Star Trek: The Next Generation 6x19

1. Good evening, Mr. Data.

2. Actually, good morning, sir.

3. Ship status is— No need to report.

4. I'm just here to do some work on my own.

5. Aye, sir.

6. I'd like to speak to Professor Mowray

7. at his archaeological site on Landris II.

8. Could you put it through to my ready room?

9. I am sorry, sir, but stellar cartography has requested

10. a communications blackout while they run an experiment.

11. Hmm. How long will it be?

12. Another three hours, 22 minutes, sir.

13. I can override, if necessary.

14. No, it's not important.

15. Aye, sir.

16. Computer, display the latest

17. excavation schematics on Landris II.

18. Library computer is temporarily off-line.

19. Explain.

20. Library systems have been allocated

21. to stellar cartography.

22. Tea, Earl Grey. Hot.

23. Replicator systems are off-line

24. at the request of...

25. stellar cartography.

26. What could they possibly be doing down there?

27. Oh...

28. In or out— just close that door.

29. And don't move.

30. It'll take a second for our eyes to readjust.

31. Okay. Elevate to 3.2, Marquez.

32. Now at 3.2, Commander.

33. Good. Good. We can do this.

34. No, no, no. We're losing vertical alignment.

35. Compensate. Compensate!

36. Compensating.

37. Gently. Gently, Marquez. Don't bump it.

38. No! No, no, hit the—

39. Oh... oh, forget it.

40. Forget it. Lights.

41. Whoever you are, you just ruined

42. four hours of work.

43. You might have taken the simple precaution

44. of locking the door.

45. It's 3:00 in the morning...

46. Captain Picard.

47. I assume that you must be Lieutenant Commander Daren.

48. Yes, sir.

49. I'm sorry. It's just we weren't expecting anybody

50. to be up at this hour.

51. Well, you're new on the Enterprise.

52. You'll have to learn to expect the unexpected.

53. That's why I put in for this assignment, sir.

54. Excellent. Now, perhaps you can tell me

55. what was so important that it required

56. depriving the captain of his cup of Earl Grey.

57. Earl Grey? No wonder you can't sleep.

58. Computer, bring replicators back online

59. and give me a cup of Daren herbal tea

60. blend number three, hot.

61. You shouldn't be drinking a stimulant

62. at this time of night.

63. I think you'll like this.

64. I— I've programmed seven other blends

65. into the replicator.

66. You're bound to like one of them.

67. I look forward to sampling them.

68. I'm sorry if, uh, the system blackouts

69. we requested... inconvenienced you.

70. We're taking very precise gravimetric readings,

71. so it wouldn't have taken much to throw them off.

72. What were the readings for?

73. Well, I'm trying to construct a mathematical model

74. of an emerging star system.

75. If it works, we'll be able to predict

76. the configuration of a star system

77. that won't be formed for another two million years.

78. A long time to wait to see if you're right.

79. I have a few things to do between now and then.

80. Space, the final frontier.

81. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

82. Its continuing mission—

83. to explore strange new worlds...

84. to seek out new life and new civilizations...

85. to boldly go where no one has gone before.

86. Captain, we'll be arriving

87. at the Borgolis Nebula in three hours.

88. Yes, I understand

89. that it has some unusual radioactive emissions.

90. Well, I'm sure that stellar sciences

91. will find it a most interesting study.

92. Commander Daren has already requested extra time

93. on the main sensor array.

94. Well, you have the bridge, Number One.

95. Captain?

96. I would like to remind you

97. of our concert this evening in Ten Forward.

98. We will perform Chopin's "Trio in G Minor."

99. I'll be there.

100. And so, the upshot is,

101. that we'll be close enough for you to slip away

102. for a few days and see Wesley.

103. Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you, Jean-Luc.

104. This is delicious. What is it?

105. Mmm, it's a herbal tea blend.

106. I, um... found it in the replicator files.

107. Oh.

108. Have you met any of the new crew members

109. who came aboard at Starbase 218?

110. In fact, I have a new nurse— Beck.

111. He's an obstetrics specialist.

112. I met the new head of stellar sciences last night—

113. Lieutenant Commander Daren.

114. Yes... Nella Daren.

115. She came into sick bay for a physical last week.

116. I like her— very forthright.

117. Did you know...

118. that it is now possible

119. to predict the configuration of a star system

120. which won't be formed for another two million years?

121. Really? No, I didn't.

122. Mm-hmm. It's really quite intriguing.

123. The whole thing is made possible

124. by a complex mathematical construct

125. based on fractal particle motion.

126. But that's only the foundation.

127. The modeling itself is done by gravimetric wave input.

128. I see. Hmm.

129. Well...

130. I know this is all pretty dry stuff.

131. Stellar cartography isn't everybody's cup of tea.

132. I'm sure it's really quite fascinating.

133. You know, we should be getting along to Ten Forward.

134. We're going to be late for the concert.

135. Thank you. Thank you.

136. Will you excuse me?

137. Yes, of course.

138. Well done, Mr. Data. Well done.

139. Commander, that was a remarkable performance.

140. You are very talented. Thank you.

141. I noticed that the applause this evening

142. exceeded average decibel levels.

143. I guess that means they enjoyed themselves.

144. I think that much was obvious.

145. Excuse me. I have not yet

146. congratulated Ensign Cheney.

147. I'll go with you.

148. Commander, you must have been playing since you were young.

149. I played the piano for a while when I was small,

150. but I didn't put in the practice you must have.

151. Well, practicing was never my problem.

152. In fact, my parents had to make me go out and play.

153. I wanted to ask, uh...

154. during the second arpeggio of the first movement,

155. I noticed that you played

156. an F minor chord instead of a diminished D.

157. You're a musician. What's your instrument?

158. We should play sometime.

159. No, no, no. I'm-I'm just an amateur.

160. But your choice in that arpeggio was delightful.

161. Not at all what one would expect.

162. Well, Captain, now that I'm on your ship,

163. maybe you should start expecting the unexpected.

164. Ah. Excuse me, sir.

165. I was hoping that my people in spectral analysis

166. could have another few hours on the main sensor array?

167. I'm sorry. The array has already

168. been allocated to engineering.

169. They're running some warp field tests.

170. If we go off-line now, we'll lose

171. the gas flow pattern we've been tracking.

172. I understand, but there are other departments

173. waiting to use the array.

174. We're at a critical juncture, sir.

175. Commander...

176. I'll see what I can do to find you

177. some more time tomorrow.

178. Tomorrow? Tomorrow.

179. Mm-hmm.

180. Thank you, sir.

181. Computer, pause playback. Come.

182. Oh... Commander Daren.

183. I hope you don't mind me dropping by like this?

184. No. Please, come in. I'm delighted.

185. What kind of a flute is that?

186. It's, uh... Ressikan.

187. I've never seen one before.

188. They're not made any more.

189. have you been playing long?

190. Um...

191. yes, a long time.

192. I'd love to hear you play sometime.

193. I'm not very good.

194. Well, that doesn't matter, as long as you enjoy it.

195. Yes, but I wouldn't want to inflict it

196. on someone else.

197. May I try?

198. Yes, of course.

199. Hmm, now...

200. Yes, you're— you're not holding it quite right.

201. May I? Please.

202. You're— You're better than you think.

203. Really!

204. We should play together.

205. Uh... there isn't a piano.

206. Ah, but there is.

207. I picked it up on Mataline II.

208. It's amazing.

209. That is remarkable.

210. Well, why don't you play something?

211. You start, and I'll jump in.

212. What should we play?

213. What were you working on before I came in?

214. Um, Bach, the "Third Brandenburg."

215. perfect.

216. Go ahead.

217. Uh... I'm sorry.

218. Oh. It's all right.

219. You're not used to playing with anyone, are you?

220. Just the computer.

221. Hmm.

222. Well, I may not be as precise as a computer,

223. but... well, I think you'll enjoy it more.

224. Uh, why don't we start

225. with something a little simpler.

226. How about...

227. Good!

228. Very good.

229. Now, let's have a little fun with it.

230. Go on, you try it.

231. Improvise around the melody—

232. anything you want.

233. Good.

234. That's wonderful.

235. Keep going.

236. It's so good.

237. You're definitely better than you think.

238. Number One, my fencing partner's

239. canceled for this afternoon.

240. I was wondering if you wanted to join me.

241. Fencing? Mm-hmm.

242. I'm not really very good.

243. Ah, it doesn't matter so long as you...

244. ch-ch-ch-ch...

245. Enjoy it.

246. Why not? Good! Excellent.

247. 1400 hours, then.

248. You have a mild strain. Oh.

249. I've been playing the piano a lot.

250. I guess the captain and I overdid it a little last night.

251. The captain?

252. Yes, he plays a kind of flute...

253. um, a Ressikan, I think he said.

254. Yes, but I didn't know he played duets.

255. Well, he never did before.

256. He seemed to enjoy it.

257. He's actually quite promising.

258. I see.

259. Tell me, have you known him long?

260. Yes, a very long time.

261. He seems...

262. somewhat isolated.

263. I'd say he's a very private person,

264. but not isolated.

265. There, that should help.

266. Hmm, that feels much better.

267. Thank you. Good.

268. I was afraid I might have to cancel.

269. Another duet?

270. Keep climbing.

271. Where are we going?

272. We're almost there.

273. I don't see why we couldn't just practice in my quarters.

274. Do you know where we are?

275. Uh, yes. This is the fourth intersect

276. in Jefferies tube 25.

277. No... this is the most

278. acoustically perfect spot on the ship.

279. The intersection acts as a resonance chamber.

280. How did you find it?

281. A little exploring.

282. You mean to say that you crawled through

283. every tube on the ship?

284. Well, not every one.

285. Try it. See how it sounds.

286. That's beautiful.

287. What is it?

288. It's, um...

289. an old folk melody.

290. I've never heard you play with such feeling.

291. is there a problem, Geordi?

292. I hear music.

293. Music?

294. I do not hear anything.

295. You sure? Mm.

296. I know I heard something.

297. Hmm... it stopped. Hmm.

298. I'd heard about Kerelian tenors all my life,

299. but nothing could have prepared me

300. for this man's voice.

301. Soaring, incredible range.

302. Hmm. Wonderful.

303. I understand that there are nuances

304. that only Kerelians can pick up.

305. We just don't have the ears for it.

306. Mmm.

307. I should be finished with

308. my survey by 1100 hours.

309. Very good, Commander.

310. Captain, the Federation outpost on Bersallis III

311. reports that they are entering a period

312. of firestorm activity.

313. Bersallin firestorms happen on a seven-year cycle.

314. They're not expecting any for another eight months.

315. We don't rendezvous with the Havana

316. for another two days.

317. That would give us plenty of opportunity

318. to study this phenomenon.

319. Helm, set a course for Bersallis III,

320. warp five. Aye, sir.

321. Counselor, could I speak with you in my ready room?

322. You have the bridge, Number One.

323. Sit down, Counselor.

324. I wanted to talk to you about a matter of protocol.

325. I know there are no Starfleet regulations

326. about a captain becoming involved

327. with a fellow officer.

328. But— You would like my opinion

329. about you and Commander Daren?

330. It's that obvious?

331. In a way that pleases people

332. who care about your happiness, yes, it is.

333. But I have to be concerned

334. about more than my own happiness.

335. And you think that your feelings toward Nella

336. could change the way you function as captain?

337. Yes.

338. Relationships with coworkers

339. can be fraught with consequences.

340. That's true,

341. but cutting yourself off from your feelings

342. can carry consequences

343. that are just as serious.

344. You see, I've always believed

345. that becoming involved with someone under my command

346. would compromise my objectivity.

347. And yet...

348. Captain, are you asking my permission?

349. If I were, would you give it?

350. Yes.

351. Come in.

352. Nella?

353. Can I help you, sir?

354. I'm really very sorry

355. about what happened in the turbolift.

356. When the crew member walked in,

357. I felt very self-conscious.

358. It's going to take a while

359. for me to get used to the idea

360. of crew seeing the two of us together.

361. I understand.

362. Now, I'm glad you told me. For a minute there,

363. I thought I'd misread you.

364. One kiss, and you're off to find somebody else.

365. I can assure you that I'm not given to casual relationships.

366. There is something that I want to tell you...

367. but not here.

368. Do you remember the folk melody that I played to you this morning?

369. Yes. Yeah.

370. I learned it on a planet called Kataan.

371. Never heard of it.

372. No, I'm not surprised.

373. Its sun went nova more than a thousand years ago.

374. I don't understand.

375. The Enterprise encountered a probe

376. that had been sent from the planet

377. before it was destroyed.

378. And it scanned me, and I lost consciousness.

379. And...

380. in the space of 25 minutes,

381. I lived a lifetime on that planet.

382. I had a wife and...

383. and children and a grandchild.

384. And it was absolutely real to me.

385. And when I awoke,

386. all that I had left of that life

387. was the flute that I'd taught myself to play.

388. Why are you telling me this?

389. Because I want you to understand

390. what my music means to me...

391. and what it means for me

392. to be able to share it with someone.

393. Thank you.

394. Hello. Sir.

395. Commander, I was hoping to talk to you

396. about Ensign Cabot's transfer.

397. Quantum mechanics doesn't want to give him up.

398. But he wants to come to my department.

399. How do you know that? I offered it to him.

400. Transfers are to be approved by me

401. before any offers are made.

402. I'm sorry.

403. We were just talking, and...

404. It's all right, but Cabot should stay where he is.

405. Commander, please don't make that decision final.

406. I realize I shouldn't have made the offer,

407. but he's perfect for the job,

408. and quantum mechanics is overstaffed, anyway.

409. Commander, do you realize the position you're putting me in?

410. Well, I-I think I'm just doing

411. what any good department head would do—

412. trying to build the best staff I can.

413. Look, I'll review the situation.

414. I'll let you know as soon as I can.

415. Come.

416. May I have a minute?

417. Yes, of course. Come in, Number One.

418. It's about Lieutenant Commander Daren.

419. As a department head, she comes to me

420. for systems allocation, personnel transfers,

421. things like that.

422. Well... I'm beginning to feel

423. uncomfortable with her requests.

424. Because of her relationship with me?

425. Yes, sir.

426. Are her requests unusual? No.

427. Would you say that she's just trying to do her job?

428. Yes, sir.

429. Then let her do it, and you feel free to do yours.

430. Ship's resources are your responsibility.

431. I have always had absolute confidence in your judgment.

432. Thank you, sir.

433. I can't believe I'm going to get the chance to study

434. the firestorms on Bersallis.

435. Apparently, they're generated

436. by particle emissions from the Bersallin sun.

437. They cause a cascade effect in the planet's atmosphere

438. that...

439. Oh, I'm boring you.

440. No. No. No, you're not.

441. Not at all.

442. It's just that...

443. Commander Riker came to see me this afternoon...

444. about you.

445. About the personnel transfer.

446. I thought he looked uncomfortable.

447. He thought I was asking for special treatment.

448. I was just doing what I thought was best for my department.

449. And that's what I told him.

450. But... we have to be careful.

451. Obviously, it's easy for people to misunderstand.

452. I don't like the thought

453. of having to second-guess people all the time.

454. If I have to worry about what people are thinking about me,

455. I'll be concentrating on the wrong thing

456. and I won't be as effective an officer.

457. All I'm saying is

458. that it's something we have to be aware of,

459. but you mustn't compromise yourself.

460. You must do what you have to do,

461. because if I find that my head of stellar sciences

462. isn't being effective, then I shall do what I must do—

463. and I shall replace her.

464. Noted, sir.

465. Now, I think that we should just forget about this

466. and enjoy our evening.

467. What about that special dessert you promised me?

468. Right. Now, this is something that I first tasted

469. on Thelka IV...

470. Bridge to Captain.

471. Go ahead, Mr. Worf.

472. Bersallis III reports

473. that the storm has changed its speed and heading.

474. They are predicting it will hit the outpost

475. within eight hours and are requesting evacuation.

476. I'm on my way.

477. Captain's Log, Stardate 46693.1:

478. We have entered the Bersallis star system

479. and are making preparations to evacuate

480. the Federation outpost on the third planet.

481. A firestorm can kick up winds

482. of over 200 kilometers per hour

483. and temperatures as high as 300 degrees C.

484. Incredible. What causes them?

485. They form when solar flare radiation

486. reacts with high-energy plasma

487. present in the planet's atmosphere.

488. Wasn't the outpost constructed to withstand the conditions?

489. It was— both reinforced and insulated.

490. But this is no ordinary storm.

491. It's twice as strong as anything they've ever seen.

492. The outpost just won't withstand it.

493. We'll arrive about an hour before the storm gets there,

494. and it'll take us at least two hours

495. to evacuate the colonists off the surface.

496. I led a team of geologists

497. to study the plasma geyser on Melnos IV.

498. Now, we cross-connected a few thermal deflector units

499. to create a protective shield against the heat.

500. A firewall.

501. Mm-hmm. Would something like that work here?

502. You know... it might.

503. The storm is approaching the outpost from this direction.

504. If we were to set up a series of thermal deflector units

505. along the northern perimeter, we could create a firewall

506. and deflect some of the heat.

507. The insulation from the outpost

508. should be able to handle the rest.

509. Thermal deflectors generate a field

510. approximately 400 meters wide.

511. We would need to cross-connect six units

512. and align them so that the fields overlap.

513. How many people would it take to set that up?

514. Twelve— two per team.

515. Cross-connecting that many units, it'll be a little tricky.

516. Once they're set up, we'll have to leave the units in place

517. and transport our people out.

518. Nobody would be able to survive

519. very long outside that structure.

520. Let's do it.

521. The storm is going to interfere with communication.

522. Everything will need to be coordinated from the surface.

523. Mr. Data, you will coordinate the evacuation of the colonists.

524. Doctor, there are nine patients in the outpost infirmary.

525. Your first priority will be to get them to Sick Bay.

526. After that, you will stay on board the Enterprise.

527. Be ready to receive casualties.

528. Marquez, you'll take some people down and track the storm.

529. All the other teams will need to be kept apprised of its heading.

530. Commander, you'll be in charge of deploying the deflectors.

531. Let's go.

532. Commander Daren?

533. About those thermal deflectors.

534. There must be one of any number of people

535. that coordinate their deployment.

536. I assume Commander Riker chose me

537. because I'm the best person for the job.

538. Didn't we agree not to let our relationship

539. get in the way of our work?

540. I'll be all right.

541. Lieutenant Marquez is already set up on the surface.

542. Apparently, the storm is gaining speed.

543. He's estimating it'll hit the colony

544. in less than 50 minutes.

545. Ensign, make sure you maintain a continuous transporter lock

546. on all away team personnel.

547. We may have to pull them out in a hurry. Aye, sir.

548. I don't want to take any unnecessary chances down there.

549. If anyone gets into trouble beam them up immediately.

550. Energize.

551. Mr. Worf, how long until the storm reaches the outpost?

552. 17 minutes.

553. La Forge to Bridge. Go ahead, Mr. La forge.

554. The ionization from the storm is interfering

555. with the transporters, Captain.

556. I'm compensating, but it's slowing things down a bit.

557. Keep at it, Mr. La Forge.

558. Riker to Daren.

559. Daren here. Go ahead, Commander.

560. You've got less than nine minutes before the storm

561. reaches the northern perimeter.

562. I'm here with team six.

563. We're just about to bring the deflectors online.

564. Whenever you're ready.

565. Daren to perimeter teams.

566. Stand by to cross-connect deflectors.

567. Standing by. Activate.

568. Team three, increase your output by point two percent.

569. Yes, sir. Good, good.

570. Deng, decrease nutation by point four percent.

571. Good. We've almost got it.

572. Crusher to Bridge. Go ahead, Doctor.

573. We just brought back the last of the infirmary patients

574. and they're on their way to Sick Bay,

575. but we still have over 100 colonists down there.

576. Understood.

577. Daren to Commander Riker. Riker here. Go ahead.

578. We've got a problem.

579. We're having trouble keeping the deflectors cross-connected.

580. So, the only way this is going to work

581. is if we calibrate them manually.

582. If you stay with the deflectors,

583. will they protect you when the storm hits?

584. I don't know, sir.

585. A few minutes maybe.

586. Picard to Commander Riker.

587. How many more colonists do you have to transport? 73, sir.

588. How long do you need? At least ten more minutes.

589. Captain, the storm will reach

590. the northern perimeter in four minutes.

591. Picard to perimeter teams.

592. It is imperative that you hold your position

593. until we've finished evacuating the colony.

594. Picard out.

595. Picard to Mr. La Forge. La Forge here.

596. I want a signal lock

597. on every member of the perimeter teams.

598. Captain, the storm's interference won't...

599. As soon as the last of the colony is evacuated,

600. I want those perimeter teams out of there.

601. Is that understood? Yes, sir.

602. Daren to perimeter teams.

603. The storm's interference

604. is going to make our job harder than we thought.

605. We may lose communication,

606. so it's up to each of you to keep your units operational.

607. A lot of people are depending on us.

608. Daren out.

609. Oh, my God.

610. The storm has reached the perimeter.

611. I got out with the last of the colonists.

612. If it hadn't been for the perimeter teams,

613. none of us would have made it.

614. We were able to clear out four of the teams

615. and the interference prevented us from getting two more.

616. I don't know how they could have survived.

617. Which teams are missing?

618. Three and six.

619. The last I knew, Commander Daren was on team six.

620. Bridge to Captain.

621. Go ahead, Mr. Worf.

622. We have found survivors, sir.

623. They are beaming up now.

624. I'm on my way.

625. That's it.

626. Here, let me help you. Thank you.

627. Here, just give me your hands.

628. You're going to be fine.

629. Captain's Log, Stardate 46697.2:

630. Although we succeeded in rescuing

631. all 643 Bersallin colonists,

632. we lost eight crew members.

633. Let the record show that they gave their lives

634. in the performance of their duty.

635. When communications went out,

636. I knew we had to fend for ourselves.

637. We modified our phasers to create resonant disruptions

638. in the deflector field.

639. The disruptions formed small pockets

640. in the plane of the field

641. and we each stood inside one to wait out the storm.

642. Richardson didn't make it.

643. All Deng and I could do was stand there...

644. and watch.

645. I'm so sorry.

646. Don't, don't say you're sorry.

647. It must have been terrible.

648. At first, when you told us to hold our positions,

649. I didn't question it.

650. Of course we would.

651. That was our job.

652. But when I saw that storm coming toward us...

653. A part of you must have blamed me.

654. A small part, maybe.

655. But, in the end, I was more afraid

656. that you'd blame yourself if I died.

657. Would you have?

658. I've lost people under my command...

659. people who were very dear to me...

660. but never...

661. someone I've been in love with.

662. And when I believed that you were dead,

663. I just began to shut down.

664. I didn't want to think or feel.

665. I was here in my quarters...

666. and the only thing I could focus on was my music

667. and how it would never again give me any joy.

668. And then I saw you standing on the transporter pad.

669. And I knew that I could

670. never again put your life in jeopardy.

671. If I stayed here...

672. you might have to.

673. You could always resign your commission.

674. Stay here with me.

675. And you could resign yours

676. and come to a starbase with me.

677. I'll apply...

678. for a transfer.

679. But we could still see each other.

680. People do.

681. We could arrange shore leave together.

682. And, for the future... who knows?

683. Of course.

684. Promise me something.

685. Don't give up your music.