Captain's log, stardate 46682.4.
The Enterprise is docked at the Remmler Array,
where it will undergo a procedure to eliminate baryon particles.
In preparation for the sweep, we are evacuating the ship.
Attention, personnel on decks 14 and 15.
Your transporter-room assignment has been changed.
Captain, we're still behind schedule on decks seven and eight.
Shall I tell our base there'll be a delay?
No. Open up the transporters on cargo bay two.
Divert everyone from deck seven to put it on track.
All Engineering personnel are requested to report to...
Captain!
The Arkaria Base does not have the units I requested.
I have living tissue samples that won't survive the baryon sweep.
I've tried to reason with them.
Have La Forge transport a stasis unit from astrophysics.
You can convert it to store samples.
Thank you, Captain.
All science personnel.
Please check in with your section chief for duty assignment.
I'm heading to deck seven.
The auto-shutdown is on hold until we're back on schedule.
Resume the sequence. Troi has taken care of the situation.
- Captain. - Bridge.
It has been quite a day. Has it not?
Yes, it has.
However, a change of routine is often invigorating
and a welcome diversion after a long assignment.
Exactly.
I understand that Arkaria has very interesting weather patterns.
- Mr. Data, are you alright? - Yes, sir.
I am filling a silent moment with non-relevant conversation.
- Small talk. - Yes, sir.
I find that humans often use small talk during awkward moments.
Therefore, I have written a new subroutine for that purpose.
How did I do?
Perhaps it was a little too non-relevant.
But if you really are interested in small talk,
keep your eye on Cmdr Hutchinson at the reception this afternoon.
He's a master.
Thank you, sir. I will.
- Captain. - Captain.
- After you. - No, after you.
- I believe you spoke first. - Gentlemen! Mr. Worf?
The computer needs your authorization to disable command functions.
- Are we ready? - Almost.
I requested two field diverters for the core and the bridge.
- They haven't been installed. - Additional units?
Yes, sir.
We've logged so many warp hours that our baryon levels are high.
I'm concerned that when the Remmler Array sweeps the ship,
it will have to use a stronger beam than normal.
It might overload the field converters protecting our systems.
How long till new ones are in place?
- About 20 minutes. - Very well.
Computer, disable all command functions in 30 minutes.
Authorization, Picard, Gamma 6073.
Authorization acknowledged.
Captain, incoming message.
It's the station administrator, Mr. Orton.
- In my ready room. - Captain.
Request permission to be excused from Cmdr Hutchinson's reception.
Permission granted. I wish I could excuse myself as well.
Permission to...
Mr. La Forge, I cannot excuse my entire senior staff!
Mr. Worf beat you to it.
Go ahead.
If you're on schedule, I'd like to confirm
that we'll begin the baryon sweep at 1500 hours, one hour from now.
Confirmed.
Cmdr Hutchinson also wanted me to make sure
that you will attend his reception this afternoon.
Tell him... I'm looking forward to it.
He'll be delighted to hear that.
Arkaria Base out.
Tell Arkaria we're almost finished.
We need two more conduits.
- I need to run a diagnostic. - Get the diverter aligned.
Where's the ODN interface?
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.
Beverly.
Lovely as ever! How do you manage it?
- Good to see you again. - It's been too long. Four years!
Now, I want to hear about everything after Starfleet Medical.
And I have so much to tell you!
That must be Cmdr Riker!
- Excuse me. - Of course.
Pardon me.
- You must be Will Riker. - I must be.
Calvin Hutchinson. Call me Hutch.
Calvin, awful name. I've never forgiven my parents.
Soon as I saw you, I knew you were the First Officer.
Of course. Your reputation precedes you!
Flashing blue eyes, square jaw.
Quite the ladies' man. Don't be modest, Will.
- May I call you Will? - Sure.
I also hear that you're a musician. I hope you'll play something.
It's not often we entertain the Command crew of the flagship.
And speaking of command!
- Hello, Capt Picard. - Commander.
I was just saying what a pleasure it is to have you here.
- How are you? - Very well, thank you.
It is very good to see you both again!
Beverly! May I call you Beverly?
Have you noticed that the mean temperature here on Arkaria
is slightly higher than normal for human comfort-levels?
I have found that humans prefer a body temperature of 21C
in order to operate most efficiently.
However, there are several cultures
who actually prefer that their temperature
is identical to the room in which they are standing.
The Sheliak.
I am telling you, you have never seen anything like this.
There were thousands of them. The northern sky turned dark.
Geordi, Deanna.
I don't think you have met our host.
This is Lt Cmdr Geordi La Forge. Counsellor Deanna Troi.
- This is Cmdr Hutchinson. - Call me Hutch.
I was just telling your captain about the sights on Arkaria.
Are you interested in ornithology?
Well...
The mating habits of the Arkarian horn fowl are interesting.
If the weather were better, we could take horses to their nests.
- Horses? - Yes.
We have trails through the plains.
Unfortunately, it's not pleasant now. Cold, muddy.
- Not a soul for kilometers. - Perfect.
Mr. La Forge, how long before the baryon sweep?
About 25 minutes.
- I have time to get my saddle. - Your saddle?
Yes. A saddle is a very personal thing.
It has to be broken in, used, cared for.
You keep a saddle on board the Enterprise?
Yes, for when I have the opportunity to ride.
- I see. - It's normal.
Most serious riders do have their own saddles.
- Of course. - Absolutely!
Well, if you will excuse me...
Amazing man.
He reminds me of another officer I knew years ago.
A Capt Edwell. He was fascinating.
Born on Gaspar VII, but you wouldn't know it.
Auto-shutdown in progress. Defensive systems off line.
Baryon sweep begins in eight minutes.
What are you doing?
Someone left this ODN junction box open.
I thought you were supposed to be off the ship.
The diverters have to be synchronized.
I was laser-bonding a backup.
I see. I'd better let you finish up so that you can get off.
Excuse me a minute.
Auto-shutdown sequence in progress.
Primary power off line in one minute.
- We need to bypass the conduit. - That's on deck 30.
Get Pomet started on it right away.
Primary power off line in 30 seconds.
Final warning. Primary power off line in ten seconds.
Yes. I find it fascinating
that your family dropped the prefix Pel from your surname.
It was my understanding that Pel Orton
is a more noble appellation than Orton.
Yes.
Perhaps the recent trend toward an egalitarian society is responsible.
Perhaps.
The crew of the Magellan put on a talent show here.
Capt Conklin did a poetry reading. Imagine that.
- I'm trying to. - Did I tell you how I came here?
I was serving on Admiral Mitchell's staff on Star base 97.
- Awful place. - Have you met our Cmdr Data?
As a matter of fact, I find it oddly amusing!
- No, I don't think so. - Come on. I'll introduce you.
Several cultures have extremely similar etymological histories.
Mr. Data, have you had a chance to meet Cmdr Hutchinson?
- Call me Hutch. - Our second officer.
- A pleasure. - The pleasure is mine, Hutch.
I want to compliment you on your choice of colours.
You really think so?
It wasn't easy, making a final decision.
I can imagine. The light would make colour selection problematic.
Precisely!
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- I'm not sure who to feel sorry for. - Mr. Orton?
You'll excuse me, Commander?
- Geordi, where's the Captain? - He went back to get his saddle.
His saddle?
Any serious rider would have his own saddle.
He's probably ten kilometers from here already.
Lucky him!
Thank you.
Kelsey to Devor.
Kelsey to Devor
Devor, this is Kelsey. Reply.
Devor, do you read me?
- Kelsey to Kiros. - This is Kiros.
Devor isn't responding There must be too much interference.
Go find him. See if he's finished on deck seven.
- Meet us in Main Engineering. - Understood.
Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?
The baryon sweep uses a high-frequency plasma field.
Your phaser won't work.
You're probably right. But I'd like to bet this will.
A laser welder can be deadly.
Now, what's going on in Main Engineering?
I suggest that you cooperate.
You're Starfleet. You won't kill me.
You sure?
Seems you're right.
Tyrellian laser art is very similar in form and composition.
Of course! I used to be stationed on Tyrellia.
Really? There are five Tyrellians serving aboard the Enterprise.
Fascinating. Not many people know this.
Tyrellia is only one of three known inhabited planets
- without a magnetic pole. - I was aware of that.
Are you aware that Tyrellia
is one of seven known planets with no atmosphere?
Really?
- They're still at it! - Non-stop.
It has a strange fascination.
How long can two people talk about nothing?
Is something wrong?
I don't know. I got strange energy readings from your table.
I'm sure it's not serious.
Perhaps the heating is malfunctioning.
Maybe I should look.
I'm sure we can handle this, Commander.
There's no need to concern yourself.
Maybe I should look at the element.
It's alright. Please, don't worry.
What was that all about?
I assure you it's alright. We'll look into it.
You don't have to concern yourself.
Orton, now!
What is going on?
Stay right where you are.
Reduce the plasma pressure to 0.6 percent nominal.
0.6.
- How does the conduit look? - It's clear.
Alright. The plasma flow has been shunted to the aft conduit.
We're ready here.
OK, that should do it, I think.
Be sure, Neil.
Yes. Yeah, that does it.
Alright! Transfer 500 milligrams from the reserve system to the core.
- Perfect! - Adequate.
Disable the overrides. Get the interlocks off the seal. Pomet!
Prepare the transport assembly.
Keep watching that power flow. It might...
Keep working!
- Where did he come from? - Deck seven.
- Who are you? - My name is Mot.
- I'm the barber. - Barber?
What are you doing here? Everyone was evacuated to the surface.
Yes, I know.
But I wanted to ride. I didn't have my saddle...
- Your saddle? - That's right.
It's on deck seven. The power went out and I got lost...
Alright! Shut up. Just shut up!
- Any sign of Devor? - No.
Satler. Get down here and keep an eye on our barber.
Go see if you can find Devor. Make sure nothing's wrong.
Sit down.
Alright. Just don't point that thing at me.
Do what I tell you. You won't have to worry.
- How long until you're ready? - 40, maybe 50 minutes.
The baryon sweep hits in 30 minutes.
- The diverter will protect us. - I'm worried about that unit.
I want the trilithium resin in there before the sweep gets here.
- I don't want to take chances. - Understood.
They haven't tried to communicate with the outside.
No demands, no political statements, no theft.
They must want something.
Orton is not as calm as he looks. He's agitated and nervous.
As if something's gone wrong.
Maybe Geordi upset their timetable when he saw the hidden weapons.
Orton may be improvising.
Maybe he didn't plan on hostages and doesn't know what to do.
If they do not have a plan, we may have the initiative.
Maybe, but we need to figure out how to use it.
How is he?
There's no permanent damage.
I've adjusted the optical transducer in his visor
to block out some of the pain. It's only partially effective.
I need to get him to a medical facility.
I doubt if they'll agree to that.
But maybe if we tell them Geordi's dying,
they would give us access to a medical kit.
We might be able to use the tools to make a weapon.
Perhaps we can use the visor as a weapon.
If the optical transducer were modified,
we might be able to generate a hypersonic pulse.
A hypersonic pulse would overload the audio receptors of everyone.
It would cause immediate unconsciousness.
Can you adjust the visor yourself?
It will look suspicious if you both work on it.
I'll try. I might need Geordi to help me through.
Alright. Be as casual as you can.
Let me know when you're ready.
Ready.
Begin draining the trilithium at 100 milligrams per minute.
Neil, what's going on?
Neil, get over here. Put that down.
Don't worry. I've got it. I'll be right there.
The primary inducer is fused. There's no way to fix it.
With no diverter, we have no protection from the baryon sweep.
I know that. How long before the baryon sweep gets here?
About 12 minutes. We should go to ten-forward.
That's the last place that will be swept by the baryon field.
Alright, we're leaving. We're taking the trilithium with us.
What? Do you know how volatile trilithium is?
We can't just start hauling it through the ship!
I'll...
I'll try to make some modifications.
Satler's dead. He ran into the baryon sweep.
- What about Mot? - I don't know.
I don't think he's a barber. I found this in the Jefferies tube.
Kelsey to Kiros.
This is Kiros.
We have a problem.
There's a Starfleet officer still aboard.
He's killed Satler and maybe Devor.
He destroyed the diverter in Engineering.
We have to leave before the baryon sweep enters.
- What about the trilithium resin? - We're taking it to ten-forward.
Kelsey, don't be a fool.
You know better than to move trilithium resin.
Mr. Mot! Or should I call you Lieutenant?
Lieutenant Commander, perhaps?
Call me what you wish.
Moving trilithium requires specific equipment.
You can't just improvise.
I wouldn't need to improvise if you hadn't damaged our diverter.
If you're so concerned, I suggest you stop interfering with us,
before you set off an explosion that destroys the Enterprise. And you.
I would rather destroy the ship than give the resin to terrorists.
What makes you think I am a terrorist?
Trilithium resin is a toxic waste- product produced by our engines.
Its only use is as a weapon.
You might be right, but we have been planning for this for a long time.
I doubt you'll be able to stop us. Find him!
Or even slow us down.
There. 300 milligrams of trilithium.
I'm using a dynamic stabilizer to act as a control rod.
That should keep the resin stable enough for transport.
Come on! Don't be so tense.
If something goes wrong, you won't have time to worry about it.
Three more decks, then we take corridor 15B to ten-forward.
- What's wrong? - We have to find another way up.
The rungs are cut.
That wasn't very clever, Mr. Mot.
If you knew where we were, you should have attacked.
Now we'll take a route, one you might not be able to predict.
There are only so many ways to ten-forward.
Ten-forward is the logical place to stay ahead of the sweep.
That sweep is just as big a threat to you as it is to us.
In fact, if I were you, Mr. Mot,
I'd be trying to find another way off this ship.
I plan on leaving the same way you do. On your ship.
- What ship? - Come on, Kelsey.
You've been planning this.
You must have a way to get off the Enterprise and leave this system.
I think a ship is coming for you. I plan to be on it.
It's a small ship, Mr. Mot.
I don't think there's room for both of us.
I'm sorry to hear that. I'll send your regrets.
How is he, Doctor?
He's in a lot of pain but I think he should be fine.
He needs some water. Is that alright?
We're almost ready.
When we set the visor to emit the pulse, there'll be a burst of light.
We need a distraction.
- They need a distraction. - How long?
Just a few seconds.
I think I can distract Orton for a few seconds.
I don't think Orton's in a talking mood, Will.
You just have to know how to talk to him.
Orton. I think we need to discuss the situation.
There is nothing to discuss. Sit down.
There's a lot to discuss. Be reasonable.
I am not interested in hearing your hostage-negotiation tactics.
It can't hurt you to listen, can it?
- Alright. - Thank you.
Now, the first thing we need to discuss is this...
Hold it.
Put your weapon down.
Kelsey, this is Kiros. I'm on deck ten. I have Mot.
- Is he alive? - Yes.
Good. Meet us at intersection 41 .
Understood.
This way.
Give me the trilithium.
How much farther do we have to go?
Not far. With all the modifications you've made to this unit,
will we have problems removing the trilithium?
No. Just remove the control rod, drain the unit.
There shouldn't be any problem.
That's all I wanted to know.
Well! Not as clever as you thought.
- Where's Pomet? - He shot him with an arrow.
- He's not dead. - He will be soon.
The sweep's nearly here. No time to go back.
- What about Neil? - The sweep got him. Let's go.
I thought you'd just talk to him.
I did. He just didn't like what I had to say.
That was a perimeter warning from the Remmler Array.
A small ship is approaching. Mr. Orton has dropped his shields.
This must be the sign.
Mr. Data, you will be the only one unaffected by the burst.
As soon as everyone else is unconscious,
I need you to get to that computer and stop that ship somehow.
I will try, sir.
Now.
Kelsey, perhaps we can work out a deal.
You're the one who needs a deal, Mot.
My name isn't Mot. It's Jean-Luc Picard.
Capt Picard, this is all beginning to make sense.
Leave the trilithium. Take me with you as a hostage.
I am not a terrorist, I have no political agenda,
although I know some people who do have agendas.
And they are very interested in this little container.
Profit. This is all about profit.
I prefer to think of it as commerce.
Open the door.
Now, go through slowly.
Well, Picard, I guess I'll be the one to send your regrets.
Picard to Arkaria Base. Deactivate the baryon sweep.
Arkaria Base. This is Capt Picard on board the Enterprise.
Deactivate the baryon sweep!
Arkaria Base. This is Capt Picard.
Deactivate the baryon sweep immediately!
Data to Capt Picard. Do you read me, sir?
- Picard here. - Are you alright, Captain?
Yes, Mr. Data.
A scout ship has just beamed someone off the Enterprise.
Do you know anything about it?
I know they won't get far.
Hold still. You have a nasty cut here.
Any luck?
Sorry, Captain. I don't know what happened to it.
Hold still! I can't heal this if you don't stop fidgeting.
Security has searched deck seven. They found nothing.
There.
I found it.
Someone put it in a maintenance locker.
- Thank you. - You keep a saddle on board?
Mr. Worf, I'm surprised.
Anyone who is an experienced rider has his own saddle.
- It's perfectly normal. - Actually, it came in handy.
I only wish I'd been able to use it on a horse.
Of course.