Captain's log, stardate 43510. 7.
The Enterprise is delivering medical supplies to Rutia IV,
following an outbreak of violent protests. Although non-aligned,
the planet has long traded with the Federation.
Now, peace has ended with terrorist attacks by Ansata separatists,
demanding autonomy for their homeland on the western continent.
Shore leave has been prohibited
and all away teams have been instructed to beam down armed.
Only a few minutes before our next meeting.
Alright. We're finished. Waiter?
Doctor!
- Keep back! - Put that away, I'm a doctor.
Lie still. Try not to move.
I need bandages, disinfectant,
- something with alcohol in. - It is not safe.
That's an order.
Don't worry. There's a lot of blood but it's not as bad as it looks.
The Klingon's right. These Ansata are madmen. There could be another bomb.
Clear this area.
It would be prudent to return to the Enterprise.
There are physicians on this planet.
Who are not here. I am.
Doctor.
Thank you.
- Thank you. - Not at all, Doctor.
Captain, there has been an incident.
A bomb has been detonated by Ansata terrorists.
- Your security status? - Vulnerable, sir.
Transporter room three, prepare to beam the away team back.
I recommended that, but Dr Crusher insists on attending to the wounded.
I understand. Picard to Dr Crusher.
- Go ahead. - Data has told me of your situation.
- I know what you're going to say. - At least allow me...
The longer we argue, the longer I'll be.
You are endangering your team.
I'm trying to revive a wounded body with sleight of hand. I'm staying.
Data and Worf don't have to stay. Crusher out.
Transporter room, do you have a lock on them?
Aye, sir. Shall I transport them?
I don't want to be in the transporter room to greet her.
Cmdr Data, hold your position until Rutian medics arrive.
Aye, sir.
The tricorder is not reading any other explosives in the vicinity.
Get out of the way!
You don't understand. I'm a...
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds,...
to seek out new life and new civilizations,...
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
A transporter leaves residual ionisation.
Our readings found no trace after the incident.
People don't disappear. There must be a way to track her.
Her communicator gives no signal.
Either it is deactivated or she is in a shielded location.
Why her?
Sir, I believe she was the target of the abduction.
Why take a Federation hostage? Their fight doesn't involve us.
It does now.
You hungry? You want something to eat?
Doesn't matter to me. You want to be hungry, fine.
What's your name?
You're a doctor on a Federation starship.
I always wondered what it would be like to travel across the galaxy.
It's not something I've exactly had time for.
This isn't the best way to meet new people, is it?
If you need anything, ask for me.
My name is Kyril Finn.
They know me.
We have no reason to believe she's been hurt.
In fact, it's likely they will take good care of her,
to use her as a bargaining chip.
Bargaining chip?
The innocent often become pawns in conflicts of this type.
The Ansata separatists
have been trying for generations to be free from the eastern continent.
If they get the government just to acknowledge their demands,
kidnapping your mother has worked. That's what they may be after.
But it may not. Frankly, I don't care.
My concern is your mother. Shortly we shall be meeting the authorities.
Permission to be on the away team.
No. You have an important job here.
If we are to free your mother, we must trace the terrorists' movements.
I want you on the team investigating this new technology of theirs.
- I understand. - Report to Mr. Data. Dismissed.
He needs your strength right now.
History has shown us that strength may be useless
when faced with terrorism.
What exactly is Ansata policy with regard to hostages?
I doubt if they have one.
They don't usually take hostages.
These are not people we're dealing with, but animals.
Fanatics who kill without remorse or conscience,
who think nothing of murdering the innocent.
But they could easily have shot her where she stood.
Don't ask me to explain them. I can't. The atrocities I've seen...
This new device makes them even more deadly.
How do I combat an enemy that fails to register on any scanner
until they're literally in front of you, pointing a phaser at you?
- What do you know of this device? - Not much, really.
They first used it two months ago. We took these off dead terrorists.
Our people have looked at them. Nothing they can explain.
Mind if we take one to study?
Not at all. I'll put you in touch with our research people.
Appreciate your help.
Perhaps if we were in possession of some advanced Federation weaponry,
it would shift the balance of power back to us.
You know that is out of the question.
Yes. Of course.
May I leave Cmdr Riker here to assist your search for Dr Crusher?
- If you like. - You don't sound very optimistic.
I know my enemy. They leave little room for optimism.
You hungry? You want something to eat?
Relax. Relax.
I'm just going to...
Now eat something.
What's the point of not eating? You're the only one who suffers.
Do you think it's bothering me?
OK, it's bothering me.
Come on.
No fork, sorry.
Did I mention my name is Finn? And you're...?
- Why have you brought me here? - I need a doctor.
- There are doctors on Rutia. - I need somebody better.
You are with the Federation flagship, so you have to be.
- Who told you that? - I heard.
Now you'll help me just like you helped them.
What are you talking about?
You carry medical supplies for them, for the other side.
Why does the Federation ally itself with the Rutians?
We don't. We just brought them...
- Medical supplies. - People were hurt.
I know. I hurt them.
You've finished eating. Get up.
Get up!
I have a son.
You'll be with him again, Doctor.
I see no reason to kill you.
I need instruments from my ship to diagnose this.
If I let you contact your ship, will they transport the instruments?
Once my captain knows the situation, he'll agree.
We are not allied with the Rutians. We're here on an errand of mercy.
And since the Federation does not take sides,
- they will send the supplies? - Absolutely.
I've anticipated your needs.
These are Federation supplies.
The ones we had delivered to the medical dispensary.
I heard.
All these people belong to the Ansata?
No. We suspect the organization itself only has some 200 members.
There are over 5,000 names on this list,
citizens we know to be sympathetic to their cause.
They pass along weaponry and information,
join pro-Ansata demonstrations, participate in strikes, the odd riot.
How did this ever get started?
70 years ago we denied them independence.
That gave them a noble cause. Now it's just an excuse for violence.
You hate them as much as they hate you.
I always considered myself moderate.
What changed your mind?
Being here for six months, watching the body count grow.
Three assassination attempts on me.
That'll change your point of view.
The event that really opened my eyes took place
only a few days after my arrival. A bomb destroyed a shuttle bus.
60 schoolchildren.
There were no survivors.
The Ansata claimed that it was a mistake,
that their intended target was a police transport.
As if that made everything alright.
That day I vowed to put an end to terrorism in this city.
And I will.
Thank you. You're very helpful.
You could learn to do this when you grow up.
If you grow up.
They're dying. I'm seeing a complicated set of conditions.
Their DNA is warped somehow.
It's distorting their entire cellular chemistry.
You can't do anything?
I can make them more comfortable. That's all.
The damage is too extensive.
If I could detect their condition earlier...
You could reverse the damage?
Perhaps. I don't know.
What happened to them?
It's the inverter.
It's given our cause a new life, but...
..it asks for our lives in return.
What does it do?
We transport through a dimensional shift the Rutian sensors can't trace.
Dimensional shifting?! You can't! Not with humanoid tissue.
There are risks, the designers told us. But... it works.
You also show distorted readings. Not as severe as the others, but...
It doesn't matter.
It does if it kills you.
Don't you know? A dead martyr is worth ten posturing leaders.
A subspace field coil with an isolated power source.
Curious.
Hey, guys. Come here.
Look at this. The Rutians picked up a faint nuclear vibration
during the terrorist movements.
Nuclear vibration?!
Possibly a subspace transition rebound during transport.
Wait a minute. May l?
Computer, call up the files on...
What was his name? We studied him in astrophysics.
Folded-space transport...
- Adaptive transport? - Yes.
The Elway Theorem?
Yes. The Elway Theorem. What if it's interdimensional travel?
The Elway Theorem was inaccurate. Research ended in the 23rd century.
The nuclear vibrations match and Elway used a similar model.
It would certainly be untraceable by standard methods.
It was proven to be fatal. To use this technology would be irrational.
These may be irrational people. Could we trace this?
With an adaptive subspace echogram, maybe.
It would cause significant internal damage that could be detected.
Sounds as though they may require the services... of a doctor.
Excuse me.
This way.
This is no way to live.
- For us or them? - For both of you.
It's not pretty, but this is what terrorism does to a city.
There's got to be a better way to deal with it.
My methods may seem harsh. They're gentle compared to my predecessors.
Suspects would arrive at headquarters and mysteriously vanish.
I put a stop to that.
What happened to your predecessors?
They were murdered.
So, even that little boy's a threat?
It's possible. That shuttle bus I told you about?
The bomb was set by a teenager.
In a world where children blow up children,
everyone's a threat.
It's OK. Over there.
You should be drawing,
- not killing people. - I can do both.
How can you have such a casual attitude toward killing?
I take my killing very seriously, Doctor.
You are an idealist.
I live in an ideal culture.
There's no need for this violence, we've proven that.
Your origins on Earth are from the American continent, are they not?
- North America. - I know your history.
This is a war for independence
and I am no different than your own George Washington.
Washington was a military general, not a terrorist.
The difference between generals and terrorists
is that between winners and losers. Win and you're a general. Lose...
You are killing innocent people!
Can't you see the immorality of it?
Or have you killed so much you've become blind to it?
How much innocent blood was spilled for the freedom of your Federation?
How many good and noble societies
have bombed civilians in war, wiped out whole cities?
Now you enjoy the comfort that's come from their battles and killing,
you frown on my immorality?!
I'm willing to die for my freedom, Doctor.
And in the finest tradition of your own great civilization,
I'm willing to kill for it, too.
Alright. You can go.
- Next! - I could be more persuasive.
No.
Katik Shaw, waiter at the Lumar Café. You witnessed the explosion
- and the kidnapping. - I saw nothing.
You have ties to the Ansata. You may have set the bomb yourself.
- Where is she? - What are you talking about?
I've had enough of this. Take a message back to your people.
We will negotiate for the release of Dr Crusher.
Riker!
She's a Starfleet officer. She's my responsibility.
Your people have terms. We'll listen. We want her back. It's that simple.
We don't need to detain this gentleman any longer.
Get out.
I should have him followed. But we'll try it your way.
- Is that what you want? - What I want...
..is to go home.
Back to my own country.
To leave behind the round-ups, interrogations, bodies in the street.
To be able to walk without bodyguards,
not to have to jump at every sudden noise.
That's what I want, Riker!
A dimensional jump can create subspace pressure modulation.
A magnetosphere echogram will monitor their movements
and may collect enough data to trace their power source.
How many jumps would that take?
Dimensional shifting is so unstable, sir, I cannot say.
Sir? I find it hard to understand many aspects of Ansata conduct.
Their behaviour would be defined by my program
as unnecessary and unacceptable.
By my "program" as well, Data.
But, if that is so, why are their methods so often successful?
I have reviewed the history of armed rebellion.
It appears terrorism is effective in promoting political change.
It can be.
But I don't believe that political power flows from the barrel of a gun.
Yet there are numerous examples when it was successful.
The independence of Mexico from Spain,
the Irish unification of 2024 and the Kensey Rebellion.
Yes, I am aware of them.
Then would it be accurate to say that terrorism is acceptable
when all options for a peaceful settlement have been foreclosed?
These are questions that mankind has always struggled with.
Your confusion is... only human.
Finn, everyone is being rounded up.
- Because of her? - The Federation wants to negotiate.
While the Rutian police fill up the detention cells.
A Starfleet officer is working with the director. He wants to meet you.
I'm sure he does.
Your Federation colleagues have engineered mass arrests
to pressure me into releasing you.
You've misunderstood.
They're working with the police.
All they want is to get me back.
I'm not releasing you. I need you here.
To find a way to reverse the effects of the dimensional shift?
I can do that right now. Stop using it!
I have a life, Finn. I have a son who needs me.
- Is your son on the ship? - Yes.
- I'm sorry he's on the ship. - No.
- They joined the Rutians against us. - We are not your enemy.
They are more valuable than an enemy.
For 70 years we have shouted and no one has heard us.
Destroy your ship, someone will listen.
- Please. - It is they who interfered,
sent medical supplies, organized mass arrests.
They are killing your son, not me.
Please, Finn, don't do this.
- I will do anything you ask. - I had a son, too.
He was 1 3 when he died in detention.
What...?
Intruder alert, deck 1 2.
Another dimensional shift, sir.
Go to red alert.
Security to Engineering!
- Intruders in Engineering. - Casualties on deck 1 2.
Seal all decks. Lock transporters on to intruder signals.
Intruder signals unstable. I cannot lock on.
They are moving interdimensionally. There is no way to contain them.
Explosive on the main warp chamber.
Transporter room three, lock on to the explosive and energize.
It's scrambling the sensors. I can't.
Begin emergency evacuation.
Mr. La Forge, can you remove the charge?
I'll try.
They've got it... locked on somehow.
Stand by.
Transporter room, lock on my signal and stand by to transport
two kilometres off to starboard.
His signal?!
Now!
- Mr. La Forge, report. - Transport complete, Captain.
I have a man down.
More dimensional shifts, sir.
- Can you calibrate a destination? - No. The readings...
Security! Code one emergency. Security!
Lt Worf is in sickbay. The wound was not severe.
- Dead? Injured? - Three dead, four wounded.
Another millisecond, we'd have been a dust cloud instead of the Enterprise.
Why? I just asked if they would talk.
You have your answer, Riker.
Sir, the next time the Ansata do a dimensional jump,
we'll get a fix on the power source.
Worf went down. He may not be alive. And there were other casualties.
Was Wes on the bridge?
Yes. He took cover.
I didn't see any more than that.
You are alright, though?
Yes, they needed a doctor.
- The side-effects of the transport? - Yes.
We're closer to tracing their movements.
It was Wesley who put us on to their dimensional jump.
He has been extraordinary, Beverly. He'll make a very fine officer.
He's had good role models.
I'm sorry. If I'd only gone back to the ship...
- I should have beamed you up. - You wouldn't dare.
- I would. And should. - Without my permission?
- If you don't follow orders... - If they're reasonable, I obey.
Doctor, I will judge what is reasonable!
There aren't any exits to the surface.
So the only way out is by the transporter. Or the dimensional jump.
A mode of travel I'd encourage you to avoid.
It's killing them.
They're mad.
I don't know. The difference between a madman
and a committed man willing to die for a cause...
It's all become blurred over the last few days.
I don't have to remind you
of the mental impact of being a hostage.
I know. I understand that.
But their leader, Finn, he's not what you'd expect.
No, he's certainly not.
Without cause or reason, he and his outlaws attacked my ship!
But he did have reasons.
The medical supplies, the arrests.
If we really examined our role in this...
Beverly, you defend a man who may have murdered your son?
I didn't kill your son, Beverly. We weren't able to destroy the ship.
We had to settle for him.
She wouldn't even tell me her name. I call her "Doctor".
You have made a grave miscalculation. You assaulted a Federation starship,
killed and wounded several crew, kidnapped two of her officers...
- ..and you don't expect a response? - On the contrary, I count on it.
You want Federation involvement?
Captain, the Federation has a lot to admire in it,
but there's moral cowardice in your dealings with non-aligned planets.
You're doing business with a government that is crushing us
and you say you're not involved? You're very, very much involved.
You just don't want to get dirty.
You accuse us of cowardice while you plant bombs in shadows?
I am fighting the only war that I can against an intractable enemy.
Now I'm fighting a big war against a more powerful adversary.
Can't you see how that helps me?
I'm afraid I can't.
He's added a chair to the negotiating table.
You added the chair. I am simply forcing you to sit in it.
The Federation will tire of our little war. They'll want you back.
They will want to get as far from Rutia as they can.
I will not make it easy.
Eventually the Federation will force the government into concessions.
And then a few more, and then a few more.
Until we can finally reach an honourable agreement
that saves face for all sides.
Except... we win.
You understand I will not cooperate with you in any way.
You've already cooperated, Captain,...
..just by coming here.
I am not here to hurt you. Just hear what I have to say.
Your people are safe. How long they stay that way depends on you.
We demand an embargo and trade sanctions against Rutia.
The Federation will blockade the planet.
No ships will be allowed in or out. This will continue
until our government agrees to talks mediated by a Federation council.
You have 1 2 hours to decide.
Got it.
The Ansata base is 300 km from the city, in the south of the continent.
It is located 30 metres below ground, implying a cavern-like dwelling.
Any passages to the surface?
Our readings show no evidence of any.
Any light they have must be artificially generated.
If we can shut it down, you could use the confusion to find your people.
Request permission to join the rescue party, sir.
I owe it to the Captain.
Permission granted. You have the bridge, Mr. Data.
Commander...
- Good luck. - We'll bring her home, Wes.
You're glad to see your captain.
- Yes. - I may have to kill him.
I just wanted to warn you.
- He can help. He's very influential. - He will not help us.
- If you could just convince him... - You may be able to, perhaps. Not l.
I've talked to him.
I'll try.
If our places were reversed,...
..l would expect to die.
Your places would never be reversed!
He would never abduct you or play games with your life!
- He'd treat you with respect! - I treated you with that.
You've scared the hell out of me!
It's the way you've tried to control this whole continent.
You haven't tasted real fear yet.
Is that the best you can do? Is fear the only weapon you have?
No, but it's a good one.
You know what scares me the most, Finn?
It scares me to think you might win this fight and gain real power.
Doctor...
I... I don't want you to fear me.
Generator's right over there.
Beverly, how dangerous is another ride through the inverter?
I don't know.
But I don't want you to think about...
We are obliged to think of escape.
- He's prepared to kill you! - An excellent reason to escape.
Have you gained his confidence?
Indeed you have!
And more.
- This might be of advantage to us. - Jean-Luc...
There are some things I want to tell you
in case we don't get out of this.
Have they found us?
Do we have any emergency power?
Freeze! Hold it right there! Hands up.
Hands up, let's go.
Finn...
He's dead.
You didn't have to kill him.
As a prisoner he would have been a focus for violence
as his followers tried to free him.
Now he's a martyr.
But the death toll might go down, at least in the short term.
It's an imperfect solution for an imperfect world.
Riker!
No more killing.
Already another one to take his place.
- It never ends. - He could have killed you.
He didn't.
Maybe the end begins when one boy puts down his gun.
- I hear I owe my rescue to you. - I was just part of the team.
It's good to have you back. Both of you, sir.
Take us out of orbit, Mr. Crusher.
At your convenience!