If he finds out about his wife, it may adversely affect their relationship.
I find that I am having difficulty separating what would be best for her... from what would be best for me.
If she knew she were an android, she and I would have something to share. I would no longer be alone in the universe.
You were knocked unconscious by the fall... you broke a bone in your arm, but Doctor Crusher repaired it.
Everything is fine, Mother.
Perhaps I can visit Atrea on my next leave.
Mother... I remembered something that I thought you should know.
Before he died, my father told me that he had only one great love in his life... and that he regretted never letting her know how much he cared for her.  I am certain he was referring to you.
Good-bye, Mother.
An artificial environment has been constructed on the southern continent, sir.
Yes, Captain. Sensors are reading Human lifeforms.
Nossir.
The fragment has a density of one hundred billion kilograms per cubic centimeter. As a result, when it passes Moab Four, it will cause tectonic shifts well beyond eight-point-seven on the Richter Scale.
Increasing impulse power to tractor emitters. E-P-S power levels rising...
Aye, sir.
We have lost one of the emitter circuits...
We have lost the second lateral emitter circuit...
Shipwide life-support failure in fifteen seconds...
Termination of all life-support in five seconds...
The fragment's course has been altered, sir, by one-point-two-one degrees.
Judging a being by its physical appearance is the last great human prejudice, Wesley.
Captain, we are now receiving Starfleet orders granting a Lwaxana....
... full ambassadorial status, sir.
And yours too, Commander. She is listed as representing the Betazed government at the conference.
I would have thought a telepath would be more discreet.
Our orders on her mentioned nothing specific except...
We are to cooperate with her as fully as possible, deliver her there untroubled, rested...  I assume those were merely courtesies due her rank, sir.
Inquiry, Commander: to which dinner was the captain referring?
Yes, Captain.
The use of the chime is unique, but not at all dissimilar to the Ooolans of Marejaretus Six, who use two large stones which are continuously struck during the meal. Those at the dinner must eat until the stones are broken. Or, the oligarchy on Atifs Four, which require a young male to...
You are forgetting sir -- I do not digest foodstuffs, therefore I cannot participate in the consumption of your post-main course edibles.
Indeed, sir. I am on my way; Data out.
-- So by using the square root of pi and then multiplying it by nine to the third power, I was able to accurately calculate the distance between the Omicron galaxy and the Crab Nebula.
-- Yes Captain, that is a particularly spellbinding subject.
For most stars, the rare-Earth element Europium is enriched relative to samarium and gadolinium...
It is! However in brown dwarf stars, the element Europium is anomalously depleted.
But that is only the beginning. If the abundances of the elements terbium, dysprosium, holmium and erbium are also factored into the analysis...
... and at this point, the second co-orbital satellite avoids a collision with the first.
Perhaps I should stay here and further entertain our guest.
Indeed, Captain? I know many more interesting anecdotes as well.
Are you planing on going into the Holodeck, Commander?
I have mastered the language, or 'lingo' of the period, sir. Also, the mannerisms and body language.
For example, this is a gesture denoting confidence and physical prowess. It is effective in attracting females and frightening off would-be adversaries.
Should anything in there confuse you sir, do not hesitate to ask.
In the last program here, we said I was from South America. It seemed to explain my unorthodox appearance.
Very accurate. Fascinating.
Carlos, from South America.
She is correct, sir. I am detecting large amounts of ultritium.
Radiation bursts from the star's surface are making precise sensor readings difficult. It seems to be exhibiting gravitational instability.
The star's fluctuations are too severe. It would be impossible to settle any of the planets in this system.
I suggest we proceed to the next system. Its sun is a stable main sequence star.
Sir, I am detecting a transmission... emanating from within this system
It is self-repeating... of unknown pattern.
A small moon orbiting the fourth planet.
Indeterminate. I am attempting to screen out sensor interference...  Readings are still inconclusive; however, the moon's atmosphere is capable of supporting life.
There is no indication of other Borg activity within sensor range.
The Borg are extremely computer-dependent. A total systems failure will destroy them.
The vessel is traveling at warp seven-point-six. Mass: two-point-five million metric tons, configuration: ...cubical.
Its dimensions indicate that it is a scout ship similar to the one that crashed.
Interference from the star's radiation will shield us from their sensors. We should remain undetected until they enter this system.
At present speed they will arrive in thirty-one hours, seven minutes.
The shape is a paradox. It cannot exist in real space or time.
He will be unsuccessful, and will store the shape in his memory banks. It will be shunted to a subroutine for further analysis.
It is designed so that each approach they take will spawn an anomalous solution. The anomalies are designed to interact with each other, linking together to form an endless and unsolvable puzzle.
We are now entering position. Radiation levels are rising.
Solar radiation is rendering our sensors inoperable. At last known course and speed, the Borg vessel will enter the system in three minutes.
The ship is intact, sir, with no indications of structural damage.
All propulsion systems are shut down. The ship is drifting.
Inconclusive, sir.
There is no indication of malfunction in any of the main systems.
Matter valves are open and operating. Magnetic containment on the anti-matter pods is constant.
Injectors open.
There is no engine activity at all.
Is there a problem, Ensign?
Ready now, Captain.
Ensign... we are losing maneuverability. Did you throttle down by mistake?
Captain... thrusters are losing power.
No, sir. Apparently we do not.
After analyzing the sensor logs from the Brattain and the Enterprise, as well as the data from our last series of probes, I have concluded that...
... we have become trapped in a massive rupture in space... undetectable by normal means... into which energy is absorbed.
A rare anomaly named for Bela Tyken, the Melthusian Captain who first encountered it.
The ship's energy is being drained into the fissure before we can utilize it.
When Tyken was trapped in a Rift, his analysis determined that a massive energy release might overload and dislocate the anomaly. Fortunately, his cargo included anicium and yurium, which he used to detonate a massive explosion. He then escaped through the ruptured center of the Rift.
We no longer have the power to reproduce complex elements with our replicators. We must find a way to generate a violent energy release without relying on conventional means.
No. There were no reports of unusual conduct among the crew.
There was no record of sleep distubances of any kind, Counselor.
Sir, Commander La Forge and I have come up with a potential solution to our predicament. Perhaps the modifications we used to increase firepower against the Borg might be effective here.
I believe within six hours we can generate a concentrated burst of energy which might disrupt the Tyken's Rift.
Sir?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir. I will do my best.
The Brattain...
I believe the Doctor means to say that humans enter what is known as REM sleep... rapid eye movement. It is the level of brain-wave activity at which you dream.
The main deflector dish...
We must coordinate our effort with the Bridge.
Data to Bridge...
Security to Engineering.
Confine Ensign Peeples to Sickbay.
The energy output was absorbed into the Rift.
No, sir. If we draw more power, we risk losing life-support systems.
It is conceivable that this telepathic communication is creating an interference that prevents REM sleep in other species -- that would be an explanation for why the rest of the crew is not dreaming.
Your hypothesis is certainly plausible.
It may well be that there is another ship... on the other side of the fissure... where we cannot detect it.
We have no technology to block telepathic transmissions, Doctor.
Perhaps we can accomplish more than that. If we could coordinate our efforts with these beings... we might work together to free ourselves.
What we must discover is a means by which, working together with the aliens, we can produce an explosion more intense than either of us could achieve alone.
These are the elements we have available. Some of them could be used in the creation of an explosive reaction. If we can communicate this inventory to the other ship, perhaps they will be able to --
I am uncertain if a simple transmission will be adequate...
Yes, Counselor, one electron circles one proton... this is a hydrogen atom.
Perhaps the aliens are thinking as we are... to collaborate in producing an explosion. If hydrogen is combined with certain elements... calendenium, for example, it is extremely volatile.  But... would the message mean they have hydrogen... or want hydrogen?
Then a proper course of action would be for us to release hydrogen into the Rift and hope that they have a substance which could detonate it.
If you are correct, Counselor, I believe they have already told us what to do... and are waiting for us to do it. When we are ready the only message you should try to convey is, 'Now!'
Counselor. You will have to communicate with the other ship within two minutes of entering REM sleep.
We will need to draw power from the life support systems in order to discharge the collectors.  This is Acting Captain Data. All personnel will report to designated shelter areas immediately...
Thank you, Doctor.  Activating the Bussard collectors.
We have ninety seconds remaining.
Forty-five seconds remaining.
Thirty seconds...
Ten seconds.
The Counselor was unsuccessful.
Engines activated, sir...
We have cleared the rift, sir. Warp engines are coming back on line.
Setting a course for Starbase Two-twenty. Sir, as my final duty as Acting Captain, I order you to bed. I shall do the same for all personnel.
Yes, sir. Pleasant dreams.
That would seem to be rank superstition.
This game is exceedingly simple. With only fifty-two cards, seventeen of which I will see, and four players there are a limited number of possible winning combinations.
The bets will give an indication of the relative strengths of each hand.
I will raise you three.
Is this what is known as the poker face?
I will fold.
You had nothing.
It makes very little sense to bet when you cannot win.
But how can you tell?
My condition does not alter with the passage of time, Commander.
And were the sole member of the committee to oppose my entrance on the grounds that I was not a sentient being.
It sounds intriguing.
You have constructed a positronic brain?
Have you determined how the electron resistance across the neural filaments is to be resolved?
That would seem to be a necessary first step.
But if the answer is not forthcoming, your model will not function.
His basic research lacks the specifics necessary to support an experiment of this magnitude.
You sent for me, sir?
I find myself in agreement with that assessment of the situation, sir.
I am pleased to hear you say so. Thank you.
Yes, sir?
I will not submit to this procedure.
True, but possibility is a word which can encompass any number of outcomes -- good and bad.
Captain, I am a Starfleet officer. Can they force me to do this?
Sir, Lieutenant La Forge's eyes are far superior to human biological eyes, true?
Then why are not all human officers required to have their eyes replaced with cybernetic implants?
I see. It is precisely because I am not human.
It is customary to request permission before entering an individual's quarters.
Reduced to mere sterile facts of the events. The substance, the flavor of the moment could be lost. Take games of chance...
Yes, I had read and absorbed every treatise and textbook upon the subject, and felt myself tolerably well prepared for the experience. Yet, when I finally played poker, I discovered that the reality bore little resemblance to the rules.
That while I believe that you can download the information contained in the positronic brain, I do not think you have acquired the expertise necessary to preserve the heart of those experiences. There is an ineffable quality to memory that I do not believe can survive the shutdown of my core.
No, sir, I am not under your nor anyone else's command. I have resigned from Starfleet.
I regret the decision, but I must. I am the culmination of one man's dream. This is not ego or vanity, but when Doctor Soong created me he added to the substance of the universe. If by your experiments I am destroyed, something unique and wonderful will be lost. I cannot permit that, I must protect the dream.
But with the application of a little care, Wes, the paper can be utilized again.
The Dream of the Fire, by K'Ratak. Thank you, Worf.
That is quite all right. None was expected...
Thank you. I will take that under advisement.  Excuse me, please.  Is something wrong?
No one regrets the necessity more than I, but you do understand my reasons?
Doctor Pulaski would, at this juncture, no doubt remind us that life is rarely fair.
I shall... miss you.
They are currently somewhat indefinite, but my programming offers a number of alternatives.  I am considering teaching. I have had some success with my star pupil.
I see... from limitless options I am reduced to none, or rather one. I can only hope that Commander Maddox is more capable than it would appear.
Captain, I have complete confidence in your ability to represent my interests.
Sir, all of that information is stored in the Enterprise computer banks.
Very good, sir. Activation occurred twenty-seven years ago on Omicron Theta. I entered the Academy in '44, and graduated in '48 with honors in probability mechanics and exobiology. First posting...
I believe I indicated that earlier, sir.
Drives? Motivates? Sir, may I inquire as to the purpose of this line of questioning?
But I am not. I am a machine.
How can we deny the obvious?
But if it is a fact how can argument alter --
Sir?
I am beginning to understand why Shakespeare wrote, let us kill all the lawyers.
An android.
Webster's Twenty-Third Century Dictionary, Fifth Edition, defines Android as an automaton made to resemble a human being.
Sir?
Doctor Noonien Soong.
The foremost authority in cybernetics.
A human?
I have an ultimate storage capacity of eight hundred quadrillion bits. My total linear computational speed has been rated at sixty trillion operations per second.
My medals.
I... I do not know, sir. None I suppose. I just wanted them. Is that vanity?
It was a gift from you, sir.
Yes, sir.
It is a reminder of friendship and service.
I would prefer not to answer that question, sir. I gave my word.
She was important to me... we were... intimate.
I am taking part in a legal hearing to determine my rights and status. Am I property or person?
My right to choose. Perhaps my very life.
Continue your work, Commander, and when you are ready I will still be here.
Yes, it would be a less lonely universe if there were more of my kind.
Sir, there is a celebration on the Holodeck.
Because you failed in your task?
Yes, sir.
Yes, that is true, but Commander... Will, I have learned from your experience.
That at times one must deny their nature, sacrifice their own personal beliefs to protect another. Is it not true that had you refused to prosecute, Captain Louvois would have ruled summarily against me?
That action injured you, and saved me. I will not forget.
Not yet sir, but with your help I am learning.
A reminder of something we learned the only other time we dealt with Ferengi, sir -- their hearing is very sensitive.
Very interesting. Boosting it how?  We will discuss it later.
Time, sir.
Nothing, sir.
Second-hand, sir?  Oh, of course! A human joke...
Captain, he may refer to an incident which occurred seven years ago in the Maxia Zeta star system, where an unidentified starship...
Which you destroyed, sir.
Hardly a 'mistake,' sir. Your report showed it deliberately attacked...
... you performed what Starfleet textbooks now call 'The Picard Maneuver.'
The Ferengi are standing by for us to take possession of the Stargazer, sir.
USS Stargazer. Constitution Class. Starfleet Registry NCC 2893...
You'll find this intriguing, Captain.
Last entry was dated seven years ago, sir. By you...  'We are forced to abandon our starship. May she find her way without us.'  Apparently, she did.
Starfleet has responded to our request, sir. A tug will rendezvous with us and tow the Stargazer back to Xendi Starbase Nine.
It is the records of the Stargazer, sir. What the Ferengi call the 'Battle of Maxia'...  It seems the Captain's personal log contains a much different version of that conflict than the official historic account.
It would appear that the starship which Captain Picard attacked, had in fact, been under a flag of truce...
And apparently, the captain destroyed the ship without notice or provocation.
An accident in Engineering.
It is logged in his own voice. Would you care to hear it?  Sir? Sir?
By comparing the main Stargazer computer log with Captain Picard's personal log, I have found 'checksum' discrepancies, sir.
All information is time-coded by entry, and the bits when totaled produce an aggregate amount which...
One of these two logs is a forgery.
As I said. That is one of them, isn't it?
Yes, sir. Whoever tampered with your personal log was clever...
I have a fix on it...  Inside Captain Picard's quarters.
Considerable fire damage to interior surface as reported, sir. But none of her main systems are crippled.
There is no defense, sir.
I have computed a possibility, Commander. Since even deep space contains trace gases, sir, a vessel in the Picard maneuver might seem to disappear, but our sensors could locate any sudden compression of those gases...
Aim our tractor beam at it, sir! Seize it! This class starship has enough power for that.
No question of it, sir...
Yes, sir.
Do you also require the original logs recorded during the attack, Lieutenant?
I can provide you with our analysis of communications between the Khitomer outpost and the Romulan ships; however, for a complete record you will have to contact Starbase Twenty-Four and request---
A second Bird of Prey is decloaking bearing two-four-seven mark three-one-nine.
The second ship is joining the attack on the Bortas.
The Bortas is sustaining heavy damage, Captain. Her aft shields have collapsed... life support fluctuating...
The Bortas has lost its port shields... it is unlikely they will withstand another hit on that quarter.
Oh, you are early. Just a moment please.
You may enter now.
I have invited you here to meet someone.
This is Lal. Lal, say hello to Counselor Deanna Troi...
And this is Geordi La Forge and Wesley Crusher.
It is the custom that we wear clothing.
Yes, Wesley. Lal is my child.
It has a positronic brain... one very similar to my own... I began to program it at the cybernetics conference...
There was a new submicron matrix-transfer technology introduced at the conference which I discovered could be used to lay down complex neural net pathways...
Exactly, Wesley. I realized for the very first time it was possible to continue Doctor Soong's work. My initial transfers have produced very encouraging results... so I brought Lal's brain back with me to continue.
I have not observed anyone else on board consult with you about their procreation, Captain.
The intention is the same.
Lal's creation is entirely dependent on me. I am giving it knowledge and skills that are stored in my brain... its programming reflects mine in the same way a human child's genes reflect its parent's genes...
Of course, it is not complete. We have only made two transfers.
I decided to allow Lal to choose its own appearance and sex.
Captain... Have a cigar.
I believe it is customary.
I am sorry I did not anticipate your objections, Captain. Do you wish me to deactivate Lal?
I have followed all Starfleet regulations to the best of my ability, Captain... I expected they would be pleased...
I can assure you Lal's programming includes psychological inhibitor safeguards to prevent any threat to the Enterprise.
A malfunction is of course a possibility, Captain. But Lal's program is equipped like mine -- it will shut down before deleterious behavior can begin.
To prepare, I have scanned all the available literature on parenting. There seems to be much confusion on the issue. One traditional doctrine insists 'spare the rod and spoil the child', suggesting a punitive approach... another more liberal attitude would allow a child enormous freedom...
And what the Klingons do to their children...
Does that not describe becoming a parent, sir?
That is why I must attempt this, Captain. I have observed that in most species, there is a primal instinct to perpetuate themselves. And while I have not been programmed with instinctive behavior patterns, I do understand that I have been, until now, the last of my kind. If I were damaged or destroyed, I would be lost forever. But if I am successful with the creation of Lal, my continuance is assured. I believe I understand the consequences. And I am prepared to accept the responsibility.
Correct.
That is why you must choose a gender, Lal. And complete your appearance.
Access your data bank on sexuality, level two. That will define the parameters.
No, Lal... that would be confusing. We are taking you to the Holodeck to show you several thousand composites which I have programmed. You may choose from them.
This is a big decision...
Counselor...  Lal has narrowed the choices to four... would you like to see?
Computer, Lal -- gender sequence finalists... begin...
An Andorian female...
That could make socialization more difficult.
A human male...
The human female.
A Klingon male.
Come in, Counselor. I have completed the assembly of the replicated anatomy. I was able to provide Lal with even more realistic skin and eye color than my own.
This is home.
Correct, Lal. We are a family.
A chair... to sit in.
A painting.
I will teach you how to recognize the artistry of paintings.
Yes, very good, Lal. You have correctly processed the sense of touch.
No, Lal, this is a flower.
Inhale.
Yes.
Theoretically, the duplicate brains should be able to store and process the same information... but until all the transfers are complete, we will not know for certain.
She studies in our quarters. She does not require much supervision, Wesley. Lal is quite self-sufficient.
Lal already has access to the sum of human knowledge.
She is only two weeks old.
Lal, the third crosslink transfer series is complete.
Purpose?
It is a complex question, Lal. I can only begin to answer it by telling you that our function is to contribute in a positive way to the world in which we live.
Because you are my child.
Your questions suggest we have made a successful transfer of the heuristic associative pathways. You will now begin to process information on logic, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology. You are truly becoming sentient, Lal.
By developing the awareness to examine and question your perceptions.
Lal, did you know that tomorrow will be your first day of school?
A perfect score.
I see.
That would seem to be reasonable.
It is a human physiological response to humor.
Deck fifteen.
Lal...
The children were not laughing with you... they were laughing at you.
One is meant kindly... the other is not.
Because you are different. And sometimes differences scare people. I have learned that some of them use humor to hide their fears.
Doctor, I require your advice as a successful parent.
Lal is realizing that she is not the same as the other children.
She does not feel the emotion of loneliness, but she can observe how isolated she is from the others. She wants to be more like them.
Yes, Doctor. It is an experience I know too well. But I do not know how to help her. Lal is passing into sentience. It is perhaps the most difficult stage of development for her.
That is precisely what happened to Lal at school. How did you help him?
I have not told Lal how difficult it was for me to assimilate. I did not want it to discourage her. Perhaps this was an error of judgement.
I can give her attention, doctor. But I am incapable of giving her love.
Guinan, Lal needs to observe human behavior.
In return for this opportunity, Lal is willing to provide services to assist you.
I believe what I said was that Guinan had much life experience, Lal...
That would be very beneficial.
Lal, you used a verbal contraction.
It is a skill my program has never mastered.
No. You have exceeded my abilities. I do not object. I just do not understand why it has happened.
Yes, Captain.
I am sure the admiral is anxious to meet Lal... I have been sending him regular status reports on her development...
Her environment, sir?
He wishes to relocate us?
Then he is questioning my ability as a parent.
Does the admiral have children, sir?
I am forced to wonder how much experience he had as a parent when his first child was born.
Commander, what are your intentions toward my daughter?
That is a limitation we must learn to accept, Lal.
I have asked myself that many times as I have struggled to be more human, Lal. Until I finally realized that it is the struggle itself that is most important. We must strive to be better than we are. It does not matter that we will never reach our ultimate goal. The effort yields its own rewards.
It is only the difference between knowledge and experience.
So Lal now possesses the sum of my programming.
There do seem to be variations on the quantum level. Lal can use contractions... I cannot.
I have maintained records on positronic matrix activity, behavioral norms, and all verbal patterns... I have seen no evidence of other aberrations...
Is that not the goal of every parent, sir?
I have been programmed with all the procedures you have mentioned. And in any meaningful evaluation of Lal, you would require a model for a basis of comparison. I am the only model available, Admiral.
Nosir.
It is an opportunity for her to observe human behavior and more importantly to interact with her crewmates.
May I know why, sir?
Admiral, when I created Lal, it was with the hope that someday she would choose to enter the Academy and become a member of Starfleet. I wanted to give something back in return for all Starfleet has given me. I still do. But Lal is my child. You ask that I volunteer to give her up. I cannot. That would violate every lesson I have learned about human parenting.  As Captain Picard told me after he first met her, I have taken on 'quite a responsibility.' I have brought a new life into this world. It is my duty, not Starfleet's, to guide her through these first difficult steps to maturity, to support her as she learns, to prepare her to be a contributing member of society. No one can relieve me of that obligation. And I cannot ignore it. I am her father.
Lal is programmed to return to the lab in the event of a malfunction.
Yes, Lal. I am here.
It would appear to be a symptom of cascade failure. It will require reinitializing the base matrix without wiping out the higher functions.
Thank you, Admiral.
Lal, I am unable to correct the system failure.
We must say good-bye now.
What do you feel, Lal?
I wish I could feel it with you.
Lal suffered complete neural system failure at thirteen hundred hours. I have deactivated the unit.
I thank you for your sympathy. But she is here.  Her presence so enriched my life that I could not allow her to pass into oblivion. So I incorporated her programs back into my own... I transferred her memories to me.
The citizens of Minos gained fame during the Ersalrope wars as arms merchants. They manufactured sophisticated and highly advanced weaponry.
Both.
Captain -- readings correspond with the findings of the probe. No signs of intelligent life-forms. Vegetation and animal life only.
Correct.
Disease?
Captain, we are being hailed.
Correct.
It is a recorded message.
Commander, our communications are being monitored.
Sir, since there is no intelligent life, the question is 'by what?'
Over here.
Other than ourselves, sir, I am picking up no other life signs here.
Unknown.
He appears to be in a kind of stasis.
Typically, the purpose of such an enclosure is for storage.
The encasing material appears to be solid...
Yes -- but I cannot predict the risk to Commander Riker.
Captain Picard.
I have a malfunction.
The close pass by the weapon must have disrupted our communicators.
Step back.
All vital signs returning to normal.
I am getting energy readings.
The product continues to upgrade and improve.
Commander, the weapons are appearing at intervals of precisely twelve minutes.
Commander -- here. There seem to be air shafts overgrown with vegetation. Perhaps they somehow fell through one of them.
Commander, I can do it.
Jump.
Eleven point seven five.
I believe I can safely traverse the distance.
At your service, Captain.
Another weapon has been launched.
I need to see the program schematic.
The target must be specific.
The force of that explosion would destroy this chamber and evervone near by.
I would consider them insignificant.
Even if the molecular level controls failed, we could recrystallize the dilithium without outside help.
Perhaps we could reprogram the system to correct the readout variables --
And it has nothing to do with Commander Riker's new assignment?
There is, of course, a genetic predisposition toward hostility among all Klingons, although Worf does seem unusually out of sorts.
Empirical study. Monitor the subject.
Within the norms of Klingon patterns, of course.  Discretion will be required.
And you must solve it.
You are correct. He is not insensitive... particularly at this stage of his development.
Wesley is quite competent.
Indeed.
Go ahead. Finish your work and We shall study Worf.
But he needs his study time --
In solitude there is nothing to trigger unusual behavior.
That would defeat the opportunity for our behavioral research.  The probabilities are that he's simply lonely. We can relieve his anxieties through socialization --
Excuse me, Lieutenant --
You seem to have lost the will to communicate with others.
You have friends here. We care about you. Why, just awhile ago, Wesley, Geordi and I were saying how --
He seems quite sincere in his desire for solitude.
The ship's computer would have corrected immediately --
Of what significance is the anniversary of this event?
We can program the ship's computer to provide us with simulations on the Holodeck --
We need only to program the computer with details of the specific ceremony...
I believe that will entail the use of Klingon 'painstiks.'
Enduring physical suffering is considered a Klingon spiritual test.
We are his family.
There is nothing to find.
Geordi, let them look.
Computer... Is this it?
Computer... may we please have Klingon personnel appropriate for this event?
These images are specifically programmed for Ascension rites.
Are we ready?
Shall we begin?
The true test of Klingon strength is to admit one's most profound feelings... while under extreme duress.
Captain, I have completed the spectral evaluation of the outer shell.  Our survey of this protostar is complete.
At present speed, we will arrive at the Atalia system in thirty-seven hours.
I have located the shuttle. It is under attack, Captain.
Professor Galen is still inside his vessel.  His vital signs are barely registering.
The Yridian vessel was overloading its power generators. That, combined with the phaser blast, caused it to explode.
When he was attacked, Professor Galen began to protect certain files in his computer memory.
They could mean almost anything. Unless we can narrow the parameters of the search, it would be impossible for the computer to identify the patterns with any accuracy.
The logs indicate that Professor Galen visited an unexplored star system -- Ruah Four.
Four days at warp six.
Ruah Four is an M class planet. Sixty-seven percent of the surface is covered with water. The landmass contains multiple animal species, including a genus of proto-hominids.
There is nothing to indicate former occupancy by even a primitive culture, sir.
Sensors are picking up severe atmospheric fluctuations on the planet...
All life on the planet is being destroyed.
Narrowing the search parameters to the biological database would increase the chances that the computer could find a match.
The genetic information must have been incorporated into the earliest lifeforms on those planets, and then passed down through each generation.
Seventeen.
We are approaching the Loren system.
We are entering orbit..
Captain.
Hello, Captain.
The computer is processing the data. I will be notified as soon as there is any information.
I am familiar with many Klingon rituals -- including the B'aht Qul.
My upper spinal support is a polyalloy designed for extreme stress. My skull is composed of cortenide and duranium.
You are attempting to bribe me.
You suggested a plan that would work to your advantage, one that I would be capable of executing. You then implied a reward. Clearly --
The computer has completed its analysis.
That star is in sector two-one-four-five-nine.  The Rahm-Izad system.
I am scanning all seven planets in the Vilmoran system -- none appears to support life.
...Correction. The second planet shows evidence of an ancient ocean, now dry.
Yes. And it still may, in a limited fashion not detectable by our long range sensors.
I am reading a small pocket of vegetative life -- a primitive lichen growing in a fossilized seabed.
We are approaching Starbase one-seven-nine.
Starbase one-seven-nine. We are ready to commence transfer.
Viewscreen off. Resume course.
Yes sir.
On viewscreen. Focus on area. Magnification factor ten.
Increase magnification to twenty.
The substance appears to be a rare form of subatomic 'bacteria,' capable of doubling every fifteen minutes. It seems to be reacting with two of the compounds present in the Enterprise structure.
How did you come by that decision?
According to the rate of reproduction there should be a twelve centimeter hole in the Klingon hull at this time.
It will take some time to locate them. They are on undesignated maneuvers in the Pheben solar system.
Slow to impulse speed. Continue on course.
The Pagh is either destroyed or cloaked.
Considering the absence of debris, it is reasonable to assume the Klingon vessel is in the vicinity and cloaked.
Since we do not know their intent I recommend we go to Red Alert.
Lieutenant Worf to the Transporter Room. Doctor Pulaski will accompany you. Mendon take over the count.
It is the Pagh sir. It has all armament locked on us and ready to fire.
I have identified the signal, Captain. It is from the U.S.S. Jenolan, a Federation transport ship reported missing in this sector seventy-five years ago.
There are no stars or other stellar bodies listed on our navigational charts. However, sensors indicate the presence of an extremely strong gravitational source in this vicinity.
I am having difficulty scanning the object. However, it would appear to be approximately two hundred million kilometers in diameter.
The object's enormous mass is causing a great deal of gravimetric interference. That might have prevented our sensors from detecting the object before we dropped out of warp.
This object does fit the general parameters of Dyson's theory.
There is no comparative data, Captain. However, this object does fit the general parameters of Dyson's theory.
Possibly a great number of people, Commander. The interior surface area of a sphere this size would be equivalent to more than two hundred fifty million class M planets.
I have found the Jenolan, Captain. It has impacted on the surface of the sphere.  There are no life signs. However, there are several small power emanations... and life support is still functioning at minimal levels.
Sensor readings indicate the presence of a G-type star at the center of the sphere. There also appears to be a class-M atmosphere clinging to the interior surface.
Not as yet, sir. Our preliminary data indicates it is still capable of supporting life, but we have been unable to find definite signs of current habitation.
Aye, sir.
I believe I may be of some assistance. Captain Scott is unaware of the existence of synthehol.
Yes. It is an alcohol substitute which is now normally served aboard starships. It simulates the appearance, smell, and taste of alcohol, but the intoxicating affects can be easily dismissed.
No, sir. I am an android. My name is Commander Data.
I believe Guinan does keep a limited supply of non-syntheholic products. Perhaps one of them would be to your liking.
It is green.
Commander, I believe I have found something on the sphere which could be a communications device.
There is an antenna array approximately four hundred thousand kilometers south of our present position. It is emitting low-intensity subspace signals.
Not from our present orbit, Commander. The array is currently directed away from us.
Sensors indicate that the large circle is a portal or airlock, possibly leading to the interior of the sphere.
Yes, sir. It is located on the periphery of the hatch.
Some type of tractor beam has locked onto us.
The resonance frequency of the tractor beams is incompatible with our power systems. Warp and impulse engine relays have been overloaded. I am attempting to compensate.
We are approximately ninety million kilometers from the star's photosphere.  I am reading a great deal of surface instability. It may be--
We will enter the sun's photosphere in three minutes.
Our flight path is changing... right ten point seven degrees... insufficient to clear the photosphere.
Our angular deflection is increasing. Now at fifteen degrees... eighteen... turn now twenty point one degrees.
Aye, sir.
The sphere appears to be abandoned.
Our sensors show that the star is extremely unstable. It is experiencing severe bursts of radiation and matter expulsions.
I believe we triggered a series of automatic piloting beams which were designed to guide ships into the sphere.
It is a solar flare, Captain. Magnitude: twelve. Class: B.
The star has entered a period of increased activity. Our sensors indicate that solar flares will continue to grow. In three hours, our shields will no longer be be sufficient to protect us.
The interior surface area is over ten to the sixteenth square kilometers. It will take seven hours to completely scan the surface.
I will endeavor to speed up the process.
With impulse engines operating at sixty percent power, it will take one minute forty seconds.
We are within transporter range.
Commander Morag, we have discovered that the encrypted message bank on the station has been tampered with. Our analysis indicates that twenty-seven priority Starfleet messages are missing.
Your DNA was also found on the message control module.
Computer -- activate automatic helm control.
Did you help him with his research, Counselor?
But I thought that topic interested you.
I have a memory record of the entire lecture, Counselor. I can repeat the portions you missed, if you --
It was not painful?
My memory record does not indicate a pause or disruption during that period of time.
My internal chronometer and the ship's computer are perfectly synchronized. There does not appear to be a temporal discrepancy.
You have been motionless for three minutes, eleven seconds.
Aye sir.
The Enterprise is not responding to our hails.
No sir.
Aye sir.
We have an engine failure warning in the --
Attitude control has been restored.
Geordi -- I believe I have an explanation. According to the plasma conversion sensor, the starboard engine has been in continuous operation for over forty-seven days.
Captain. I am detecting a temporal disturbance which intersects the table.  It would appear that within this disturbance, time is moving at a highly accelerated rate -- approximately fifty times faster than normal.
The disturbance is roughly spherical in shape. It extends outward through the hull, approximately seventeen meters beyond the ship.
It does not appear to be affected.
Course plotted. Adjust pitch to twenty-seven point three degrees. Set heading one-eight-zero mark zero.
We are clearing the phenomenon...
All stop.
There is another temporal disturbance directly behind us.
Within each disturbance, it appears that time is moving at a different rate.
The fragmentation effect increases along a heading of two-seven-zero mark one-five.
The fragmentation effect is increasing...
The Enterprise and the Warbird both appear to be trapped within one of the temporal fragments.
Sensors cannot penetrate the subspace field. I am unable to scan within the vessels.
It is impossible to tell from a visual inspection. But it appears to be focused on the Warbird's Engineering section.
That would be unadvisable, sir. In each of the three instances we came into contact with a temporal fragment, we were integrated into its time frame.
The emergency Transporter armbands contain a type-seven phase discriminator. It should be possible to reconfigure their subspace emitters.
I will attempt to narrow the field.
Is there something wrong, Counselor?
None of the equipment is functioning.  However, the information currently displayed indicates that there was a massive power surge in Engineering.
I believe I have discovered the cause of the power surge.  There is a warp core breach in progress.
It is the flashpoint of a warp core explosion.  And it is expanding.
We were incorrect. I have determined that time is moving forward at an infinitesimal rate.
Our initial conclusion was based on our observations of the crew. A warp core breach moves at a much faster rate.
The motion of the cloud is within my visual detection threshold. Based on its current expansion rate, it will consume the ship in approximately nine hours, seventeen minutes.
It is no longer a question of stopping it, sir. The explosion has already occurred -- The fact that it is moving slowly changes nothing.
No. However, the console displays indicate that there was a power transfer in progress from the Enterprise to the Romulan vessel at the moment time decelerated.  That is why there is a second beam between the two ships.
Perhaps we should go aboard the Romulan ship. The answer to that question may --
Captain?
In much the same way that deep sea divers can experience nitrogen narcosis -- you experienced a form of temporal narcosis.
This is highly unusual. The crew is not at Battle Stations. The ship is on Evacuation Alert.
Perhaps the Warbird was trying to destroy the Enterprise.
Geordi -- the engine core is completely inactive.
It appears to be a highly focused aperture in the space-time continuum. Its energy signature matches that of the temporal fragments we observed earlier. However, it is approximately one point two million times as intense.  I believe this may be the origin of the temporal fragmentation.
I am not certain. They exhibit complex bio-electric patterns. Very possibly organic.
From their molecular configuration, it would seem --
The aperture is beginning to fluctuate. I believe we are --
I believe my tricorder emissions caused the temporal aperture to activate. I suggest we avoid exposing it to any further energy emissions.
It appeared they were trying to eject the engine core.
We must get him back to the Runabout.
Yes. However, I am getting unusual readings from his bioscan.  I am not sure that he is a Romulan.
His cellular structures do not conform to any known species, and his bio-electric patterns are in a state of temporal flux.  I do not believe that this being is native to our time continuum.
That is correct.
This is a bio-spectral analysis of the temporal aperture.  The organic readings originated from these dark spots.
Its bio-electric patterns are similar to that of the alien. However, it is significantly less complex.  The cellular structures appear to be in a state of mitosis.
It is possible. If I could scan the aperture further, I might be able to --
His molecular structure is destabilizing.
Captain -- I believe his species mistook the artificial singularity, which the Romulans use in their engine, for a natural one... a black hole. They tried to use it as a nest.
I believe that when the power transfer made contact with the alien nest, it disrupted the space-time continuum.
I estimate the core breach will consume the Enterprise in approximately seven hours, two minutes.
No, sir. We would need to surround the core with a subspace isolation field. It is not possible to generate a field of that magnituide from the Runabout.
That is correct.
I can attempt to modify the tricorder's scan frequency. It might allow us to manipulate the temporal aperture's effects.
Captain -- I have placed the tricorder in the Romulan engine room. Standing by.
Initiating tricorder emissions...
Captain -- the warp core breach has been reversed.
Aye, sir.
You must not initiate the power transfer.
We must shut it down.
Computer -- place a Level three containment field around the warp core.
I was attacked by another alien, sir. I was unable to prevent the power transfer.
It cannot be disengaged and the containment field will fail in seventeen seconds.  A core breach is again imminent.
The core breach has been prevented, sir.
The alien who attacked me has vanished, sir.
Judging from the residual temporal fluctuations... I believe they have returned to their own time continuum.
Come in.
Spot is sleeping, sir. Why do you ask?
Understood, sir.
Recent events have compelled me to study how humans perceive the passage of time.  For example, I have often heard people comment that time seems to pass more 'slowly' in one instance, or more 'quickly' in another. Yet in reality, the actual passage of time remains fixed.
It would appear that I am not capable of perceiving time any differently than my internal chronometer.
Sir?
Thank you, Commander. I will try that.
I believe my quest has ended in complete success.
I have explored seventy-six thousand, two hundred and twenty-three anecdotes thus far.
It is an attempt to find the most humorous anecdote in recorded history. And I believe I have done just that.
There were twelve birds sitting on a fence... Six had a notion to fly away. How many were left?
No, twelve! They only had a notion to fly away!
You did not find it wildly hilarious?
Perhaps I should have described the interesting plumage of --
I cannot comprehend it. It is beyond my ability to reason.
But this anecdote had all the elements humans find so diverting! A play on words, colorful characters, deception, a lively setting --
Interesting. How so?
Excuse me sir, but in what way is Guinan attempting to restrain me from adversity?
That joke was funny. Was it not?
May I ask a question, sir?
Quite correct. May I ask you another question after this one?
Do you think it is pointless for me to try and understand humor?
I believe that comprehending what is truly funny will bring me closer to... humanness.  Until recently, I thought I was making progress.
For example Commander, do you find this amusing? There were twelve....... aquatic fowl sitting on a fence, and six had --
How did you --
Someone is home, sir.
Uh, Lieutenant Commander Data, sir --
Quite correct, sir! Did you know Soong?
I have noticed Doctor, that you --
I have noticed Grandpa, that you keep repeating the same notes of a musical passage that I am unfamiliar with.
What happens to this man?
A happy ending. The mechanical man got his wish.
But... pain is unpleasant... is it not?
Desire? It is to long for or crave, a wish, a request, a --
No... I do not suppose I will ever know what it really is.
Funny?... I have... difficulty discerning what is funny.
You mentioned your impending death a while ago. I must say Grandpa, that you are facing it with remarkable courage and stoicism.
You condone homicide, sir?
Really Grandpa?
But... the doctor --
Grim Reaper... Is that a farmer with no sense of humor?
Well Grandpa, that is not necessarily true. I do have an 'off button' if you like. Its activation robs me of all consciousness -- therefore rendering me dead for all intents and purposes.
It is not something I enjoy contemplating.
It happened in my arms, just a few moments ago.  There is no need to hurry... Ira Graves is dead.
That is correct. Unfortunately he never had the opportunity to elaborate. Death came swiftly.
To do so would have been pointless. There was nothing she could have done.
I am not an 'it,' Doctor. You have been duly informed of this on several occasions, yet you continue to label me with that abhorrent pronoun.
He was the greatest man I have ever known.
Disturb, Captain? No. All things must pass.  May I go now, sir?
We will try and do the funeral the way he wanted, will we not, Captain?
I am glad, sir. It was his dying wish.
Ira... never told you how beautiful you were to him. He never told you that, did he?
He could not tell you, do you understand?
But he wanted to. Every waking moment.  And he wanted you to know that.
He told me.
... The temperature should be seventy-two, no make it seventy-one degrees. And whenever the name Ira Graves is mentioned it will warm considerably --
You are the last. The others have congregated inside.
Perhaps the child would be better off playing somewhere else. This is an adult ceremony after all.
Of course, sir. I am as healthy as a Rigellian ox.
This is not exactly what he wanted.
-- It is not the environment that I question, Commander. This was one of his favorite places on Gravesworld.
It is the tone, the pacing, the content of the verbal tribute.  No offense Counselor, but Doctor Graves would have desired a slightly more personal address.
Why he told me, of course.  Perhaps I should take over, sir.
Perfectly.
Just look at that face. The face of a thinker, a warrior, a man for all seasons.
Yes friends, Ira Graves was all that and more.
Ira Graves was a great humanitarian.
To know know know him, was to love love love him. But Ira Graves was not perfect.
Perhaps his greatest fault was that he was too selfless. Cared too much for his fellow man.
I am almost finished sir.
Perhaps I am maturing, sir.
I seem to have overdone it.
I brought shame to this ship. To the good name of Starfleet.
-- I was only trying to carry out his wishes. To make sure I kept my promise.
Affirmative, sir. I will work on staying within myself. Now if you will excuse me, I am due on the bridge.
Taken from a centuries-old Earth composition. Your child-like mind cannot appreciate the timeworn wisdom of its words.
I am many things: artist, scholar, lover, genius --
-- And I am aware of your interest in her.
Nothing sir. Nothing at all.
I detest hypocrisy. I wish they would just come out and admit it.
That your interest in Kareen is not entirely honorable.
Try as you might, you cannot win her heart. She does not like older men...  ... or men of limited intellect.
Sure, I understand.  I understand all too well.
Removing the competition will not help you, Picard.
Do not trouble yourself, friend. I am sure the captain will be by to apologize shortly.
It seems I was too harsh on Soong. Notice the strong chin, the finely chiseled features, the powerful torso. Do you realize that this body will never wear out.  Immortality.
Oh? Are you ill, sir?
I am simply looking. Any thought of ulterior motive rests with you. Perhaps you are projecting your own desires.
Very well. It is your loss.
What for? This concerns me more than it does any of you.
It was a waste of time then and it is a waste of time now.
Hello Kareen.
You know who I am, don't you?
You know who I am. Don't you.
It is me, Kareen! I'm here -- I'm alive!
The process worked! I turned Data off and transferred my consciousness into his frame.
Just look at me! Sleek, powerful, indestructable.
When I was a boy, other children knew I couldn't match them physically. They teased me -- bullied me. That's when I withdrew... Became an island.
But no one will ever bully me again.  If they try, I'll simply break their necks.
I've never been capable of violence. But now I'm more than capable -- and I rather enjoy this new ability.
Of course.  If you will excuse me, Miss Brianon.
You're just the type, aren't you? You'd beat me up if you could, but you can't. Not any more.
Stay out of it!  You're lucky I'm such a compassionate man. Now walk!
There's something I must do -- something they're forcing me to do. I'll come for you when my task is complete.
Something wonderful. I feel no pain, no pain at all! And I'm immortal -- I'll never have to face death again. Think of the things I'll accomplish over the next thousand years!
I know what you're thinking, but there's no need to worry. I'll create an android body for you as well. We'll witness the end of infinity together.
Don't cry, Kareen.  Don't you see, I can love you now. The way I've always wanted to. It wouldn't have been right then... I was too old for you, too weak. But now I can be everything you've ever wanted.
I'll be back. Wait for me.
Well hello there. You all look like you could use a little vacation.
Captain Picard -- I have ordered your people to vacate the bridge and they have refused. In an effort to save insignificant lives I will give you the opportunity to issue the same order. Otherwise, I will remove them my way.
Geordi?
He's no friend of mine! I should kill him on the spot -- put him out of his blind misery.
I'll blast anyone who attempts to reenter.
Maybe I should shoot one in the back just to let you know I mean business.
Kareen? Are you there?
They're all against me, Kareen. They want to drive me out of this body. To kill me!
We're going to a new world, my darling. A place where no one can ever touch us. Just hang on, and trust in me.
I could've killed you. You know that, don't you?
To the Aldebaran system. There's a planet there that suits my purpose.
Why should I tell you?
I'll tell you... because I'm bored. I plan on building a fortress, with a laboratory of course. Those of your crew that I do not exterminate shall live there as our slaves. Kareen will never want for anything.
What of him?
I did him a favor! I gave him life!
You call me a murderer?! I'll show you what murder is.
Don't say that, Kareen. He attacked me --
Kareen... don't...
Stop... please...
You hate me... What can I do, what can I do?
May I ask you a question, Commander?
Quite correct. May I ask you another question after this one?
All right. There were twelve... starship captains, sitting on a fence --
Sensors report the USS Hood closing on an intercept course at high warp.
Sir, the Hood is slowing to impulse.
Sir --
My name is Data.
Commander, Geordi... do you ever feel as if I am not 'there?' That is to say... not 'here.'
Our destination is the Beta Stromgren system, following the path of the Vega Nine probe.
That is correct, Commander. Apparently the probe has discovered...  ...Astonishing.
This is the star Beta Stromgren...
Scientists have discovered that it is in the final stages of an alternating cycle of expansion and collapse, which will soon result in a supernova.  However, the long-range unmanned probe which Starfleet sent to observe the process has discovered something much more --
And they routinely monitor the telemetry of our deep-space probes.
That is correct. Starbase one twenty-three detected two D'daridex class cruisers on an intercept course.  The top speed of this class vessel is known to be less than our own, sir. We therefore have some advantage.
Yes, sir.
Since there is no known natural phenomenon capable of travel at warp velocities, there are but two possibilities: either it is a sensor malfunction, or it is another ship, following us covertly.
Agreed.
Lieutenant, continue monitoring the precise position of the echo -- at any sudden change in its behavior, initiate Yellow Alert.
Captain, we are receiving relayed sensor data, from the Vega Probe -- including visuals.
In fact, we are, Commander. However --
Yes, sir.
Yes. I have configured these instruments to display information with greater speed and efficiency than stations used by the others.
Spartan?
I have tried it, from time to time. But you are correct. I do not require rest.
The creature's anatomy appears most peculiar.
It is indeed laid out as a vessel, with what appear to be corridors and chambers. An internal environment suitable for carbon based life forms is being maintained. Yet there is no evidence of a crew aboard.  Tin Man is a living being yet it was bred or adapted itself to serve a purpose. I find that very interesting.
I do not believe I am qualified to express an opinion.
You said in the Transporter Room that you could not read my mind.
Perhaps there is nothing to read. Nothing other than mechanism and algorithmic response --
Captain, the Romulan ship is hailing the alien using their equivalent of linguacode.
None so far, Commander.
Captain, I agree that Tam's motives are trustworthy. I do not believe it is possible that he might act against us, or cause Tin Man to act against us out of malice.
I am puzzled, sir. We have come this far. But you may not allow Tam to fulfill his mission.
I think I understand, sir.  If you feel that the risk is too great to send Tam Elbrun, alone, then send me with him.
But I distress him less.  It is humanity he is fleeing. I can serve as an intermediary... a bridge back, and a reminder of his obligations... both to us and to Tin Man.
Tam?
Data to Enterprise. Come in Enterprise.
If it is harming you, we must return.
Enterprise, respond.
I cannot contact the ship.
There is a large chamber twenty meters ahead.
Intriguing.
And is that the purpose of existence? To care for someone?
I must remind you that our objective is to bring Tin Man out of danger and report our findings to Starfleet.
But our mission...
Sir?
Difficult to explain, Captain.
I believe he has found what he was looking for, Counselor.
Tam's final request was for me to explain his decision to the crew. But I believe his hope was that you would understand.
I witnessed something remarkable.  Individually they were both so...
Yes. But no longer. Through their joining they have been healed. Grief was transmuted to joy. Loneliness to belonging.
Yes, Counselor, when Tin Man returned me to the Enterprise I realized that this was where I belong.
Sneezing.
A cold what?
Ah. But humans still sneeze for other reasons and I cannot seem to do it right.
More than interested. Fascinated. One might say agog. But I find sneezing interesting also.
No thank you, sir.
I could say 'home, sweet home,' sir... if I understood how the word sweet applies.
Affirmative, sir. Turning soil, seeding, harvesting... but the colony's principal interest was science.
It does not, unfortunately. It means only the knowledge they had accumulated. Actually, I am quite deficient in some basic human information.  Sneezing, for example.
My final memory is of great danger, something sudden and not understood... then a blank as if the colonists were gone.
The land contours are familiar, sir. Topographically, this is the correct area.
I was discovered twenty-six years ago...
I was found twenty meters in that direction, sir.
I have always felt that it was done hurriedly, but I know little more.
Here, sir. This is where the cruiser's landing party found the signal device that had led them here.  And they found me lying there, sir.
Only a layer of dust.
There's much more of it now, after twenty-six years.
But not at all like a human birth. Having the colonists' memories, I knew immediately how to speak, who I was, where I was...
I had no idea that was unusual, of course.
Yes, that was it, Geordi.  This has awakened a memory remnant of how the colonists hoped to remain hidden...  ... but their fear of being discovered led to their storing information in me.
Only vague impressions of some of my functions being tested here, sir...
This pictures something that feels familiar, sir. And dangerous, although I have no idea what it represents. And that is all...
... except for an impression that this was a... 'Doctor Soong's' work area.
He was called that here... although, his memories indicate he traveled here under a different name.
Commander, can this be another me? Or perhaps my brother?
He needs assembling.
It is of great interest to me to find out, sir. I never believed it possible I might have a link with some form like my own.
I've been anxious to hear the chief engineer's opinion, Mister Argyle. Do you believe he can be made to function?
Completely, sir.
Well... a good starting point might be, 'Why was I given human form?'
In some ways better, sir.
There, Doctor. Press your fingers there.
An android alarm clock, Doctor. Is that amusing?  It times how long I remain unconscious.
I will feel nothing at all.
If you had an off-switch Doctor... would you not keep it secret?
Human language gives me difficulties too, sir. 'Imperfect' could mean I lack abilities that he possesses.
We do, sir, and your referring to him as an 'it'... suggests I too fit into the category of a 'thing.'
Gladly accepted, sir. As for Lore's abilities, his use of syntax and grammar suggests he was given human memories similar to mine.
I believe so, sir.
The answer, sir, is that my loyalty is to you and Starfleet. Completely.
All of which you can learn more about, when the captain has approved your being on the bridge.
Never. I judge Lore to be superior in that desire as well.
And you consider it important to please humans?
There are many things of importance... some more so than others.
My quarters.
It can identify any of the crew.  Just as I can identify flattery, brother.
It is best used when it reflects genuine feelings.
Do you realize Commander Riker's hypotenuse question tricked you into showing your knowledge was much greater than you were indicating?
You tend to underestimate humans, my brother. The way you praised young Wesley at the Helm, for example...
He has a child's body, but we have found him to be much more than that.
I have no need for places to sit or sleep. Do you?
Everything available on a Doctor Noonien Soong.
But had destroyed his own reputation by making what seemed wild promises about his positronic brain design... almost all of which failed.
If you get one the way I did, Lore, it means four years at the Academy, another three as ensign, ten or twelve on varied space duty in the lieutenant grades...
How?
And will we also discuss which of us was constructed first?
You lived with the colonists?
Quite true. I keep trying to be more human... and keep failing.
And... do you realize... Lore, that I am obligated to report all of this to our ship's captain?
Use it also to describe for the captain the time you spent with the colonists. Including all you know about what happened to them.
Thank you, Lore. And now, I have duties to perform, unless you need something more.
To go... ?
Which is used in our construction.  That particular compound is no more suspicious, sir, than a human looking for an antiseptic or an ointment. Nevertheless, I should check it out.
Champagne?
I have some doubts about the value of human... customs in this...my... brother...
Brother... help me...
I will function sufficiently to stop Lore, Doctor...
Whatever happens, it is important that you two stay away from him. Do not try to help me.
How sad, dear brother. You have made me wish I were an only child.
I will stay with Wesley, Doctor.
Stay back, Wesley! Help me some other way!
Wesley... now!
Yes, Captain.
Sensors indicate no shuttle or other ships in this sector.
The search pattern has been input.
We have covered the area in a spherical pattern which a vessel without warp drive could traverse in the time allotted.
There is a system of roads on the planet which indicate a highly industrialized civilization. But where there should be cities there are only great rips in the surface.
It is identical to what happened to the outposts along the Neutral Zone.
The ship is strangely generalized in design. There is no specific bridge or central control area, no specific engineering section -- I can identify no living quarters.
There is no indication of specific life.
Then the initial encounter was solely for the purpose of gathering information.
Whatever this beam is, Captain, it is draining our shields.
In eighteen seconds the shields will be down.
Shields are down.
The tractor beam has released.
A force field is maintaining hull integrity.
Perhaps because this ship was scanned for individual life signs. Apparently when they are in these slots, they become part of the whole and no longer read as separate life forms.
Captain, I would theorize that the Borg are somehow interconnected through these slots and are working collectively.
Each slot is designed for a specific Borg. Here is where the connection is made.
The technology required to achieve this biological and artificial interface is far beyond our capabilities. There are many advantages.
Fascinating. Obviously they also function individually.
Commander.
The ship appears to be regenerating.
Perhaps this explains why they have not taken notice of our presence. Their collective effort is directed at repairing their vessel.
Captain -- the Borg ship is in pursuit.
The target was not the ship. The weapon was designed to drain the shields.
Without our shields -- at this range there is a high degree of probability that a photon detonation could destroy the Enterprise.
An ancient Earth device used primarily for transportation.
Also seen as a source of status and virility; often a prime ingredient in teenage mating rituals --
I will tell him.
Therefore the captain must recite the entire greeting without any mistakes.
Yes. If, on the other hand, the captain makes even the slightest error --
I have located a history tape of the last Federation starship to come in contact with the Jarada. It graphically demonstrates what happened when that captain offended them.
Should we not run it?
Why would the captain not want to review all the information available on the subject?
Dixon Hill is a most puzzling character.
But his modus operandi is quite dissimilar. Worth investigating.
Computer: request all biographical information on fictional character Dixon Hill.
Request complete text of all stories involving said character.
Increase speed.
Request permission to accompany you, sir.
I have mastered the lingo of the period. Example:  It was raining in the city of Angels -- a hard rain -- almost hard enough to wash the slime from the streets. But it never does. When the rain stops, the boulevard dries and the snakes once again slink from their holes. That's when my door opens and the helpless, the desperate, walk through with a heart full of hurt and a pocket full of nothing.
It unearthed half-forgotten feelings the same way it dug up sleeping bones in shallow unmarked graves.  It was that kind of day.
DiMaggio. Joltin' Joe, the Yankee clipper.
The streak they refer to, will eventually reach fifty-six games...
And be snapped by a pair of journeyman hurlers for the Cleveland Indians --
The record will stand until the year 2026, when a shortstop for the London Kings--
Cat?
Hiya Doc. What's shakin'?  Are you alright?
He's on ice.
He's being grilled.
Thanks, Mac.
Computer! Identify exit!
There is a programming malfunction. The computer refuses to identify the exits.
I am at a loss. We are in a Holodeck-created building of 1941. The computer has refused to accept voice commands. The controls for the environment are therefore not accessible. They are outside in the reality of the Holodeck.
Your devotion to etiquette is highly admirable, sir. However, your methods leave much to be desired.
Central America.
He speaks the truth, sir. From your point of view, he is only a fiction, a facsimile, a knock-off, a cheap imitation.
Sorry sir, that did not come out quite the way I interded.
It is you who are not real, sir.
It is you who are imaginary characters derived from a work of fiction.
I am afraid you are not real either, Lieutenant.
-- A mechanical or electronic apparatus capable of carrying out repetitious and highly complex mathematical operations at high speed.
Captain, the exit...
If you are thinking of going through yourself sir, I can assure you that is not possible.
What about you?
You are wrong, Captain. My brother and I serve a much higher purpose.
Yes. My brother has made it possible.
Do not try to drive a wedge between us, Captain. I am loyal to my brother.
Hugh interfaced with the others and transferred his sense of individuality to them. It almost destroyed them.
The Borg aspire to the perfection my Brother and I represent: fully artificial life forms. We are their future.
I now realize that my life aboard the Enterprise was a waste. My quest to become human was misguided, an evolutionary step in the wrong direction.
There are no other emotions.
Those are words without substance. Love is nothing more than the absence of hate. Joy is the absence of fear.
Counselor Troi herself told me that feelings are not positive or negative, it is how we act on them that becomes good or bad.
You do not understand. In a quest such as ours, sacrifices must be made. It is regrettable. But the greater good must be served.
Give me your Visor.
Give it to me or I will take it by force.
I am not your puppet anymore.
Here is the VISOR. May I ask why you wanted it?
All the Borg you have experimented on so far have suffered extensive brain damage.
I understand.
That's not your concern.
Geordi...
Shhh. We're getting out of here.
Too late.
My Brother suggested that I try to develop my sense of humor. What do you think?
I am neutralizing your pain receptors.
I am implanting nano-cortical fibers in your cerebrum that are designed to learn and mimic your neural firing patterns.
Once they are in place, I will destroy your existing brain cells and see if the artificial neural network is able to take over cognitive functions.
If the procedure is successful, your cognitive processing functions will be considerably improved.
However, there is approximately a sixty percent chance that you will not survive the procedure.
They are cause for concern.
However, since I also have Counselor Troi and Captain Picard, the odds are that at least one of the procedures will be successful.
Drop it or I will break his neck.
Take him.
I will be back for him later.
I have a complete memory record of that day.
I did not have enough buoyancy to get back to the surface.
One kilometer, forty-six meters.
I am ready to irradiate your existing brain cells.
I am getting some anomalous readings from your neural net. I will have to do further tests before I proceed.
Someone will come and take you back to your cell.
It is too early to tell if the nano-cortical fibers have performed their function.
They came looking for me.
I betrayed them. If they die... I am responsible.
I do not want you to check my systems. I must resolve these issues myself.
I... do not like it...
Yes...
Yes. Please... I want more...
Thank you...
I did not come for him -- I came for you.
That will not be possible.
It is for the greater good.
That is correct.
You are attempting to confuse me.
No... It would be wrong.
Lore...
What are you doing?
I am going to deactivate you now.
You leave me no other choice.
Good bye, Lore.
Lore is no longer functioning.  He must be disassembled so that he is never again a threat.
Thank you, sir.
Enter.
I am glad that the injuries I inflicted on you are not permanent.
This is the chip my Father created for me so that I could experience emotions. I had it removed from Lore's body before he was dismantled.
No. I am pleased to say that it was damaged when I was forced to fire on Lore.
Yes. But emotions were responsible for what I did to you.
I would never risk letting something like that happen again. My friendship with you is too important to me.
Captain, Doctor, I am honored by your presence, but may I suggest you attend the second concert.
Ensign Ortiz will perform the violin part. My rendition will be less enjoyable.
While I am quite proficient Technically, according to my fellow performers, I lack soul.
But is not honesty always the preferred choice?
Indeed?
Because you lose their respect?
Hyperonic radiation also interferes with ship's transporters; they are now inoperable.
Aye, sir.
Hello.
That is correct. I am an android. I am Lieutenant Commander Data of the Federation Starship Enterprise.
Excellent.
And who, precisely, is 'we?'
My local informant does not know. In the early days survival on Tau Cygna Five was more important than history.
Approximately fifteen thousand.
Lieutenant Commander Data of the Starship Enterprise.
My mission is to prepare this colony for evacuation.
Because this planet belongs to the Sheliak.
The term is plural. The Sheliak are an intelligent, non-humanoid life form, classification R-3 --
But the original destination of the Artemis was Septimis Minor.
Your accomplishments are indeed remarkable. However, the Sheliak and the Federation have a treaty that clearly makes this planet Sheliak domain.
They have little regard for human life. Thus, our most sensible course is to prepare a contingency plan for the evacuation of your people.
Perhaps I have not made myself clear.
Have you seen many?
No -- they are positronic.
The possibility exists, and Gosheven appears unwilling to prepare for it. Why?
I am not ordering him to do anything; I am merely trying to persuade him that his people should prepare to evacuate.  Do you believe my suggested course of action should be followed?
In spite of the fact that I am an android?
No, I would say not.
You conclude from this that I am impartial... hence you accept my recommendations.
Data, here.
Understood.
Yes, sir.
We must speak with Gosheven immediately.
It is water, a substance composed of two atoms of hydrogen --
The Sheliak will not accept humans on their planet. And they will not hesitate to use force to remove you.
You cannot win.
Are his sentiments typical among the colonists?
I see no other course of action. If I can convince enough people of the necessity of leaving --
You are offering assistance?
Commander, in human parlance, I do not believe I can 'get the job done.' My training has prepared me for starship command duties. As a cultural contact I am proving to be less than exemplary.
Their leader has rejected my counsel. He denies the logic of my arguments and talks of structures they have built.
I have. In the last three hours and eight minutes, I have spoken to fifty-six colonists. Ten refused to believe a threat exists. Twenty-two favored staying and fighting the Sheliak.
Sixteen preferred negotiation or some form of passive resistance. Only eight were willing to consider evacuation. And of those eight --
If I do not succeed, how violent is the Sheliak reaction likely to be?
Ah.
Is there any indication that Gosheven has changed his position?
First, will Gosheven allow me to speak? Second, even if he does, what good will it do? So far, my attempts at persuasion have been ineffective.
Among humans, a kiss normally serves to seal a friendship or to indicate support, attraction, affection.
That is something of an understatement.
Thus far, that quality has not helped me accomplish my mission.
Elicit a desired behavior by advocating its opposite?  That implies deception, does it not?
Perhaps this is a situation in which excessive honesty is detrimental.
I wish to speak.
You deny me the opportunity to address the assemblage?
Do you consider your position so weak that it cannot withstand debate?
You know of the Sheliak threat. Starfleet wishes to evacuate you for your own protection. Gosheven has decided otherwise. That is his right. And I will not waste time trying to reverse that decision.
Your children will understand that they are dying for a worthy cause.
Long after the battle is over, their courage will be remembered and extolled.
Ah, that is true. There will be no one left alive to remember.
I was simply attempting to describe your inevitable destruction in a manner that would have an emotional effect.
Then here you die.
And you, Kentor?
If you so desire.
The Federation will offer as little or as much help as you dictate.
Apparently, that is not correct.
I appear to be reversing that defeat.
I am equipped with diagnostic circuits and can correct many malfunctions.
Perhaps that has been part of our difficulty. Words are all we have been using.  Humans seem to take much stronger notice of actions.
A type of weapon. Unfortunately it will not function in the presence of hyperonic radiation.
Hyperonic radiation randomizes phaser beams. But I believe I can improvise a servocircuit which will compensate by continuously recollimating the output.
Essentially correct.
I sincerely hope so.
That was the 'stun' setting.
I know that, but it is just a thing, and things can be replaced. Lives cannot. Live, rebuild and be remembered.
Commander Data to Enterprise. I am preparing to leave Tau Cygna Five and await rendezvous instructions.
Hello, Ard'rian.
I would not have succeeded without your support and insight, and I appreciate your assistance.
I am incapable of forgetting. I will remember every detail of my visit with perfect clarity.
I do not understand.
I have no feelings of any kind.
You appeared to require it.
Have I disappointed you?
Yes.
But I am the only android you have ever met.
Thank you, sir.
As I have lately had to remind others, I have no feelings.
Strictly speaking, it is not 'my' playing. It is a precise imitation of the techniques of Jascha Heifetz and Trenka Bron-Ken.
I suppose I have learned to be innovative... when necessary, sir.
The colony's  systems are functioning normally... as are the  systems.
Certainly.
I suggest we analyze the planet's weather patterns to see if they have been affected.
I am reading unusually high humidity across the entire Southern desert region... and there is increasing cloud activity over the Northern coastal area... possibly the formation of a storm system.
And I will run a diagnostic on the thermal regulators.
It began as a minor power fluctuation, sir -- but the effect has spread throughout the control grid.  It has caused unusual concentrations of cumulonimbus activity above the colony.
It appears to be a concentrated suspension of water vapor, approximately one degree Celsius.
I am unable to terminate the connection, sir. A feedback loop has formed in the transfer beam.  I will have to go to the substation and attempt to correct the problem from there.
It appears that the station is experiencing a system-wide power failure.
You are dismantling the primary power conduit. I must ask you to stop.
He is dead.
In the meantime, Governor, you should expect the weather problems to continue.
That is correct.
I cannot identify the energy residual. However, it appears to have the same anaphasic signature as the power fluctuations we observed in the weather control system.
It is possible.
Captain, Geordi and I have detected an energy residual with the same anaphasic signature as the one we found in Ned Quint's body.
Approximately seventeen kilometers from the center of the colony.  It is coming from the cemetery, sir.
Aye sir.
The energy readings appear to be originating approximately eight meters below the surface.
I believe they are concentrated within this burial site.
I am reading definite signs of anaphasic energy in her body -- it appears to extend to the cellular level.
I suggest we run a deep tissue scan to look for --
Actually, good morning, sir.
Ship status is --
Yes, sir.
I am sorry, sir, but Stellar Cartography has requested a communications blackout while they run an experiment.
Another three hours, twenty-two minutes.
I can override it if necessary.
Aye, sir.
Captain, I would like to remind you about our concert this evening in Ten-Forward.  We will be performing Chopin's Trio in G minor.
I noticed that the applause tonight exceeded average decibel levels.
Excuse me. I have not yet congratulated Ensign Cheney.
Geordi. Is there a problem?
Music?
I do not hear anything.
Thermal deflectors generate a field approximately four hundred meters wide. We would need to cross-connect six units and align them so their fields overlap.
There it is again. An area of 'blackness.'
Nothing.
Sir, our sensors are showing that to be an absence of everything. It is a void without matter or energy of any kind.
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Sir, the most elementary and valuable statement in science... the beginning of wisdom... is: 'I do not know.'  I do not know what that is.
Accessing.  Negative. There is no record of any Federation vessel encountering anything remotely like this.
All the probe's systems are functioning perfectly.
Unknown.
Still no readings of any kind, sir.
Whatever it was... or whatever it is... we seem to be inside of it.
Difficult to make a judgment based on the absence of information.
The obvious hypothesis is equivocal. This void has a total lack of dimension. Therefore by any accepted standard it does not exist, yet being within it denies that conclusion.
Could a lack of dimension be another dimension in itself?
Inertial guidance shows seven parsecs traveled, Captain.
Except that we are still in it, sir.
Captain... if we dropped a stationary beacon and navigated straight away from it, we would have a fixed point of reference to confirm speed and distance.
The beacon is in place, Captain.
The beacon is falling astern.
Captain, we are receiving a signal from dead ahead.
We are closing on the new signal, Captain.
Captain, it is the stationary beacon we just released.
Captain, sensors can locate no debris from the Romulan ship.
This is the USS Enterprise to... USS Yamato. Respond, please...
This is the USS Enterprise calling USS Yamato. Please respond on this frequency.
No response, Captain.
Life support system -- engineering and propulsion all seem functional.  But there are no life signs over there, sir.
Since we know nothing at all about these circumstances, that is... at least, conceivable, sir.
Captain! I have a star fix.
Confirm, navigation is possible.
The star fix is fading.
Captain. The star fix is fading.
Add to it an attack by a nonexistent Romulan vessel, it does suggest an interesting question: 'Was our away team even over there?'
I have lost contact.
Sir, it is not in the same sector. But another opening has appeared.
I have lost the signal.
Captain...
Captain, sensors show nothing out there. Absolutely nothing.
Nagilum?
Perhaps referring to your gender.
Our sensors do not show anything there, Worf.
All evidence indicates he is willing and able to do what he proposes.
Sir... I do not believe there is anything you can do to prevent it.
I have a question, sir.  What is death?
Which do you believe?
I agree with her, Captain.
It is wrong...
Captain, we are clear of the void. You may stop the auto-destruct.
All navigational systems confirm -- we are at warp six -- on course...
... to the Morgana Quadrant.
Our scanners cannot penetrate the plasma streamer's distortion field.
No, sir -- the ionic interference is too heavy.
The analysis of the fragments is not yet complete.
The container does show evidence of residual ionization.  I believe your hypothesis was correct. It was being used to store high energy plasma.
Perhaps we should try to recreate their experiment to see what happens when matter is beamed aboard under similar conditions.
Are you having trouble with your eyesight, Mister Barclay?
May I have a word with you, Geordi? It concerns Lieutenant Barclay.
He appears to be inordinately preoccupied with his physiological condition. I have seen him check his pulse rate, as well as his visual acuity several times in the last twenty minutes.
Structural reinforcement is at two hundred forty percent.
A standard analysis begins with a resonance frequency scan.
Initiating resonance sweep. Frequency range at --
That is correct. They appear to be quasi-energy microbes that exist within the distortion field of the plasma streamer -- which made them undetectable to our sensors.
The microbes exist simultaneously as both matter and energy. The bio-filters cannot distinguish them from the matter stream.
The molecules would begin to emit nucleonic particles. We might be able to derive a pattern the computer could recognize...
Your pattern would degrade to the point where your signal would be permanently lost.
Your pattern might degrade to the point where your signal would be permanently lost.
We will start the evening with Mozart's string quartet number six. I am programmed to reproduce the individual musical styles of over three hundred concert violinists, including Heifitz, Menuhin, Grak-tay and Tataglia. Do you have a preference?
I hope you find the performance pleasing.
Yes. It is normally occupied by Captain Picard, Commander Riker, and Counselor Troi.
Half-Betazoid. Her father was human.
Her skills are empathic in nature. She can sense the emotions of other beings.
Extensive. The captain's first diplomatic contact dates back to Stardate---
Do you foresee such a circumstance occurring? Is Ambassador Sarek unable to --
Captain Picard is not satisfied with Ki Mendrossen's assurances that the ambassador is in good health. Do you consider Sarek capable of carrying out his mission?
You have voiced certain reservations about his abilities to me.
Directly, no. However, you did question me on the diplomatic capabilities of both Captain Picard and Counselor Troi.
Then you must decide which is your greater obligation: your loyalty to Sarek or your duty to the Federation.
Can you accept the logic of continuing the mission?
Sakkath has been able, until very recently, to use his telepathic skills to reinforce Sarek's emotional control and thus protect others from the effects of his deterioration.
The strain of this mission on Sarek has made it impossible.
Sir, it is conceivable that even for me, time will eventually lead to a irreparable circuit failure. But there is one thing I do not understand...
Sarek is a logical, intelligent being. The effects of Bendii Syndrome are apparent. Why would such a man choose to ignore them?
Captain... Commander...
Commander, the Legarans are ready to beam aboard.
Are you feeling all right?
Captain Thomas Halloway.  Perhaps I should escort you to Sickbay.
Thank you, sir.  But I do not believe that I am more qualified than Commander Riker.
It is possible that the Cardassians were interested in specifically capturing Captain Picard.
The metagenic weapon which they were supposedly developing used a theta-band subspace delivery system. Captain Picard is one of only three Starfleet Captains with extensive experience in testing theta-band devices. The other two are no longer in Starfleet.
If our theory is correct, it would mean the Cardassians are preparing for an attack somewhere in this sector.
If Captain Picard is aware of our defense plans for this sector, we could be at a serious tactical disadvantage.
In that case, he may be tortured for information that he does not have.
Aye, sir.  Set course three five zero mark two one five and engage at warp eight point five.
Yellow Alert. Raise shields and charge all defensive systems.
Away Team reporting in, Commander. Lieutenant Worf standing by.
The Koinonians were an intelligent culture which became embroiled in a war that lasted several generations. Our best evidence indicates they destroyed themselves.
According to historical records. This will be the first opportunity for a Federation team...
Excuse me. Am I intruding?
How well did you know Lieutenant Aster?
Why do you ask?
But why do you ask the question? I have been asked several times to define 'how well I knew Lieutenant Aster' since her death. And I heard you ask Wesley on the Bridge if he knew Jeremy well.  Does the question of familiarity have some bearing on death?
I do not sense the same feelings of... absence... that I associate with Lieutenant Yar... although I cannot say precisely why...
Human nature, sir?
But should not the feelings be just as deep regardless of who has died?
They employ a subspace proximity detonator. A normal tricorder would never detect it.
It comes from the time of the Koinonian Wars, Captain...
Inconclusive, Captain.
The pattern has no exact match in Federation records.
A possibility.
There is a beam of highly charged particles emanating from the planet...
The beam from the planet is clearly tapping into the ship's anti-matter, Captain...
The shields have severed the beam.
Captain, the energy field...
Engaging force fields, Captain. Transporters are down.
Thank you...
The factions on Solais Five are historical enemies. So many have died that both societies are on the verge of extinction.
The factions have been at war for fifteen centuries.
I do not know what you mean.
Unknown.
Captain. There are just in the Federation, eighty-one different variations of signing.
I have eliminated all but five distinct forms of signing. I will learn them all.
Computer. Show me gestural language -- designation M-nine.
As a language -- the use of gestures and hand signals pre-dates the spoken word in most cultures. The major exception being the Leyrons of Malkus Nine who actually developed a written language first.
Computer - continue presentation.
Increase.
Increase.
Increase.
Increase.
Captain, I have reviewed and stored five distinct signing languages.
This is blue. This is a blue ocean. This is a blue ocean at sunset. This is two people walking along the beach by a blue ocean at sunset. This is two happy people in love walking along the beach by a blue ocean at sunset. This is --
It will not work. I need my words.
There -- that is what I mean. Your translation is literal. You say words. I do not need just words -- I need nuance, and subtlety... the shadings my Chorus enable me to communicate.
No! I cannot!
No -- it is not the same thing. Data is unacceptable...
What I have got. I have got nothing. Do you not understand - I cannot do it.
You are attempting to provoke me.
It is not going to work.
You.
It could be dangerous.
How?
And you want to know the trick.
Captain, there is no secret. What I do is help one person -- one group -- express themselves to the other.
The real trick is getting them to listen. To understand. To turn a disadvantage to an advantage.
That is an interesting thought...  I do not understand -- what thought is he referring to?
Thank you.
Could you relight the torches, to let them know that I am back.
I would like the table right here.
Main Engineering, this is Commander Data.
You can leave whenever you choose. I will get a message out when I am ready to leave.  Captain -- I do not understand what is going on here? Without his interpreters, how can he mediate?
Yes -- it is turning a disadvantage into an advantage. Learning how to sign will actually become part of the process of them learning how to live together in peace.
... and that is the first and most important step in any relationship.  Captain, although it took me only moments to learn sign language, it will take them months.
These people have been fighting all their lives, they know only hatred, suspicion, fear. Even with my Chorus -- I could not have changed those attitudes in a day. We have a chance, and they want the talks to be successful or they would not have called me.
And to you.
I thought this was supposed to be a routine transport mission.
Sensors are reading gravimetric fluctuations... most unusual ones.
Nothing I have seen before.
Yes... and no. Like a... time displacement, but it does not have a discernible event horizon.
Confirmed. The phenomenon does not have a definable center or outer edge.
I do not have sufficient information to make an analysis as yet, Commander. The dynamics of the radiation patterns---
Sensors confirm design and specifications, Captain. Analysis of hull and engine materials conform to engineering patterns and methods of that time period.
Presumed destroyed. The Enterprise-C was last seen near the Klingon outpost on Narendra Three exactly twenty-two years, four months and three days ago.
It is a possibility, Captain. If that is the correct hypothesis, then the phenomenon we just enountered was a temporal rift in space.
Possibly the formation of a Kerr loop from superstring material... it would require high-energy interactions occuring in the vicinity for such a structure to form. The rift is certainly not stable, Captain. It could collapse at any time.
Away team reporting in, sir.
The probability is high that the temporal rift is symmetrical, Captain.
Back, sir? The Enterprise-C would emerge in her own time period at almost the same instant she left.
Yes, sir.
None, sir.
Perhaps her species has a perception that goes beyond linear time.
Engineering.
Is Engineering your destination as well?
If I interpret your facial expression correctly, you were preoccupied with something unpleasant.
We may never know what happens, Tasha. If they succeed, we will not even realize any of these events occurred.
The possibilities are too numerous even for me to calculate, Tasha.
Scary? I would not know.
Firing phasers...
The Klingon vessel has re-cloaked, sir. I have no readings.
Shields holding.
One enemy target hit, sir. Moderate damage to their forward shields.
Our shields still holding. Minor damage to secondary hull.
One enemy target destroyed.
Shields buckling, Captain. They will not --
Fifty-two seconds.
Power couplings severed in forward phaser banks. Attempting to by-pass.  Controls not responding.
The rift is closing in on itself, Captain.
Captain, we are nearing the periphery of Sector twenty-one-five-oh-three.
Delta Evasion Plan initiated...
Direct hit, sir. Moderate damage to their aft shield generators...
Multiple hits. Power failure in forward shields...
Accessing...  Chief O'Brien served under his command aboard the Rutledge.
We have located the Phoenix in Sector twenty-one-five-oh-five.
We believe it to be a Cardassian supply ship.
Nossir. The Phoenix is continuing on its bearing toward the supply ship.
Sir, the Cardassian warship is moving on the Phoenix.
The warship is three hundred thousand kilometers from the Phoenix. It is opening fire. The Phoenix has taken a direct hit.
The Phoenix is beginning evasive maneuvers.  It has positioned itself outside the weapons range of the opposing ship.  The Phoenix has powered up with both phasers and photon torpedoes.  The Phoenix is firing photon torpedoes.
Sir...
At our present speed of warp four, sixteen hours, forty-four minutes.
At our present speed, three hours and twenty minutes.
Captain... the Phoenix is changing course.
Sir, the Phoenix is heading directly for a Cardassian vessel... point-one-two light years from our location.
Sir, the Phoenix has accelerated to warp nine. We will not be able to reach him before he intercepts the Cardassian ship.
Sir, the Phoenix has dropped out of warp. They have reached the Cardassian vessel.
Negative, sir. Phaser banks are not armed...
Our sensors are unable to determine status of the Cardassian defensive systems... Their ship is running with a high-powered subspace field.
Captain, the Phoenix is transferring power to its shields...
We have arrived at Tanuga Four, Captain. The away team has completed its survey of Doctor Apgar's work and is ready to return to the ship.
Ensign Williams' striking style is heavily influenced by geometric constructivism.
Lieutenant Wright has effectively fused the incongruities of the surrealists with the irrationality of Dadaism.
Interesting.
You are welcome, sir. If I may be of any further assistance --
Captain, the radiation and debris are consistent with an overload of the station's reactor core.
It would require construction and design specifications, full orthographic representations of the Krieger equipment, as well as visual representations and voice analyses of the persons involved... but yes, it is possible.
The energy signature would seem to indicate a phaser-like blast...
Was there anything else in the lab capable of creating this kind of energy discharge... ?
Source?
Computer identify type of radiation.
It is definitely the same radiation that penetrated deck thirty-nine... highly focused, very powerful... but of unknown origin.
The two radiation events aboard the Enterprise occurred five hours, twenty minutes and three seconds apart. The science station exploded yesterday at almost exactly four times that interval.
We do not have the evidence to support that conclusion at this time, Commander.
Captain, as you know, we have been looking for a phenomenon that reoccurs every five hours, twenty minutes and three seconds...
We have found one such phenomenon on the planet's surface.
It should not be. It is a harmless Lambda Field generator.
We now know what is causing the bursts, sir, and why the science station exploded.
The Ferengi report their containment field is collapsing...
Their reactor core is unstable, Captain...
Two, sir.
I would be pleased to escort you around the ship.
I am an artificial lifeform.
Your empathic powers do not perceive anything because I have no emotions.
Your empathic powers do not perceive anything because as an android, I have no emotions...
Extremely rude behavior.
May I order you a drink?
There do not seem to be enough waiters on duty.
Certainly...
No, I think I shall remain here...
Thank you, Lieutenant Worf, I believe the crowd has become a little too ebullient for comfort...  ... perhaps you'd enjoy a quiet visit to the arboretum...
Thank you again, Lieutenant.
The characteristic response to the Kriskov Gambit is to counter with an el-Mitra Exchange -- particularly since I have already taken both your rooks. By missing that opportunity, you have left your king vulnerable.
As you wish.
Check.
Intriguing. You have devised a completely unanticipated response to a classic attack.  You will checkmate my king in seven moves.
You are a challenging opponent.
I will honor our agreement.
One Samarian Sunset, served in the traditional style.
I hope you enjoy it.
I hope you enjoy it.
Is there something I could get you? A beverage of your choice?
The databanks that would identify who I am are not functioning.
This vessel is named the Enterprise. We are part of an organization called the United Federation of Planets. The Federation is currently in a state of war.
Starfleet Command believes the Lysians have a new weapon that has shifted the balance of power in their favor.
Our scientists theorize that the Lysians are using an energy wave -- either plasma based or a subspace interference pattern. The weapon severly disrupts a starship's computer systems and the mental functioning of the crew.
Our mission is part of a highly coordinated effort to put an end to the war. There are other vessels on other fronts, all working according to an intricate plan.
At our current speed, approximately thirty-seven hours.
The ship matches the Starfleet description of a Lysian Destroyer. A short-range attack vessel... with disruptor-style weapons, and a standard crew of fifty-three.
The destroyer has minimal shields. Their disruptor capacity appears to be only two point one megajoules.
Captain -- the destroyer is hailing us.
It is conceivable, sir.
Captain, The Lysians have stopped transmitting. They are powering up their disruptors.  They have locked onto us, sir...
There appears to be a command path discontinuity. I shall attempt to rewrite the locator subroutine.
Yes.
I have expended a great deal of thought with respect to my apparent uniqueness among the crew.
I have considered that possibility as well. It may also be the case that every starship in the Federation is equipped with an artificial lifeform such as myself.
There is another possibility. Perhaps my origin was unique. In that case... I am alone.
We have accessed the information storage area. But considerable damage has been done to the files themselves.
As are the crew records, and the personal logs.
Captain, we are approaching the Lysian system.
Sensors show several objects in our path. They are twenty-nine meters in length and are unmanned.
The pods are equipped with fusion generated pulse lasers, and minimal shielding.
We are through the perimeter.
I am picking up no vessels -- and no additional sentry pods.
Armaments consist of four laser cannons and thirty-nine cobalt fusion warheads with magnetic propulsion. Defensive shield output is only... four point three kilojoules.
Fifteen thousand, three hundred eleven.
Wayuman... whaaaa... yuuuu... waaaant... what d'yuuuu... what you want... what do you want?
Runnnn... rung... wrong wrong wrong... what is...  What is wrong with you?
My name is Garvin?
I do not know my name.
You asked... if I knew my name. I do not.
Yes. It is becoming... easier.
Good-bye.
I do not remember being in an accident.  But then, I do not remember very much at all.
I walked here... from the mountains.
I do have a clear memory of my journey. It began on a steep path in the mountains... near a large waterfall with two jagged promontories.
I have no prior memories.
No.
Yes.
'Radioactive.'
That is what is written on the container.
Evidently.
I do not know. Perhaps it is my name.
That is correct.
No. However, I cannot have indigestion since I have not eaten.
I do not know.
Then what do you believe I am?
Ice-man?
Then I am not ill?
Thank you.
I am an ice-man.
Radioactive.
It is acceptable. What is the origin of that name?
I do not know.
You may be right. But I do not wish to sell all the fragments. They could provide a clue to my identity.
I believe the support structure of the anvil collapsed because some of the wood had rotted.
Did I do something wrong, Garvin?
You have told me no one from the village has ever been to the Vellorian Mountains. How do you know there are... ferocious creatures there?
But no one has actually seen one?
In the absence of empirical data on these creatures, how can you support your theory about the nature of my strength?
I neither liked nor disliked the food. I simply had no appetite.
Where is your mother?
Yes. I do.
I do not believe that is correct.
I believe you are reasoning by analogy -- classifying objects and phenomena according to superficial observation rather than by empirical evidence.  For example, wood does not contain fire simply because it is combustible. Nor does it contain rock simply because it is heavy. Wood, like any complex organic form, is composed of thousands of different chemical compounds, none of which is fire.
Yes. But I do not agree with Talur's assessment. Although I do have... gaps in my memory, I know that fire is not an element.
Garvin is correct. You did agree on twenty.
With an increased focal length and an achromatic objective lens this instrument will have a higher effective magnification.
Garvin, with your permission, I would like to begin my own... investigation regarding the cause of your illness.
Gia, I would like you to accompany me to the village. I will need some supplies.
I will use these materials to make the laboratory equipment I need to research your father's illness.
I do not know. First, I must isolate the cause of the --
Am I to understand that Garvin's illness has spread?
I think we should leave, Gia.
I am studying tissue samples from Garvin and Gia in an attempt to isolate the cause of the illness.
Yes. She is also beginning to show signs of the illness.
It is a magnifying device based on your hand-held instrument. I have refined the design to increase the magnification level.
Of course.
Objects appear approximately five hundred times their normal size.
As you can see, the cellular damage is quite extensive. However, based on the interstitial transparency and membrane integrity, I do not believe this is an infection or any form of communicable disease.
At the moment, I am looking for a common experience or event that Garvin, Skoran, and Gia might have shared that could have a causal relationship to their illness.
Yes, but since this illness struck all three of them in a relatively short period of time, it is reasonable to assume that the experience would be recent and unusual.
I am aware of that. And I am open to the possibility that I am in some way the causal factor. But since you have had a great deal of contact with me and have shown no sign of the sickness, I tend to discount myself as a likely candidate.
I agree.
I believe Talur is correct. You should rest. I will attend to your father.
Gia.  When did you begin wearing that pendant?
May I see it?
This was made from one of the metal fragments I sold to Skoran...
I have coated this piece of cloth with the liquid which is used in lamps.
You can see that the cloth becomes luminescent when exposed to an energy source.
I believe a stream of particles is emanating from the metallic pendant and hitting the cloth.
It would appear that the container is constructed from a material which can block or absorb the particles coming from the metal.
I will continue with my experiments. I would like you to gather all the pieces of metal in the village. Put them back in this container.
Of course.
If you are referring to the illness, you are partially correct, but it is more complex than that. You see, the metal fragments that --
I do not know.
I do not know what I am. But I am not like you.
No. I am not...
I do not wish to scare you.
I understand your reaction. I must admit, I do not know what I am.
But I do not wish to harm you. You or Garvin or anyone else. I only wish to help... to find a cure for the illness. I was getting very close. I need to continue my work, but it will take time. How long will it be until Skoran and the others return?
Then I must hurry.
Gia... I believe I have found the answer.
I believe so.
I tested this medicine on skin samples from your father. They showed improvement, so I gave him a spoonful. He is now recovering.
A compound I made which will neutralize the particles that are making you ill.
Swallow this.
I am sorry that I did not have time to create a more palatable flavor.
I must administer this to everyone in the village, but I do not think they will trust me after what happened with Skoran.
I am afraid they will not believe you either.  Gia, is the well in the town square the only source of water for this village?
This is very important. Are there any other sources of fresh water near the village?
Then I will put the compound into the well water. It will be diluted, but it should still have enough potency to work.
I only wish to help you...
I do not know. I am... surprised to find myself here. I thought I was on Barkon Four.
I had located the crashed Federation probe and collected the radioactive fragments. I was attempting to download the sensor logs from the probe's on board computer when there was a... power surge. I believe the surge overloaded my positronic matrix.  After that... I have no memory until this moment.
But it would appear that I had... an interesting time.
Counselor, have you been promoted during my absence?
Yes, sir.
Sensor readings place overall dimension of vehicle an interplanetary cargo ship.
A vessel of that size usually maintains a crew of six.
Sensors show cargo holds are empty.
Readout shows a burnout in inertial guidance system...
Rogue? Accessing 'rogue.'  Cad, knave, rake, rascal, scoundrel, villain.
Time for repair would be seven hours sixteen minutes.
I do not know what you mean.  I am an android.
Yes, of course it is.
Captain Picard is not fond of nicknames.
You are not permitted on the bridge. You are restricted to your quarters or the Ten-Forward lounge unless escorted by a crewmember.
No.
The temperature on this vessel is regulated to within a fraction of a degree of the perfect comfort range. I am also able to react to any changes just as a humanoid.
That is not possible. One moment.
I was correct. I am not designed to react to any synthenol intake but apparently it is possible for me to become intoxicated.
It seems that I have been adapting some human peculiarities over the last three tours of duty.
The act or the emotion?
I believe that deduction to be inaccurate.
Get what?
I still do not understand.
Of course I do.  A joke is an antic, a caper, mischief, prank, trick, quip, witticism.
The room to the left. Why?
You agree that I am missing a very important human factor.
I never knew I had to.
But I am not unhappy. I just do not seem to break out in laughter with everyone else when Okona says certain things.
Of course I do.  It is a witticism, a gag, a bon mot, a fluctuation of words which concludes with 'trick' ending, it is...
I understand better than you think. You just told me a joke and I am not laughing.
Maybe it was not funny.
How can you be sure?
I agree. Now what do I do about it?
I wish to learn about jokes...
Show me one of those.
Humanoid. One who is able to understand and tell a joke.
Show me both.
That one. RW nine, three, two, one, six -- twentieth century.
I want to know what is funny.
Nothing makes me laugh, but I still want to do it.
Time has no meaning in this instance. It could be endless.
I assure you, I am completely trainable and capable of indoctrination. Show me what is funny.
That is considered funny?
You mean if you twist your face, bend over at the waist, mess up your hair, and cross your eyes it is a pretense that would be funny.
I can do everything else that I want to do. I just want to know what is funny. I want to be able to involve myself in other people's laughter.  I want to 'join in.'
Proceed.
Access faster...
Faster. Move to maximum speed.
This gentleman went to see his surgeon and was informed that he needed an operation. The man thought about that and then said, 'I would like a second opinion.' The doctor said, 'Okay, you are ugly too.'
Was I funny?
I was not funny...
Who was that woman I saw you with?
I will be back.
Sensors report a minimum range combat craft of the Squadron Class, twenty-six crew.
The 'stranger' vessel has slowed and is holding its position.
Similar in specifications and capabilities, but a variation in markings and hailing language.
Sensors indicate it to be a security vessel from the planet Straleb.
It is mathematically possible.
Was that funny?
I wish to reinstate the same program.
We will continue.
I told a joke.
No one laughed.
She said I 'killed' the joke.
Perhaps he is right. An audience could be the difference.  Holodeck, give me an audience.
Good evening ladies and 'germs.'
You know I come from a town so small it had a fraction for a zip code.
... It was so small in fact that it didn't have a Godfather of Crime... it had a Nephew..
I was so ugly as a child they hung a pork chop around my neck so the dog would play with me. Then there was the gene bank where they crossed a lion and a parrot. They weren't sure what they got but when it spoke, they listened.
Or the human cannonball that was hired and fired in the same night.
Holodeck off.
It was a Holodeck audience. They were programmed to laugh at anything...
I have heard it...  I have heard them all.
'Good-bye Data.'
Was I funny?
Barradas Three is the only M-class planet in this system, and it is listed as unpopulated. However, sensors have detected intermittent energy signals emanating from its surface.
The planet was an outpost of the Debrune approximately two thousand years ago. The Federation Archaeological survey has catalogued numerous ruins on the surface.
Aye, sir.
Sir.
As Acting First Officer, I must question your decision to accompany the Away Team. If Captain Picard were here --
I realize that, sir. But if he were, and he wanted to lead an Away Team, you would tell him that the Captain's place is --
Is there a malfunction?
What is the source?
Bridge to Transporter Room Two. Can you get a lock on the Away Team?
Why was it not detected earlier?
Raise shields. Red Alert.
Damage report.
Take us to warp nine and pursue. Lock phasers on target.
Increase the sensor field bandwidth. Patch in the lateral sensor arrays to enhance detection.
Plot a course and take us back to Barradas Three. Notify the Away Team to be ready for transport.
Starfleet Intelligence has confirmed that a ship matching this configuration has been linked to raids on several other planets in this sector.
For the short time it was within our visual range, we were able to take sensor readings of the mercenary vessel.  It appears to be encased in an energy-absorbing material. Although we can see the ship, this energy sheath renders it virtually undetectable to our long-range sensors.
Without a full compositional analysis of the energy sheath, the chances of finding the correct remodulation sequence are remote.  Furthermore, based on their speed, they could be as far as two-point-three-seven light years from this location.
It would still take at least ten days to complete. In that time the mercenaries would continue to distance themselves from us.
On the contrary, Lieutenant, that is precisely what we must do.
Since there are no viable alternatives, we will return to the surface and attempt to determine what the mercenaries were doing on this planet. An investigation may reveal some indication of their purpose. Notify me when you have assembled your search teams.  Dismissed.
Perhaps these artifacts have special value to the Romulans.
These structures were built by the Debrune. That race was an ancient offshoot of the Romulans. And the ruins on the planet where Captain Picard was killed were also Romulan in origin.
But the question remains: Why are they stealing these artifacts?
There are several archaeological sites in this sector containing ruins which are Romulan in origin.  These are the locations which have been attacked by the mercenary vessel.
The only sites which have not been attacked are on Calder Two, Yadalla Prime, and Draken Four.
That would be their next likely target.
But it is only a small science station; it has limited defensive capabilities.  I do not believe it could withstand an attack by the mercenary ship.
Mister Worf. Send a message to the Federation outpost on Calder Two. Advise them that if a ship matching the mercenary vessel's configuration approaches, they should attempt to delay them until our arrival.  Ensign Giusti, take us out of orbit. Set course for the Calder system. Warp nine.
Ensign, scan for Starfleet combadge signals. Is Commander Riker aboard that ship?
Open a channel.  This is the Federation Starship Enterprise. You are ordered to stand down...
Commander. Are you all right?
Sir, that is impossible. The ship you are on has violated a Federation outpost. It is my duty to stop it.
Commander, if you could explain --
Counselor, could Commander Riker have been drugged or mentally altered in some way to explain this?
That is correct, Counselor. He does know.  Mister Worf. Prepare to drop the shields.
I am aware of that.
That is an order.
Ah, I see. So the difficulty in attaining such complex positioning in a zero gravity environment, coupled with the adverse effect it would have on the psychological well being of the average human male, is what makes this anecdote so amusing. Yes. Very humorous indeed. Hysterical, in fact.
You are aware Counselor, that the Holodeck can be programed to recreate an oceanic environment.
One can swim in moonlight?
-- Commander Riker.
I am receiving a Code Forty-Seven.
It is a Code Forty-Seven, sir. Starfleet emergency frequency.
If I may, sir? Dytallix B is one of seven uninhabited worlds mined for the Federation by the Dytallix Mining Company. I believe B is in the nearby Mira system.
I have the readout on Dytallix B, Commander.
Dytallix B is the fifth of six planets circling the red giant known as Mira.
One side always faces the sun -- where temperatures reach up to one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius. The mines line the temperate zone between the day and night sides, but they are long deserted.
I believe the answer is negative to both questions, sir. In a manner of speaking, it is nothing but a lifeless hunk of rock, a useless ball of mud, a worthless chunk of --
The third is just coming into range now, sir... It is an Ambassador Class heavy cruiser... The USS Horatio.
Three sir. All gathered inside what appears to be the entrance to a mining tunnel.
At that speed sir, we should arrive nine point six three hours behind the original schedule.
Computer -- this is Lieutenant Commander Data. Access all Starfleet Command orders to starships, starbases and colonies, for the past six months.
Startling. Quite extraordinary, in fact.
That was not a request. I was simply... talking to myself.  A human idiosyncrasy triggered by fascination with a particular set of facts. Or sometimes brought about by senility. Or, used as a means of weighing information before reaching a conclusion. Or, as a --
Intriguing.
My orders were to search for abnormal patterns in Starfleet's directives. I believe I have found just that.
These are various outposts and starbases where I have detected unusual activity over the past few months.
An uncustomary reshuffling of personnel, usually in the command areas. The new officers have had abnormally frequent contact with the highest levels of Starfleet Command.
The orders were given with great subtlety. To use an aphorism, Starfleet's left hand did not know what its right hand was doing.
I believe it is a clandestine attempt to control vital sectors of Federation territory.
There is insufficient data to make such an assesment.
Why not?!
Nothing so far, sir.
I have a message coming in from Starfleet Command, Captain.
I have attempted to trace the message Remmick was sending. I believe it was aimed at an unexplored quadrant of our galaxy.
Well... I believe it was a beacon.
Yes, Captain. A homing beacon... sent from Earth.
It is perplexing to me that the Ullians' ability to retrieve memory is so sought after. If an event is important enough to be recovered... why would it have been forgotten?
That is correct.
Then in what way is it different?
Perhaps you remember the pleasant memories and forget the unpleasant ones?
It would seem there is no predictable pattern to Human memory.
Four days, eleven hours, sir.
I would assume from the tone of your voice that you were unsuccessful.
Emergency medical team to Doctor Crusher's office immediately.
We seem to have eliminated all known factors that could have caused the comas -- except for the Ullians.
Yes, Captain.
We have yet to receive transmissions from the two planets of the Nel system. Perhaps they will show different results.
Please clarify.
Why would we do that?
Yes.
You are checking for instances of Iresine Syndrome...
Two cases of Iresine Syndrome on Hurada Three -- right at the time Tarmin and his group was there.
Yes, Captain.
We have uncovered several cases, sir, but we have not yet completed our search.
We will keep searching, sir.
And were the Ullians present?
What is it?
Counselor, are you hurt?
We discovered two instances of unexplained comas on Nel Three while the Ullians were there... but Tarmin was not part of the group. A closer examination revealed that only one Ullian was present at all incidents of coma -- Jev.
I will buy another card, Counselor.
I am afraid I cannot answer that Wesley. And as you are a newcomer to the game, may I say it is inappropriate to ask.
Not necessarily. Commander Riker may be bluffing, Wesley.
I believe Commander Shelby erred... there are no known avifaunal or crawling vermicular lifeforms on Jouret Four.
It is a reasonable conclusion. Borg technology has given each member of their society the ability to interface and function collectively. It is likely they would construct their ship with the same philosophy.
One hour, seventeen minutes, sir.
Uncertain, Commander. However, dimensions are precisely the same.
Holding...
Still no damage to the Borg vessel, sir...
Eleven dead... eight more unaccounted for, Captain.
Eighty-two percent Dilithium hydroxyls... manganese, chromium. It should provide an effective screen against their sensors, sir...
Conceivably, the ship's power distribution nodes are vulnerable to those frequencies.
Two hours, forty minutes and three seconds.
At our last encounter, the Borg virtually ignored us when we beamed aboard their vessel, Doctor. They clearly did not consider our being there a threat.
These appear to be some kind of power waveguide conduits which allow them to work collectively as they perform ship functions.
The decentralized power system makes it virtually impossible.
An interesting metaphor, Doctor. What is your idea?
Distribution nodes.
Sir, Captain Picard has been altered by the Borg. We were unable to retrieve him...
Perhaps your telepathic abilities are ineffective owing to the anomalous construction of the Ferengi brain, which is composed of four different...
Correct, sir. Although Commander La Forge and I designed the chip, Ensign Crusher derived the equations governing its operation.
Wesley, my congratulations on passing your Starfleet written examinations. An excellent achievement.
Actually, there is no guarantee Wesley will be reassigned to the Enterprise. Eighty-four per cent of Starfleet graduates are not posted to Galaxy class starships for their first assignment.
Is that not a part of the human experience -- growth and change?
Initial scans of ionization patterns complete, sir. Now correlating sensor readings.
Actually, it is five point three four times ten to the forty-first watts... well within the norm for phenomena of this type.
Lieutenant Foley found these in the pond. The species is Zan Periculi. It is not indigenous to Betazed, but to Lappa IV... a Ferengi world.
Do you wish to leave orbit?
Ferengi transmissions are routinely scrambled and encoded, sir. Without breaking the code, we will be unable to identify any specific Ferengi vessel.
The repetitive nature of the subcarrier pattern would imply a modified Greenlaw-Huffman encoding scheme...
Mister Crusher is correct, sir. There is a temporal correlation.
We are sensing life-forms, sir.
Both matters are subjects of protracted discussion.
The theories -- the reports -- but nothing firsthand.
Not at all. It is accurate.
The efficiency of your hydraulic landscaping is elegant.
This is interesting. How the water table is a thin ribbon between the sandy surface layer and the rock below.
Which would require extreme precision from the probe controls.
Go ahead, Geordi.
I will go with you.
I have seen malfunctions, but this is unprecedented. Almost as if the laser drill attempted to tear itself apart.
The laser blasts seemed to end when the yelling stopped.
Not possible.
Uncertain.  Geordi, would you please return power to the control console in this room. I want to reactivate the program.
I am running the base drilling program.
Servos OFF!
STAY OUT! It is under control.
No.
I had no choice.
... We were attempting to trace the source of the malfunction when it attacked me.
It would appear that the laser drilling systems had been reprogrammed.  As soon as its memory bank received power, it turned itself on and went after me. Fortunately, I was able to cope with it.
I believe it was programmed to destroy any person moving in that room.
Certainty.
But it was done.
What are we to look for, sir?
Geordi. I need some visual assistance.
Speculation. Could it be alive?
Whatever this is, it could be what they are covering up -- and the reason someone killed Malencon.
Recheck analysis.
Without external influence.
Yes, if any were present in the jar, but none is.
It is projecting an energy field!
Only life can replicate itself, Doctor. Inorganic or not, it is alive.
Please show me the spectral analysis. Magnification twelve K.
The Universal Translator is coming on line.
An accurate description, sir, of humans. You are, after all, over ninety per cent water, surrounded by a flexible container.
Sir...
That chaos in the lab, when we were studying it... must have been the energy surge of a reproductive cycle.  It is now a colony of single cells which organize as a computer.
That seems to be their method of reprogramming, Captain. Each bolt of light consists of negatively and positively charged ions. A series of program instructions, as it were.  They seem to have a quicker rapport with our computers than we do.
It does seem dormant.
Environmental systems fail to respond to commands, Captain. It appears the microbrain has successfully interfaced with our computer.
It connected them.
Captain -- sensors indicate the microbrain expends a tremendous amount of energy during its reproduction cycle. Yet, there is no discernible power drain from our own systems.
Meaning the microbrains might be photoelectric.
I wish we were able to learn more about them.
Lieutenant Barclay's performance was superficially adequate but clearly not rooted in The Method approach. As a result, his customary anxiety was evident. I do not understand why...
The fusion reactors that power the array are extremely unstable. The risk of overload is high.
They do not seem to be functioning at all.
No sir. Power emissions do not match any known radiation patterns. We have not encountered this technology before.
Captain, sensors are reading no particulate emissions or subspace field distortions.
The method of propulsion is unknown.
Captain, an energy field is forming around the device. Intensity is three point two terawatts, and increasing.
The probe's field intensity is continuing to build... we are in danger, Captain...
Captain. The probe's energy output is overloading our shields. Failure anticipated in forty-seven seconds.
A standard isolation procedure would be advisable.
That is an interesting suggestion, Lieutenant. However, such an approach would require more time than our original plan, at least seven weeks.
Reactor Nine will reach critical in ten minutes, forty three seconds. The subsequent explosion will create a chain reaction along the entire length of the Array.
Argus Reactor Nine is twenty-eight seconds to critical.
Twelve seconds to critical, Sir...
Captain, the Argus reactors are shutting down.  We are no longer in danger.
Unknown, sir...
Lieutenant Barclay has not yet extended himself into the Engineering subsystems. It may be possible to establish an ODN bypass directly to the Bridge.
This disturbance is the result of a highly charged graviton field emanating from our warp nacelles. It is creating a severe bias in the subspace continuum.
I have been monitoring Commander La Forge's progress. It will be operational in approximately seventeen minutes.
Captain, the ODN bypass to the Bridge has been blocked. We have not regained control of the propulsion systems.
We are experiencing a quantum level oscillation delay... Doubling in intensity, every twelve point three seconds...
Bio-cellular disruption is imminent.
Captain, all systems are back under helm control. The computer has resumed normal functioning.
The initial dispersal pattern should not be more than seven kilometers in diameter.
That should suffice.  Is there something occupying your thoughts, Jenna? You are somewhat subdued today...
Was the experience as emotionally problematic as last week's encounter?
What was your response?
As you requested, I must now remind you of the reasons you decided to end your relationship with Jeff.
You objected to the fact that Jeff seemed unwilling to set aside sufficient time for you. You said he never did... the little things. He was unresponsive. You disliked the sound he made when he ate his soup...
This is the third time I have refreshed your memory. Do you wish to rescind our agreement?
Many lovers throughout history have had similar difficulties. Anne Boleyn was quite distressed that Henry the Eighth preferred the company of his huntsmen to that of his wife.
Six weeks ago, when you and Jeff dissolved your relationship, I saw an excellent opportunity to study that aspect of human intimacy. Also, I believed it was my obligation to do so.
I anticipated this would be a difficult period for you. As your friend, it is my responsibility to be supportive in times of need.
Data to Bridge. We are ready for the first illumination test.
Is anything wrong?
I do not believe that is so. Your rhythmic control has improved markedly. I heard no fluctuations during the performance.
The contrapuntal nature of the composition is quite demanding. We will give the rhythmic patterns more attention in our next rehearsal.  However, I am quite certain that the audience was oblivious to such nuances. They seemed to enjoy the performance thoroughly.
I believe I observed that you seem to have an aversion to orderliness... but it was not intended as a humorous remark...
And a very good job of it I did, too.
I am nearly finished compiling the readings from our most recent illuminatory burst. They differ considerably from surveys of similar nebulae.
Dark matter density is nearly one order of magnitude higher than previously found.  Lifeforms here may have developed in ways never before observed.
Several, Sir. The nearest is approximately three light years from our present position.
Children often do not develop a discerning palette until well beyond adolescence.
The unidirectional nature of the time continuum makes that an unlikely possibility.
That is not true. I have no human feelings.
Permission granted.
Eighty-seven percent Saurian Brandy... Targ milk and Denevian mead comprise the rest... an unusually high concentration of mono-saccharides and fructose compounds.
Ensign D'Sora just gave me what could be considered a very... passionate kiss in the Torpedo Bay.
I cannot feel because---
I was... intrigued. Jenna seemed to be displaying genuine affection toward me.
I calculated that Jenna's actions to date would tend to support the supposition that she wishes to initiate a non-platonic mutually exclusive relationship.
I find her to be a competent officer... highly motivated... lacking somewhat in her understanding of the theory underlying dilithium matrix applications---
I have become... used to her.
I do not know. Clearly, an ongoing intimate relationship is an option. However, I am inexperienced in such matters. I require advice.
But I am incapable of love.
Thank you.
The door sensor has been programmed to recognize only humanoid forms for entry or egress. Spot could not have triggered the mechanism.
No.  Computer, has anyone entered my quarters in the last twelve hours other than myself or Commander La Forge?
Geordi, may I ask your advice concerning a... personal matter?
Should I pursue a relationship with Ensign D'Sora?
Ensign Jenna D'Sora. Serial number CL-10928---
They discontinued their association. Now she has made the... first move in initiating a relationship with me.  What should I do?
Then you believe I should not pursue this any further.
I have studied a great deal of human literature on the subject of love and romantic liaisons. There are many role models for me to emulate.
My programming may be inadequate to the task.
I understand.
Jenna has clearly demonstrated how she feels about me. But I am not capable of returning those feelings.
I cannot get hurt. But she can.
How far beyond, sir?
Thank you, Commander.
Captain, I am seeking advice in---
Crystilia. Their fragrance is an evolutionary response to the acrid nature of the atmosphere on Telemarius Three.
It seems that your quarters have reverted to their earlier state of disorder.
It was Commander Riker who suggested this particular flower. He said that it had worked for him in the past.
No. In actuality, less than one percent of the Enterprise crew was involved. It was necessary to balance theory with experiential referents. Both are required for a program of this nature.  Computer, decrease illumination level by one third standard lux.
Yes. One which I have just created for romantic relationships.
You are much more than that, Jenna. I have written a subroutine specifically for you -- a program within the program. I have devoted a considerable share of my internal resources to its development.
We will reach the M class planet in approximately eleven hours.
Enter.
You are correct. I did not anticipate your arrival until nineteen hundred hours.
You have often expressed dissatisfaction with the Spartan nature of my quarters. Is this an attempt at embellishment?
Spot?
Its line is both fluid and formal, yet retains an unpremeditated quality. The tactility of the surface enrichment is evocative of the neo-primitive period in Tyrinean blade carving.
Alright.
Yes?
My literature search was apparently incomplete. I discovered twenty-nine books with that title, but none contained that particular admonition.
I should not have resumed my painting?
Despite your suggestion that I continue?
The nature of our interactions is considerably more subtle and complex than I had anticipated. I have much to learn.
Perhaps if I looked for a suitable place to display it.
The ambient light in this location accentuates its contours.
However, a gift should not necessarily be placed according to aesthetic criteria. A more central location will carry added meaning.
No, sir. Lateral EM scanners registered radiation indicative of an M-Class planet.
Captain. Standard air pressure has been reestablished in the Observation lounge.
I detect no unusual readings.
Curious. The transparent aluminum alloy of this window is exhibiting a pattern of transient electrical currents.
I have none. The rate is characteristic of a subspace distortion. But I am not picking up evidence of subspace fields.
Hi, honey, I am home.
Negative. We performed a full systems diagnostic and found no malfunctions.
Can I get you a drink, dear?
Excellent choice. I shall join you.
Two Calaman Sherries.  Would you like some dinner as well?
Whatever you like, dear.
Darling, you remain as aesthetically pleasing as the day we first met. I believe I am the most fortunate sentient in this sector of the galaxy.
Now... you must relax. Put your feet up. I will take care of everything.
I could organize your closets. I have found that by grouping apparel first by function, and then by color from light to dark, one can more easily locate one's desired choice.
But I am happy to do it.
What would you like, dear? Am I not paying enough attention to you?
Perhaps I have not given you enough compliments. Your hair is looking particularly silky tonight...
Am I not behaving as a solicitous mate?
Tending to your every need?
My most recent self-diagnostic revealed no malfunctions. Perhaps something is wrong with you.
You may not tell me how I should behave. You are not my mother.
'You are not my mother.' Is that not an appropriate response to your statement that I am behaving foolishly?
You do not wish to continue our... lovers quarrel?
In my study of interpersonal dynamics, I learned that conflict followed by emotional release often strengthens a connection between two people.
With respect to romantic relationships, there is no... real me. I am drawing upon various literary and cultural sources to help define my role.
At that particular moment, I was reconfiguring the warp field parameters, analyzing the collected works of Charles Dickens, calculating the maximum pressure I could safely apply to your lips, considering a new food supplement for Spot...
At present, we can only state that a subspace effect seems to exist within this nebula. After I have made further analysis, I may be able to adjust the ship's sensors to locate and identify the anomaly.
Captain.
During the series of events, I was able to measure the W particle inference which confirms one of my hypotheses.
The unusual preponderance of dark matter in this nebula is causing small gaps in the fabric of normal space.
As the Enterprise moves through the nebula, it collides with these deformations.
That is an apt analogy.
Or when one of them hits us. My readings suggest that the deformations themselves are in motion.
Yes, sir, but they can only be perceived at extremely close range. Even at minimal speed, it would be impossible to maneuver the Enterprise quickly enough to avoid them.
Ship's computer is accepting navigational inputs from the shuttle.
Main coupling is matching navigational inputs, Captain.
Transceiver signal is down forty-two percent. Navigational inputs are not registering.
I have increased sensitivity in the L-U band... it should be sufficient.
Confirmed... the link has been re-established.
Four-point-seven million kilometers, sir.
Possibly. If you augment the thruster sequencing so that the inertial dampening fields --
Commander, the shuttle is out of control. Navigational link is severed.
Sir, the shuttle's inertial dampeners have failed. It is breaking up.
Commander, we are nearing the perimeter -- one million kilometers away.
Enter.
Hello.
Thank you. It is much less Spartan, is it not?
Jenna, you are repeating yourself. I have found this to be indicative of mental distraction. Is that a correct assumption in this instance?
Then perhaps we should begin our meal. Among humans, a low serum glucose level is often responsible for --
What is the subject?
Yes?
Are you currently experiencing this phenomenon?
There does appear to be a recurring motif.
It is not?
That is... a valid projection.
It is apparent that my reach has exceeded my grasp in this particular area. I am perhaps not nearly so human as I aspire to become...
If you are ready to eat, I will bring our meal.
If you wish.
Jenna. Are we no longer... a couple?
Then I will delete the appropriate program.
Hello, Spot.
Thirteenth Century, sir.
With their orbital control station, sir.
It reads similar to Starfleet's early efforts but uses the Heglenian shift to convert matter and energy in different...  ... which is actually not important at this time.
If I may, sir... one of the things about them in the briefing studies was their respect for patience.
It is a highly structured society in which people live by strict codes of honor. For example, what Lutan has done is similar to what certain American Indians once did, called 'counting coup.' That's from an obscure language called French --
Indeed?
Yes sir. Counting coup could be as simple as touching an enemy with a stick in battle, or taking something from him and escaping. It was considered extremely heroic.
Transmission from the planet surface, sir... Main viewer on.
Politely, Captain.
Please. We must discuss the away party.
Agreed, sir. Their customs concerning guests make it much preferable.
Except that Ligonian custom makes it clear that a visiting leader becomes an honored guest.  Not us, not second in command... him.
Why that razor, my friend? Why not the one I adjusted into perfect efficiency?
Puzzling. How can anything be too efficient?
We always go back to the human equation.
... How do you know when something's funny?
Perhaps it is you, Geordi. Includling the kiddillies, I've learned six hundred sixty-two jokes, and you haven't...
It was not meant as a joke! The tongue slipped!
From any particular point of view, sir?
Most interesting.  Could this be human joke number six hundred sixty-three?
Which makes it important to know...  ... which of these weapons are to be used.
I may not understand human humor, sir, but I am a Starfleet Academy graduate.
... understanding the Prime Directive, sir.
And light, as if they're made for women to use.
But we found no indication it is invariably used, sir. Or ever, in contests like this.
Undiminished attack because of the possibility of poison, sir.
Uncertain, sir. However, joined together they would make a rectangle or square enclosing one hundred twenty-one square meters. If put end-to-end vertically, they would make a pole forty-four meters high, or two of twenty-two meters, or...
You are welcome, sir.
Most interesting. Do you?
How so?
But certainly the most interesting.
Ah! You feel that also!
Was I seen leaving?
Captain Picard wanted no risk of our communications being overheard. You're to proceed now, as he indicated.
I am here to brief you on what he plans.
I have scanned the entire ship, Captain. Other than the Enterprise's regular complement, I can find no one else onboard.
That is correct, Doctor.
We can easily check the transporter I.D. traces.
Yes, sir.
Sir, Starbase One-Three-Three has no record at all of a Doctor Dalen Quaice.
Not according to their computer. I have also accessed Starfleet records. There is no doctor currently serving in Starfleet named Quaice. In fact I cannot find any service record whatsoever. There are no birth records with that name. I find no --
I do not doubt you, Doctor. However I have tried one hundred seventy-three phonetic variations of the name, and --
I am afraid the ship's records do not concur.
You do not have a staff.
Excuse me, Doctor, but the entire ship's complement is two hundred thirty.
Sir, I have completed level-1 computer diagnostics. There are no malfunctions.
The Wellington is the only Federation vessel in this sector... it reports normal operations. A Ferengi ship within communications range also reports nothing unusual.
The interstellar medium in this sector is slightly denser than average. However, all readings are well within normal parameters.
Yes, doctor.
There are one hundred fourteen people on the Enterprise.
That is the exact number there should be.
Transportation of colonists... diplomatic missions... emergency evacuations...
Approaching Starbase One-Three- Three, Captain...
Sir, we have reestablished the exact coordinates and attitude.
I believe the wiser course of action here is to bend.
That is correct. Fold -- to bend, make compact or give in.
I do not believe Lieutenant Worf understands all the nuances of this betting procedure.
The cards have been favoring the Lieutenant, but that is the result of random chance... hence it is a temporary condition.
The game is seven card stud; after the queen, one-eyed jacks and low card in the hole are wild.
Emergency signal reads as follows: Enterprise to divert to coordinates four-two-three by one-one-two by five-one immediately. Further orders forthcoming.
The message does not elaborate.
Our destination is a point near the Boradis system.
The first Federation outpost was established thirty-four years ago on Boradis Three.
Yet we are not headed for a specific colony. The coordinates given are outside the Boradis system.
None.
We are receiving.
The envoy is not aboard a starship.
Apparently there were no starships available at Starbase one five three. The emissary is aboard a class eight probe.
By sending the probe to meet us rather than diverting the Enterprise to the starbase, they have saved us six point one hours.
As far as I can determine, sir -- very little. There are four colonies in the Boradis system, and nine other outposts scattered throughout the sector.
We should now be on a precisely parallel course with the probe.
There are thirteen colonies with minimal defenses in that sector...
Based on the last assumed position of the Klingon vessel, its apparent trajectory, and our estimates of their cruising speed, we should be in scanner range in fifteen hours, eight minutes.
'Android' is, of course, correct, but I fail to see how 'chaperone' is applicable in this situation...
At the moment, I would be hard pressed to choose.
Sensors show lifeforms aboard, sir, but I am unable to ascertain if they are awake or dormant.  However, the vessel's propulsion systems are inactive, so I would hypothesize that the crew is asleep --
However, I could be in error.
The T'Ong has changed course to three-two mark eight-one. They are increasing to warp three.
The T'Ong is now on a heading of four-one mark one-one-three... accelerating to warp five.
They are slowing to impulse --
The T'Ong is attempting to flank us.
It is not an attack that we know of, Captain. Origin unknown. Sensors did not detect the force until immediately prior to impact. Shields did not have time to respond. Damages unknown.
Injuries?
I still am unable to determine the cause of the energy force. There is nothing within a reasonable distance of this ship powerful enough to cause an impact of that magnitude.
Damages and injuries are minimal.
I am still checking, sir.
It appears to originate from the Pegos Minor sector.
Yes, sir.
Estimated arrival four hours, seventeen minutes, thirty-five seconds.
Quite the contrary, Commander. He left of his own volition. Professor Manheim is the most highly reputed scientist within the Federation. A brilliant visionary who...
My estimation was incorrect, Captain.
And I think it would be best if what I am about to tell you were also incorrect.
Someone, I would assume Professor Manheim, opened up a window. A window into another dimension.
Sir, the answers to your questions will be the most important scientific answers of the twenty-fourth century.
No, sir.
Sensors show there's an immense volume of energy being reflected from a small point on the planet's surface... near the main Laboratory.
We do not know yet, sir. It appears to be moving from a thin beam into wider beams and back again in an unstructured manner.
Not directly, sir. It is possible the beam is responsible for opening the 'window.'
About this particular work, sir. Professor Manheim is renowned for his work in perfecting subspace communications, and thermodynamics, but those particular achievements seem to have no bearing on what he is trying to do on Vandor.
When he disappeared fifteen years ago, he had been working on theories of non-linear time. His colleagues apparently questioned his obsession -- and his methodology.
No one knows. He became angry about their doubts that he could enter other dimensions. He left the Institute. That is the last anyone heard of him until now.
Unlikely. I would need to see the Doctor's notes. And even then, his mind is of such unparalleled brilliance, I am not sure I could decipher them.
It was completely logical in the most disorganized way possible. Colors, sounds, lights. Not light you see, but light you feel.
I observed.
Yes, sir.
Lieutenant Commander Data at your service, Professor.
I suspected it but I could not be sure.
We had the privilege of running into one of them when we tried to beam down.
I am almost through comparing the calculations, Captain.
I believe so. But it must be soon. Sensors indicate a rapid deterioration of the atmosphere.
I cannot be more sure than that, Commander. Not until I see what is in Professor Manheim's laboratory.
Hopefully, an easily deactivated alarm system.
Professor Manheim's state of consciousness is of little use to us.
It appears, sir, he was more interested in making certain his notes were destroyed than in our safety. When we came into the lab we triggered an explosive device. In less than ten minutes the lab and whoever is in it will cease to exist.
Do not bother, sir. Manheim himself could not stop this. It is deactivated by a photogenetic code. Manheim's is altered.
Truly incredible.
It is the only chance we have.
A reversal of the same effect Doctor Manheim has programmed into the computer.
There is no time to reprogram. You will need to physically change microchips the same time I program the correct instructions here.
Whoever goes will be in more danger than falling. A great heat is generated in this chamber. Enough to disintegrate any of us in seconds.
We cannot do it electronically. I need to use full power to reverse the effect.
Sir, we are executing the plan.
Remember Commander -- it is the blue chip you switch with the yellow chip.
Ready, five, four, three, two, one.
It is well patched... Closed in this sense would be an equation...
By my calculation, the laboratory just disintegrated.
Yes, Commander.
Yes, Commander, we will use extreme caution.
Specifications on the vessel, Mister Worf.
Heading, Ensign Crusher.
Scan the drive section for life form readings.
Mister Crusher, bring us around to the back side of the asteroid.
Apparently, he did not survive.
I am afraid the prisoner has eluded us, sir.
We followed procedures precisely. Scanners indicated no life forms present in the drive section. I cannot explain how he escaped.
I believe I can recalibrate our sensors to read through the electromagnetic interference over the poles, Commander.
There he is, Commander. You were correct.
There are still no life form readings coming from the vessel.
I have compensated. There are no readings.
Sir, the vessel is coming about.
Shields have been automatically activated. Tractor beam disengaged.
Yet there are still no life form readings.
Yes, Commander. There is nothing wrong with the ship's sensors. The reason that we did not sense any life signs aboard the escape vessel is because the prisoner has no life signs.
Our sensors can identify artificial lifeforms, Captain. Apparently, he is capable of deceiving the sensors.
Yes, Counselor... we are copying records for Federation inspection pursuant to their application for admittance.
There is no police record, Counselor.
Lunar Five is a military prison facility...
That may provide an explanation for the tactics he was able to use against us when we tried to capture him...
That would explain why our sensors did not detect him.
Counselor, did no one try to adjust their progam?
Am I disturbing you?
Then I will leave.
Simply a lack of pigmentation. I am an android. You and I have something in common.
Yes. We have both been programmed.
I do not mean to belittle your condition. I understand your dilemma. But I am curious. My program can be altered and changed. Yours cannot?
Without further analysis of your condition by Counselor Troi or Doctor Crusher, I cannot say. But it would seem possible.
I cannot answer that.
No. But my program does include military strategy... that is how I was finally able to anticipate your last tactic and capture you.
I am not programmed to kill.
I am incapable of any feeling.
Nor do I.
Good-bye, Roga.
Coordinates received, sir.
General quarters sounded, sir.
Sir, unauthorized access of turbolift dive on deck thirty-four.
Sir, containment field down on deck thirty-six.
Sir -- someone in Engineering is attempting to override the security system lockout.
As he bypasses each subsystem, I can reroute it without his knowledge.
Danar is extremely adept, sir. I am not certain which security measure he is attempting to circumvent.  Sir, Danar has succeeded in restoring power to Shuttlebay Two.
I have overridden Danar's bypass; Shuttlebay Two is once again inactive.
Reading another open access panel...
Captain, I find it highly unlikely that Danar is attempting to reach Shuttlebay Two.
In our previous encounter, Danar employed a strategy of misdirection in an attempt to gain his objective.
He is aware that our sensors are unable to track him. Yet he seems to be purposely leaving a trail for us to follow.
I am afraid his true destination remains a mystery.
Captain, readings now indicate an open access panel... Jeffries tube N-eleven, deck thirty-eight.
They would appear to be empty, sir.
Sensors show Anestazine concentration of seventy parts per million within the cargo bays.
Explosion in Jefferies Tube section T-nine-five. All external sensors are inoperative.
Unable to transfer control...
Negative. External sensors are still nonfunctioning.
Captain, the prime minister is hailing us, priority one...
It is against their nature to do so, Captain.
Prime Minister, if you have the skills to create a master soldier, can you not contradict the effect... ?
Have you tried?
I do not recognize the sound.
I believe the sound is coming from above...
There are subterranean caverns beneath the hills to the east.  Approximately one kilometer.
The presence of refractory metals in the rock formations may act as an effective barrier.
Commander, the refractory metals in the rock strata might also interfere with communication.
I am not entirely certain they will.
It has been over an hour since we heard the Entity. It may be gone.
Doctor, I ran a full spectrographic analysis, section by section. Trace elements confirm that it was the same entity which destroyed the colony on Omicron Theta.
Doctor, the cave in which we hid was carved from rock which possessed heavy concentrations of kelbonite and fistrium. We surmise that the Entity could not penetrate that barrier.
Yes, sir. We can leave --
Doctor, there is evidence of residual bitrious matter in the soil. It was not present before the Entity's attack.
Doctor Marr... you have made it quite clear that you are disturbed by my presence. However, I do not believe that we can accomplish the task we have been assigned if you continue to ignore me.
Then I do not understand your lack of interest in the bitrious filaments I mentioned.
As I have speculated, the presence of refractory --
Were those caves laced with kelbonite or fistrium?
Then perhaps it is the combination of the two metals which prevented the Entity --
I do not understand.
I cannot imagine what effect my being here would have had --
You are suggesting I lured it here?
No, Doctor.
Ah. Because Lore betrayed the colonists on Omicron Theta, you assume that I am capable of the same behavior. But you are mistaken, Doctor. My programming is distinctly different from Lore's.
I do understand. I am attempting to explain to you that it is impossible.
That is true.
Yes, Doctor.
Did you expect different results this time, Doctor?
Doctor... have you ever scanned your samples for gamma radiation?
We are seeing high-energy reactions that may show up in a gamma scan...
If the Entity left a residual trace of antiprotons in the samples we collected, the gamma radiation scan would reveal that.
If we try a logarithmic scale, it will give us better resolution.
Yes.
Would you care to see what the scan has produced, Doctor?
The thanks actually go to Doctor Clendenning on Omicron Theta who did the first experiments with gamma scans.
That is correct. But I possess much of his knowledge. He was working with new detectors before the attack on Omicron Theta.
It is true, Doctor. The contents of their journals and logs 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.
To some degree. Doctor Soong hoped to provide me with an amalgam of the colonists' memories.
Yes, sir.  There are two possible destinations. The Brechtian Cluster and the Argos system.
The Brechtian Cluster has two inhabited planets.
Come in.
Not at all, Doctor.
It is gracious of you to say, Doctor. But I have not been injured by you.
That is true. I have experimented with producing vibrations in crystal by means of graviton pulses.
Exactly.
I will call up the results I have achieved so far and you can study them.
I do not possess the minute-to-minute remembrances of each person there... although many of their more intense recollections are contained in my memory banks.
Marr... Raymond... called Renny. Yes. I do.
Yes.
Blame you?
I am not aware of any blame against you.
I am unaware of any negative thoughts he had about you.  His personal journals indicated he was proud... that you were such a fine scientist.
Warp and impulse engines are down but they can be restarted. A skeleton crew could take the ship to a starbase.
Aye, sir.
Deck seventeen.
Doctor... you have seemed preoccupied... since we surveyed the Kallisko.
Not at all.
We should program the bridge science station to vary the emissions we direct toward the Entity.
That is true.
I possess some vivid memories of sporting events... he played Parrises Squares with a group of his schoolmates...
He was pleased to have won a championship emblem.
Yes, Doctor.
Your son's most intense thoughts seemed to revolve around a young woman named Janina...
He enjoyed her... gentleness... her kindness... her...  ... her -- physical attributes...
I would be happy to be of help.
Yes, that is correct. But what would you want me to say?
Many of his journal entries took the form of letters to his 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 gonna use this stuff.
Yes, Commander. But sensors do not yet have a lock on its exact whereabouts.
Commencing graviton emission now...
Emissions now at ten pulses per second.
Doctor... shall we change the frequency?
Changing to twenty pulses per second...
Emissions at thirty pulses per second...
Captain, there is a pattern emerging from its signals.
I believe so... although it will take some time to decipher the patterns...
Doctor Marr?
Sir, the Entity is beginning to resonate... vibrations increasing rapidly...
I am unable to stop our graviton signal, Captain. Doctor Marr has isolated the access code.
Resonance is approaching critical...
Captain... perhaps I should escort Doctor Marr...
Doctor... if you will come with me...
I will stay with you, Doctor.
There has been no predetermined limit placed on my existence.
In what way, Doctor?
I do not find such a file in your son's journals. However... from what I know of him by his writing and his memories, I do not believe he would be happy. He was proud of your career as a scientist, and now you have destroyed it. You say you did it for him, but he would not want that. Yes. He would be very sad now.  Does that help, Doctor Marr?
Entire Yamato log will be in our computer by rendezvous.
Sir?
No. It might be due to the problems currently being experienced by the Yamato.
Sensors indicate no life readings from the Yamato's saucer section.
Unknown, sir.
Apparently such a dump began, was then halted, and the containment seals were dropped. There was still sufficient antimatter present to lead to the result we observed.
Evidence of a weapon? No, sir, none.
Yes, sir. We have a visual record.
No, sir, but it appears to be a scanner. Possibly a transmitter.
Unknown, sir.
In orbit around a planet at coordinates two two seven mark three five nine.
Twelve hours, sixteen minutes.
Scanning.
No life-form readings.
Approximately two hundred thousand years.
Its size and composition match the probe which scanned the Yamato.
Consider, Captain, this program has entered an alien data base -- ours -- and in less than seven hours it has managed to not only learn our system, but has also begun to reprogram our computer.
We downloaded the Yamato log, and contained in the log was the program.
Doctor Pulaski is unwilling to trust the turbolifts. She is sending medical teams through the access tunnels.
Try a bypass on the shield control interface.
Any answer would be mere speculation. This is just another example of how our actions have random results.
Scans indicate no other life-forms on the planet.
Aye, sir.
Yes, sir. There are also similarities to Dewan and Iccobar.
Yes.
Accessing.
Captain, your original hypothesis was correct. Iconian is the parent tongue for a language family consisting of Dewan, Iccobar and Dinasian. I have constructed a basic working understanding through a comparison of common root words such as mother, father, food, death, child, home, tribe, pain, love, mine, yours, ours --
You do understand that my interpretation of the symbols will not be exact?
This would appear to be the manual override.
That was not manual override.
But we have established it is not a holograph. If I step through and investigate, we would determine whether it is truly a gateway.
No, I believe that to be incorrect. Captain, there is nothing in this room to indicate it was used as a military command center. It is much more akin to a transporter room.
Sir?
Sir, there is a vast underground power source which is controlled by this console.
My triggering of the gateway has caused a dramatic upsurge in power levels.  Ah, I have access.
Captain.
No, I am damaged.
The Iconian program is attempting a rewrite of my basic software. Physical manifestations --
Sir, what is your present location?
Please, take the tricorder. I am unable to sufficiently pinpoint your location to be able to hand it to you.
Yes, sir.
I understand...
The... power... source.
Yes.
The... probes.
Doors.
Yes.
Cor... rect.
Help.
Describe.
Left... one meter.
Cor... rect. Key... blue, amber... amber... red.
Blue, blue, blue.
Ah, I have access.
Captain? Captain?
This is the Enterprise. How did I get here?
Iconia? I was on Iconia. Now I am on the Enterprise.
Query. What have I forgotten?
Can I help?
Doctor, a return to the Enterprise would be prudent.
This planet does have physicians...
Captain, there has been an incident.
... A bomb has been detonated by the Ansata terrorists.
Vulnerable, sir.
Sir, I recommended such a course, but there are several wounded people and Doctor Crusher...
Aye, Captain.
A transporter would leave residual ionization in the air... but the tricorder readings found no trace after the incident...
We have been unable to detect the signal from her communicator. It has either been deactivated or she is being held in a shielded location.
A subspace field coil with an isolated power source... curious...
That could possibly indicate subspace transition rebound during transport...
Are you referring to the Elway Theorem?
But the Elway Theorem proved to be entirely inaccurate... all research was abandoned by the mid- twenty-third century...
But it was proven to be fatal. To use this technology would be an irrational act.
If anyone is willing to transport in this manner, Captain, they would suffer significant internal damage which could be detected.
The dimensional jump creates a subspace pressure modulation, Captain. By setting up a magnetosphere faint echogram that can monitor each of their movements, we may be able to collect enough data to trace their power source.
Dimensional shifting is such an unstable procedure that I cannot say.
Captain, I am finding it difficult to understand many aspects of Ansata conduct. Much of their behavioral norm would be defined by my program as unnecessary and unacceptable.
In most instances, you would be correct. But there are numerous examples where it was successful... the independence of the Mexican State from Spain, the Irish Unification of 2024, the Kenzie Rebellion...
Then, would it be accurate to say that terrorism is acceptable when the options for peaceful settlement have been foreclosed?
Even in response to violence?
Casualties reported on deck twelve. Sickbay is responding.
They are moving inter-dimensionally... neither the transporters nor forcefields will be able to contain them, sir.
Sensors indicate it is located thirty meters below ground, implying a cave or cavern-like dwelling.
Our readings show no evidence of any, Commander.
If the Pentharan spheral forecasts are correct, ten to twelve degrees Celsius within the first ten days.
The odds of that occurring, Captain, are extremely unlikely, given the time frame.
This way, sir.
If you're referring to the first production model automobile of the twentieth century, perhaps the subsequent Model A might be a more apt analogy since I am Noonian Soong's revised prototype.
Is there a problem, sir?
Would I be correct, Professor, in assuming that you know whether or not I am still... alive in the twenty-sixth century?
Since you seemed to know so much about Captain Picard and the ship... I assumed that you would...
Yes, sir. I am sorry, sir.
What have you learned about the tectonic stability around the drilling sites?
Certainly.
Two hundred nine anomalies all within acceptable parameters.
I will return the answered questions to you as soon as possible, sir.
The computer has configured the drilling pattern and specified depths.
I know of no one who said that, Professor.
Target one is emitting two thousand cubic meters per second. Target two, one thousand six hundred.
Elevated CO2 levels at twenty kilometers.
His queries to me primarily focused on Doctor Soong's...
Both epicenters are beneath the two southernmost drill sites, Captain.
It is most likely that we overestimated the geologic stability around the CO2 pockets.
Music, Professor.
Yes, sir. Mozart's 'Jupiter symphony in G minor'; Bach's 'Third Brandenberg Concerto'; Beethoven's 'Symphony Number Nine, Second Movement 'Molto Vivace''; and 'La Donna e Mobile', from Verdi's 'Rigoletto'.
Computer, eliminate Program One.
Computer, eliminate Program Two.
Computer, eliminate Program Three.
Computer, half volume.
I am assisting Commander La Forge in the analysis of an extremely complex calculation. It demands a great deal of my concentration.
You did ask me to be thorough.
Certainly, as soon as my work here is completed.
Yes, Worf.
Patch it through, please.
There were no errors, Geordi. The variance must be no more than point zero six terawatts.
The motion of the dust has created a great deal of electrostatic energy in the upper atmosphere. With a modified phaser blast, we could create a shock-front that would encircle the planet and ionize the particles.
With one exception, sir. The particles would be converted into a high-energy plasma which our shields could absorb and redirect harmlessly into space.
Precisely, sir.
If our phaser discharge is off by as little as point-zero-six terawatts, it would cause a cascading exothermal inversion.
We would completely burn off the planet's atmosphere.
Aye, sir.
Yes, sir. After an eight point three second burst from the dish, we will discharge all EPS taps through the phasers.
Doctor Moseley's computers can accomplish the same task, sir. But Commander La Forge would be better able to anticipate unexpected variances.
The deflector dish has been reconfigured, Captain.
Stand by for auto-phaser interlock. Activating deflector beam.
Activating shield invertors... now!
Understood, sir.
I do not believe any of these items belong to you, Professor.
Do you plan to put these objects into a museum?
But this vessel... ? And the temporal distortion that coincided with your arrival?
You are not an historian?
What are your intentions, now?
I assume your hand print will open the door whether you are conscious or not.
You were correct to suspect him, sir. But he is from the past, not the future.
I believe you will find all the missing items in the vessel, sir.
He claims to be a twenty-second century inventor, sir.
I must reiterate that it would be better if I went alone.
Your company is not at issue. Your vulnerability to this microorganism is.
Possible, but highly unlikely. In any event, why risk both of us?
I detect no animal life within fifty kilometers. Merely vegetation.  However, I am reading extensive animal remains -- mostly fossilized.
I do not know.
The structure is rhizomatous.
I am always careful.
It appears to be dead.
If you are correct, you are placing yourself in grave danger.
I would tend to agree.
Not precisely, Geordi. True fossilization requires several millennia.
Captain, the commander's injury was not accidental. Certain vines on the planet evidently seek out warm-blooded beings and deliberately infect them.
Unknown. It is conceivable that there is a symbiotic relationship involved...
There were numerous animal remains in the area, leading me to hypothesize that the vines could be predatory.
It is possible.  For Commander Riker's sake, I hope my hypothesis is in error.
Marvelous how easily humans do that, sir. I still need much practice.
I shall endeavor to function adequately, sir.
Yes sir, a wise procedure always.
No, sir. Starfleet Class of '78; honors in probability mechanics and exobiology.
Machine? Correct, sir. Does that trouble you?
Understood, sir. Prejudice is very human.
I am superior in many ways. But I would gladly give it up to be human.
Ah! Intriguing.
This way.
Sir, if you indeed have 'Q''s power...
The child is the source of the unusual radiation.
That analysis is correct.
Enterprise, ARMUS has enveloped Commander Riker.
Commander Riker has been encased in some kind of energy field.
Unknown.
Captain, we are clear of the void. You may stop the auto-destruct.
All navigational systems confirm -- we are at warp six -- on course...
I believe there is a quicker way out of here.
He is alive -- but just barely.
As you wish.
Nice to see you, Wesley. What... ?
Ah, a game!
No. This will take slightly more time than we have, sir.
If we had just a minute more, sir...
Sir, I do not believe you have the authority to promote me to the rank of admiral.
We will be within transporter range in three minutes twenty-one seconds.
Negative, Captain. Sensors are unable to find them within transporter range.
Aye, sir.
Excuse me, sir.
Captain...
The diagnostic of the transporter system shows an anomalous energy fluctuation. I will need to inspect the imaging scanners in transporter room three.
Captain --
I have a personal favor to ask.  I considered Commander La Forge to be my best friend. I feel it is my responsibility to plan and conduct the memorial service. May I have your permission to do so?
Thank you, sir.
I believe the cause of the accident may be related to the explosion on the Romulan ship.
In all likelihood the explosion damaged the Romulan cloaking device, causing it to discharge chroniton particles.  I am detecting a chroniton field in here.
I suspect they travelled through the transporter beam. That may have been the cause of Geordi and Ro's death.
I will go to the Romulan ship and see if I can discover the source of these emissions.
They pose no danger to Humans -- but some of the ship's systems may be affected by prolonged exposure. When I return I will devise a method to eradicate them.
Lieutenant, I am planning a memorial service for Commander La Forge and Ensign Ro. I would like you to participate.
Captain Picard asked me to arrange a ceremony that is appropriate. I have given a great deal of thought as to what is 'appropriate' in this instance.
Hold position here.
I find that I am having difficulty deciding what kind of service to have. Do you have any suggestions?
Ensign Ro was Bajoran. Her beliefs should be reflected as well. But their death rituals are quite complicated.
I am not certain that either Human or Bajoran rites are fitting... and I have researched the funerary customs of over five thousand cultures to no avail...
Resume course.
In almost all societies it is traditional to say a ritual farewell to those you call friends.  I did not know what a friend was until I met Geordi. He spoke to me as though I were Human... he treated me no differently from anyone else. He accepted me for what I am. And that, I have learned, is friendship. I would like this service to reflect that friendship.  But I do not know how to say goodbye.
Why not?
Begin docking procedure.
Chroniton emissions may have been responsible for the accident which claimed the lives of our officers.
Was your cloaking device damaged in the explosion?
Then that explains the chroniton fields I am detecting here.  For your own safety, it is important to eliminate the emissions.
There is no way to predict what might happen when the chronitons interact with the new engine core.
The field emissions are particularly strong here.
This is puzzling. Three more chroniton fields have formed aboard the Enterprise in the last hour.
We should begin decontamination immediately. Run an internal sensor sweep for the locations of all chroniton fields on the Enterprise.
I do not understand how these new fields have formed. No transporter beam has been active in any of those areas. And I do not see that they have anything in common...
They seem to be appearing at random.
Can you narrow the focus of the scan to pinpoint the locations?
Go to science station two on the bridge and use the lateral sensor array to get a more precise reading. I will modify an anyon emitter to eliminate the fields once they have been isolated.
Acknowledged.
Excuse me for interrupting, Lieutenant. I have detected a chroniton field in this room. May I scan the area for a moment?
Your room is heavily contaminated with chronitons. This will only take a moment.
But... do you think the others will think this service is -- appropriate?
I am glad you approve, Doctor.
Go ahead, Chief.
No. Anyonic emissions are harmless. Please begin immediately.
I see no reason to delay our departure, Captain. The chroniton fields have been cleared from all critical areas.
Curious.  I believe it would be best if we decontaminate this room before getting underway, sir.
Chief Brossmer, increase anyonic emissions to six thousand particles per second and decontaminate the area.
Yes, sir.
Captain, I may know what has happened...
... it would explain the mysterious chroniton fields...
... if they were cloaked in some way...
If I am right, they are -- and in this room. Their brief appearance coincided with the anyonic sweep. Perhaps the anyons neutralize the cloaking effect.  Data to Chief Brossmer. Set the anoynic beam to its highest level and flood Ten Forward.
Of course.
Commander -- I am reading a minor power drain in the Starboard EPS conduits.
The problem is originating in Sickbay. There has been an unauthorized access into the computer's bio-imaging systems.
Aye sir.
Excuse me. Do you have authorization to work in this area?
I am sorry. Use of Sickbay equipment is limited to the ship's medical personnel.
Data.
Yes.
I would be happy to do so. However, I must ask you to stop your experiment.
What type of device is it?
It appears to employ beam inputs.
I suggest we go to Engineering and begin with a full circuit pathway diagnostic.
If we transfer twenty megajoules of energy from the dilithium chamber into the plasma inputs, it should be enough to activate the device.
Certainly.
I can control the rate of my follicle replenishment. However, I have not yet had a reason to modify the length of my hair.  Why do you ask?
Is there something wrong, Doctor?
Yes. I do have a functional respiration system. However, its purpose is to maintain the thermal control of my internal systems. I am, in fact, capable of functioning for extended periods in a vacuum.
My circulatory system not only produces bio-chemical lubricants, but regulates micro-hydraulic power.
Most people are usually interested in my extraordinary abilities. How fast I can compute, my memory capacity, how long I will live.  But no one has ever asked me if my hair can grow, or noticed that I can breathe.
The power connections are complete.
Of course.
We are ready, Geordi.
Transient response is normal.
I believe so.  What happened?
That cannot be correct.  I have a memory record for that period of time. I can recall a series of images.
I saw Doctor Soong... my father.
My internal diagnostic indicates that my memory systems are functioning within normal parameters.  For the forty-seven seconds that I was inactive, there is no record of any cognitive activity.
That is not possible. The image I saw was of Doctor Soong as a young man. I encountered him only much later in his life.
There does not appear to be a rational explanation for my experience.
What do you mean?
I am not capable of either of those functions.
At present, I cannot.
I am sorry to bother you. But I have a question of a personal nature. Do you have a moment?
I have heard you mention that you once experienced a vision.
I understand it involves deep meditation inside the lava caves of No'Mat. Prolonged exposure to the heat induces a hallucinatory effect.
Kahless. The entity you invoke during the Klingon Death Ritual?
You did become the first Klingon in Starfleet.
I have recently had an unexplained experience, which might be described as a 'vision'.
An accident in Engineering shut down my cognitive functions for a short period of time. And yet, I seemed to remain conscious.  I saw my father.
If it was a vision, I am not sure how to proceed.
But I am not looking for my father.
Thank you, Worf.
I am sorry to disturb you, sir.
I require your advice. I have come to an impasse regarding my recent unexplained experience.
I have analyzed over four thousand different religious and philosophical systems, as well as over two hundred psychological schools of thought in an effort to understand what happened.
I have been unable to find a single interpretation of the images I saw during the time I was shut down.  The image of a hammer, for instance, could have many different meanings. Klingon culture views the hammer as a symbol of power. However, the Taqua tribe of Nagor views it as an icon of hearth and home. The Feregni see it as a sign of sexual prowess.
The interpretation of visions and other metaphysical experiences are almost always culturally derived.  And I have no culture of my own.
I believe I understand, sir. Thank you.
I am painting.
I have created twenty-three individual illustrations over the past six hours, twenty-seven minutes.  I believe you could say -- I have been 'inspired.'
I have done as Captain Picard suggested: I have tried to explore the images.
I am not sure.
I began by painting the image of the blacksmith. Then the anvil. The hammer. Doctor Soong's face.
The thought then occurred to me that I should paint -- smoke.
I cannot explain it. It was not an image I saw during my vision.
Perhaps.
After I painted smoke, it occurred to me to paint -- a bird's wing.
I then drew an entire bird. A flock of birds flying in formation. An individual feather.  If the image of a bird is related to my vision, I do not understand how.  I am left with more of a mystery than ever.
Geordi, I would like to recreate the experiment which caused my initial shut down.
I do not know how much longer my vision would have continued, had I not been reactivated.
I am aware of the risks involved. But I can see no other way to investigate my experience.  Will you help me?
And I will prepare the power transfer.
Agreed.
That bird did not appear in my original experience. This vision is different.
Father, what is happening?
We are on the Bridge of the Enterprise. My cat is present, and my potted plant, and my paintings.
I do not understand.
What type of journey?
I do not understand.
The images I saw during the time I was shut down were generated by a series of previously dormant circuits in my neural net.  I believe Doctor Soong incorporated those circuits into my base programming, intending them to be activated when I reached a certain level of development.
That is correct.
I plan to shut down my cognitive functions for a brief period of time each day.  I hope to generate new internal visions.
An accurate analogy.
Of course not.
There is no sign of the freighter, Sir. We are the only ship in the area.
Sensors indicate no other ships within three light years.
Aye, Captain.
The debris is widely scattered, sir. It appears to be the remains of a ship...  ... My analysis indicates that it was an Antares-class freighter.
I do not believe so. That would not be consistent with the debris pattern. However, sensors do indicate extremely high levels of residual antiprotons.
That is correct. And based on the antiproton decay, I would estimate that the incident occurred within the last four-point-three hours.
Captain. Sensors are picking up a polarized magnetic distortion to our port side...
The distortion is extremely weak, sir... It appears to be moving, slowly... it --  It is gone, sir.
The distortion no longer registers on our instruments.
Unknown. Our understanding of Romulan technology is still limited.
The distortion has reappeared... bearing three-three-seven mark ten...  It has disappeared again, sir.
Dead ahead, sir. It is slowing--  It has disappeared once again, sir.  It may have been coming to a halt.
Sir, the magnetic distortion has reappeared.
It appears to be moving toward us, closing slowly at one-hundred kph... its bearing indicates a possible collision course.
I am unable to make a precise measurement. However, I estimate impact within ninety seconds.
Time to impact, approximately sixty seconds.
The shuttle's acceleration is increasing... its trajectory is moving directly into the planet's atmosphere.
He will reach an atmospheric interface at an altitude of two hundred and ten kilometers.
That is correct, Commander.
Fifty-three seconds.
The shuttle is approaching the outer thermosphere, Captain.
At current rate of acceleration, the shuttlecraft will be destroyed in twenty-eight seconds.
Sixteen seconds to impact.
The shuttle is entering the lower ionosphere...
No life signs, sir.
During microscopic examination of the torn uniform, I discovered these alien skin cells.
Undetermined.
Fortunately, there is more evidence...
We have been able to determine that the footprints we found by the shuttle were not made by any known Tarchannen life form.
The planet is subject to frequent sandstorms. Footprints could have been obliterated prior to your arrival.
Doctor Crusher and I will begin to search the medical database... and attempt to match these with a known life form.
I am aware of that. However, I see no other reasonable course of investigation available to us.  And we may not have much time.
I am an android. It is not possible for me to feel anxiety. Starfleet personnel have vanished... others may be at risk. We must do the best we can to find out why.
However...
I am strongly motivated to solve this mystery.
Geordi... may I inquire how your investigation is proceeding?
Have you done an audio analysis...
There is no need for an apology.
Perhaps if you indulged in a short rest period, you could approach this problem with what humans commonly refer to as a fresh point of view...
Is there some way I can assist you?
Negative, Commander. Nothing in our survey suggests the source of a parasitic infection...
I show no transporter activity.
Captain... the security lockout on Transporter Room Six has been broken.
I cannot, sir... The transport cycle has already begun.
Captain, if we can get close enough to Geordi... we can read his absorption spectrum with an ultraviolet light.
Yes, sir.
I still must replace the emitter module and reconnect the power supply. It will take approximately two minutes to complete the modification.
I have completed the modifications, Commander.
Holding the Lucasian Chair does have its perquisites. This house originally belonged to Sir Isaac Newton when he held the position. It has become the traditional residence.
She can be trying at times.  But she does make me laugh.
I have found that a touch of gray adds an air of... distinction.
Captain, when was the last time you saw a physician about your Irumodic Syndrome?
In all honesty, Captain, it's a thought that has occurred to me.  However, there is nothing to disprove what you are saying, either. So it's possible something is happening to you.
The first thing we should do is give you a complete series of neurographic scans. We can use the equipment at the bio-metrics lab here on campus.  Jessel, ask Professor Rippert to take over my lecture for tomorrow and possibly for the rest of the week.
If you attempt to ignite a petroleum product on this ship at zero-hundred hours -- it will activate the fire suppression system, which will seal off this entire compartment.
An expression of what?
Ah. Then 'to burn the midnight oil' implies late work?
I am curious. What is the etymology of that idiom? How did it come to be used in contemporary language?
It is... good to see you, too, sir.
Certainly.
This will require a completely new field induction subprocessor.  It appears that we will be required to... ignite the midnight petroleum, sir.
It would appear that there is a discontinuity between the time periods you have described. Events in one time period would seem to have no effect on the other two.
Aye sir.
I am not certain. I cannot disprove what the Captain is saying.  And he is convinced he is travelling back and forth through time.
Computer -- restore holographic image.
There is another option.
We could arrange passage aboard a medical ship.
Yes. There was an outbreak of Terrellian Plague on Romulus. The Klingons have been allowing Federation medical ships to cross the border.
I'm not sure. Information on the Klingon political structure is hard to come by these days. However, at last report Worf was governor of H'atoria, a small Klingon colony near the border.
How would you define unusual, sir? Every region of space has unique properties that cannot be found anywhere else.
Given the fact that there is an apparent discontinuity between the three time periods the Captain is visiting, Q's statement may be accurate, if confusing.
That is true. Q's interest in you is very similar to that of a master and a beloved pet.
That was only an analogy, Captain.
There are four Warbirds holding position on the Romulan side of the Neutral Zone, Captain.
Sensors are picking up a large subspace anomaly directly ahead.
Aye, sir.
We are approaching the Devron system, Captain. Sensors are picking up a large subspace anomaly directly ahead.
Aye, sir.
As you can see, sir -- there's nothing there.
Still nothing, Captain. I've conducted a full sensor sweep out to one light year from the Pasteur. No temporal anomalies, no particle fluctuations... nothing.
There are several methods of detecting temporal disturbances, but we're limited by the equipment on the Pasteur. This ship is designed primarily for medical emergencies.
However, it may be possible to modify the main deflector to emit an inverse tachyon pulse, which could scan beyond the subspace barrier.
To make the modifications and search the entire Devron System will take approximately fourteen hours.
The anomaly is two hundred million kilometers in diameter. It is a highly focused temporal energy source which is emitting approximately the same energy output as ten G-type stars.
I am uncertain. Sensors have been unable to penetrate the anomaly.
That is a most intriguing idea, Captain. I do not believe a tachyon beam was ever put to such use. I had no idea you were so versed in the intricacies of temporal theory.
Aye, sir.
I believe we can make the necessary modifications in Main Engineering.
Agreed.
Initiating tachyon pulse...
It will take the computer some time to give us a complete picture of the anomaly's interior. I suggest we --
What is wrong?
Data to Sickbay. Medical emergency in Main Engineering.
I believe I may have a partial explanation, Captain.
I have completed my analysis of the anomaly. It appears to be a multi-phasic temporal convergence in the space-time continuum.
It is, in essence, an eruption of... anti-time.
A relatively new concept in temporal mechanics. The relationship of anti-time to normal time is analogous to the relationship of anti-matter to normal matter.
The rupture may be sending out waves of temporal energy which are disrupting the normal flow of time.
For all intents and purposes, yes.
Anti-time, sir?
That is a fascinating hypothesis... how did you formulate --
Aye, sir.
Captain, there's another ship de-cloaking -- bearing two-one-five mark three-one-oh...  It's the Enterprise!
They're hailing us.
The Klingon ship is disengaging.  Admiral Riker is hailing us.
Approximately one hour, forty-five minutes.
Aye, sir.
Temporal ruptures in the spacetime continuum are rarely a naturally occurring phenomenon. It is therefore most likely that this anomaly was caused by an outside catalyst.
Our tachyon pulse has been unable to penetrate the anomaly completely. If we had information about the center of the phenomenon, we might have a basis for speculation.
In theory, a tomographic imaging scanner capable of multiphasic resolution would be able to penetrate this much interference.  The Daystrom Institute has been working on such a device, but it is still only theoretical.
Yes, sir.
Possibly.
There is a great deal of interference... but I am getting some readings.  This is very unusual...
It appears that our tachyon pulse is converging with two other tachyon pulses at the center of the anomaly. The other two pulses have the exact same amplitude modulation as our own pulse. It is as if all three originated from the Enterprise.
Captain, what are you suggesting?
I suspect the last thing Counselor Troi would have wanted is for the two of you to be alienated.
I think I understand what the Captain is saying. If I'm not mistaken, he is describing a paradox.
Intriguing... it is possible we could've created the very anomaly we have been looking for.
Let us assume for the moment, that the Captain has indeed been travelling through time. Let us also assume he has initiated an inverse tachyon pulse at the same coordinates in space in all three time periods.  In that case, it is possible that the convergence of three tachyon pulses could've ruptured the subspace barrier and caused an anti-time reaction.
He may be right. If we return to the Devron System now, we might see the initial formation of the anomaly.
Sensors are picking up a small temporal anomaly off the port bow.
The anomaly is being sustained by the continuing tachyon pulses from the other two time periods. I suggest they be shut down.
I am investigating the options.
Sir?
Aye, sir.
No, sir.
Aye, sir. Disengaging.
It remains unaffected here as well.
It would require taking the ship into the anomaly itself. Once inside, we may be able to use our engines to create a static warp shell.
Collapsing the anomaly and restoring the normal flow of time.  But this would have to be done in the other two time periods, as well.
I am preparing to initiate a static warp shell.
Captain, I have an idea. If we take the ship to the center of the anomaly and create a static warp shell...
Yes, sir.
Another thirty seconds at least, Captain.
We have reached the center, sir.
Initiating static warp shell -- now.
Something is happening... A new subspace barrier appears to be forming --
Captain, It appears to be working. The anomaly is beginning to collapse. I think that --
The warp shell is definitely having an effect, sir. The anomaly is collapsing --
Both of the other ships have been destroyed.
The anomaly is nearly collapsed...
I believe, however, that this situation is unique.
Since the temporal anomaly did not occur, there have already been changes in the way this time line is unfolding. The future we experience will undoubtedly be different from the one the Captain encountered.
Five card draw, deuces wild.
Would you care to deal?
Captain.
How do you do?
In a manner of speaking. The term 'artificial lifeform' is more accurate.
No, Minister. He has not returned to our designated transport coordinates. We have continued to scan the capitol city without success.
Data to Enterprise.
This will be the last trip... the remaining cases of hytritium are now being loaded.
Loading is complete. I am proceeding with departure.  Enterprise Shuttlebay Two, prepare for docking, level one precautions for incoming material remain in effect.
Gibberish...  ...Starfleet... gibberish... Enterprise.
Why have I been brought here?
I have been delivered here against my wishes. I would like to know the reason.
Am I to infer that you intend to keep me captive?
It is my name.
I wish to leave.
This is unacceptable. I have no desire to remain here... and even if I did, my Starfleet duties would not permit it.
Then I am forced to attempt escape.
Then you will have to open it for me.
I fail to understand the value you place upon my presence.
But I thought they were extinct...
I am not. Most intelligent lifeforms find involuntary confinement offensive and inequitable. Moreover, you have violated Federation law --
I must emphasize, Mister Fajo, that I consider this captivity a hostile act on your part.
I have no reason to accede to Mister Fajo's wishes.
He is deluding himself if he believes he can keep me here. The Enterprise is certain to find me --
They will scan the debris and discover I was not aboard...
Plainly Mister Fajo has no moral difficulties with my imprisonment here.
Do you?
Yes.  Are you my enemy?
Why?
Do you object to the question?
It appears he has us both.
I am a Starfleet officer.
Even if I chose to do so, it is doubtful whether my programming could be sufficiently altered to accede to your wishes.
I have been designed with a fundamental respect for life in all its forms... and a strong inhibition against causing harm to living beings.
It was ultimately my own decision. My skills seemed appropriate...
No, but I am programmed with the ability to use deadly force in a cause of defense.
I would not participate in murder. Perhaps you misunderstand...
You are a fine debater, sir. It is a shame you have used your verbal gifts for mere hucksterism and the advancement of your own greed.
I must decline.
You may expect me to use every means at my disposal to resist your wishes.
I do not intend to sit in the chair.
I do not recognize it.
The Varon-T disruptor is banned in the Federation.
It is a most lethal weapon.
I am prepared to die. However, I doubt very much that you would destroy me since you assign so much value to possessing me.
It seemed a distinct possibility.
What did you expect?
Thank you.
Is something troubling you, Varria?
Thirty-seven degrees Celsius. Adjustable. I chose this temperature to approximate human skin texture.
Physically, I am capable of performing many human functions. However, I have no emotional responses.
I have had one sexual encounter. But I am incapable of making love as you describe it since I cannot feel love.
Why?
It is an act that symbolizes the highest level of intimacy between beings. I have told you that I am unable to feel intimacy. I find it difficult to accept that you could have intimate feelings toward me under these conditions. Therefore you are either simply curious. Or you have been sent by Kivas Fajo to test my sexual abilities.
The consequences to you if we're caught...
Perhaps if I attempted to communicate with the Enterprise...
I have been trained in evasive maneuvers...
Varria...
You will surrender yourself to the authorities.
I cannot permit this to continue.
Yes, Commander. Please arrange to take Kivas Fajo into custody for murder, kidnapping, theft...
A Varon-T disruptor. It belongs to Fajo.
Perhaps something happened during transport, Commander.
I expected none.
So it seems.
No, sir, it does not. I do not feel pleasure. I am only an android.
I will raise you three.
I will see your bet, and raise you twenty.
It will cost you twenty to make that determination, Sir.
Yes sir, I believe I have.
Your guidance is much valued, Counsellor. However...
Eleven.
You surreptitiously placed the edge of your left thumb onto the card immediately after I inserted it back into the deck. When you divided the deck to reshuffle, you kept that card on top. You thus were able to have me either discard or save depending on the card's location, which you followed at each step. Until we were left with one -- the card I originally chose.
Sir, I think under the circumstances...
We will enter the Turkana system in eleven minutes, Captain.
Stable. But we have maintained warp factor nine for longer than is recommended.
Seven minutes and fifteen seconds will bring us within transporter range.
Entering the Turkana System, Captain.
Visual contact.
I am reading an ion trail characteristic of a freighter escape pod.
That is exactly where the ion trail leads, Commander.
The last Federation vessel to attempt contact was the Potemkin six years ago. They were warned that anyone transporting down to the colony would be killed.
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.
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.
A former crewmember was born here.
She was killed in the line of duty.
Welcome to the Enterprise, Ishara. I am Commander Data.
I am an android.
On what do you base that assumption?
The Enterprise is not a ship of war. It is a ship of exploration.
My orders are to escort you to the Observation Lounge. We will proceed from there.
Your sister never spoke of you.
It is surprising to me. Tasha and I spent much time together in the course of our duties. We had a considerable number of conversations.
Only to say that she was lucky to have escaped.
'Cowardice' is a term that I have never heard applied to Tasha.
No. It is just that for a moment, the expression on your face was reminiscent of your sister.
A sensing device on the escape pod. It monitors the bio-electric signatures of the crew. In the event they get separated from the pod.
She would have to be armed, Commander.
Tasha exists in our memories as well.
Lieutenant Yar was killed on Vagra Two by a malevolent entity.
No... she was killed as a demonstration of the creature's power. Without provocation.
What is this structure?
The Tactical Station -- where Lieutenant Worf is now.
Yes. She was especially close to Commander Riker and Lieutenant Worf. And to myself.
Yes.
Not as such. However, perhaps even among humans, friendship is sometimes less an emotional response, and more a sense of familiarity.
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. When something once expected is no longer there.
Yes. Like your sister.
We could remove the implant.
A small force field containing xenon or another inert gas could be placed over the incision site. The explosive could thereby be safely disarmed at the same time it is removed.
And Tasha did not?
You find that appealing?
Thank you. I would like to consider you my friend, Ishara.
Ishara is willing to have the implant removed.
She also expressed a desire to leave the colony. She hopes to apply to the Academy and eventually join Starfleet.
She claims to, Captain.
Did her sister not come from the very same environment, Sir?
I do not know. But I do know that often for humans, decisions made in youth only hold true for youth.
Yes, Counselor?
We must free the crewmen. She appears to be our best hope of doing so. Also, individuals worthy of Starfleet training are somewhat rare.
In addition...
I have become used to her.
You are welcome. Doctor Crusher is expecting you in Sickbay.
To what are you referring?
But I do have something to gain. Your continued presence on this ship.
Is something wrong?
If you desire privacy, you may use the observation lounge.
Have you reconsidered your decision to stay with us?
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.
The Federation will be responsible for the resulting deaths. I cannot allow that.
That is not true.
We will both be destroyed in the explosion.
Was this your intention from the beginning?
Our help was not deliberate. You deceived us.
Your friendship with me was part of the deception, was it not?
You misled me at each step. And yet I was completely unaware.
My duty requires me to intercede.
Disabling the detection system so her forces could attack.
What do you wish to talk about?
I am an android. It is not possible for me to be injured in that fashion.
Energize.
Commander.
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.
It is curious that I was so easily misled.
Yes sir.
Were you prepared?
Then is it better not to trust?
And yet you put yourself at risk.
So, a prerequisite for love is accepting the risk of betrayal.
Yes. Perhaps I am fortunate to be spared the emotional consequences.
Difficult ... how so? Simply solve the mystery of Farpoint Station.
Inquiry ... the word snoop ... ?
Possibility ... a kind of human behavior I was not designed to emulate?
Ah! To seek covertly, to go stealthily, to slink, slither ...
... to glide, creep, skulk, pussyfoot, gumshoe ...
It registers as solid, Captain...
Inadvisable at any warp speed, sir.
It is possible, sir. But absolutely no error margin.
Heading, 351 Mark 11, sir.
Hostile's velocity is already warp nine point six, sir. Shall I put them on main viewer?
Magnifying viewer image.
Engine room attempting to comply, sir. But they caution us...
Projection, sir. We may be able to match the hostile's nine point eight, sir. But at extreme risk.
Starship separation.... six, five, four, three, two, one....
Reverse power...decelerating.
All forward motion stopped, sir.
Historically intriguing, Captain. Very, very accurate.
At least we are acquainted with the judge, Captain.
If I may, Captain....  Objection, your honor. In the year 2016, the new United Nations declared that no Earth citizen could be made to answer for the crimes of their race or forbearers.
Uncertain. Lieutenant Graham was when our medics thawed him out.
Yes, sir. The Captain has asked the question...  'Can we assume this will be a fair trial?'  And in reply, the judge stated...
Uh... what is present course, Ops?
Confirm we are on that heading, sir.
We are cleared into the standard parking orbit, sir.
Message from the Saucer Module. It will arrive here in fifty-one minutes, sir.
You say you will be doing this manually, sir? No automation?
No sir. But at your age, sir, I thought you shouldn't have to put up with the time and trouble of a shuttlecraft.
Sorry, sir. If that subject troubles you...
One hundred forty-seven years, Admiral. According to Starfleet records.
I remember every fact I am exposed to, sir.
No, sir. I am an android.
I thought it was generally accepted, sir, that Vulcans are an advanced and most honorable race.
Yes, sir.
I will, sir.
Marvelous how easily humans do that, sir. I still need much practice.
I shall endeavor to give satisfaction, sir.
Yes sir, a wise procedure always.
No, sir. Starfleet Class of '78; honors in quantum mathematics and exobiology.
Machine? Correct, sir. Does that trouble you?
Understood, sir. Prejudice is very human.
I am superior in many ways. But I would gladly give it up to be human.
Ah! Intriguing.
This pattern is quite popular, sir. Perhaps because it duplicates Earth so well, Coming here,  makes me feel as if I'm human too.
Much of it is real, sir. If the transporters can convert our bodies to an energy beam, then back to the original pattern again...
The rear wall.
You will.
Confirmed by the construction records, sir. Almost exactly the same material that Starfleet uses.
Commander, something down here is shielding our communicators.
Negative. But something similar.
Are you undamaged?
All systems operating.
Unlikely, sir.  Our records show that you supervised all Bandi contact with other worlds...
Most interesting, sir.
Most intriguing again. The place that this vessel was firing upon...  Sorry, sir, I seem to be commenting on everything.
Troi... !
Enterprise, we need help...
And firing not on the new space station, but on the old Bandi city.