Star Trek: The Next Generation 6x20

1. Captain's Log, Stardate 46731.5.

2. We're in the midst of the Volterra Nebula—

3. a stellar nursery.

4. Our three-week mission is a routine analysis

5. of several dozen protostars

6. in various stages of development.

7. Captain, I have completed the spectral evaluation

8. of the outer shell.

9. Our survey of this protostar is complete.

10. Ensign, lay in a course for the next one, 3/4 impulse.

11. Riker to Captain Picard.

12. Go ahead, Number One.

13. May I see you in the observation lounge, sir?

14. I'll be right there.

15. Oh, my God.

16. Then you can identify that object, Mr. Picard?

17. Professor Galen?

18. Computer, lights up.

19. I suppose I should say, "Captain" Picard.

20. The professor contacted me

21. from his shuttle about an hour ago.

22. He suggested that we surprise you.

23. To clarify, I insisted, and your first officer

24. was good enough to accommodate me.

25. I trust I'm not being overly presumptuous,

26. now that my star pupil is master of the stars?

27. No one could be more welcome on the Enterprise.

28. I never thought I would see a Kurlan naiskos.

29. Fifth Dynasty?

30. Is that your conclusion, Mr. Picard?

31. Forgive me again. I should say Captain.

32. Oh, please. Mister will do fine.

33. Um... well...

34. the overall impression is certainly Fifth Dynasty.

35. Um... the...

36. the surface ornamentation...

37. Yes?

38. Green polychrome over the eyes

39. and the eyes themselves are closed.

40. This is Third Dynasty.

41. From the workshop of the Master of Tarquin Hill.

42. Well done.

43. Will...

44. the Master of Tarquin Hill designed ceramic objects

45. that were 300 years ahead of their time.

46. All we know of him is the work.

47. His name was never discovered.

48. This object is over 12,000 years old.

49. The planet Kurl?

50. That's a hell of a long way outside Federation territory.

51. Indeed— I thought your study of Kurlan artifacts

52. was done long ago.

53. Well, I happened to be in the neighborhood last summer.

54. I couldn't resist.

55. Go ahead.

56. You mean, it's complete?

57. Oh...

58. Will.

59. The Kurlan civilization believed

60. that an individual was a community of individuals.

61. Inside us are...

62. many voices, each with its...

63. its own desires, its own style,

64. its— its own view of the world.

65. The Kurlan civilization died out

66. thousands of years ago.

67. It is extraordinarily rare to find a figurine intact.

68. Professor, this is an incredible find.

69. It's yours, Jean-Luc.

70. Oh, no.

71. No.

72. How can I accept this?

73. Graciously, Mr. Picard.

74. You could accept it graciously.

75. Thank you.

76. How long can you stay?

77. There's so much to talk about.

78. The professor is scheduled to meet a Vulcan transport

79. the day after tomorrow.

80. Two days? But that's not enough time.

81. We may have considerably more than that.

82. I don't understand.

83. I am currently on an expedition—

84. a journey into an unexplored and historical territory—

85. and I intend to take you with me.

86. Space, the final frontier.

87. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

88. Its continuing mission—

89. to explore strange new worlds,

90. to seek out new life and new civilizations,

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

92. Captain's Log, supplemental. It's been over 30 years

93. since I last saw my archaeology professor.

94. His presence has taken me back to a time

95. when I had considered a very different career.

96. May I ask you a frank question?

97. Please.

98. Your published writings

99. have been sporadic for the past decade.

100. Your appearance at symposia has been rare

101. or scheduled and then canceled

102. at the last moment.

103. The finest archaeologist of this century is now...

104. shrouded with a cloak of mystery.

105. And as a result, my reputation

106. has no doubt grown.

107. I've never heard of anyone

108. who didn't love a good mystery.

109. The Satarran of Sothis III disdain them,

110. but as a general idea, your statement holds.

111. So, what have you been doing for the past decade?

112. Are you familiar with micropaleontology?

113. Yes, it's the study of fossil records

114. at the microscopic level.

115. I read your papers on the subject, but...

116. that was years ago.

117. It seemed as though the work had stopped.

118. No.

119. The work continued.

120. I made a discovery so profound in its implications,

121. that silence seemed the wisest course.

122. This work has occupied my every waking thought.

123. It's intruded upon my dreams.

124. It's become my life.

125. When finished... and I announce my findings,

126. it'll be heard halfway across the galaxy.

127. Tell me.

128. I cannot, Mr. Picard.

129. That information comes with a price—

130. your agreement to join me on the final leg

131. of this expedition.

132. For how long?

133. Three months. Perhaps a year.

134. If I had complete diplomatic access and a starship,

135. it'd be a matter of weeks.

136. But, as it is, we'll only have my shuttle

137. and whatever arrangement we can make with transports...

138. combined with our talents.

139. Why do you need my help in this?

140. I am not a young man.

141. There will be hazards along the way.

142. I don't want my own inadequacies

143. to jeopardize the completion of this work.

144. I'm deeply honored

145. that you should think of me, but...

146. I have responsibilities. To history.

147. What if you could have helped Schliemann

148. discover the city of Troy, or been with M'tell

149. when she first stepped on Ya'seem?

150. How can anything compare?

151. May I sleep on it?

152. Dream not of today, Mr. Picard.

153. "Dream not of today?"

154. The night blessing of the Yash-El.

155. As I recall, you missed that question

156. on your final exam.

157. Well, I've had a few years to look it up.

158. Professor, the Enterprise is yours

159. for as long as you're here.

160. Thank you.

161. Dream not of today.

162. Come.

163. Good morning.

164. Looks like you've been up for a while.

165. Yes.

166. Let's hear it.

167. I had a long talk with Professor Galen last night,

168. and he asked me to leave the Enterprise

169. and to join him in an archaeological expedition

170. which could last for nearly a year.

171. That must be tempting.

172. I couldn't leave the Enterprise.

173. But the offer raised in me

174. certain feelings of... regret.

175. That you could have been an archaeologist

176. and not a starship captain?

177. No, not really.

178. I'm not sorry for the path that I chose,

179. but the professor did not choose

180. this gift at random.

181. The many voices inside the one.

182. You see, he knows that the past

183. is a very insistent voice inside me,

184. and this gift is meant to remind me of that.

185. And the exploration of space—

186. surely that must count for something.

187. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

188. And I would still make the same choice

189. that I made all those years ago.

190. I just wish that I didn't have to say no to him a second time.

191. Were you two very close?

192. I had a father...

193. but he was like a father who understood me.

194. And he had his own children,

195. but they didn't follow in his footsteps.

196. So, I was like the son who understood him.

197. And yet, you turned your back on him.

198. In a way, I wish that he'd never come on board the ship.

199. Good morning, Mr. Picard.

200. Professor.

201. The Vulcan ship will take us as far as DS4.

202. An Al-Leyan transport is scheduled to arrive

203. at the station three weeks later.

204. And they'll take us to Caere, and then we'll use the shuttle

205. to get us to Indri VIII, our first stop.

206. Professor...

207. I am afraid I won't be going.

208. The Enterprise isn't something

209. that I can leave and then come back to.

210. If I go, I go for good.

211. And it's not something that I'm prepared to do.

212. This is not some undergraduate

213. study project that you're turning down.

214. This is the chance of a lifetime.

215. Don't make the same mistake twice.

216. You don't believe that my career in Starfleet

217. has been a mistake.

218. What are you doing at this very moment?

219. A study mission!

220. You're like some Roman centurion out patrolling the provinces

221. maintaining a dull and bloated empire.

222. We both know that's not true.

223. I know this.

224. I know that as a scholar,

225. you're nothing but a dilettante.

226. Years ago, I gave you the opportunity to become

227. the foremost archaeologist of your generation.

228. Your achievements could have outstripped even my own

229. but, no, you decided to reject

230. a life of profound discovery,

231. and you walked out on me.

232. I never wanted to become...

233. Will you come with me?

234. I can't.

235. Then I'll be going.

236. But, Professor, you're not scheduled

237. to catch the Vulcan ship for another two days.

238. There's nothing for me here. Good-bye, Captain.

239. Captain's Log, supplemental.

240. We have completed our mission in the nebula and are en route

241. to a diplomatic conference on Atalia VII.

242. I must admit, I have lost my enthusiasm

243. for those proceedings.

244. At our present speed, we will arrive

245. at the Atalia system in 37 hours.

246. Captain?

247. I'm going for a walk in the arboretum.

248. I wouldn't mind some company.

249. Captain?

250. A distress call from Professor Galen's shuttle.

251. On screen.

252. Enterprise, I'm being boarded!

253. Transmission has been blocked.

254. I have located the shuttle, sir.

255. It is under attack.

256. Take us out of warp. On screen.

257. A Yridian destroyer.

258. Battle stations! Aye, sir.

259. Professor Galen is still inside his vessel, sir.

260. His life signs are barely registering.

261. Get him out of there.

262. The shuttle is enveloped by a tractor beam.

263. The transporter cannot penetrate it.

264. Hail the Yridians.

265. They are not responding.

266. Return phaser fire. Disable their offensive systems.

267. Worf!

268. I don't understand, Commander. The phaser blast

269. was not powerful enough to destroy the ship.

270. Transporter Room One, lock onto Professor Galen

271. and transport him directly to Sick Bay.

272. Aye, sir.

273. He took a disrupter hit point-blank.

274. There is nothing I can do.

275. Jean-Luc...

276. I was too harsh.

277. I'd say at least three Yridians

278. boarded the professor's shuttle.

279. What did they want?

280. We're not sure, but it looks like

281. they were trying to download something from his computer.

282. When he was attacked, Professor Galen began

283. to protect certain files in his computer memory.

284. We were able to partially reconstruct

285. the shuttle's computer, so at least we have

286. some of those files.

287. We found 19 different blocks of numbers like this one.

288. What do they mean?

289. They could mean anything.

290. Unless we narrow the parameters of the search,

291. it would be almost impossible for the computer

292. to identify the pattern with any accuracy.

293. We tried every decryption key on record

294. in case Professor Galen was using some kind of code,

295. but we still can't make heads or tails of them.

296. Were the Yridians able to get the number blocks?

297. At least some of them.

298. It's impossible to know how many.

299. Apparently, the Yridians knew

300. more about the professor's work than we do.

301. They may have known what these numbers mean.

302. Well, if they did, that information died with them.

303. Not necessarily.

304. The Yridians are information dealers.

305. They may have been delivering

306. these number blocks to someone else.

307. Did they send a signal before they were destroyed?

308. No, sir. We detected no transmissions.

309. And there were no other ships in the vicinity.

310. Did the shuttle's flight log show

311. where Galen had been before coming to the Enterprise?

312. Yes, sir, the logs indicate Professor Galen visited

313. an unexplored star system— Ruah IV.

314. What's the distance from our present position?

315. Four days at warp six, sir.

316. The conference can wait.

317. Set a course for the Ruah system.

318. Standard orbit, Ensign.

319. Ruah IV is a class-M planet.

320. 67% of its surface is covered with water.

321. Its land mass contains multiple animal species,

322. including a genus of proto-hominids.

323. Scan for earthworks and monuments

324. that might indicate a previous civilization.

325. There is nothing to indicate former occupancy

326. by even a primitive culture, sir.

327. Then what was the foremost archaeologist

328. in the Federation doing here?

329. He left the Enterprise in a Vulcan ship for Deep Space 4,

330. and then an Al-Leyan transport to Caere, and then the shuttle

331. to Indri VIII.

332. Mr. Data, what do we know about Indri VIII?

333. The Indri system was first identified

334. by Federation vessels nearly 60 years ago.

335. The eighth planet is L-class.

336. It is covered with deciduous vegetation,

337. unexplored, with no apparent evidence of civilizations,

338. either past or present.

339. The planet possesses no animal life whatsoever.

340. Number One, we will proceed to Indri VIII.

341. With all due respect, sir,

342. we've already run into one dead end.

343. Indri VIII doesn't seem much more promising.

344. And we're late for the conference on Atalia VII.

345. I'm aware of the Federation's timetable, Number One.

346. Professor Galen visited here a few days ago,

347. and he was on his way to Indri VIII when he was killed.

348. There is some connection between these two planets.

349. I'm going to find it.

350. Aye, sir.

351. Ensign, lay in a course for Indri VIII, warp seven.

352. Come.

353. How's it going?

354. I thought that if I stared

355. at these number blocks long enough,

356. then I would begin to see some kind of pattern.

357. So far...

358. Nothing.

359. I meant, how's it going with you?

360. If I had gone with him—

361. Captain, you can't start thinking like that.

362. You didn't abandon him.

363. You chose not to abandon a lifelong career.

364. It was the right decision, and in no way

365. responsible for his death.

366. I realize that.

367. I know how much the professor meant to you,

368. and how much you want to find out what happened.

369. But staring at these numbers

370. isn't going to bring him back.

371. The conference on Atalia VII

372. has been scheduled for six months.

373. Starfleet is relying on your mediation efforts to—

374. Counselor, this is not simply a case

375. of me taking the Enterprise and its crew

376. on some wild goose chase

377. to purge myself of guilt and remorse.

378. I will not let Galen's death be in vain.

379. Now, if that means inconveniencing

380. a few squabbling delegates for a few days, then so be it.

381. I will take the full responsibility.

382. Captain.

383. We're about to enter the Indri system, sir.

384. Riker to Picard.

385. We are approaching Indri VIII.

386. On my way.

387. Sensors are picking up

388. severe atmospheric fluctuations on the planet.

389. Assume a high orbit.

390. On screen, Mr. Worf.

391. Some sort of plasma reaction

392. is consuming the lower atmosphere.

393. Can we stop it?

394. No, sir. The reaction is global.

395. All life on the planet is being destroyed, sir.

396. Why would anyone want to destroy all the life

397. on an uninhabited, neutral planet

398. with no strategic importance whatsoever?

399. "All the life..."

400. Perhaps the professor's number blocks

401. had something to do with organic matter.

402. If we narrow the search parameters

403. to the biological database, it might increase

404. the chances of the computer finding a match.

405. I'll be in the lab.

406. Pattern match found.

407. Specify.

408. The number blocks are mathematical representations

409. of fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid strands.

410. DNA fragments?

411. Each a different life-form from 19 different worlds.

412. The planets that these fragments are from

413. are scattered across the quadrant.

414. No wonder it took the professor so long

415. to collect them, but why?

416. Wait a minute.

417. These fragments all seem to have similar protein configurations.

418. They may be chemically compatible.

419. But how can that be possible?

420. They're different species from different planets.

421. There should be no compatibility at all.

422. I know, but look at the base pair combinations—

423. they're uniform.

424. If I'm right...

425. Computer, connect the DNA fragments

426. according to protein link compatibility.

427. What is it?

428. I have no idea.

429. This is not part of a natural design, Captain.

430. This is part of an algorithm

431. coded at the molecular level.

432. An algorithm?

433. Are you saying that these DNA fragments are elements

434. in some kind of computer program?

435. I know how it sounds, but there's no way

436. this could be a random formation.

437. This is definitely part of a program.

438. This fragment has been part of every DNA strand on Earth

439. since life began there,

440. and the other fragments are just as old.

441. Someone must have written this program

442. over four billion years ago.

443. So... four billion years ago someone scattered

444. this genetic material into the primordial soup

445. of at least 19 different planets across the galaxy?

446. The genetic information must have been incorporated

447. into the earliest life-forms on these planets

448. and then passed down through each generation.

449. But why would anyone do this in the first place?

450. And what was this program designed to do?

451. Well, we couldn't know that until we assembled

452. the entire program and ran it.

453. We've tried all of the DNA material

454. in the Federation computer, but we haven't been able

455. to come up with any compatible protein configurations.

456. Then, they must be from worlds outside the Federation.

457. Mr. Data, how many people on the Enterprise

458. are from non-Federation planets?

459. 17, sir.

460. You know, this may be a long shot,

461. but we should check each one of these 17 people

462. to see if they have the correct protein configuration.

463. I'll begin collecting DNA samples now.

464. You know, Captain, I've been thinking.

465. Somebody else must know about this program.

466. I bet one of the missing fragments was on Indri VIII,

467. and that's why it was destroyed.

468. To keep us from finding that piece of the puzzle.

469. Mm-hmm.

470. It's four billion years old—

471. a computer program from a highly-advanced civilization.

472. And it's hidden in the very fabric of life itself.

473. Whatever information this program contains

474. could be the most profound discovery of our time...

475. or the most dangerous.

476. And the professor knew that.

477. They all came up negative.

478. Well, I have been through every page

479. in the professor's published works

480. looking for some clue as to where to go next.

481. So far, nothing.

482. Maybe we've been at this too long.

483. Why don't we get some sleep

484. and start again tomorrow morning?

485. I was in the neighborhood.

486. Hmm?

487. When I asked the professor why he went all the way to Kurl,

488. he said, "I was in the neighborhood."

489. Doing what?

490. Collecting DNA samples.

491. There's only one planet in the Kurlan system

492. capable of supporting life— Loren III.

493. No. There is no Loren III sample

494. from the data downloaded from the professor's shuttle.

495. If he did have one, it must have been taken

496. by the Yridians when they attacked.

497. Mr. Data, set a course for Loren III, maximum warp.

498. Aye, sir.

499. We are approaching the Loren system.

500. Slow to half impulse.

501. Take us into orbit above the third planet.

502. There is a good chance that our competition

503. may be here before us.

504. Battle stations, Mr. Worf.

505. Aye.

506. We are now entering orbit.

507. On screen.

508. You were right, Captain.

509. We've got company— Cardassians.

510. They are hailing us.

511. On screen.

512. My name is Gul Ocett.

513. Identify yourself,

514. and state your business in this star system.

515. I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard

516. of the Federation Starship Enterprise,

517. and I see no reason why I should answer to you.

518. Cardassians have no claims in this sector.

519. I suppose not.

520. But my admittedly hasty estimate

521. shows one Federation starship and two Cardassian war vessels.

522. Perhaps I have miscounted.

523. Not at all.

524. But we are on a purely scientific mission.

525. You have no reason to interfere with us.

526. And you have nothing to lose

527. by delaying a purely scientific mission for a few days.

528. I invite you to withdraw.

529. Captain, Klingon attack cruiser decloaking

530. off the starboard bow. They are hailing us.

531. This is the Klingon vessel Maht-H'a.

532. What are you doing here?

533. Captain's Log, supplemental.

534. It seems that we have not one but two competitors

535. in our attempt to complete Professor Galen's puzzle.

536. I have prevailed upon the Cardassian and Klingon Captains

537. to meet with me.

538. I believe we all know why we're here.

539. If we can admit that, then we can move forward.

540. We were merely scouting the planet

541. for possible colonization.

542. Pah! A ridiculous story.

543. What were you doing here, then?

544. Scientific research.

545. Ha!

546. Look, if we try to deceive one another,

547. then we shall get nowhere.

548. I think we all know

549. about Professor Galen's research...

550. and about the computer program

551. composed of DNA fragments.

552. I will take your silence as a confirmation.

553. Now, it stands to reason

554. that none of us have the DNA fragments

555. necessary to complete the program.

556. You were the first to arrive in this system.

557. Do you have an organic sample from the planet below?

558. Yes, and I will fire on anyone

559. who attempts to obtain another one.

560. As if we fear Cardassian threats.

561. I believe that one of you has a fragment from Indri VIII.

562. Yes.

563. And there will be no other samples

564. from Indri VIII.

565. What is that supposed to mean?

566. He destroyed the biosphere of the planet

567. after he had taken the sample.

568. Typical Klingon thinking—

569. take what you want and destroy the rest.

570. We're all missing some of the fragments—

571. not necessarily the same ones.

572. But unless we combine the ones we have,

573. we will never learn the secret of the program.

574. There is no secret.

575. It is an ancient weapon design of incredible power.

576. And the Klingon Empire will not allow it

577. to fall into an enemy's hands—

578. or even a friend's.

579. A weapon?

580. The Yridian who sold us the information

581. claimed that the program would yield

582. the key to an unlimited power source.

583. But until we assemble it, we will never know its purpose.

584. He's right.

585. As far as we know, it might just be a recipe for biscuits.

586. Biscuits?

587. If that is what you believe, then go back to Cardassia.

588. I will send you my mother's recipe.

589. How dare you! Mev yap!

590. Enough!

591. Without cooperation, we will get nowhere.

592. What do you propose?

593. If you each bring your samples on board the Enterprise,

594. I will combine them with ours.

595. And then we will all observe the results simultaneously,

596. giving no one the advantage.

597. And if we refuse?

598. Then this endeavor dies here in this room.

599. Captain.

600. Excellent.

601. There's still one missing piece.

602. Pahk! We have surrendered

603. what we had for nothing.

604. You are remarkably shortsighted, Nu'Daq.

605. We are closer to the answer than we were.

606. We may be very much closer, indeed.

607. How can that be?

608. We have no idea where to start looking

609. for the missing DNA fragment.

610. This is a jigsaw puzzle

611. whose pieces are scattered across the galaxy.

612. Doesn't it make it natural to assume

613. that the original designers of the puzzle

614. should want us to find it?

615. Why else would they have put the pieces in our DNA?

616. And, in turn, wouldn't that suggest

617. that they would try to make it easy for us

618. to find those pieces?

619. That there might be some pattern to the distribution?

620. The computer might be able to find that pattern.

621. Doctor, program the computer to analyze

622. the distribution of the pieces that we have,

623. correcting for changes in star configurations

624. over four billion years.

625. Then extrapolate for the missing piece.

626. That's going to take several hours to set up

627. and to process. Excuse me.

628. If you wish, you can stay on board while we wait.

629. I intend to.

630. Good evening, Commander Data.

631. Captain.

632. Is there any word yet on the missing fragment?

633. The computer is processing the data.

634. I will be notified as soon as there is any information.

635. Ah... Commander, your reputation

636. for physical strength is known

637. even in the Klingon Empire.

638. You are familiar with the B'aht Qul challenge?

639. I am familiar with many Klingon rituals,

640. including the B'aht Qul.

641. Ahh...

642. Haa.

643. Wa'... cha'...

644. Wej.

645. Maw' tok!

646. My upper spinal support is a polyalloy

647. designed to withstand extreme stress.

648. My skull is composed of cortenide and duranium.

649. I understand your intellectual prowess

650. is equally impressive.

651. If I were to learn of the results

652. from the computer search before the others,

653. the Klingon Empire would have a strategic advantage.

654. A being of your abilities

655. would go far in the Empire.

656. You are attempting to bribe me.

657. Not at all.

658. You suggested a plan that would work

659. to your advantage—

660. one that I would be capable of executing.

661. You then implied a reward.

662. Clearly, you were—

663. Commander... never mind.

664. What the hell?

665. Computer, run a level-3 diagnostic

666. on the primary defensive systems.

667. La Forge to Captain Picard.

668. What is it, Geordi?

669. You might wanna come down here.

670. I found something that I think you should see.

671. The computer has completed its analysis.

672. The computer was able to extrapolate

673. this geometric pattern based on the distribution

674. of the fragments.

675. Computer, highlight the section of the missing pattern.

676. The missing DNA fragment should be in this system.

677. The star is in Sector 21459—

678. the Rahm-Izad system.

679. Direct hit on our port nacelle.

680. They are powering up for another volley.

681. Let's make it look good.

682. Ensign, release the inertial dampers.

683. Aye, sir.

684. They are firing.

685. Report, Number One.

686. The power boost to the structural integrity field

687. protected the nacelles. We used the inertial dampers

688. to simulate complete shield failure.

689. It is fortunate that your engineer

690. discovered Gul Ocett's attempt

691. to tamper with your defensive systems.

692. Maht-H'a, status.

693. Minor damage to starboard nacelle.

694. We will be operational in less than one hour.

695. What? You incompetent toh-pah!

696. You were supposed to be prepared.

697. The Cardassian vessels have set a course for Rahm-Izad.

698. Well, it won't take them long to realize

699. that Rahm-Izad is the wrong planet.

700. Captain, you're very welcome to join us.

701. I... will go with you.

702. Ensign, set in a course for the Vilmoran system, warp nine.

703. Aye, sir. Engage.

704. I am scanning all seven planets of the Vilmoran system.

705. None appears to support life.

706. How can that be? The professor's data depends—

707. Correction— the second planet shows evidence

708. of an ancient ocean, now dry.

709. It once supported life?

710. Yes, and it still may, in a limited fashion,

711. not detectable by our long-range sensors.

712. Lay in a course, Ensign. Full impulse.

713. Riker to Transporter Room One.

714. Captain, we've located a planet that may still support life.

715. We'll know in a minute.

716. Any sign of the Cardassians?

717. Not yet, but we don't know how long

718. it'll stay that way.

719. Acknowledged.

720. I am reading a small pocket of vegetative life—

721. a primitive lichen growing in a fossilized seabed.

722. Transporter Room One, I am programming the coordinates.

723. Stand by.

724. There. Over there.

725. Captain, we've got company.

726. I'm ready to pull you out of there.

727. Wait for my order, Number One.

728. You dishonorable toh-pah.

729. Perhaps we could exchange insults some other time.

730. I'm rather busy now.

731. Well... it was quite a chase,

732. wasn't it, my friends?

733. How— We intercepted

734. several communiques between the Yridians and Cardassia.

735. My ship was watching under cloak

736. when Professor Galen's shuttle was attacked.

737. And you have been shadowing us ever since.

738. And now, the reward.

739. Step clear, please.

740. I shall destroy the entire rock face

741. and every trace of DNA with it.

742. You will go back to Romulus empty-handed.

743. Your superiors will be quite pleased.

744. Perhaps we could come to a compromise?

745. You give us the gene code and the Romulans...

746. The seabed—

747. it may be only partially fossilized.

748. It could still contain organic material.

749. particularly strong bargaining...

750. Which would still contain the DNA.

751. I have been searching for the answer

752. as long as anyone.

753. I will not be eliminated now.

754. You can be eliminated by a disrupter.

755. Now, what do you say to my offer?

756. How can I be sure you won't kill me if I acquiesce?

757. I've given you my word.

758. Etched in stone, no doubt.

759. No deals! There will be no deals

760. as long as I am still alive.

761. Do not press me, Klingon.

762. I don't care whether you live or die.

763. If you fire, others will, also.

764. Many will die.

765. We have superior numbers.

766. The program has been activated.

767. I think it's reconfiguring the tricorder.

768. We will die together, brother.

769. Tash-koh-tah.

770. It's modifying the diode emitter

771. to project something.

772. You are wondering who we are,

773. why we have done this,

774. how it is come that I stand before you—

775. the image of a being from so long ago.

776. Life evolved at my planet

777. before all others in this part of the galaxy.

778. We left our world, explored the stars,

779. and found none like ourselves.

780. Our civilization thrived for ages.

781. But what is the life of one race

782. compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time?

783. We knew that one day, we would be gone

784. that nothing of us would survive.

785. So, we left you.

786. Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans

787. of many worlds where life was in its infancy.

788. The seed codes directed

789. your evolution toward a physical form

790. resembling ours—

791. this body you see before you...

792. which is, of course, shaped as yours is shaped—

793. for you are the end result.

794. The seed codes also contained this message,

795. which was scattered in fragments on many different worlds.

796. It was our hope that you would have to come together

797. in fellowship and companionship to hear this message.

798. And if you can see and hear me

799. our hope has been fulfilled.

800. You are a monument...

801. not to our greatness,

802. but to our existence.

803. That was our wish— that you, too,

804. would know life,

805. and would keep alive our memory.

806. There is something of us in each of you,

807. and so, something of you in each other.

808. Remember us.

809. That's all?

810. If she were not dead, I would kill her.

811. The very notion that a Cardassian could have

812. anything in common with a Klingon—

813. it turns my stomach.

814. Picard to Enterprise.

815. Standing by, sir.

816. Captain's Log, Stardate 46735.2.

817. Our frequent use of high warp over the last few days

818. has overextended the propulsion systems.

819. We are finishing minor repairs

820. before returning to Federation territory.

821. It's a shame Professor Galen

822. didn't live to see the end result of his study.

823. I can't think of anyone who would have appreciated it more.

824. If it hadn't been for you

825. his dream to solve that puzzle

826. would never have been realized.

827. You left him a wonderful legacy.

828. Yes, but it would have been a more fitting legacy

829. if the message had not fallen on such deaf ears.

830. Hmm. You never know.

831. Hmm.

832. Well...

833. I have to get this day started.

834. Both of us.

835. See you this afternoon.

836. Riker to Captain Picard.

837. Incoming transmission from the Romulan command ship.

838. Put it through.

839. Acknowledged.

840. Captain, my ships are leaving orbit for Romulan space.

841. Until our next encounter.

842. Until then.

843. It would seem that we are not completely dissimilar after all

844. in our hopes, or in our fears.

845. Yes.

846. Well, then, perhaps...

847. one day...

848. One day.