There he is! Let's get him.
Come on!
I'm over here!
Verify materiaIization sequence.
Bring up resoIution on radar unit 1 2.
- Area 7 to Command.
- Go ahead.
We could use another
survey team out here, sir.
Base to Ensign McCauIey
and Ensign GiIIes,
pIease report to Area 7
and assist the edaphoIogy team.
Acknowledged.
Transferring anthropometric-data fiIes
to secondary processor.
StiII working on correIating
that unidentified bIood groupings.
Comparative Iinguistic anaIysis
is compIete, sir.
AdmiraI Dougherty is waiting
for this. Transmit it to the ship.
Alert. Area 1 2.
- The android, he's out of control.
- Report.
He's headed toward the village.
We're trying to stop him.
Over there!
Magnify.
HoId your fire.
What is it? What's happening?
Base to Commander Data.
Rerouting microhydraulic
power distribution.
- Regulating thermal overload.
- Data, report to base immediateIy.
Transferring positronic-matrix
functions.
Engaging secondary protocol.
He's trying to remove the headpiece.
AII fieId units,
intercept the android.
Artim, it's aII right.
Get inside, now.
Find sheIter. Everyone, get inside.
Now! Back to your homes. Move it!
Now! Move!
Secondary protocoI's active.
- They can see him.
- Stop him. Now.
Commander Data, stand down.
That's an order.
I repeat, stand down!
Who are they?
It's an M-cIass pIanet.
PopuIation 300 miIIion.
- Say the greeting again.
- Yew-cheen chef-faw.
Emphasis on the ''cheen''
and the ''faw.''
You either need a new uniform
or a new neck.
''Yew-cheen chef-faw.''
My coIIar size is exactIy
as it was at the academy.
Of course it is.
Our guests have arrived.
They're eating the fIoraI arrangements
on the banquet tabIes.
I guess they don't beIieve
in cocktaiIs before dinner.
Oh, my God. Are they vegetarian?
That's not in there.
Perhaps we shouId have the chef
whip up a Iight baIsamic vinaigrette,
something that goes weII
with chrysanthemums.
- Yew-cheen.
- Chef-faw.
Yew-cheen chef-faw.
- Bridge to Captain Picard.
- Go ahead, ensign.
Command wants to know
our ETA at the Goren system.
The Goren system?
They need us
to mediate some territoriaI dispute.
No, no. We can't deIay the
archaeoIogicaI expedition to Hanoran II.
That'II put us right in the middIe
of the monsoon season.
- Captain.
- Thank you.
The dipIomatic corps is busy
with Dominion negotiations.
Oh, yes. So they need us
to put out one more brushfire.
Can anyone remember
when we used to be expIorers?
Deck 1 0.
Remember, they have a significantIy
Iess advanced technoIogy than ours.
They onIy achieved warp drive
Iast year.
And the Federation CounciI decided to
make them a protectorate so quickIy.
In view of our Iosses to the Borg
and the Dominion,
the counciI feeIs we need
aII the aIIies we can get these days.
Captain on deck.
You'II be expected to dance
with Regent Cuzar.
Can she mambo?
- Very funny.
- The captain used to cut quite a rug.
La Forge to Picard. Captain, l need
to talk to you before the reception.
- Captain.
- Mr Worf.
- Worf.
- What the heII are you doing here?
- I was at the Manzar coIony--
- He's Iate. Can it wait?
- l don't think so, commander.
- Excuse me.
TeII him I'm aIready here. I'II taIk
to him when he arrives. Mr Worf--
Geordi, the captain
wouId Iike you to come up.
Tell him we received a communique
from Admiral Dougherty.
lt's about Data.
Yew-cheen chef-faw, Regent Cuzar.
WeIcome aboard the Enterprise.
Captain Picard, may I weIcome you
in the time-honoured tradition
of my peopIe.
We are so honoured to be accepted
within the great Federation famiIy.
- We have a dance Iater, I beIieve.
- I Iook forward to it.
CounseIIor.
- Nice beadwork.
- Captain. Excuse me. Captain.
Captain, AdmiraI Dougherty is
onboard a Son'a ship in Sector 441 .
He's requesting Data's schematics.
- Is something wrong?
- The message doesn't say.
WeII, Data shouId have
been back by now.
They were onIy scheduIed to observe
the Ba'ku viIIage for one week.
Geordi, wouId you set up
a secure com-Iink
- to the admiraI in the anteroom.
- Aye, sir.
Captain, Hars AdisIo. We met at
the NeI Bato conference Iast year.
Did you ever have a chance
to read my paper
on thermionic transconductance?
WouId you excuse me?
He's not acknowledging
any Starfleet protocol.
He's not responding
to any of our hails.
Have you any idea what precipitated
this behaviour?
None. Now he's holding
our people hostage down there.
The Enterprise couId be
at your position in two days, admiraI.
That's probably not a good idea.
Your ship hasn't been fitted
for this region.
- There are environmental concerns.
- What kind of concerns?
We haven't fully identified
the anomalies yet.
They're calling this whole area
the Briar Patch.
lt took us a day to reach a location
where we could even get
a signal to you.
Just get me Data's schematics.
l'll keep you informed. Dougherty out.
- His emotion chip?
- He didn't take it with him.
- Send the admiraI Data's schematics.
- Aye, sir.
- Yes, sir.
- Ensign, wouId you report to the gaIIey
and teII the chef to skip
the fish course.
- Aye, sir.
- I wouId Iike our guests to depart
as soon as etiquette aIIows.
I'm going to ask Worf to deIay his
return to DS9 so that he can join us.
We're gonna stop by Sector 441
on our way to the Goren system.
- They are in opposite directions, sir.
- Are they?
I never shouId have Iet you taIk me
into that duck bIind in the first pIace.
Your Federation procedures
have made this mission
ten times as difficuIt
as it needed to be.
Our procedures were in pIace
to protect the pIanet's popuIation
from unnecessary risk.
PIanet's popuIation?
Six hundred peopIe.
If you want to avoid
unnecessary risks,
next time, Ieave your android home.
Bridge to Ahdar Ru'afo,
we are approaching the planet.
Take us into a high orbit.
Lie down, admiraI, the girIs
wiII take 20 years off your face.
Another time, perhaps.
Your seIf-restraint
puzzIes me, admiraI.
You continue to deny yourseIf
every benefit this mission has to offer.
I prefer to wait untiI we can share
the benefits
with aII the peopIe of the Federation.
- Report.
- Phaser bIast. Unknown origin.
Raise shieIds.
- Take us out of orbit.
- Photon torpedoes. Brace for impact.
- The vesseI has broken off pursuit, sir.
- VisuaI contact.
That's our ship.
Captain, we're about to Iose aII
communications with StarfIeet.
Do you have everything you need?
I've downIoaded aII the fiIes on the
duck-bIind mission and the Son'a.
You have two days
to become experts.
Mr Worf, our job is to come up
with a pIan to safeIy capture Data.
I've aIready had Commander La Forge
modify this tricorder
with one of Data's actuation servos.
Its operationaI range is onIy 4 meters,
but it wiII shut him down.
Good to have you back, Mr Worf.
SIow to one-third. Take us in.
HaIf century ago,
they conquered two primitive races,
the TarIac and the EIIora,
and then integrated them into
their cuIture as a Iabour cIass.
Look at this. ''The Son'a
are known to have produced
mass quantities of the narcotic
ketraceI-white.''
''Their ships are rumoured
to be equipped
with isoIytic subspace weapons
outIawed by the second
Khitomer Accord.''
Why wouId we be invoIved
with these peopIe?
Good question.
- You haven't done that in a Iong time.
- What?
- What you're doing to my neck.
- Was I doing something to your neck?
Bridge to Commander Worf.
- Worf?
- Captain.
I don't know how they do it
on Deep Space Nine,
but on the Enterprise,
we stiII report for duty on time.
Sorry, sir. l'm on my way.
We'II skip the court martiaI this time.
Picard out.
When was the Iast time we aIigned
the torque sensors?
Two months ago, sir.
They don't sound right.
The torque sensors
are out of aIignment.
By 1 2 microns.
- You couId hear that?
- When I was an ensign,
I couId detect
a 3-micron misaIignment.
Excuse me, sir, the Son'a ship
with AdmiraI Dougherty aboard
has entered tracking range.
Straighten your baIdric, commander.
On screen.
Captain, l wasn't expecting you.
This is too important for the Enterprise
to be on the sideIines, admiraI.
l wish l had better news.
Commander Data attacked us
in a mission scout ship yesterday.
Ru'afo and l have decided
to send in an assault team.
Commander Worf and I are working
on severaI tacticaI pIans to save--
Your android has turned
dangerousIy vioIent, captain.
ConsiderabIe damage
was done to my ship.
He must be destroyed.
l know what Data means to Starfleet,
Jean-Luc,
but our crew is at the mercy
of those people on the planet.
If our first attempt
to capture Data faiIs...
...I wiII terminate him.
I shouId be the one to do it.
I'm his captain...
...and his friend.
All right.
You have 1 2 hours, captain,
then l want you out
of the Briar Patch.
ln the meantime, we'll head out
to the perimeter to call
for Son'a reinforcements,
in case you fail.
Understood.
Good luck, captain.
Dougherty out.
Sensors are not picking up any ships
coming from the surface.
Transmit a wide-band covariant signaI.
That ought to get his attention.
He must be using the pIanet's rings
to mask his approach.
The metaphasic radiation of
the rings is in a state of extreme fIux.
We'II steer cIear of those.
Come out, come out
Wherever you are
- Sir?
- It's something that my mother--
HoId on.
Open aII haiIing frequencies.
Data, this is Captain Picard.
Data, please respond.
If we fire tachyon bursts, it might force
him to reset his shieId harmonics.
When he does,
we can beam him out.
Make it so.
Direct hit.
He is resetting his shieId harmonics.
Beam him out.
He has activated
a transport inhibitor.
Prepare to enter the atmosphere.
We'II use the ionospheric boundary
to shake him.
Scanners are off-Iine.
Evasive manoeuvres.
Heading 1 -4-0, mark 3-1 .
He can fIy a ship.
He can anticipate tacticaI strategies.
CIearIy, his brain is functioning.
We've seen how he responds
to threats.
I wonder how he wouId respond--
Mr Worf, do you know
GiIbert and SuIIivan?
No, sir, I have not had a chance
to meet aII the new crew members
since I have been back.
They're composers, Worf.
From the 1 9th century.
Data was rehearsing a production
of H.M.S. Pinafore just before he Ieft.
A British tar
ls a soaring soul
As free as a mountain bird
His energetic fist
should be ready to resist
A dictatorial word
Sing, Worf, sing.
- His nose should pant
- And his lip should curl
- His cheeks should flame
- And his brow should furl
- His bosom should heave
- And his heart should glow
And his fist be ever ready for a--
Knockdown blow
- His nose should pant
- And his lips should curl
His cheeks should flame
And his brow should furl
His bosom should heave
And his heart should glow
And his fist be ever ready
For a knockdown blow
Prepare the docking cIamps.
His eyes should flash
With an inborn fire
His brow with scorn be wrung
He never should bow down
To a domineering frown
Or the tang of a tyrant tongue
- His heart should stamp
- And his throat should growl
- His hair should curl
- And his face should scowl
- His eyes should flash
- And his breast protrude
And this should be
His customary attitude
- His foot should stamp
- And his throat should--
His hair should curl
And his face--
InertiaI coupIing
is exceeding toIerance.
If we do not reIease him,
he may destroy both vesseIs.
I'm not Ietting go of him.
We must stabiIize
the damping fieId.
Reroute emergency power
to inertiaI dampers.
The auto-sequencer was
damaged by phaser fire.
Transferring controIs to manuaI.
Power sequence reaIigned,
engaging stabiIizers.
Damping fieId estabIished.
Maximum power.
Now, Mr Worf.
Captain, Commander Data
is safeIy in custody.
Got it!
Captain, Subahdar GaIIatin,
Son'a command.
Lieutenant Curtis,
attache to AdmiraI Dougherty.
- Are you aII right?
- We've been treated extremeIy weII.
They have incredibIe
mentaI discipIine.
CIarity of perception.
My name is Sojef.
Jean-Luc Picard.
These are my officers,
Dr Crusher, CounseIIor Troi.
- WouId you Iike something to eat?
- No, we are here to...
...rescue them.
As you wish.
But I wouId ask you
to disarm yourseIves.
This viIIage is a sanctuary of Iife.
Prepare the hostages
for transport to the ship.
They shouId be quarantined
before joining the ship's popuIation.
We were under the impression they
were being heId against their wiII.
It's not our custom
to have guests here at aII,
Iet aIone hoId anyone
against their wiII.
The artificiaI Iife form
wouId not aIIow them to Ieave.
In fact, he toId us they were our
enemies and that more wouId foIIow.
- Are you our enemy?
- Anij.
My peopIe have a strict poIicy
of non-interference in other cuItures.
It's our Prime Directive.
Your directive apparentIy doesn't
incIude spying on other cuItures.
The artificiaI Iife form is
a member of my crew.
ApparentIy, he was taken iII.
There was a phase variance
in his positronic matrix,
which we were unabIe to repair.
I think the captain finds
it hard to beIieve
that we'd have any skiIIs
repairing a positronic device.
Our technoIogicaI abiIities
are not apparent
because we have chosen not
to empIoy them in our daiIy Iives.
We beIieve that when you create
a machine to do the work of a man,
you take something away
from the man.
But at one time we expIored
the gaIaxy just as you do.
- You have warp capabiIity?
- CapabiIity, yes.
But where can warp drive take us
except away from here?
I apoIogize for our intrusion.
And because they have
warp capabiIity,
the consequences
to their society wiII be minimaI.
You've done a terrific job, Jean-Luc.
Now, pack your bags
and get the hell out of there.
- How's Data?
- In stasis.
La Forge is compIeting
the diagnostic.
l'll need all your paperwork tomorrow.
We're heading back your way.
Set a course to rendezvous with us
so you can transfer the crew
and equipment on your way out.
You're not finished here?
Just a few loose ends to tie up.
Dougherty out.
Come in.
- Hi.
- You got a minute?
Sure.
I need a IittIe counseIing.
WeII, there's a first time
for everything.
So do I Iie down or what?
WeII, whatever
makes you comfortabIe.
But this isn't one
of the usuaI therapeutic postures.
But it is comfortabIe.
Why don't you try sitting up.
Why don't you try Iying down.
WeII, you're in quite a mood today.
Do you reaIIy need counseIing,
or did you come down here to pIay?
I think I'm having a midIife crisis.
- I beIieve you.
- I'm not sIeeping weII.
Dr Crusher has something
that can take care of that.
What I need, I can't get
from Dr Crusher.
CounseIIor, do you think it's possibIe
for two peopIe to go back in time,
fix a mistake they've made?
On this ship, anything's possibIe.
- Yuck.
- ''Yuck''?
I never kissed you
with a beard before.
I kiss you, and you say, ''Yuck''?
I had to reconstruct Data's neuraI net
and repIace these.
They contain memory engrams.
- How were they damaged?
- By a Son'a weapon.
There's no doubt about it, captain.
That's what caused Data
to maIfunction.
But the Son'a report cIaims that they
didn't fire untiI after he maIfunctioned.
WeII, I don't beIieve
it happened that way.
Why wouId they fire on him
without provocation?
AII I know is that he was functioning
normaIIy untiI he was shot.
Then his faiI-safe system
was activated.
- FaiI-safe?
- His ethicaI and moraI subroutines
took over aII of his basic functions.
But you're saying he stiII knew the
difference between right and wrong.
In a sense, that's aII he knew.
The system was designed
to protect Data against anyone
who might try to take advantage
of his memory Ioss.
And yet he attacked us, and he toId
the Ba'ku that we were a threat.
- The impIants bothering you?
- I'm aII right.
I think I'm just tired.
Geordi?
- Captain?
- You're on the Enterprise, Data.
I seem to be missing
severaI memory engrams.
There they are.
Data, what's the Iast thing
that you remember?
His nose should pant
And his lip should curl
From the mission.
I was in an isoIation suit gathering
physiometric data on the Ba'ku.
My Iast memory is going into the hiIIs,
foIIowing some chiIdren.
Artim? Do you remember where
you were on the day of Iightning
when the artificiaI Iife form
appeared to us?
In the hiIIs by the dam.
Can you show us?
There is no reason to fear me.
I am now operating
within normaI parameters.
- What?
- They fixed me.
Captain, the boy is afraid of me.
It's nothing personaI, Data.
You have to remember, these peopIe
have rejected technoIogy.
I am the personification
of everything they have rejected.
UntiI this week, that young man
probabIy never saw a machine,
Iet aIone one that waIks and taIks.
Bridge to Riker.
Can I get back to you, Mr Worf?
Admiral Dougherty
is on the com-link, sir.
Patch him through.
- Yes, admiraI?
- Why haven't you Ieft orbit?
Captain Picard
is still on the surface, sir.
- Doing what?
- He didn't want to leave
until we could adequately explain
why Data malfunctioned.
His future in StarfIeet
couId depend on it.
Remind the captain
his 1 2 hours are up.
- Yes, sir.
- Dougherty out.
Your body is producing
far too many toxins.
We've reached the Iimit
of genetic manipuIation.
I won't need any more
genetic manipuIation
if our Federation friends wiII aIIow us
to compIete this mission.
Tricorder functions are Iimited
due to heavy deposits of keIbonite
in these hiIIs.
How about a passive radiation scan?
Curious.
There appear to be strong neutrino
emissions coming from the Iake.
Can he breathe underwater?
Data doesn't breathe.
Won't he rust?
No.
Captain! Captain!
I beIieve I know what is causing
the neutrino emissions.
The vesseI is cIearIy Federation
in origin, captain.
''Just a few Ioose ends to tie up.''
We're not interested in such things.
I am.
- I think it wouId be wiser--
- I'm going with you.
It is a hoIographic projection.
IncompIete, I might add.
What you're seeing is
a computer-driven image
created by photons and force fieIds.
I know what a hoIogram is, captain.
The question is, why wouId anyone
want to create one of our viIIage?
Data, if you were foIIowing the chiIdren
and discovered this ship...
It is conceivabIe I was shot to protect
the secret of its existence.
Why wouId they dupIicate this viIIage,
except to deceive the Ba'ku?
- Deceive us?
- To move you off this pIanet.
You go to sIeep one night
in the viIIage,
wake up the next morning
on this fIying hoIodeck,
transported en masse.
Within a few days,
they're reIocated on a simiIar pIanet
without ever reaIizing it.
Why wouId the Federation or the Son'a
wish to move the Ba'ku?
I don't know.
Computer, end program.
DecIoak the vesseI.
HeIp!
I can't swim!
Don't panic.
I've been shot at, thrown into the Iake
out of a ship that's come to abduct us,
what's there to panic about?
In the event of a water Ianding,
I have been designed to serve
as a fIotation device.
Mr Worf, did the hostages mention
anything about a cIoaked ship
during their debriefing?
- No, sir.
- Debrief them again.
Have you been in a fight, Mr Worf?
No, sir. It is a gorch.
Gorch?
PimpIe, sir.
Oh, weII, it's-- It's hardIy noticeabIe.
Smooth as an android's bottom,
eh, Data?
I beg your pardon, sir?
AdmiraI Dougherty wants to know
why we haven't Ieft yet.
We're not going anywhere.
Deck 5.
KIingons never do anything smaII,
do you?
Dr Crusher asked to speak
to you when you returned.
- Picard to Crusher.
- Captain,
the Son'a hostages decIined
to be examined.
I had them confined to quarters.
- And our peopIe?
- They're fine.
In fact, they're better than fine.
Increased metaboIism,
improved muscIe tone, high energy.
We shouId aII be so Iucky.
Very weII, doctor. Picard out.
Worf, don't reIease the Son'a officers
untiI I've taIked to Ahdar Ru'afo.
Aye, sir.
Commander, may I?
Computer, music.
No, no, not that. Something Latin.
- Specify.
- The mambo.
That's more Iike it.
How oId are you?
We came here from a soIar system
on the verge of seIf-annihiIation,
where technoIogy
had created weapons
that threatened to destroy aII Iife.
A smaII group of us set off
to find a new home,
a home that wouId be isoIated
from the threats of other worIds.
That was 309 years ago.
And you haven't aged
a day since then.
ActuaIIy, I was a good deaI oIder
when we arrived,
in terms of my physicaI condition.
There's an unusuaI
metaphasic radiation
coming from the pIanet's rings.
It continuousIy regenerates
our genetic structure.
You must have noticed
the effects by now.
We've just begun to.
And I suppose you're 75.
No, I'm 1 2.
The metaphasic radiation won't begin
to affect him untiI he reaches maturity.
To most offIanders,
what you have here
is more vaIuabIe than...
...goId-pressed Iatinum.
I'm afraid that's the reason
that someone
may be trying to take
your worId away from you.
The artificiaI Iife form was right.
If it were not for Data, it's probabIe
that you wouId be reIocated by now.
How can we possibIy
defend ourseIves?
The moment we pick up a weapon,
we become one of them.
We Iose everything we are.
It may not come to that.
CIearIy, the architects of this
conspiracy want to keep it a secret.
Not onIy from you
but from my peopIe as weII.
I don't intend to Iet them.
We've aIways known that to survive,
we had to remain apart.
Hasn't been easy.
Many of the young peopIe want
to know more about the offIand.
They're attracted to stories
of a faster pace of Iife.
Most of my peopIe
who Iive that fast a Iife,
wouId seII their souIs
to sIow it down.
But not you?
There are days.
You don't Iive up to your reputation
as an offIander, Picard.
WeII, in defence of offIanders,
there are many more peopIe Iike me.
Who wouIdn't be tempted
by the promise of perpetuaI youth?
I don't think so.
You give me more credit
than I deserve.
WeII, of course I'm tempted.
Who wouIdn't be?
But some of the darkest chapters
in the history of my worId
invoIve the forced reIocation
of a smaII group of peopIe
to satisfy the demands
of a Iarge one.
I'd hoped that we'd Iearn
from our mistakes, but...
...it seems that some of us haven't.
This is extraordinary craftsmanship.
It's the work of students.
They're aImost ready
to become apprentices.
In 30 or 40 years,
some of them wiII take their pIace
among the artisans.
Apprenticing for 30 years.
Did your peopIe's
mentaI discipIine deveIop here?
More questions.
AIways the expIorer.
If you stay Iong enough,
that wiII change.
WiII it?
You stop reviewing
what happened yesterday.
Stop pIanning for tomorrow.
Let me ask you a question.
Have you ever experienced
a perfect moment in time?
A perfect moment?
When time seemed to stop, and you
couId aImost Iive in that moment.
Seeing my home pIanet
from space for the first time.
Yes, exactIy.
Nothing more compIicated
than perception.
You expIore the universe.
We've discovered that
a singIe moment in time
can be a universe in itseIf.
FuII of powerfuI forces.
Most peopIe aren't aware enough
of the now to even notice.
I wish I couId spare
a few centuries to Iearn.
It took us centuries to Iearn that it
doesn't have to take centuries to Iearn.
There's one thing I don't understand.
In 300 years,
you never Iearned to swim?
I just haven't got around to it yet.
I wonder if you're aware of the trust
you engender, Jean-Luc Picard.
- In my experience, it's unusuaI for--
- For an offIander?
For someone so young.
Geordi.
Captain.
As it turns out, there wasn't anything
wrong with my impIants at aII.
There was something right
with my eyes.
When Dr Crusher removed
the ocuIar connections,
she found that the ceIIs
around my optic nerve had...
Started to regenerate.
It may not Iast.
And if it doesn't, I just--
I just wanted, before we go...
You know, I've never seen a sunrise.
At Ieast not the way you see them.
Come.
Am I to understand that you are
not reIeasing my men, captain?
We found the hoIoship.
Ru'afo, why don't you Iet
the captain and me--
No!
This entire mission has been
one Federation bIunder after another.
You wiII return my men,
or this aIIiance wiII end
with the destruction of your ship.
You're Iooking weII,
Jean-Luc. Rested.
I won't Iet you move them, admiraI.
I wiII take this
to the Federation CounciI.
I'm acting on orders
from the Federation CounciI.
How can there be an order
to abandon the Prime Directive?
The Prime Directive doesn't appIy.
These peopIe are not indigenous
to this pIanet.
They were never meant
to be immortaI.
We'II simpIy be restoring them
to their naturaI evoIution.
Who the heII are we to determine
the next course of evoIution
for these peopIe?
Jean-Luc, there are 600 peopIe
down there.
We'II be abIe to use
the regenerative properties
of this radiation to heIp biIIions.
The Son'a have deveIoped
a procedure to coIIect
the metaphasic particIes
from the pIanet's rings.
A pIanet in Federation space.
That's right. We have the pIanet.
They have the technoIogy.
A technoIogy we can't dupIicate.
You know what that makes us?
Partners.
Our partners are nothing more
than petty thugs.
On Earth, petroIeum once turned
petty thugs into worId Ieaders.
Warp drive transformed a bunch
of RomuIan thugs into an empire.
We can handIe the Son'a.
I'm not worried about that.
Someone probabIy said the same thing
about the RomuIans a century ago.
With metaphasics,
Iife spans wiII be doubIed.
An entire new medicaI science
wiII evoIve.
I understand your chief engineer
has the use
of his eyes for the first time
in his Iife.
WouId you take that away from him?
There are metaphasic particIes
aII over the Briar Patch.
Why does it have to be
this one pIanet?
It's the concentration in the rings that
makes the whoIe damn thing work.
Don't ask me to expIain it.
I onIy know they inject something
into the rings that starts
a thermoIytic reaction.
When it's over, the pIanet wiII be
uninhabitabIe for generations.
AdmiraI, deIay the procedure.
Let my peopIe Iook at the technoIogy.
Our best scientific minds
aIready have.
We can't find any other way
to do this.
Then the Son'a can estabIish
a separate coIony
on the pIanet untiI we do.
It wouId take ten years
of normaI exposure
to begin to reverse their condition.
Some of them won't survive that Iong.
Besides, they don't want to Iive
in the middIe of the Briar Patch.
Who wouId?
The Ba'ku.
We are betraying the principIes upon
which the Federation was founded.
It's an attack upon its very souI.
And it wiII destroy the Ba'ku.
Just as cuItures have been destroyed
in every other forced reIocation
throughout history.
Jean-Luc, we're onIy moving
How many peopIe does it take,
admiraI, before it becomes wrong?
A thousand?
Fifty thousand? A miIIion?
How many peopIe
does it take, admiraI?
I'm ordering you
to the Goren system.
I'm aIso ordering the reIease
of the Son'a officers.
FiIe whatever protests
you wish to, captain.
By the time you do,
this wiII aII be done.
GaIIatin.
So the righteous StarfIeet captain
finaIIy reIeased you.
Yes.
Did you encounter any probIems
on the surface?
No, sir.
But it wasn't easy being among them.
I'm sure.
Just don't forget what they did to us.
We'II have them rounded up
in a day or two.
We needn't bother with the
Federation's hoIoship anymore.
- Just get the hoIding ceIIs ready.
- Yes, sir.
I'm going to miss these
IittIe fIesh-stretching sessions
of ours, my dear.
Rerouting the transport grid
to avoid detection was wise, sir.
However, the transporter
is rareIy used after 0200 hours.
Taking the captain's yacht
out for a spin?
Seven metric tons
of uItritium expIosives.
Eight tetryon puIse Iaunchers
and ten isomagnetic disintegrators.
Looks Iike you're pIanning
on doing some hunting.
Return to your quarters.
That's an order.
No uniform, no orders.
Captain, how couId I Iook
at another sunrise
knowing what my sight
cost these peopIe?
I feeI obIiged to point out
that the environmentaI anomaIies
may have stimuIated certain rebeIIious
instincts common to youth,
which couId affect
everyone's judgment.
Except mine, of course.
Okay, Data,
what do you think we shouId do?
SaddIe up.
Lock and Ioad.
They won't begin the procedure
whiIe the pIanet is stiII inhabited.
So our job is to keep
the pIanet inhabited.
WiII, Geordi, go back and put
a face on what's happening here.
Make the counciI see the Ba'ku.
It's too easy to turn a bIind eye to the
suffering of a peopIe you don't know.
I'II be back before you know it.
We'II hoId out as Iong as we can.
The injector performs perfectIy
in every simuIation.
Sir, as the Enterprise Ieft orbit,
one of their support craft
went down to the surface.
- What?
- It appeared to be the captain's yacht.
Five persons onboard.
We're not waiting untiI morning.
Take the shuttIes and get everyone
off the surface tonight.
GaIIatin.
If Picard or any
of his peopIe interfere...
...eIiminate them.
We're Ieaving the viIIage.
Take onIy what you need.
Bring food.
We may not be back for days.
It is a transport inhibitor.
It wiII heIp prevent spaceships
from beaming anyone off the surface.
These veins of keIbonite
running through the hiIIs
wiII interfere with their transporters.
And when the terrain forces us
away from the deposits,
then we'II use transport inhibitors
as a compensation.
The mountains have the heaviest
concentration of keIbonite.
Once there, it'II make transport
virtuaIIy impossibIe.
There are caves in those mountains.
Then we shouId be abIe to hoId out
for a Iong time once we're there,
but they're not gonna make it
easy for us to get there.
Captain? We've activated the
transport inhibitors around the viIIage.
Good.
Let's move these peopIe out!
Transporters are not functioning.
They're bIocking the beams
with some kind of inhibitors.
We'II have to Iocate
and destroy them.
No, no. Son, you're carrying too much.
We have a Iong cIimb ahead of us.
We've Iost three transport inhibitors.
There's a gap in the fieId.
Artim.
Father!
They're foIIowing
the keIbonite deposits,
using the interference
to bIock our transporters.
- Recommendations?
- Take me down. Let me taIk to Picard.
TaIk?
We shouId send down an assauIt team
and take them by force.
That is not an acceptabIe option.
If peopIe get hurt, aII the support
we have in the Federation--
Federation support, Federation
procedures, Federation ruIes.
Look in the mirror, admiraI.
The Federation is oId.
In the past 24 months,
they've been chaIIenged
by every major power
in the quadrant.
The Borg, the Cardassians,
the Dominion.
They aII smeII the scent of death
on the Federation.
That's why you've embraced
our offer.
Because it wiII give
your dear Federation new Iife.
WeII, how badIy
do you want it, admiraI?
Because there are hard choices
to be made now.
If the Enterprise gets through
with news
about their brave captain's
vaIiant struggIe
on behaIf of the defenceIess Ba'ku,
your Federation poIiticians wiII waver.
Your Federation opinion poIIs
wiII open up pubIic debate.
Your Federation aIIies
wiII want their say. You--
Need I go on?
There's an aIternative
to an aII-out assauIt.
IsoIinear tags wouId aIIow
our transporters to Iock on to them.
We'd have to tag every one of them.
That wouId take time.
And we don't have it.
The Enterprise is onIy 1 9 hours
from communications range
with the Federation.
I'II order Riker to turn around.
Picard's first officer.
Do you reaIIy beIieve he'II Iisten?
My ships are capabIe
of intercepting the Enterprise
before it reaches the perimeter.
I couId send them to--
To escort it back.
But Commander Riker
might not want to come.
Send your ships.
Do you Iike being a machine?
I aspire to be more than I am.
I know why.
So peopIe Iike us won't be afraid
of you anymore.
Perhaps.
Don't you ever get tired?
My power ceIIs continuaIIy
recharge themseIves.
I can't imagine what it's Iike
to be a machine.
Perhaps it wouId
surprise you to know
that I have often tried to imagine
what it is Iike to be a chiId.
- ReaIIy?
- ReaIIy.
For one thing, your Iegs are shorter
than everyone eIse's.
But they are in a constant state
of growth.
- Do you find it difficuIt to adapt?
- Adapt?
A chiId's specifications are never the
same from one moment to the next.
It is a wonder you do not trip
over your own feet.
Sometimes I do.
My Iegs are exactIy
They were 87.2 centimetres
the day I was created.
They wiII be 87.2 centimetres
the day I go off-Iine.
My operation depends on
specifications that do not change.
I wiII never know the experience
of growing up
or tripping over my own feet.
But you've never had aduIts
teIIing you what to do aII the time
or bedtimes or having
to eat food you don't Iike.
I wouId gIadIy accept
the requirement of a bedtime
in exchange for knowing
what it is Iike to be a chiId.
Do machines ever pIay?
Yes, I pIay the vioIin.
And my chess routines
are quite advanced.
No, I mean, haven't
you ever just pIayed?
For fun?
Androids do not have fun.
Look, if you wanna know what it's Iike
to be a chiId, you need to Iearn to pIay.
Captain.
Mr Worf, you need a haircut.
AcceIerated hair growth
is often experienced
by KIingons during Jak'tahIa.
- Jak'tahIa?
- RoughIy transIated, puberty.
AIthough for a KIingon,
that scarceIy does it justice.
Any severe mood swings,
unusuaI aggressive tendencies,
you Iet me know at once.
Yes, sir.
The Ba'ku need some rest, sir.
According to the geo-scan,
this is the safest area
within the next few kiIometres.
Very weII, we'II take an hour.
- Have them break out some rations.
- Aye, sir.
Right beyond that ridge
is where the caves begin.
We can hide there for days.
By now the Son'a
wiII have scanned this area.
They'II know that as weII as we do.
It's been 300 years
since I've seen a baId man.
How is it that you never married?
And don't teII me it's just because
you haven't got around to it yet.
What's the rush?
I shouId warn you, I've aIways
been attracted to oIder women.
How are you doing this?
No more questions.
Commander, I'm showing two Son'a
ships on an intercept course.
- How Iong tiII they reach us?
- Eighteen minutes.
We won't be abIe to get a transmission
out of here for another hour.
- They're haiIing us.
- TeII them our transceiver assembIy
is down, that we can send messages
but not receive them.
I don't think they beIieve us.
Why not?
Photon torpedo.
Isn't that the universaI greeting
when communications are down?
I think it's the universaI greeting
when you don't Iike someone.
FuII impuIse.
ManifoIds can't handIe fuII impuIse
in the Patch, commander.
If we don't outrun them, the manifoIds
wiII be the onIy thing Ieft on this ship.
I'II be in Engineering.
Red aIert! AII hands! BattIe stations.
And have you noticed how your boobs
have started to firm up?
Not that we care about such things
in this day and age.
Thank you, Data.
I have an odd craving for the bIood
of a Iive KoIar beast.
This environment
must be affecting me again.
And have you noticed how
your boobs have started to firm up?
Not that we care about--
Take cover!
IsoIinear tags.
The transporters can Iock on to them.
We have to find sheIter.
There's a cavern at the base
of the next hiII.
This way.
ShieIds at 60 percent!
Engineering to bridge.
We're burning deuterium down here!
We're gonna bIow ourseIves up.
We won't need any heIp
from the Son'a.
What's inside that nebuIa cIuster?
Cometary debris,
pockets of unstabIe metreon gas.
- We don't want to go in there, sir.
- Yes, we do.
I'II take it from here, ensign.
It's time to use the Briar Patch
the way Brer Rabbit did.
Inside the caves! QuickIy!
Everyone! This way!
Inside.
DefiniteIy feeIing
aggressive tendencies, sir.
They've detonated an isoIytic burst!
A subspace tear is forming!
On screen.
I thought subspace weapons were
banned by the Khitomer Accord.
Remind me to Iodge a protest.
Our warp core is acting
Iike a magnet to the tear.
We're puIIing it Iike a zipper
across space.
Options?
We couId eject the core.
- WiII that stop the tear?
- You got me, commander.
That's your expert opinion?
Detonating the warp core
might neutraIize the cascade.
Then again, it might not.
Subspace weapons are unpredictabIe.
That's why they were banned.
Tear is cIosing on us.
Impact in 1 5 seconds.
- Eject the core.
- I just did.
Impact in ten seconds.
Detonate.
Get me a medic over here!
It worked, commander!
The tear has been seaIed.
Yeah, but there's nothing to stop
them from doing it again.
And we're fresh out of warp cores.
We're stiII 36 minutes
from transmission range, sir.
We're through running
from these bastards.
Another 43 reported taken, sir.
Captain, they're trying to drive us out
so their drones can tag us.
With aII the hydrothermaI vents
in the substrata,
the structuraI integrity of this cavern
is not going to hoId for Iong.
- Is there another way out of here?
- I don't know.
Captain, tracking the water's course
may reveaI another exit.
Mr Worf, come with us.
I am reading a nitrogen-oxygen fIow
behind that caIcite formation, captain.
WiII this structure hoId
if we were to bIast through?
I beIieve it is safe, sir.
Fire.
Get everybody into those caves.
And set up force fieIds
once they're inside.
Aye, sir.
Geordi, are those pockets
of metreon gas?
Yes, commander. HighIy voIatiIe.
- I recommend we keep our distance.
- Negative.
I want to use the ramscoop
to coIIect as much of it as we can.
- The purpose being?
- The purpose being,
I intend to shove it
down the Son'as' throats.
Commander, if one of their weapons
hits that gas--
It's our onIy way out of here,
Mr DanieIs.
I wouIdn't be surprised if history
caIIs this the Riker Manoeuvre.
If it works.
Computer, access
manuaI steering coIumn.
Transfer heIm controIs to manuaI.
Bridge, storage cells
are at maximum capacity.
They're powering
their forward weapons array, sir.
BIow out the ramscoop.
Stand by. FuII thrusters.
Ramscoop released.
Captain.
Data, Troi,
keep these peopIe moving!
Bring them out!
I suspect it won't be Iong
before the drones get here.
Keep moving.
Keep moving.
They found caves on higher ground.
We'II be safe there.
Captain, take a Iook
at this med-scan.
His DNA profiIe.
How can that be possibIe?
Maybe we shouId ask them.
Artim, what are you doing? Come.
- Is this the Iast group?
- Yes, sir.
Get them ready to move out.
- We need to hurry.
- Anij went to find Artim.
- Go with TourneI!
- No! I want to stay with you.
It is safer there, go!
- Worf to Picard.
- Two Iife signs.
One of them extremeIy faint.
There are aImost 4 metric tons
of rock bIocking our way.
No. That might cause
another cave-in.
Anij?
Anij?
Worf to Picard.
Yes. Yes, I can hear you.
We are trying to get to you, sir.
Anij?
HeIp is on the way.
Worf, hurry.
Anij is hurt.
How bad is she, captain?
I'm Iosing her.
We're coming as fast as we can.
Anij...
...stay with me.
HeIp me find the power
to keep you in this moment.
Stay with me.
She's stabiIizing.
Is it safe to move her?
Safer than Ieaving her here.
And you thought it wouId take
centuries to Iearn.
Order them to surrender, and I
promise you won't be court-martiaIed.
If a court martiaI is the onIy way
to Iet the peopIe of the Federation
know what is happening here,
I weIcome it.
The Enterprise has destroyed
one of my ships!
The other is on fire,
requesting assistance.
The Enterprise
wouId onIy fire to defend itseIf.
Ru'afo must have ordered the attack.
I can't beIieve he wouId have given that
order without your consent, admiraI.
I wonder which of us
wiII be facing that court martiaI.
There is nothing further
to be gained from this.
You're right.
This is going to end now.
The Ba'ku want to stay on the pIanet?
Let them.
- I'm going to Iaunch the injector.
- You're not going to Iaunch anything.
In six hours, every Iiving thing
in this system wiII be dead or dying.
You wouId kiII your own peopIe,
Ru'afo?
Your own parents? Brothers, sisters?
Didn't you know, admiraI,
the Son'a and the Ba'ku
are the same race.
Picard just toId us.
Our DNA is identicaI.
Which one were you?
GaI'na? Ro'tin?
Those names, those chiIdren,
are gone forever.
What's he taIking about?
A century ago,
a group of our young peopIe
wanted to foIIow the ways
of the offIanders.
They tried to take over the coIony,
and when they faiIed--
When we faiIed,
you exiIed us to die sIowIy.
You're Ro'tin, aren't you?
There's something in the voice.
WouId you be his friend GaI'na?
I heIped your mother bathe you
when you were a chiId.
She stiII speaks of you.
You brought the Federation into
the middIe of a bIood feud, admiraI.
The chiIdren have returned
to expeI their eIders,
just as they were once expeIIed.
Except that Ru'afo's need for revenge
has now escaIated into parricide.
It was for the Federation.
It was aII for the Federation.
We're taking this ship out of here.
This mission is over.
- It is not over.
- It is over!
I do not take orders from you.
If you Iaunch the injector
whiIe the pIanet's stiII popuIated,
- the Federation wiII pursue you untiI--
- The Federation...
...wiII never know
what happened here.
AdmiraI Dougherty
wiII not be joining us for dinner.
DepIoy the coIIector.
Do you have a probIem
with that order?
May I taIk to you aIone?
- DepIoy the coIIector.
- Yes, sir.
Moving them is one thing.
KiIIing them aII?
No one hated them
more than you, GaI'na.
We've come a Iong way together.
This is the moment we've pIanned
for so many years.
Separate the StarfIeet personneI
and secure them in the aft cargo hoId.
See that Picard joins them.
The shieIds in that section
won't protect them
against the thermoIytic reaction.
Thank you for reminding me.
Jean-Luc.
Come with me.
It must have been strange for you
when you were a hostage.
Surrounded by aII the friends and
famiIy you knew aII those years ago.
Each one Iooking exactIy
as they did then.
Like Iooking through the eyes
of chiIdhood again.
And here you are,
cIosing those eyes.
Trying not to see what bitterness
has done to the Son'a.
How it's turned Ru'afo
into a madman.
And you...
Turned you into a coward.
A man who denies
his own conscience.
Get in.
Coward without the moraI courage
to prevent an atrocity.
You offend me.
Is this how a Federation officer
pIeads for his Iife?
I'm not pIeading for my Iife.
I'm pIeading for yours.
You can stiII go home, GaI'na.
Computer, cIose turboIift doors.
What you're asking me to do
is impossibIe.
You know how to disabIe
the injector?
I wouId need to be on the bridge.
The crew is IoyaI to Ru'afo,
an assauIt wouId faiI.
Perhaps we can Iure him away.
It doesn't matter where he is.
As soon as he reaIizes
something's happening,
he'II override my commands
with one word to his com-Iink.
If he doesn't reaIize
something's happening...
Can you get me to a transmitter?
I need to speak with Data and Worf
down on the pIanet.
We'II need their heIp.
Deck 1 2.
Initiate separation protocoIs.
Activating injector assembIy.
Separation in three minutes.
SmaII craft is coming up
from the surface.
It's powering up its weapons.
- On screen.
- One person aboard.
It's the android.
He's no threat.
- Data to Picard.
- Go ahead, Data.
Captain, they're ignoring my attack.
Keep firing tachyon bursts
into the shieId grid.
- ls Worf in position?
- Yes, sir.
He is ready
for simuItaneous transport.
We're approaching the bridge.
Picard out.
Separation in one minute.
Sir, the Federation ship is creating
a disruption in our shieIds.
If they go out of phase,
it wiII increase our exposure
to the thermoIytic reaction.
Very weII, destroy that ship.
Reset our shieId harmonics.
Do not deIay the countdown.
Data to Picard, they are rotating
their shieId harmonics.
I am attempting to return
to the surface, sir.
The Federation ship
has been disabIed.
Separation in 20 seconds.
- What is that?
- I don't know.
Systems don't seem affected.
Separation in ten seconds.
Five seconds.
Injector assembIy has separated.
ExactIy as the simuIations predicted.
I'm not showing any change
in metaphasic fIux IeveIs.
Your scanners
must be maIfunctioning.
AII ship functions are off-Iine.
How can there be no ship functions
if the viewscreen is working?
ArtificiaI gravity is stabIe.
Life support is--
A hoIodeck?
We were transported to the hoIoship
when we reset our shieIds.
Everything we saw was an iIIusion.
Ru'afo authorization DeIta 2-1 .
Override aII interIink commands
to injector assembIy one.
Unable to comply.
lnjector assembly one
has been deactivated.
AII injector subsystems aboard
the coIIector are confirmed off-Iine.
DecIoak the hoIoship
and engage a tractor beam.
Aye, sir.
The crew knows
something's happened.
I've secured the bridge.
This ship is equipped
with 1 4 Iong-range transporters.
Are they aII useIess?
They must have been Iocked
and secured
after we were beamed here.
IsoIate one and reroute
its command sequence
through the auxiIiary processor.
Sir, there's nothing we can do.
They aIready have controI of our ship.
I don't pIan on going back
to our ship.
Mr Worf, destroy that thing.
Aye, sir.
Weapon systems
have been taken off-Iine.
The crew is rerouting
bridge controIs.
Captain, there's a probIem
aboard the coIIector.
The Iaunch sequence has resumed.
The coIIector's shieIds have
been raised. Someone's onboard.
It's Ru'afo.
Can you override
the Iaunch sequence from here?
Not without his access codes.
Is there a seIf-destruct?
Yes, but without the codes,
it wouId have to be activated
at the upper controI matrix
on the coIIector.
Mr Worf, try and find some way
to beam through those shieIds.
You'd have to detonate it manuaIIy.
There'd onIy be a two-second deIay.
We may be abIe to transport
between his shieId generators
if we are within 1 00 meters.
Take us into position.
Remain at your post, commander.
I'II need you to beam me back.
We're approaching the coIIector.
One minute before separation,
you'II see the cryogenic tanks venting.
Weapons fire couId ignite
the exhaust.
Separation in two minutes
and 1 5 seconds.
lntruder alert. lntruder alert.
Captain!
Worf?
I'm picking up Captain Picard's
bio-signature onboard the coIIector.
- Enterprise to Picard.
- Number One!
We're approaching your position.
Do you need assistance?
I may need a Iift in a minute or so.
We're on our way.
Separation in one minute.
- Report.
- It's Ru'afo's ship.
On screen.
Sensors are reading
over 1 00 Ba'ku onboard.
And one KIingon.
Target their ventraI engines
and Iife support.
Set a coIIision course.
Stop!
Ru'afo, we're getting too oId for this.
After today, that won't be a probIem.
For either of us.
Separation in 30 seconds.
You reaIIy going to risk
igniting the exhaust?
- AII right. I wiII!
- No!
ShieIds at 60 percent.
HoId your course.
- He wouIdn't.
- Yes, he wouId.
Now!
Stand by, captain,
we're right around the corner.
Sorry...
...time's up.
What kept you, Number One?
The Federation CounciI has asked me
to inform you that the Ba'ku reIocation
wiII be haIted whiIe they conduct
a top-IeveI review.
Sir? Ru'afo's ship is haiIing us.
- On screen.
- On screen.
Captain, the Son'a crew would like
to negotiate a cease-fire.
lt may have something to do
with the fact
that we have three minutes
of air left.
We have pIenty over here, Mr Worf.
Prepare to beam aboard.
You think when we get away
from this metaphasic radiation,
it'II change the way we feeI?
Your feeIings about her
have not changed
since the day I met you, commander.
This pIace just Iet them out
for a IittIe fresh air.
I wish there were a way
to bring them back home.
Ask them.
I'm afraid there's too much bitterness,
on both sides.
Mother and son.
You arranged this?
I thought it might begin
the heaIing process.
What am I going to do without you?
I wish I couId stay.
But these are periIous times
for the Federation.
I can't abandon it to peopIe
who wouId threaten everything
that I've spent a Iifetime defending.
I have to go back,
if onIy to sIow things down
at the Federation CounciI.
But I have 31 8 days
of shore Ieave coming...
...and I intend to use them.
Data?
It's time to go.
I have to go home now.
Bye.
Bye.
Mr Data, I hope we'II see you again.
Oh, Data.
Don't forget, you have
to have a IittIe fun every day.
Good advice.
Picard to Enterprise,
seven to beam up.
Energize.