Note: What I'm doing with this episode is Geordi will be out sick and Wesley will be at his place.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
"The Chase"
"Captain's log, Stardate 46731.5. We are in the midst of the Volterra nebula, a stellar "nursery." Our three week mission is a routine analysis of several dozen protostars in various stages of development. Also we have a test for Ensign Crusher. Lieutenant La Forge is out with a family problem so we are having Ensign Wesley Crusher take control of engineering." Picard said.
Picard, Deanna and Worf were on the bridge at their stations; Data was at the aft science station, working his console.
"Captain, I have completed the spectral evaluation of the outer shell." Data said. "Our survey of this protostar is complete."
Picard acknowledged with a nod.
"Ensign, lay in a course to the next one, three quarters impulse." he said to Con.
The Ensign worked her controls.
"Riker to Captain Picard." Riker said on com.
"Yes, Number One?" Picard asked.
"May I see you in the Observation Lounge, Sir?"
Picard was puzzled but not alarmed.
"Of course. I'll be right there." he said to com and headed for the Observation Lounge door.
Picard entered the observation lounge from the Bridge his attention was immediately riveted toward an object on the middle of the table. It was a terra-cotta figure, roundish, about a foot wide and tall, of vaguely humanoid shape, with a serene look on its face like some alien Buddha. Its surface was worn, it looked ancient.
Picard was stunned to see it.
"My God..." he said.
Riker had a smile on his face.
"Then you can identify this object, Mister Picard." someone said.
Picard was taken aback by the man's face and voice.
"Professor Galen." he said.
"I suppose I should say - Captain Picard." Galen said lightly.
Picard glanced toward Riker.
"Professor Galen hailed me from his shuttle an hour ago. He suggested that we surprise you." Riker explained.
"To clarify... I insisted and your First Officer was kind enough to accommodate me. I hope I haven't been overly presumptuous..." Galen said. "My star pupil now being master of the stars..."
Picard brushed it off with a wave of his hand.
"No one is more welcome on my ship." he said then turned again to the figurine on the table. "I never thought I would see a Kurlan naiskos." he continued. "Fifth Dynasty?" he said to Galen.
"Is that your conclusion, Mister Picard." Galen said. "Forgive me again, Captain." he said catching himself.
"Please. "Mister" will do just fine."
Riker reacted to this with a smile, as Picard examined the figurine more closely, suddenly the student attempting to shine before his mentor.
"The overall configuration is certainly Fifth Dynasty. But the surface ornamentation..." Picard continued.
"Yes..."
Picard stepped closer, leaned toward the object, saw an extremely faded hint of color.
"Green polychrome over the eyes... And the eyes themselves... open." he said and smiled. "Third Dynasty. From the workshop of the Master of Tarquin Hill."
The Professor nodded, pleased.
"Well done."
Picard explained to Riker.
"The Master of Tarquin Hill created ceramic designs that were three centuries ahead of his time. We only know him by his work - his name has never been discovered..." Picard said indicating the figurine. "This object is over twelve thousand years old..."
"The planet Kurl? That's a hell of a long way outside Federation territory." Riker said.
As if that was Picard's next question, the Captain turned to his former instructor.
"Indeed. I thought you had completed your studies of Kurlan artifacts some time ago." Picard said.
"I happened to be in the neighborhood last summer. I couldn't resist." Galen said.
Picard didn't seem to consider this an answer to his question, but the Professor immediately refocused his attention onto the figurine.
"Go ahead." Galen continued.
Picard was surprised.
"It's complete?" he said.
Galen answered with a smile. Picard stepped over to the figurine, grasped its sides with both hands and lifted the top half separates from the bottom, revealing a hollow interior. Inside were over a dozen small figures, similar in shape to the original.
Riker stepped over to look inside as Picard explained with excitement.
"The Kurl believed every individual is a community of individuals. Inside us are many voices, each with its own desires, its own style, its own way of viewing the world." Picard said then picked up one of the tiny figurines. "But Kurlan civilization died out thousands of years ago. It's rare to find a figurine intact." he continued. "A truly incredible find." he said to the professor.
"It's yours, Jean-Luc." Galen said.
Picard shook his head.
"How could I accept this -"
"... Graciously, Mister Picard. You could accept it graciously."
Picard nodded, touched.
"How long can you stay? There's so much to talk about."
"The Professor is scheduled to meet a Vulcan transport the day after tomorrow." Riker said.
Picard's face fell.
"Two days? That's not nearly enough time..." he said.
"We may have considerably more than that." Galen said.
"I don't understand."
"I am currently on an expedition. A journey into unexplored historical territory." Galen said. "And I intend to take you with me."
Picard and Riker exchanged a surprised look.
"Captain's log, supplemental. It has been over thirty years since I last saw my archaeology professor. His presence has taken me back to a time when I had considered a very different career..." Picard said.
Picard was in Ten Forward at a table having tea with Professor Galen. The Captain didn't frequent Ten Forward, and drew a few curious glances from the other patrons.
"I read your paper on the Kea Four excavation that you delivered at last year's symposium. It was... informative." Galen said.
Picard smiled.
"Damning with faint praise." he said.
Galen shrugged.
"One can hardly serve two masters. For a Starfleet Captain at the helm of the Federation flagship... attendance alone would have been impressive enough. But you still managed to present a piece of original research." he said. "A small piece, granted. Nevertheless, I admire your tenacity."
"I had hoped to see you there. You said in your last letter that you might go."
"Much too busy, I'm afraid. I was on the far side of the Aolian Cluster at the time."
Picard reacted with surprise.
"Professor Galen, may I ask a frank question?"
"Please."
"Your published writings have been... sporadic over the last ten years or so. Your appearances at symposia have been rare - or scheduled and then cancelled at the last minute. The finest archaeologist of the century has become shrouded with an air of mystery."
"And my reputation as a result has no doubt grown."
Picard smiled.
"I've yet to run across anyone that didn't love a good mystery." he said.
"The Sataaran of Sothis Three disdain them." Galen said and nodded. "Nevertheless, as a general principle, your statement holds."
Picard leaned forward.
"Professor, what have you been doing for the last decade?"
"Are you familiar with micropaleontology?"
Picard nodded.
"Studying fossil records at a microscopic level. I remember reading your papers on the subject. But that was years ago... Then your work seemed to stop."
"No. The work continued."
The he lowered his voice.
"I made a discovery so profound in its implications that silence seemed the wisest course." he continued.
There was a pause for a moment.
"This... work has occupied my every waking thought, it's intruded upon my dreams. It's become my life. And when it's finished, when I announce my findings..." Galen continued. "It will be heard half-way across the galaxy."
Picard reacted.
"Tell me -"
"... I'm sorry, Mister Picard. But that information has a price - your agreement to join me on the final leg of this expedition."
There was a silent minute.
"For how long?"
"Three months. Perhaps a year. If we had a starship and complete diplomatic access - a matter of weeks. But we'll have only my shuttle, the transports we can arrange, and our combined talents."
"Why can't you do this without me?"
The Professor looked at him for a moment, then glanced away.
"I'm not a young man. There will be hazards along the way. I don't want my own inadequacies to jeopardize the completion of this work." he said.
"Professor, I'm honored that you'd think of me. But I have a responsibility -"
"... to History. What if you could have helped Schliemann discover the City of Troy? Or if you had been with M'Tell as she stepped upon Ya'Seem for the first time?" Galen asked. "How could anything compare?"
There was a long, silent minute. Picard stood.
"May I sleep on it?"
The Professor nodded.
"Dream not of today, Mister Picard."
Picard smiled, remembering.
""Dream not of today." The night blessing of the Yash-El." he said.
"As I recall, you missed that question on the final exam."
"I've had a few years to look it up." Picard said. "The Enterprise is yours, for as long as you're here."
Galen acknowledged the gesture with a nod of thanks.
"Dream not of today, Professor." he continued.
Picard continued headed for the door.
Picard was in his quarters at a table, staring into space. The ancient figurine was in front of him, open, the tiny figure wa visible inside. The door chimed.
"Come."
The door opened and Beverly stepped inside, her cheeriness in sharp contrast to Picard's contemplative mood.
"Good morning." Beverly said. "You look like you've been up for awhile." she said and went to the replicator."
"Yes."
Beverly reacted, then turned to the replicator.
"One tea, Earl Grey, hot. One macchiato." she said to the replicator.
The sound of the replicator. She turned away from it with a mug of tea and a tiny cappuccino in an espresso cup. She took them over to Picard, then sat next to him.
"Let's hear it..." she continued.
"I had a long talk with Professor Galen last night. He asked me to leave the Enterprise - to join him on an archaeological expedition that could last a year." Picard said.
"Jean-Luc... that must be tempting."
"I wouldn't leave the Enterprise. But the offer itself has made me feel a certain... regret."
"That you could have been an archaeologist instead of a starship Captain?"
"Not exactly. I'm certainly not sorry about the path I've taken..." Picard said then sipped his tea, set it down. "But... there's a certain... passion that comes with the singleminded pursuit of the past." he continued then picked up one of the tiny figurines. "To be captured by an image created by another's hand, hundreds or thousands of years ago. A being long dead, who still speaks to you through that image, who says "I was alive, as you are alive.""
Then he set the figurine on the table in front of them.
"I've only approximated that feeling. Professor Galen made it his life." he said and placed the tiny figurine into the larger one with the others. "The Professor didn't choose this figure at random - the many voices inside the one. He knows that the past is one of the most insistent voices inside me. This gift was meant to remind me of that."
"And the exploration of space? Surely that counts for something..."
Picard smiled.
"I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I'd still make the same decision I made all those years ago." he said. "I'm just sorry I have to say no to him a second time."
"You two were very close, weren't you?"
"I had a father. But Professor Galen was like a father who understood me. And he had children - but none followed in his footsteps. So, I was like the son who understood him."
"I guess it was difficult for both of you when you left."
"The Professor is somewhat... internal. He doesn't express feelings easily. But it was difficult for me." he said then picked up the top half of the larger figurine and replaced it onto the lower. "In some ways, I wish he'd never come on board."
Professor Galen was in the lab working at a console. A mid-sized Viewscreen displayed a star chart, color-coded for political boundaries.
The door opened and Picard entered the lab.
"Good morning, Mister Picard."
"Professor."
Picard joined him at the console, staring at the star chart.
"The Vulcan ship can take us as far as DS-Four. An Al-Leyan transport is scheduled to arrive at the station three weeks later. They'll take us as far as Caere and we can use the shuttle to get to Indri Eight. Our first stop." Galen said.
Picard looked at him.
"I'm afraid I won't be going."
The Professor didn't answer.
"The Enterprise isn't something I can leave and then come back to. If I go, I go for good. I'm not prepared to do that." Picard continued.
"This isn't some undergraduate study project you're turning down. This is the chance of a lifetime." Galen said. "Don't make the same mistake twice."
"You can't believe that my career in Starfleet has been a mistake."
Galen flashed with sudden anger.
"What are you doing at this very moment? A "survey mission." You're like a Roman centurion off patrolling the provinces - the maintenance of a dull and bloated Empire."
"We both know that isn't true."
"I know this. As a scholar, you're nothing but a dilettante."
Picard was stung by the words.
"Years ago, I offered you the chance to become the finest archaeologist of your generation. Your achievements could have surpassed even my own." Galen continued. "But you decided to turn your back on a life of profound discovery." he said. "And you turned your back on me."
Picard suddenly saw the depth of the Professor's disappointment, a bitterness suppressed for decades.
"I never wanted -"
Galen held up a hand, stopping him. There was pain in his voice, suddenly quiet and beaten and old.
"Will you come with me?"
"I can't."
The Professor's eyed suddenly harden. He tapped the computer console and the star charted on the screen went blank. He headed for the door.
"Then I'll be going."
"You aren't scheduled to rendezvous with the Vulcan ship for two days..."
"There's nothing else for me here." Galen said then paused at the door. "Goodbye, Captain."
He stepped out the door and it closed behind him.
"Captain's Log, supplemental. We have completed our mission in the nebula and are en route to a diplomatic conference on Atalia Seven. I must admit that I have lost my enthusiasm for those proceedings." Picard said.
Picard, Riker, Worf, Data and Deanna were at the bridge.
"At present speed, we will arrive at the Atalia system in thirty-seven hours." Data said.
Picard nodded appearing subdued. Deanna looked at him with concern. She stepped over to his side.
"Captain, I'm going for a walk in the arboretum. I wouldn't mind some company." she said quietly.
He glanced at her, considered the offer, then nodded.
"Captain! A distress call from Professor Galen's shuttle." Worf said off instruments. "Onscreen." he said working the controls.
Everyone reacted with alarm.
Professor Galen was staring at them on the viewscreen, fear in his eyes, the interior of his Federation shuttle in the background.
"Enterprise! I'm being boarded -" Galen said.
The screen went to normal background.
"Transmission has been blocked." Worf said.
"Locate the call's origin and set course, warp eight." Picard said.
Everyone went into action.
Picard, Riker, Worf, Data and Deanna are on the bride. The tension was high.
"I have located the shuttle. It is under attack, Captain." Data said.
"Take us out of warp. On screen." Picard said.
A Federation shuttle was close to a Yridian Attack ship much smaller than the Enterprise, but wasp-like and deadly-looking.
"A Yridian destroyer." Worf s aid.
"Battle stations." Riker said.
"Aye."
Worf worked his console, the red alert sounded and the lights came on.
"Professor Galen is still inside his vessel." Data said. "His vital signs are barely registering." he said looking up.
"Get him out of there." Picard said.
"The shuttle is within a tractor beam - the Transporter cannot penetrate it." Worf said.
"Hail the Yridians." Riker said.
"They are not responding." Worf said working the console.
A sudden blast from the Yridians rocked the Enterprise.
"Return phaser fire, disable their offensive systems." Picard said.
The Bridge crew reacted with surprise as the Enterprise was shaken by the shock wave.
"Worf?" Riker said.
"I don't understand, Commander. The phaser blast was not powerful enough to destroy the ship." Worf said.
"The Yridian vessel was overloading its power generators. That, combined with the phaser blast, caused it to explode." Data said.
Picard headed for the door.
"Transporter Room One, lock onto Professor Galen and transport him directly to Sickbay..." he said.
The sickbay door opened and Picard rushed inside.
Beverly was standing next to Galen, who was on a diagnostic bed, his vital signs on the monitor were almost nil.
"He took a disruptor hit point blank. There's nothing I can do." Beverly said to Picard.
Picard stepped over to his side. The Professor stared at him for a moment, then shut his eyes.
"Jean-Luc... I was... too harsh..." Galen said.
The vital signs went flat. Professor Galen was completely still.
"Captain's Log, supplemental. I've been told Ensign Wesley Crusher has been doing a good job at taking after the Engineering as I thought. After his engineering history we all knew he was going to be good. Let's see what happens for the rest of the day." Picard said.
Picard and Worf were in the observation lounge at the table. Data and Wesley were at the far end, near the Viewscreen.
Picard's mood was noticeably somber.
"I'd say at least three Yridians boarded the Professor's shuttle." Wesley said.
"What were they after?" Picard asked.
"We're not sure, but it looked like they were trying to download something from his computer."
"When he was attacked, Professor Galen began to protect certain files in his computer memory." Data said.
"We were able to do a partial (TECH)-reconstruction on the shuttle computer, so we have at least some of those files." Wesley said.
The viewscreen displayed a block of raw numbers.
"We found nineteen different blocks of numbers like this one." he continued.
"What do they mean?" Picard asked.
"They could mean almost anything. Unless we can narrow the parameters of the search, it would be impossible for the computer to identify the patterns with any accuracy." Data said.
"We tried every decryption key on record - in case Professor Galen was using some kind of code." Wesley said. "We still can't make heads or tails of them." he said indicating the screen
"Were the Yridians able to get these number blocks?" Worf asked.
"At least some of them. It's hard to say how many."
It was silent for a minute.
"Apparently, the Yridians knew more about the Professor's work than we do." Picard said. "They may have known what these numbers mean." meaning the viewscreen.
"If they did, that knowledge died with them." Wesley said.
"Not necessarily. The Yridians are information dealers. They could have been delivering the number blocks to someone else. Did they send any signals before they were destroyed?"
"We detected no transmissions." Worf said.
"There weren't any vessels in the immediate area." Wesley said.
There was a long minute as they consider what to do.
"Do the shuttle's flight logs show where Galen had been before coming on board the Enterprise?" Picard asked.
"The logs indicate that Professor Galen visited an unexplored star system - Ruah Four." Data said nodding.
"What's the distance from our current position?"
"Four days at warp six."
"The conference can wait." Picard said. "Lay in a course to the Ruah system."
Then he stood and left the table. Everyone else watched him go.
Picard, Jack, Data, Worf, Deanna and the Ensign were on the bridge at the conn. The Viewscreen displayed the blue-green planet.
"Standard orbit, Ensign." Riker said.
"Ruah Four is an M class planet. Sixty-seven percent of the surface is covered with water. The landmass contains multiple animal species, including a genus of proto-hominids." Data said off instruments.
"Scan for any evidence of monuments or earth works which might suggest an ancient civilization." Picard said.
"There is nothing to indicate former occupancy by even a primitive culture, sir." Data said while he worked.
"Then what was the most renowned archaeologist in the Federation doing here?"
There was a long silent minute as Picard stared at the Viewscreen in frustration. Nobody said anything. Picard appeared to be thinking out loud.
"When he left the Enterprise, he was going to take a Vulcan ship to Deep Space Four. And from there..." he said. "An Al-Leyan transport as far as Caere... Then the shuttle to... Indri Eight." he said trying to remember then stepped toward Data.
"Mister Data, what do we know about Indri Eight?"
"The Indri system was first identified by Federation vessels nearly sixty years ago." he said. "The eighth planet is L-class, covered by deciduous vegetation... unexplored, but with no apparent evidence of civilization, present or past. In fact, the planet possesses no animal life whatsoever."
There was a minute Picard considers this.
"Number One, we'll proceed to Indri Eight." he said.
Everyone reacted with surprise, and Riker exchanged looks with Worf.
"Sir, with all due respect... we've run into one dead end... and it doesn't sound like Indri Eight is any more promising. We're already late for the conference on Atalia Seven..." Riker said.
"I know Starfleet's timetable." Picard said sharply. "Professor Galen visited this planet only days ago. And he was headed to Indri Eight when he was killed. There is a connection between the two planets. And I'm going to find it." he said indicating the screen.
"Aye, Sir."
Then Picard left to the Ready Room.
"Lay in a course, Ensign. Warp seven." Riker said to conn.
Picard was at the ready room staring at the small computer on his desk. A number block was displayed on the screen. He tapped the keyboard and the screen displayed a different number block. The Professor's figure gift was now on a shelf in the background. The door chimed.
"Come." he said.
The door opened and Deanna stepped inside. Picard didn't look up.
"How's it going?" she asked.
"It's not." he said. "I thought if I stared at these number blocks long enough I might start to see some kind of pattern." he said indicating the screen.
Then he tapped the keys and another number block replaced this one. He shook his head.
"Nothing." he said to the screen.
Deanna stepped over by his side.
"What I really meant was - how's it going with you?"
"As well as can be expected, given the circumstances."
They were silent for a moment.
"If I had only gone with him -" he started.
"... You might both be dead. Captain, you can't start thinking like that. You didn't abandon him. You chose not to abandon a life-long career. It was the right decision. And it was in no way responsible for his death."
"Yes, I realize that."
"I know how much the Professor meant to you... and how much you want to find out what happened... but staring at these numbers isn't going to bring him back." she said gently. "The conference on Atalia Seven has been scheduled for six months. Starfleet is relying on your mediation efforts to -"
Picard looked at her, his manner is firm.
"Counselor, this isn't a case of my taking the Enterprise and its crew on some wild goose chase in order to purge myself of guilt or remorse." he said. "I simply will not allow Galen's death to be in vain. If that means inconveniencing a group of squabbling delegates for a few more days, then so be it. The responsibility is mine."
It was a dismissal and Deanna nodded.
"Captain."
Then she turned and headed for the door. Picard stared back at the computer.
Riker, Data, Worf and the Ensign were on the bridge.
"We are in range of the planet." Worf said.
"Riker to Picard... we're approaching Indri Eight." Riker said.
"On my way." Picard said on com.
Data looked up from his console, puzzled.
"Sensors are picking up severe atmospheric fluctuations on the planet..." he said.
Everyone reacted.
"Assume a high orbit." Riker said.
The Ensign worked the conn. Picard entered from the Ready Room.
"Mister Worf, onscreen." Picard said.
The green planet on the viewscreen was slowly turning brown before their eyes, changing color along a single front.
"Some kind of plasma reaction is consuming the lower atmosphere." Worf said off instruments.
"Can we stop it?" Picard asked.
"No, Sir. The reaction is global..."
Data looked up from his console.
"All life on the planet is being destroyed." he said.
"Why would anyone want to destroy all the life on an uninhabited, neutral planet with no strategic importance whatsoever?" Riker asked.
Picard stared at the image of the dead planet for a moment.
"All the life..." he said. "What if the Professor's number blocks have something to do with organic material?" he asked the others.
"Narrowing the search parameters to the biological database would increase the chances that the computer could find a match." Data said.
"I'll be in the lab." Picard said on the move.
Picard and Beverly were in the lab watching the Viewscreen anxiously. The number block was shifting and changing as the computer searched for a match. Finally, the screen stopped and the number block was matched side by side next to an identical number block.
"Pattern match found." computer said.
Picard and Beverly reacted, hopeful.
"Specify." Beverly said.
The number block was replaced by several different segments of DNA. The screen looked as though there were small pieces of rope all perfectly lined up and sitting on an imaginary grid.
"The number blocks are mathematical representations of fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid strands." computer said.
"DNA fragments!" Picard said amazed.
"Each from a different lifeform... from nineteen different worlds." Beverly said.
Picard inspected the screen, each gene fragment had the name of its planet of origin underneath it. He turned to Beverly, who continued to stare at the screen, as if her mind was racing.
"The planets these fragments come from are scattered across the quadrant. No wonder it took the Professor years to collect them. But why?" Picard said.
Beverly stared at the screen for another minute.
"Wait a minute. These fragments all have similar protein configurations... they could be chemically compatible." she said excited.
"How can that be possible? They're different species... from different planets. There shouldn't be any compatibility at all."
"I know, but look at the base pair combinations, they're uniform." she said. "If I'm right..." she continued. "Computer, connect the DNA fragments according to protein-link compatibility."
The fragments on the screen moved and shifted linking together one by one. Finally they form a grid-like shape. The design was similar to a circuit chip.
"What is it?" Picard asked amazed.
"I have no idea..." Beverly said.
At engineering they were showing the same geometric matrix just seen in the Lab. Wesley and Data were talking to Picard and Beverly.
"This is not a natural design. Captain, this is part of an algorithm... coded at the molecular level." Wesley said indicating genetic shape on screen.
"An algorithm? Are you saying these DNA fragments are elements of some kind of computer program?" Picard asked.
"I know how it sounds, but there's no way this could be a random formation. It's definitely part of a program."
There was a minute as they digested this information. They reacted and Beverly pointed to one of the fragments on the screen.
"This fragment has been part of every DNA strand on Earth since life began there... and the other fragments are just as old." she said. "Someone would've had to write this program over four billion years ago."
"So four billion years ago, someone scattered this genetic material into the primordial soup of at least nineteen different planets across the galaxy." Picard said.
"The genetic information must have been incorporated into the earliest lifeforms on those planets, and then passed down through each generation." Data said.
"But why would anyone do it in the first place?" Beverly asked.
"Do you have any idea what this program could be designed to do?" Picard asked Wesley.
"We couldn't know that until we assembled the entire program and ran it." Wesley said and pointed to several places on the graphic of the "program" that appear to be missing pieces. "There are several fragments still missing. We've tried all the DNA material in Federation records, but we can't find any with compatible protein configurations."
"Then they must be from worlds outside the Federation." Picard said. "How many people aboard the Enterprise come from non-Federation planets?
"Seventeen." Data said.
"It may be a long shot, but we ought to check each of those seventeen people to see if any of them have the correct protein configurations."
"I'll begin taking DNA samples." Beverly said.
Then she left. Wesley had been thinking for a few minutes.
"You know Captain... I've been thinking. Someone else must know about this program." Wesley said.
Picard gave him a questioning look.
"I bet one of the missing fragments was on Indri Eight... and that's why it was destroyed -"
"To keep anyone else from getting that piece of the puzzle." Picard said and looked at the mysterious shape on the screen.
"It's four billion years old... a computer program from a highly advanced civilization... hidden in the fabric of life itself." he said. "Whatever information is contained in that program could be the most profound discovery of our time. Or the most dangerous. And the Professor knew that."
At sickbay Beverly was removing a sampling device from the arm of one alien crewmember who was sitting on the bed. Mott, the barber, was standing in the vestibule, waiting.
"That's it. Thank you." Beverly said to the crewmember. "You're next, Mister Mott." she said to him.
Beverly indicated the bed and he moved directly to the bed as she re-adjusted her sampling device. Then the Alien Crewmember left.
"Glad to be of assistance, Doctor. You can always count on me in a pinch." Mott said. "What do I do?"
"Nothing. I'm just going to sample some of your skin cells." Beverly said then rolled up his sleeve.
"Is this going to hurt?" he asked apprehensive.
"About as much as that pedicure you gave me last week."
"That was an accident." he said alarmed.
She smiled.
"Relax. You won't feel a thing."
Beverly ran the instrument over his skin and then hit a control.
The viewscreen displayed a long DNA strand. Suddenly a tiny segment of the strand was highlighted.
"That might be it." Beverly said hopefully.
"Of course it is." Mott said. "Might be what?"
"Let's see if it fits into the program."
"Obviously it fits." he said. "Fits what?"
Beverly worked for a moment then looked disappointed.
"Close... but no." she said.
"Maybe you're not doing it right."
"Thank you, Mister Mott. That'll be all." she said firmly.
Then Mott reluctantly left.
"Just trying to help... no one ever listens to me..." he said grumbling.
Beverly was in the ready room with Picard, who was pacing.
"They all came up negative." Beverly said.
"I've gone through every page of the Professor's published work... hoping I'd find a clue about where to go next... but so far nothing." Picard said.
"Maybe we've been at this too long. Why don't we both get some sleep and start again in the morning."
Picard moved around the room for a moment then stopped. Something had caught his eye. He was staring at the figurine against the wall.
"I was in the neighborhood." he said remembering then turned excited to Beverly. "When I asked the Professor what took him all the way to Kurl, he said he was "in the neighborhood. Doing what?"
"Collecting a DNA sample, perhaps..."
Picard rushed to the computer, hit a few keys then checked the screen.
"The only planet near the Kurlan system capable of supporting life is Loren Three." he said.
"There's no Loren Three sample in the data we downloaded from the Professor's shuttle. If he did get one from there it must have been taken by the Yridians when they attacked."
"Mister Data, set course for Loren Three, maximum warp." he said to com.
"Yes, Sir." Data said on com.
Beverly headed out the door to the Bridge and Picard stared out the window.
Picard, Riker, Worf, Data and the Ensign were on the bridge.
"We are approaching the Loren system." Data said.
"Slow to half impulse, and take us into orbit above the third planet." Riker said.
The Ensign worked her controls.
"There's a good chance our competition has gotten here first. Battle stations, Mister Worf." Picard said.
"Aye." Worf said working the console.
The red alert came on.
"We are entering orbit.." Data said.
"You were right, Captain, we've got company." Riker said and two Cardassians vessel were on viewscreen in orbit above the planet. "Cardassians." he continued.
"They are hailing us." Worf said.
"On screen." Picard said.
Worf touched his console and a female Cardassian captain appeared on the Viewscreen.
"I am Gul Ocett. Identify yourselves and state your business in this star system." she said.
"I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise. And I fail to see why I should explain my presence to you. Cardassia has no claims on this sector." Picard said to the screen.
"No, I suppose not. But my admittedly hasty estimate shows one Federation Starship and two Cardassian war vessels." she said and smiled. "Perhaps I've miscounted."
Picard matched her dueling tone.
"Not at all. But the Enterprise is on a purely scientific mission. You have nothing to gain by interfering with us." he said.
"And you have nothing to lose by delaying a "purely scientific mission" for a few days. I invite you to withdraw..."
Picard and the Cardassian stared each other down. Suddenly Worf broke the stalemate.
"Captain, a Klingon attack cruiser is decloaking off the starboard bow!" Worf said. "They are hailing us."
Then Worf worked his console.
"This is the Klingon vessel Maht-H'a. What are you doing here?" Klingon captain said.
Everyone reacted shocked by the sudden turn of events. The Cardassian looked as surprised as the rest.
"Captain, a Bird of Prey is decloaking off starboard!" Worf said. "They are hailing us."
Then Worf worked his console.
"This is the Klingon vessel Maht-H'a. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Klingon captain asked.
Everyone reacted shocked by the suddent turn of events. The Cardassian looked as surprised.
"Captain's log, supplemental. It seems that we have not one, but two competitors in our attempt to complete Professor Galen's puzzle. I have prevailed upon the Cardassian and Klingon Captains to meet with me." Picard said.
Picard was in the observation lounge at the table with the Klingon, Nu'Daq, and the Cardassian, Gul Ocett.
"I believe we all know why we're here. If we admit that much, we can move forward." Picard said.
But the Cardassian and Klingon merely stared at him in various guises of innocent bewilderment.
"We are merely scouting the planet for possible colonization -" Gul Ocett said.
"Pah! A ridiculous story." Nu'Daq said.
"And why are you here, then?"
"Scientific research."
The Cardassian laughed and the Klingon fumed. Picard stepped in.
"There's no point in trying to deceive each other... we all know about Professor Galen's research and about the computer program which is composed of DNA fragments." Picard said.
The Klingon and Cardassian exchanged looks, but said nothing, trying to hang onto any advantage. Picard pushed on.
"I'll take your silence as confirmation. Now, it stands to reason that no one has all the DNA fragments necessary to complete the program." he said. "You were the first to arrive in this system. Do you have an organic sample from the planet below?" he said to Cardassian.
Gul Ocett considered him for a moment, glanced at the Klingon and calculated her response for a minute. Then she decided to move forward.
"Yes. And I will open fire on anyone who attempts to obtain another one." she said.
"As if we fear Cardassian threats..." Nu'Daq said with contempt.
"I believe one of you also has a fragment from Indri Eight." Picard said ignoring him.
"Yes. And there will be no other samples from Indri Eight." Nu'Daq said proudly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Gal Ocett asked.
"He destroyed the planet's biosphere after taking the sample." Picard said.
Gul Ocett sneered.
"Typical Klingon thinking... take what you want and then destroy the rest." she said.
"Thank you." Nu'Daq said.
"All of us are missing some of the fragments... but not necessarily the same ones. Unless we combine what we have, we'll never learn the secret of this program." Picard said.
The Klingon brushed this all off with an impatient wave of his arm.
"There is no secret. It is an ancient weapon design of incredible power. And the Klingon Empire will not allow it to fall into an enemy's hands." Nu'Daq said. "Or even a friend's..." he said to Picard.
"A weapon? The Yridian who sold us the information claimed that the program would yield the key to an unlimited power source." Gul Ocett said.
"Until we assemble the entire program no one can know its ultimate purpose." Picard said.
"He's right. For all we know it might be a recipe for biscuits."
"Biscuits? If that is what you believe, then go back to Cardassia. I will send you my mother's recipe." Nu'Daq said.
"Enough. Without cooperation we will get nowhere." Picard said.
"What do you propose?" Gul Ocett asked.
"If you both bring the fragments you possess to the Enterprise, I will combine them with ours. The result will be observed by all parties simultaneously, giving no one the advantage." Picard said.
"And if we refuse?" Nu'Daq said.
"Then this endeavor stops dead, right here in this room."
In the lab the viewscreen showed the partly assembled ancient program. Several "pieces" are missing.
Data and Beverly were at the console. Picard was facing the screen with the Klingon and the Cardassian. Both aliens were holding small computers -, beefed-up looking tricorders that they had brought over from their respective ships.
"Captain." Data said to the Klingon captain..
The Klingon plugged his hand-held computer into a console interface. Data worked the console controls.
A missing piece of the puzzle suddenly appeared in its proper place on the screen.
"Excellent." Nu'Daq said.
The anticipation in the room went up a few notches. The Klingon stepped away with his machine, and the Cardassian took his place, plugging her computer into the console interface. Data again worked the controls.
Then several of the remaining "holes" were filled in. Now, only one "hole" was left unfilled.
"There's still one missing piece..." Beverly said.
"Pahk! We have surrendered what we had for nothing." Nu'Daq said.
"You are remarkably short-sighted, Nu'Daq. We are closer to the answer than we were." Gul Ocett said.
"And I think we're very close, indeed." Picard said.
The others stared at him, puzzled.
"How can that be? We have no idea where to start looking for the missing DNA fragment." Nu'Daq said.
Picard began to move about the room, trying to reason this all out.
"This is a... jigsaw puzzle... whose pieces have been scattered across the galaxy." he said. "Doesn't it seem reasonable to assume that the original designers meant for someone to find this puzzle - why else would they put the pieces in our DNA?" he asked. "And doesn't that in turn suggest that they would try to make it easy for us to find all the pieces? That there might be some... pattern to their distribution?"
"If that's so... our computer might be able to find that pattern." Beverly said.
"Doctor, program the computer to analyze the distribution pattern of the pieces we have, correcting for changes in star configurations over four billion years... and extrapolate for the missing piece."
"That'll take me a while to set up... and a few hours more to process."
Picard turned to the aliens.
"If you wish, you may stay on board while we wait." he said.
"I intend to." Nu'Daq said.
The Cardassian nodded, indicating her intention as well.
Data was at Ten Forward sitting at a table, working on a PADD. Nu'Daq stepped up to him.
"Good evening, Commander Data." Nu'Daq said.
"Hello, Captain." Data said.
"Is there any word yet on the missing fragment?"
"The computer is processing the data. I will be notified as soon as there is any information."
Nu'Daq then smiled, and sat opposite him.
"Commander, your reputation for... physical strength is known even in the Klingon Empire." he continued. "You are familiar with the B'aht Qul challenge?" he asked.
"I am familiar with many Klingon rituals - including the B'aht Qul."
Nu'Daq smiled his arm continued to offer the challenge. Data calmly locked hands with him. They held position.
"Wa'... Cha'... Wej -" Nu'Daq continued in Klingon.
Data put him down without the slightest strain.
"Maw' tok." Nu'Daq said amazed.
Data casually went back to his PADD. Nu'Daq stared at him for a minute, scowled, then violently lashed forward with his headplate - smashing right into Data's forehead. Data didn't even budge Nu'Daq reeled backwards, dazed.
"My upper spinal support is a polyalloy designed for extreme stress. My skull is composed of cortenide and duranium." Data explained.
Then he looked back down at the PADD. Nu'Daq recovered and smiled.
"I understand your intellectual prowess is equally impressive." he said.
Data glanced up as the Nu'Daq leaned forward conspiratorially and spoke almost in a whisper.
"If I were to learn the results of the computer search before the others... It would give the Klingon Empire a strategic advantage." he continued and stared with suggestion at the android. "A... being of your abilities would go far in the Empire..."
Data thought for a moment. Then answered.
"You are attempting to bribe me."
Nu'Daq whipped around toward the other tables, where nearby patrons had overheard Data. Then he gave them a toothy grin, then turned back to Data.
"Not at all." he said.
"You suggested a plan that would work to your advantage, one that I would be capable of executing. You then implied a reward. Clearly -" Data said.
"... Commander, never mind."
Then he stood up, beaten on all counts. He left the table. Then Data went innocently went back to his work.
At engineering Wesley was going about his standard work routine. As he passed a console something caught his eye.
"What's this?" he asked puzzled and went to the console, punched in some commands, was still puzzled by the result on the readout. "Computer, perform a level three diagnostic on the primary defensive systems..." he said.
Then he tapped his com.
"Ensign Crusher to Captain Picard..." he said.
"What is it, ensign?" Picard asked on com.
"You might want to come down here, sir. I found something... you should see."
Picard and Nu'Daq and Cardassian Captains were in the la watching the Viewscreen as Data and Beverly stood near the console.
"The computer has completed its analysis." Data said.
A map of galactic neighborhood highlighted two dozen evenly spaced stars that formed an image closely resembling the design of the computer "program" formed by the DNA fragments.
"The computer was able to extrapolate this geometric pattern based on the distribution of the fragments." Beverly said.
"The same shape as the program..." Nu'Daq said.
"Computer, highlight the missing section of the pattern."
One section of the design was suddenly highlighted.
"The missing DNA fragment should be in this system." Beverly said indicating the section.
"That star is in sector two-one-four-five-nine." Data said reading the scan. "The Rahm-Izad system."
Everyone reacted. The Cardassian suddenly dematerialized in a beam-out, catching everyone by surprise.
Riker was on the bridge in the command chair and Worf at tactical, the Ensign at the conn. They seem unusually calm.
"Direct hit on our port nacelle." Worf said and the ship rocked a little. "They are powering for another volley."
"Let's make it look good. Ensign, release the inertial dampers." Riker said.
The Ensign complied.
"They are firing..." Worf said.
This time, the ship rocked violently.
Picard, Data, Beverly and Nu'Daq entered the bridge from the Turbolift. They also seemed calm.
"Report, Number One." Picard said.
"The power boost to the structural integrity field protected the nacelles. We used the inertial dampers to simulate a complete shield failure." Riker said.
"It is fortunate that your Engineer discovered Gul Ocett's attempt to tamper with your defensive systems." Nu'Daq said and touched his com. "Maht-h'a. Status."
"Minor damage to starboard nacelle. We will be operational in less than one hour." Klingon said.
"What? You incompetent Toh-pah. You were supposed to be prepared." Nu'Daq said to com furious.
"The Cardassian vessels have set a course for Rahm-Izad." Worf said off instruments.
"It's not going to take them very long to realize that Rahm-Izad is the wrong planet." Picard said. "You're welcome to join us, Captain." he told Nu'Daq.
"I will... go with you."
Picard nodded, turned to the conn.
"Ensign, plot a course to the Vilmoran System. Warp nine." he said.
Riker, Data and Wesley were on the bridge. Wesley was filling in for Worf at Tactical.
"Take us out of warp." Riker said and the ensign worked the conn.
Wesley almost did it but then remembered he was doing something else. Usually he would be on the bridge right now.
"I am scanning all seven planets in the Vilmoran system - none appears to support life." Data said off console.
Everyone reacted.
"How could that be? The Professor's data depends on -" Riker said.
"...Correction. The second planet shows evidence of an ancient ocean, now dry."
"It once supported life." Wesley said.
"Yes. And it still may, in a limited fashion not detectable by our long range sensors."
"Ensign, lay in a course, full impulse." Riker said and the Ensign quickly worked her panel. "Riker to Transporter Room One." he said on com.
Picard, Worf, the Klingon Captain and Beverly were in the transporter room waiting. Picard carried a small computer device; Beverly had a tricorder and a palm-sized sampling instrument.
"We've located a planet that may still support life. We'll know in a minute." Riker continued on com.
"Any sign of the Cardassians?" Picard asked.
"Not yet. But I don't know how long it'll stay that way."
"Acknowledged."
Worf and Nu'Daq both pulled out their weapons, keeping them at the ready as everyone moved to the Transporter pads.
At the bridge Riker, Data, and Wesley were facing the Viewscreen, which showed a barren, whitened planet.
"I am reading a small pocket of vegetative life - a primitive lichen growing in a fossilized seabed." Data said off instruments.
"Transporter Room One - I'm programming the coordinates. Stand-by." Riker said.
The planet surface was dry, cracked, ancient seabed. Picard, Beverly, Worf and Nu'Daq suddenly materialized. They spread out to search as Beverly quickly scanned with her tricorder.
"There." Beverly said.
She indicated a rockface on the other side of the seabed, its surface mottled by a bright yellow-red-green lichen.
"Captain, we've got company. I'm ready to pull you out of there." Riker said on com.
Picard said and touched his com.
"Wait for my order, Number One." he said.
Gul Ocett and a Cardassian guard materialized right in front of the rockface. Gul Ocett had her small computer and a sampling device hanging from her belt. Both were aiming weapons at the Away Team.
The team stopped in their tracks, the Klingons both had their phasers raised.
"You dishonorable pah-tak..." Nu'Daq said.
"We can exchange insults some other time, perhaps. I'm a little busy right now..." Gul Ocett said.
Gul Ocett took the sampling device off her belt and started edging backwards toward the lichen-covered rockface.
Four Romulans suddenly stepped out from behind the rocks, weapons raised, two have heavy-duty disruptor rifles. The Romulan captain smiled.
"It's been quite a chase, hasn't it, my friends?" Romulan captain asked.
The others just looked at him, still taken aback by the surprise arrival.
"How...?" Nu'Daq said.
"We intercepted several communiques between the Yridians and Cardassia. My ship was watching under cloak when Professor Galen's shuttle was attacked."
"You've been shadowing us ever since." Picard said.
"And now, the reward..." Romulan captain said. "Step clear, please." he said to Gul Ocett.
With superior firepower, the Romulans had the edge. But Gul Ocett suddenly turned her weapon toward the lichen-covered rocks.
"I'll destroy this entire rockface... And all traces of DNA with it." she said.
The Romulans froze. The Romulan Captain lost his smile.
"You'll go back to Romulus empty handed. Your superiors will be quite pleased." she continued.
It was a standoff.
Picard and Beverly were standing off to one side, away from the standoff. As the Romulan, Cardassian, and Klingon continue their squabble in the b.g. Picard looked down at the dirt beneath his feet.
There were imprints and fossilized remains of vegetation, it should look like a "mold" of a leaf or fern. There should be a hint of greenish-brown coloring left on the imprints.
"The seabed... it may be only partially fossilized... it could still contain organic material." Picard said.
Beverly nodded slowly. She cautiously crouched down, careful not to draw anyone's attention and scraped at the fossilized sea bed with her sampling device.
"Perhaps we can compromise... Let us have the gene code. And the Romulans and the Cardassians will share the result." Romulan captain said to Gul Ocett.
The Cardassian considered.
"What's to stop you from killing me as soon as I acquiesce?" Gul Ocett asked. "You have my word."
The Klingon Captain scowled.
"Etched in stone, no doubt." Nu'Daq said. "No terms. There will be no deals as long as I'm still alive."
The Romulan Captain motioned to his men and all of them aimed their disruptors directly at the Klingon.
"Then I have only one recourse...: he said.
Picard was working the small computer and Beverly's sampling device was now attached to it. Picard reacted to what he saw on the tiny screen.
"The program has activated..." Picard said to Beverly. "I think it's reconfiguring the tricorder... it's modifying the emitter diode to project something..."
The Romulans had their four weapons trained on the Klingon Captain, but he wasn't budging. There was a minute then Worf stepped up next to the Klingon, phaser ready. Gul Ocett and her Cardassian guard took a couple of steps, adding their weapons to the side of the Romulans. It was now six against two.
The Klingon Captain smiled.
"We die together, Brother. Tash-Koh-Tah." Nu'Daq said to Worf then was an instant away from firing.
Picard activated a control on the small computer, aiming it toward the middle of the fray.
His computer suddenly projected a hologram directly into the middle of the scene. It was a Humanoid, it appeared as if the flesh was life-like. Everyone reacted, staring with amazement as it addressed them.
"You are wondering who we are; why we have done this; how it has come that I stand before you, the image of a being from so long ago." Humanoid said. "Life evolved on my planet before all others in this part of the galaxy. We left our world, explored the stars, and found none like ourselves. We were alone. Our civilization thrived for ages. But what is the life of one race, compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time? We knew that someday we would be gone. And that nothing of us would survive. So we left you."
Everyone reacted.
"Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds, where life was in its infancy. These seed codes directed your evolution toward a physical form resembling ours - this body you see before you." she continued then opened her arms as if to indicate herself. "Which is, of course, shaped as yours is shaped. For you are the end result. The seed codes also contained this message, which we scattered in fragments on many different worlds. It was our hope that you would have to come together in cooperation and fellowship in order to activate this message. And if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfilled."
After a few uneasy, guilty glances they knew it wasn't so peaceful and cooperative.
"You are... a monument. Not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish. That you too would know life, and would keep alive our memory. There is something of us in each of you, and so, something of you in each other." she continued.
A long pause. The Humanoid had a look of both joy and deep sadness.
"Remember us..." she continued.
The hologram disappeared. A long, silent minute. Everyone stared at each other, lowering their weapons. There was a sense that something magical could take place, a melting away of all differences and conflicted in a new spirit of fellowship.
"That is all?" Nu'Daq said livid.
The moment was shattered.
"If she were not dead, I would kill her." he continued.
Gul Ocett turned toward the Klingon Captain.
"The very notion. That Cardassians could have anything in common with Klingons." he said. "It turns my stomach."
Nu'Daq shot her a dirty look. Everyone started contacting their respective ships.
"Picard to Enterprise. Away Team is ready to beam up." Picard said.
"Acknowledged."
"Captain's log, Stardate 46735.2. Our frequent use of high warp over the last few days has overextended the propulsion systems. We are finishing minor repairs before returning to Federation territory. Lieutenant Commander La Forge will be back tomorrow and Ensign Wesley Crusher did an excellent job at leading the engineering as we all thought." Picard said.
Picard and Beverly were in Picard's quarters at the end of their morning tea; musing about the last few days.
"It's a shame Professor Galen wasn't able to see the end result of his search..." Beverly said.
"I don't know of anyone who would have appreciated it more." Picard said.
"If it hadn't been for you, Jean-Luc, his dream to solve that puzzle would never have been realized. You gave him a wonderful legacy..."
"It would've been a more fitting legacy if the message had not fallen on deaf ears."
There was a reaction. Beverly shrugged a wan smile.
"You never know." she said then rose. "I have to get this day started."
Picard stood in a gentlemanly gesture.
"Both of us." he said.
"See you this afternoon."
Then she headed for the door, it opened and she disappeared into the hallway. Picard sat back down for a moment.
"Riker to Captain Picard. Incoming transmission from the Romulan command ship." Riker said on com.
Picard reacted, puzzled.
"Put it through." he said.
"Acknowledged."
Picard turned toward it. The face of the Romulan Captain appeared.
"Captain, my ships are leaving orbit for Romulan space." Romulan captain said. "Until our next encounter..."
Picard was surprised by the overture.
"Until then." he said.
The Romulan paused.
"It would seem that we are not completely dissimilar after all... in our hopes or in our fears..."
Picard nodded.
"Yes."
A long moment as the Romulan struggles with the words.
"Well, then. Perhaps one day..."
The Romulan seemed to have gone as far as he could go with this sentiment.
"One day..."
The Romulan Captain nodded then turned toward an off screen underling and the transmission ends.
Picard turned back to his tea. He took a sip, set it down and stared into space.