Star Trek: The Next Generation 4x14

1. Captain's log, stardate 44502.7.

2. Early completion of our mission at Harrakis V

3. has allowed me to grant extra personal time for many of the crew.

4. This has come as something of a relief

5. since our recent tight scheduling

6. has prevented the pursuit of the leisure activities

7. that are a normal part of life aboard the Enterprise.

8. I expect our journey past the Ngame nebula to be uneventful.

9. And I'm personally using the time to fulfill a promise to a colleague.

10. Dixon Hill around?

11. He's occupied at the present moment.

12. Tell him Gloria's here.

13. Can't do that. He doesn't wanna be disturbed.

14. Tell him it's Gloria from...

15. Cleveland.

16. Doesn't matter if you're from the moon, hon.

17. Mr. Hill is incommuni...

18. Incommunica... Ca...

19. - Cado. - That's it.

20. Sorry, hon.

21. Look, hon.

22. Just tell him Gloria's here.

23. Look, when the boss doesn't wanna be disturbed,

24. the boss doesn't wanna be disturbed.

25. Don't take it personal like.

26. I have an appointment with Mr. Hill

27. at 2:00.

28. It's 2:10.

29. So I had a little trouble getting into the dress.

30. It took me a little while to figure out just exactly

31. what I was supposed to do with these. Hmm.

32. Sorry, Dix. There's a lady here to see you.

33. - Says her name is... - Gloria.

34. - Gloria. - From Cleveland.

35. From Cleveland.

36. Okay.

37. He never heard of you.

38. - He's never heard of me? - That's right.

39. Oh, wait, I don't think you understand, you see.

40. This was all set up in advance, you see.

41. I'm supposed to be Gloria from Cleveland

42. and I was supposed to be on Holodeck Number 4 at 2:00

43. and you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, do you?

44. Not to worry.

45. Hey, you can't go in there.

46. Get inside. Close the door.

47. Who's the doll?

48. She's, uh...

49. The doll's my cousin.

50. Yeah.

51. Gloria from Cleveland.

52. I'm sorry about this, Gloria.

53. I didn't actually mean you to get involved.

54. She knows nothing about this, Johnny.

55. What does that...? What does that mean?

56. - Oh, oh, I see. - Yeah, right.

57. What do I look like, a jamoke?

58. You ain't nobody's cousin and you ain't here on a visit.

59. Now, what do you know about my money?

60. - Your money? - The money he stole!

61. You stole his money?

62. Don't listen to him, Gloria. He's lying.

63. Oh. Oh! Oh, Johnny.

64. Johnny, talk to me, Johnny. I'm a great listener.

65. I'm finished with talking, sweetheart.

66. And I'm gonna get some action or else...

67. And this is what you do for fun?

68. It's a mystery.

69. Who is this man?

70. Who killed him?

71. Where is the money he was talking about? It's...

72. It's a mystery.

73. Now we have to go search for clues.

74. Ah. And that's fun?

75. That's fun.

76. Forty-eight Packard with whitewalls.

77. Dixon Hill Private Investigations.

78. Damn it, I didn't get the license plate.

79. Captain Picard?

80. Sorry, there's no Captain Picard here.

81. Maybe you should try down at the docks.

82. There are ships coming out of there every day.

83. It's all right, Madeline. I'll take it in here.

84. Yes, what is it?

85. Captain, Lieutenant Commander Data here.

86. Please excuse the unusual interruption,

87. but under the circumstances,

88. I thought that patching communications

89. through the Holodeck program would be less obtrusive.

90. I appreciate your concern, Commander Data.

91. What can I do for you?

92. Long-range sensors detect a T-Tauri type star

93. within a pocket of the Ngame cloud.

94. - There's nothing unusual about that. - No, sir.

95. However, the star's single planet falls within the M-class range.

96. It is capable of supporting life.

97. Now that is unusual.

98. Highly, sir.

99. Well, thank you, Mr. Data.

100. Procedure requires that we investigate.

101. Recall the Bridge crew and set in a course.

102. Aye, sir.

103. I'm sorry, Gloria,

104. but there is a 24th century mystery I have to investigate.

105. You are very welcome to carry on, if you like.

106. No.

107. I've had enough fun for today.

108. Entering the T-Tauri system now, captain.

109. Sensors indicate an energy fluctuation directly in our path.

110. Source unknown.

111. Still picking up energy distortions but fading.

112. It seems to be gone.

113. - Wormhole? - Very likely.

114. Small and extremely unstable wormholes

115. have been mapped near 39 T-Tauri systems

116. in the last 100 years alone, sir.

117. Captain, I suggest we move to a safer location.

118. It could reappear at any moment.

119. Agreed, Number One.

120. - Ensign, take us on a course to... - Captain.

121. Space.

122. The final frontier.

123. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.

124. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds,

125. to seek out new life and new civilizations.

126. To boldly go where no one has gone before.

127. Captain?

128. Data.

129. Careful, captain.

130. The stun effect from the Wormhole was relatively severe.

131. Apparently so.

132. How long were we unconscious?

133. Approximately 30 seconds.

134. I have scanned the entire ship

135. and detected no life-threatening injuries among the crew.

136. - You were not affected? - No, sir.

137. My positronic system is immune to the effect.

138. This is the third unstable Wormhole I have passed through

139. during my time with Starfleet.

140. The first was aboard the U.S.S. Trieste...

141. Thank you, Mr. Data.

142. Well, where the hell are we?

143. Point-five-four parsecs from our original position.

144. Almost a day's travel in 30 seconds?

145. Sir, I should realign the ship's clock

146. with Starbase 410's subspace signal to adjust for the time distortion.

147. - Proceed. - Yes, captain.

148. Captain, this is Crusher in Sickbay.

149. Go ahead, doctor.

150. I'm getting scattered reports of minor injuries.

151. What's happened?

152. The Enterprise just jumped through a Wormhole.

153. Apparently, we were all unconscious for about 30 seconds.

154. Is everybody all right there?

155. There's little or no damage on the Bridge, doctor.

156. Acknowledged. Crusher out.

157. Ship's status?

158. Reports coming in now. Nothing serious so far.

159. La Forge here, captain.

160. I've checked impulse engines and warp drive, sir.

161. They appear to be unaffected.

162. Shields and weapons systems are fully functional.

163. Counselor, you all right?

164. I think so.

165. I'm feeling a bit unfocused.

166. It'll pass.

167. Well, not too bad, all things considered.

168. We're lucky we didn't end up halfway across the galaxy

169. and into the middle of next week.

170. That was never actually a possibility.

171. The wormhole's small size and relatively short period

172. would make this a local phenomenon.

173. There's still the anomalous M-class planet

174. we were going to investigate.

175. Do we go back?

176. The unpredictability of the Wormhole

177. would make an investigation a hazardous one.

178. A probe launched from our current position

179. would be more advisable.

180. Make it so.

181. Nothing broken, chief.

182. But those ligaments around the elbow have been twisted pretty severely.

183. What on earth were you doing when you fell?

184. Hanging a plant for Keiko.

185. It's part of her running project to give me a green thumb.

186. How's it working?

187. Everything I touch seems to turn brown and wither away.

188. Alyssa, would you get me...?

189. Oh, never mind, I'll get it.

190. You, don't go away.

191. This is impossible.

192. Alyssa.

193. Yes, doctor?

194. Did you see anyone near the lab today?

195. No, I didn't.

196. You didn't by chance adjust the environments

197. on the incubation containers?

198. I would never touch one of your experiments

199. unless you asked me to, doctor.

200. Of course not. I'm sorry, Alyssa.

201. Thank you.

202. Probe approaching the T-Tauri system, captain.

203. Readings, Data?

204. Coming in now, sir.

205. The probe is within visual range of the planet.

206. On-screen.

207. Sensors indicate a hydrogen-helium composition

208. - with a frozen helium core. Wait a minute.

209. Didn't your readings indicate a Class-M planet

210. before we passed through the Wormhole, Data?

211. It is possible that the sensors were affected by interference

212. from the Wormhole, commander.

213. It is clearly not a Class-M planet.

214. Mr. Data, run a full diagnostic to make sure that the Wormhole

215. didn't permanently damage the sensors.

216. Aye, sir.

217. - Ensign, take us back on a course... - Captain.

218. Problem, Number One?

219. It seems awfully strange that a malfunctioning sensor

220. would give such a specific misreading of a planet.

221. I would have thought that a time-space disturbance

222. would have caused a lot more confusion than that.

223. It is conceivable that the sensors picked up

224. the after-image of an actual planet on the other side of the wormhole.

225. We could survey the nearby stars for such a planet.

226. It would require approximately six days, sir.

227. No, no, we don't have time for that.

228. We've encountered a minor mystery,

229. one that has been solved to my satisfaction.

230. Number One, unless there's a major objection,

231. then Ensign McKnight should put us back on course for Evadne IV.

232. - No objection. - Ensign.

233. Aye, sir.

234. Come.

235. I have something of a minor mystery on my hands.

236. A minor mystery?

237. That seems to be a recurring phrase these days.

238. Oh.

239. Diomedian scarlet moss.

240. I didn't know you were an ethnobotanist.

241. - It's a hobby. - You've got a good crop here.

242. As I recall, it's not easy to cultivate.

243. That's just it.

244. I started these spores right before we were all knocked unconscious

245. by the Wormhole.

246. You said we were unconscious for 30 seconds?

247. Correct.

248. Then why do these show a full day's growth?

249. Perhaps you've got some sort of fast-growth strain here.

250. Each of these incubators was set with spores

251. from completely different sources in the Diomedian system.

252. I have a dozen more in the lab.

253. Perhaps something extraordinary happened to one of them,

254. but not to all of them.

255. Doctor, we were not unconscious for a whole day.

256. Everything on board indicates that we were out for 30 seconds.

257. The ship's chronometer, the computer.

258. Everything, doctor. Including Commander Data.

259. Jean-Luc,

260. I'm telling you,

261. this is over 24 hours of growth.

262. Captain's log, supplemental.

263. Commander Data continues to maintain

264. that we were unconscious for only 30 seconds

265. despite Doctor Crusher's evidence to the contrary.

266. Captain, I have a hypothesis.

267. The 22nd century physicist Pell Underhill

268. conjectured that a major disruption in time continuity

269. could be compensated for by trillions of counter reactions.

270. That effect may have allowed Dr. Crusher's moss

271. to arrive at the other side of the wormhole

272. with the unanticipated growth.

273. - Underhill was talking about energy. True.

274. Nevertheless, it is possible

275. that the phenomenon could occur in matter

276. at higher levels of organization given the proper conditions.

277. Thank you, Data.

278. Intriguing hypothesis.

279. Well, perhaps we've got a tempest in a test tube after all.

280. - Captain... - Data.

281. I promised Mr. Nelson

282. that you would assist him with the sensor diagnostic.

283. You'll find him hard at work on Deck 36.

284. As you wish, captain.

285. Do you believe him?

286. I want a frank answer, commander.

287. Not for a second.

288. I'm amazed he even proposed it.

289. What are you suggesting, captain?

290. I'm not sure, Mr. Worf.

291. I have never known Data to tell a lie.

292. And yet...

293. If we never went through that Wormhole,

294. then what happened to us during that day?

295. If we were out for a whole day, why didn't our beards grow?

296. Whatever it was, it seems

297. it was something Data didn't wanna tell us about.

298. It could be that whatever caused this situation also affected Data.

299. And it could be that he's telling the truth.

300. That this is all just a minor mystery.

301. I could always check the computer's chronometer,

302. see if there's any evidence of tampering.

303. A transporter trace analysis might give us another indication

304. of how much time has actually passed.

305. Doctor, commander, make it so.

306. Meanwhile, we will maintain our present course.

307. If there is something wrong with Data,

308. we don't want him to be aware of our suspicions.

309. Gentlemen, how goes the battle?

310. Long-range and infrared sensors apparently suffered no ill effects

311. as a result of the Wormhole.

312. We are presently checking neutrino and heavy particle detectors.

313. Great.

314. I'll take over now, Data.

315. The captain wants you back on the Bridge.

316. See you later in Ten-Forward?

317. Nelson, I need your help with the computer.

318. - Hello, chief. How's the elbow? - Much better, thanks.

319. This isn't a house call, is it?

320. No, it's not.

321. Tell me,

322. do you remember the last person to use the transporter

323. before we went through the Wormhole?

324. Oh, let me check.

325. Ensign Locklin. She's one of my technicians.

326. Tell her to report to Sickbay immediately.

327. Electrolyte concentration.

328. Twelve-point-five deviation from previous.

329. Interesting.

330. Check the cellular membranes.

331. I'm willing to bet that the inner turgor pressure is off

332. by almost the same amount.

333. Eleven-point-three deviation from the norm.

334. Terrific. That's what I wanted to hear.

335. Thank you, Ensign Locklin. That'll be all for now.

336. Crusher to Captain Picard.

337. What is it, doctor? - I need to see you immediately.

338. I'm on my way to Engineering. Join me.

339. Physiologically, each of us is on a daily cycle.

340. Our cells have developed rhythms based on a 24-hour period.

341. - Internal clock. - Exactly.

342. And I can measure that effect at the molecular level.

343. I took a trace from the last person to use the transporter

344. before the incident

345. and compared her cell function levels at that time to what they are right now.

346. If we were unconscious for only 30 seconds,

347. those cycles should be nearly synchronous.

348. And were they?

349. No.

350. We were out for longer than 30 seconds, captain.

351. A lot longer.

352. I've got some good news and some bad news.

353. Good news is we were right about the computer's chronometer.

354. There's a security program to prevent tampering,

355. but it looks now like it was disabled and a new program put in its place.

356. Someone has reset the clock.

357. If that's the good news, what's the bad news?

358. That Data and I are the only ones aboard this ship capable of doing it.

359. It is a mystery, captain.

360. That is an understatement, Data.

361. Is it possible that someone

362. or something could have affected you without your knowing?

363. I am unable to answer that question, sir.

364. Data, would you consent to being examined

365. by Commander La Forge?

366. As you wish, captain.

367. Will you escort Commander Data to Engineering?

368. I know the way, sir.

369. Captain's log, supplemental.

370. It has become clear that everyone aboard the Enterprise

371. has lost an entire day.

372. As the mystery of what actually occurred

373. during those missing hours continues to deepen,

374. so do my doubts about Commander Data.

375. We'll start with the higher functions before we get down to basics, okay?

376. All right.

377. Now, this won't hurt a bit.

378. Have you forgotten, Geordi, that my sensory inputs

379. are not programmed to experience pain?

380. Figure of speech, Data.

381. Bedside manner. I'm just trying to make you feel comfortable.

382. I am perfectly comfortable.

383. Pattern recognition, syntactic algorithms,

384. heuristic functions, all normal.

385. I have noticed, however,

386. you appear a bit uncomfortable yourself.

387. Well, it just seems like you're not being completely honest with us, Data.

388. I'm your friend.

389. If there's something wrong, I want you to tell me.

390. Maybe I can help.

391. I cannot tell you anything beyond what I have already stated.

392. Okay.

393. - Excuse us, counselor? Mm-hm.

394. - Captain, I've finished examining Data. - And?

395. Nothing's wrong with the technology that I can see.

396. He's in perfect condition.

397. I was almost hoping that you'd find a problem.

398. Well, he still could be malfunctioning beyond my ability to detect it.

399. This entire mystery started when our sensors detected that planet.

400. First it was Class-M, now it isn't.

401. Our sensors were malfunctioning,

402. but our probe clearly established the planet could not support life.

403. Data launched that probe.

404. If he rigged it, could you prove it?

405. I could try.

406. What happened to us during that missing day?

407. Surely there must be some clues.

408. Each of us should try and think of what we were doing

409. just before we blacked out. Re-enact it if you have to...

410. Counselor?

411. Deanna, are you all right? - Just a moment.

412. Yes.

413. - Yes, I'm fine. - What happened?

414. I suddenly became dizzy.

415. I think I'd better go to my quarters.

416. Perhaps the Sickbay would be a better idea.

417. No. No, really, I'm all right.

418. Will you see the counselor to her quarters?

419. Aye, sir.

420. Thank you for coming with me, Mr. Worf.

421. You are certain you are well?

422. I just need some rest. Thanks.

423. Deanna.

424. Security, override the lock on Counselor Troi's quarters. Now!

425. What's wrong?

426. The mirror.

427. I came in here, I looked into the mirror.

428. It wasn't me, Worf.

429. It wasn't me!

430. It was my face but it wasn't me inside.

431. - Is she all right? - I feel fine now.

432. Signs of stress,

433. adrenaline byproducts higher than baseline.

434. But that's a normal reaction after sudden fright.

435. All brain functions check out okay.

436. What happened, Deanna?

437. It wasn't what I saw, it was more what I felt.

438. I looked into the mirror

439. and it seemed a stranger was staring back at me

440. from behind my own eyes.

441. As if my face was a mask.

442. La Forge to Captain Picard.

443. Go ahead, Geordi. - I found something, sir.

444. I'm on my way.

445. Lieutenant Worf.

446. Doctor.

447. Can I help you?

448. - Perhaps not. - Worf.

449. You came in here for something.

450. A warrior does not complain about physical discomfort.

451. But the captain ordered us to report anything out of the ordinary.

452. Are you in pain?

453. How did this happen?

454. Do you recognize this planet, Data?

455. Yes, sir. It is the planet our probes detected in the T-Tauri system.

456. No, it's not.

457. Actually, it's Tethys III.

458. I retrieved this image from the ship's library.

459. Its geophysical features have been slightly altered,

460. but it's definitely Tethys III.

461. Strange that an obscure planet hundreds of light years from here

462. should be picked up by the probe.

463. Data, did you take this image from the ship's library

464. and program the probe to send it back to us?

465. I cannot verify that hypothesis.

466. But you don't deny it.

467. No, sir.

468. Mr. La Forge,

469. will you send another probe to the T-Tauri system?

470. Yes, sir.

471. I'm sorry, Data.

472. Counselor Troi has just had a very disturbing hallucination.

473. - Is she all right, sir? - For the moment.

474. Can you tell me if Deanna's incident is related in any way

475. to this missing time period?

476. No, sir, I cannot.

477. Data, you are the key to this entire mystery.

478. And you have done nothing but block my every attempt to solve it.

479. Why are you fighting me?

480. It is not by choice.

481. What do you mean by that?

482. I cannot say.

483. Would you rather endanger Deanna, a friend and colleague,

484. than tell me what is going on?

485. Which would you place first?

486. The welfare of a single individual or that of the entire crew?

487. Are you saying that by not cooperating you are actually protecting us?

488. I am not saying that at all.

489. I merely state a possible alternative explanation.

490. Then, Mr. Data, I'm going to ask you again.

491. And I order you to directly answer me.

492. What really happened to us?

493. I cannot answer that.

494. What would you have me do, Data?

495. How would you handle this if our positions were reversed?

496. I am apparently guilty of falsifying the Enterprise's records.

497. Of interfering with an investigation.

498. Of disobeying a direct order from my commanding officer.

499. Your duty seems clear, sir.

500. Do you know what a court martial would mean?

501. Your career in Starfleet would be finished.

502. I realize that, sir.

503. Do you also realize

504. that you would most likely be stripped down to your wires

505. to find out what the hell has gone wrong?

506. Yes, sir. I do.

507. This wrist has been broken.

508. Broken and reset and treated

509. with one of our own subcutaneous bone fusion units.

510. - During the missing day? - That's the only possibility.

511. Are you suggesting he was conscious?

512. I'm suggesting that maybe we all were.

513. I certainly didn't repair a broken wrist while I was unconscious.

514. Our memories of that day? Blocked.

515. - Possibly erased. - By whom?

516. There are very few individuals on board

517. who could have broken my wrist.

518. Commander Data is one of those individuals.

519. I can't accept that explanation.

520. Well, he does possess the speed and the strength.

521. Granted.

522. But I'm beginning to suspect

523. that Commander Data is refusing to cooperate

524. because he believes that he's acting in the best interest of the Enterprise.

525. La Forge to Captain Picard.

526. Go ahead, Geordi.

527. Our probe is approaching the planet, sir.

528. Acknowledged. Maybe now we'll get some answers.

529. - What do you have, Mr. La Forge? - Visuals available now, captain.

530. M-class. Nickel-iron core, nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere.

531. Same planet our sensors picked up before the so-called wormhole.

532. Affirmative.

533. No indication of any space-time distortion whatsoever.

534. The probe should at least be detecting some residual effect

535. even if the wormhole is inactive.

536. That's because there is no Wormhole.

537. - There never was. Sir?

538. It was a ruse, designed to throw us off the track.

539. Look at the clues.

540. Dr. Crusher's incubation experiment, computer clock, transporter trace.

541. All indicate the existence of a missing day.

542. Lieutenant Worf's broken wrist would seem to suggest

543. that we were awake and aware for that day.

544. Possibly in a struggle for our lives.

545. The fact that we're still alive suggests we might have won.

546. Not necessarily, doctor.

547. Data's behavior would seem to suggest that we did not.

548. Why else would he be willing to sacrifice his career

549. rather than tell the truth?

550. But if we didn't win and we didn't lose...?

551. Then the only alternative would be a stalemate.

552. Maybe a compromise was reached.

553. A compromise that forced Data into this silence.

554. Then maybe by uncovering all this,

555. we run the risk of upsetting the stalemate.

556. Maybe we should leave well enough alone.

557. Possibly, Number One. I'd be prepared to live with the mystery.

558. But Data's role in this must be ascertained

559. or he'll never be trusted with Starfleet duty again.

560. Ensign, take us back to the scene of the crime, the T-Tauri system.

561. Warp two.

562. Within sensor range, captain.

563. Drop to impulse, ensign.

564. Mr. Worf, maximum shields, ready all weapons.

565. Shields up.

566. Photon torpedoes armed, phasers standing by.

567. Captain, an energy field has appeared between our position and the planet.

568. On-screen.

569. Hold position. Let's see what it does.

570. The field has emitted an energy pulse approaching the Enterprise.

571. Too slow to be a photon torpedo.

572. It might be a probe.

573. Let's see what happens when it hits the shields.

574. Shields undamaged.

575. The energy pulse has dispersed.

576. Counselor Troi, what is it?

577. The plan has failed.

578. You have returned.

579. Your ship is again in our space.

580. I was unable to prevent it.

581. Nevertheless, you are here.

582. The Enterprise is not a threat to you.

583. Give me more time. Our destruction would only...

584. Data, captain wanted me to bring you to the Bridge.

585. - Counselor. One moment, if you would.

586. Do nothing.

587. It may yet be possible to salvage the situation.

588. Reporting as ordered, captain.

589. Well, Data, as you can see, we're back where it all started.

590. We must leave immediately, sir.

591. Why?

592. Any further delay would put us all at grave risk.

593. Why?

594. What is the source of that risk?

595. The energy field?

596. I cannot say.

597. Data, you sound as if you're stuck in a feedback loop.

598. You certainly can say.

599. You have free will, you have a choice.

600. My silence is not by choice, sir.

601. Not by choice?

602. Are you somehow controlled by that force?

603. Did Geordi miss something when he examined you?

604. Geordi's examination was exemplary.

605. Then why are you compelled to disobey my orders? How...?

606. During the missing day,

607. were you contacted by Starfleet?

608. Did they order you to conceal the truth from us?

609. I cannot answer that.

610. We must leave, sir.

611. This ship isn't going anywhere.

612. Not until I get an answer.

613. Now who gave you that order?

614. You did, sir.

615. I ordered you to lie?

616. Captain, the energy field is approaching.

617. Maintain shields at full intensity.

618. No. We must vary shield shape and strength as rapidly as possible.

619. Maximum shields will only speed the ship's takeover.

620. Contact imminent.

621. - Do as Data says. At once. - Aye, sir.

622. The field is shifting amplitude, trying to match our shields.

623. The energy field will eventually penetrate our shields, sir.

624. There is no way to counter the Paxans' technology.

625. We can delay their takeover, but we cannot prevent it.

626. The Paxans? Who are they?

627. You have invaded our system.

628. No, Worf.

629. You will only harm Counselor Troi's body.

630. We are not invaders.

631. We are explorers.

632. Your knowledge of us is unacceptable.

633. They are xenophobes, sir. Isolationists.

634. The Paxans terraformed a protoplanet in this system

635. in order to better conceal their whereabouts.

636. The apparent Wormhole we experienced

637. is actually a trap to keep out invaders.

638. The energy field stuns everyone on board the invading vessel

639. and then places them in a state of biochemical stasis.

640. That explains why our beards didn't grow.

641. The Paxans then take the ship out of their territory.

642. Crew wakes up and thinks they've been through a Wormhole,

643. they count their blessings and keep going?

644. Precisely.

645. What went wrong this time?

646. My positronic brain is a technology unknown to the Paxans.

647. Our stun field had no effect on him.

648. He remained conscious while we tried to take over the ship.

649. When I realized the crew was incapacitated,

650. I initiated emergency procedures.

651. Computer, engage Emergency Plan Zed Zed Alpha.

652. Automatic defense procedures initiated.

653. Energy field strength increasing.

654. Warning. Shield penetration 17 percent.

655. Computer, begin random fluctuation of shield frequency and modulation.

656. Executed.

657. With the Enterprise temporarily protected,

658. I revived the crew.

659. Computer, release compound ADTH into the air flow system.

660. - Five parts per million. - Acknowledged.

661. Initiating compound release now.

662. Status, Data?

663. The energy field is attempting to match the shield frequency, sir.

664. Options, Mr. Worf?

665. I do not recommend weapons at this range, captain.

666. - Can we go to warp? - Negative, sir.

667. The field is also acting as a tractor beam.

668. Warning. Shields have been penetrated.

669. All systems are frozen, captain.

670. The Paxans can manipulate energy structures on many levels.

671. They took control of Counselor Troi's body

672. to communicate with us.

673. Captain!

674. Aah. Oof! Oh!

675. No. Stop, everyone.

676. Who are you?

677. You are aware of our existence.

678. Our attempt to place you in biochemical stasis has failed.

679. We have no choice but to destroy this ship.

680. If you destroy this ship, then others will come in search of us.

681. You may not be able to stop them all.

682. Knowledge of your civilization will be spread across half the galaxy.

683. No.

684. Allow us safe passage

685. and I will protect your right to privacy to the best of my ability.

686. We will never tell anyone of your existence.

687. There are over 1000 life forms on this vessel.

688. How could you assure their silence?

689. This biochemical stasis.

690. Does it suppress synaptic functions?

691. It does.

692. Then, you have the capability of affecting memory.

693. Can you erase the short-term memory of everyone on this ship?

694. Remove all knowledge of this event?

695. Allow us to proceed as if it had never happened?

696. It would take time.

697. One of your days.

698. He is immune to our influence.

699. Data, I'm going to give you a most unusual order.

700. I'm not sure that you will be able to integrate it into your program.

701. As a Starfleet officer, I am required to follow all of your orders, captain.

702. Good.

703. Because our survival depends on it.

704. I am ordering you never to reveal what has happened here today.

705. Not to Starfleet, not to myself.

706. You will conceal your knowledge of the Paxans for as long as you exist.

707. Do you fully understand, Data?

708. Completely, sir.

709. Satisfactory?

710. - Agreed. - Good.

711. Now, our task is to eliminate from the ship's records any information

712. that might lead to knowledge of this incident.

713. Let's get to work.

714. We proceeded to erase all evidence of our encounter with the Paxans.

715. I reset the computer's chronometer,

716. and again the crew was stunned into unconsciousness.

717. Their short-term memories erased.

718. When they were revived a day later,

719. computer adjustments made it appear that only 30 seconds had passed.

720. And here we are.

721. - Here we are again. Your plan has failed.

722. This ship must be destroyed.

723. No, wait!

724. The plan failed

725. because clues were left behind that suggested a mystery.

726. And to many humans, a mystery is irresistible.

727. It must be solved.

728. The doctor's incubation experiment, Worf's wrist, Troi's hallucinations.

729. Little pieces of evidence that suggested even more clues.

730. The clock, the transporter trace, Data's odd behavior.

731. If we eliminate the clues and begin again...

732. - Again? Yes.

733. Consider the first time a run-through.

734. A rehearsal to shake out the flaws.

735. The second time will succeed if we leave no clues.

736. You are a most unusual species.

737. Worthy of a second chance.

738. Proceed.

739. Deanna?

740. Welcome back, counselor.

741. Geordi, Data, reconfigure the computer and the records.

742. Number One, I want you to oversee the rest of the ship.

743. And this time,

744. let's get it right.

745. What happened, Data?

746. The effect from the wormhole was rather intense, sir.

747. So it would seem.

748. Everyone but myself was rendered unconscious.

749. My positronic system is immune to the effect.

750. How long were we out?

751. - Thirty seconds, sir. Current position?

752. Point-five-four parsecs from our previous position.

753. Bearing 285 mark 147.

754. - It could be worse. - Yes, sir.

755. The wormhole appears to have been a local phenomenon.

756. Crusher to Bridge. What happened, captain?

757. The Enterprise went through a Wormhole, doctor.

758. It seems the entire crew was unconscious

759. for approximately 30 seconds.

760. Is anyone on the Bridge hurt?

761. Apparently not.

762. I'll start checking the other decks. Crusher out.

763. Status reports?

764. Shields and weapons systems, unaffected.

765. - No damage in Engineering. - Counselor?

766. There's a general feeling of disorientation on board

767. but nothing serious as far as I can tell.

768. Very well.

769. There's still that anomalous Class-M planet

770. we were going to investigate.

771. - Re-plot a course to take us back to... - Sir.

772. It is likely the anomalous readings

773. were the result of the wormhole's effect.

774. It was extremely unstable.

775. I would recommend against returning.

776. It might put the Enterprise at further risk.

777. - We could launch a probe. - That would certainly be sufficient, sir.

778. Make it so.

779. And put out a hazard advisory to Starfleet.

780. - Ensign, set a course to Evadne IV. - Aye, sir.

781. Engage.