"What up? I'm Jared, I'm 19, I never learned how to read," Elle said as soon as she saw the mission briefing and broke into hysterical laughter.

Everyone in the conference room stared at her. "Is she possessed?" Riker asked, choking on a laugh.

"Could be," Geordi said.

Elle flipped through the briefing. "Incomprehensible!" she said. "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

"Elle, please," Picard said. "And if you are possessed, can you please state your intentions."

Elle wheezed into her datapad. "Darmok and Jalad, at Tanagra," she snickered. "Oh, this is going to be so good."

"Elle, please," Picard said again.

She fanned her face and leaned on her elbows, red-faced with delight. "My time has come," she said. "This culture communicates through metaphors! They're a meme culture!"

"Oh no," Riker said, starting to laugh.

"Shoot me now," Worf rumbled.

"This is going to be great," Elle said, rubbing her hands in glee. "Captain, please put me on this. I can talk to them, no problem. Just need some reading up on their culture."

"Agreed," Picard said in relief.

"Although, you're going to have to learn this too because I'm pretty sure you and the Tamarian captain are going to go on a ceremonial hunt together," Elle added, flipping through the rest of the brief. "Yeah, here it is."

"The previous captain did not say anything about a ceremonial hunt," Worf said.

"They didn't get that far," Elle said. "But that's part of it. They're trying to make friends." She grinned. "This is going to be so much fun."

"I am not good at metaphors," Worf grumbled.

"Neither am I," Data pointed out.

Elle laughed. "That is so sad. Alexa, play Despacito." Her brain caught up with her mouth. "Wait, no! Computer, cancel."

"Canceled," Alexa replied, sounding mocking. "There is no music file by that name. Please restate."

Elle shook her head, giggling to herself. "Never mind. Where's the cultural database?"

"We don't have one," Data said.

Elle gaped at him. "We don't? Why not?"

"Didn't get that far," he said.

"Ah." Elle frowned. "I think we can reconstruct the story from previous interactions... Captain?"

"If it is a series of metaphors, we should be able to," Picard said, getting that light in his eye. "We'll meet the ship in twelve hours. Dismissed."

Everyone left, grinning good-naturedly, and Elle scooted down to Picard's left. "Okay, this is definitely describing two separate people, strangers, who met at a certain place. Rai, and Jiri."

"And these coordinates they've sent us," Picard said. "Standing in for this place. Lungha, her sky grey."

"Yes."

"So they are open to communication," Picard said.

"Yes. They're trying, like we are. But it's as if I only spoke in memes."

He gave her a Look. "You do only speak in memes."

"Betrayed by my own captain," Elle said flatly, trying not to laugh. "Jail for captain. Jail for a thousand years."

He sighed heavily, covering his mouth to hide his smile. "Moving right along." He scrolled further down the datapad. "Their ability to abstract is highly unusual. They seem to communicate through narrative imagery by reference to the individuals and places which appear in their mytho-historical accounts," Picard mused, going to another section of previous interaction. "We don't have any reference points for their tales, just like they would have no reference for Hamlet or Hercules."

"Or Gilgamesh," Elle said. "We need one-on-one with them. Like Lt. Kerasus was always complaining, we need more verbs." She pointed at another one. "Here, before the captain of the Shiku Maru left Tamarian space. What the Tamarian captain said. Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra."

"What does that mean?"

"Darmok and Jalad, like Rai and Jiri, they're two strangers, two people that come from completely different places. But at Tanagra, which was an island, I think? An island, they banded together against a common enemy and came out as friends." Elle snapped her fingers. "The monster-thing. That's what you two are supposed to do."

Picard side-eyed her. "We're supposed to fight a monster together?"

"Yeah, you know, typical bonding things." She nudged his shoulder. "It'll be great."

"I highly doubt that." He tapped the datapadd. "Storytelling seems to be the key here. We'll have to listen closely. And perhaps, create a sort of common ground. A mythical equivalency." He nudged Elle back. "You'll need to keep a close ear and help Commander Riker if I do end up going down to the planet."

"Understood, captain."

He patted her arm. "This will certainly be an interesting diplomatic venture."

"Not to mention all the xenolinguists on board are gonna make their careers on this," Elle said.

He smirked at her. "And they can use you as a case study."

She laughed in delight. "Captain."

-/\-

"Rai and Jiri at Lungha. Rai of Lowani. Lowani under two moons. Jiri of Ubaya. Ubaya of crossed roads at Lungha. Lungha, her sky grey. Rai and Jiri at Lungha."

So far so good. Elle kept a neutral smile on her face.

"Counsellor?" Picard asked.

"I sense nothing but good intentions from them, Captain," Troi murmured.

"Greetings," Picard said and tossed the conversational ball back to them. "I am Captain Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise. Rai and Jiri at Lungha."

The Tamarians were definitely pleased by this if the outburst of "Markon, at sunset!" "Shaka, when the walls fell!" were any indication.

"Here it comes," Elle muttered. "I hope you're armed, captain."

"I have a phaser and a knife in my boot," Picard muttered quietly enough to avoid the mic pickup.

"Shaka, when the walls fell," the Tamarian captain said. He turned to his officer. "Darmok."

"Darmok? Rai and Jiri at Lungha!" the officer replied, aghast.

"He doesn't think we can do it," Elle said, as the Tamarians had a quick, hissed exchange.

The Tamarian captain held out two daggers. "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra." He beamed away in a spiral of particles, and a second later, so did Captain Picard.

"Now we're in for it," Elle said wryly.

"Block their transporter with the shields! Extend to maximum range!" Riker ordered.

Worf huffed. "Not enough time."

"Where is he?"

Data frowned. "The Tamarians have transported Captain Picard to the planet's surface along with their own captain."

"Riker to O'Brien."

"Sorry, sir," O'Brien said. "It will not be possible to transport. The Tamarian ship has created a particle scattering field on the planet's ionosphere."

Riker tapped his commbadge. "Riker to Captain Picard. Captain, do you read me?" At the crackle of static, he turned a quarter circle and started pacing. "Can we compensate?"

"No, sir. The Tamarians are projecting a particle-sustaining beam into the upper atmosphere. The result is a hyper ionization that virtually disrupts all EM and subspace carriers."

Riker frowned. "Then they can't communicate with their man either. They won't be able to beam anyone through the field."

"That is correct. However, they have left sensor frequencies clear."

Riker threw himself into his chair. "I hate it when you're right, Elle."

"Rude," Elle said, not offended. "They'll be fine. We just have to talk to their ship, convince them to drop their beam, and if our two captains get charged by that creature, we can beam them both up."

"Easy," Riker said wryly.

Elle gave him two thumbs-up. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

"What is the opposite of easy in this metaphor?" Data asked.

"Stressed, depressed lemon zest," Elle recited.

"We'll start with lemon zest," Riker said, blowing out a breath. "If I hail them, can you translate, Elle?"

"It's gotta be easier than learning another language that makes you time travel," Elle said.

They all paused. Stared at her.

"It was a movie," Elle said. "Groundbreaking. It had one DC actor and one Marvel actor in it, both as nerds. It was great."

"Okay," Riker said, refocusing.

"Sensors do show that Captain Picard and the Tamarian are in apparent good health, approximately twenty meters from each other," Data said.

Riker nodded, stood up, and adjusted his jacket. "Hail the Tamarian ship."

"On screen."

"You are holding our captain. I want him released."

Way to be subtle, Elle thought.

Deanna seemed to have picked up on her thought; she put a hand over her mouth to stifle a smile.

"Darmok at Tanagra," the Tamarian first officer said.

"We would appreciate it if you would turn off the particle field," Riker said. "Just in case of emergencies."

"Kiteo. His eyes closed. Chenza at court. The court of silence. Chenza!"

Riker turned to look at Elle. "Is there any way to get through to them?"

"May I?" Elle asked, gesturing to the screen.

Riker waved her forward. "Go ahead."

Elle stood up. Time to see if bingeing twelve hours of Tamarian mythological references was going to pay off. "The court of silence," she said.

The Tamarian first officer squinted at her. "Chenza!" he agreed.

"The beast at Tanagra," she said.

The Tamarian frowned. "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra."

"Shaka, when the walls fell," Elle said.

He looked troubled. "Sokanth, eyes uncovered?"

"What's going on?" Riker asked.

Elle shook her head. "He doesn't believe we understand him." She sent Data a file. "Data, can you send this to the Tamarians?" She spoke up. "Temba, his arms open."

"Transmission sent," Data said.

The Tamarian looked down at his console when it beeped. "Temba, his arms wide," he said, eyes widening.

"What did you send them?" Riker asked.

"Our cultural database of myths," Elle said. "Captain Picard and I compiled ones that match up to the ones we found in the Tamarian references. I'm trying to show him we're the same. If we can match their references to ones that we know, we'll know what they're trying to say."

"Elle, there are hardly any words in here; it's all pictures with labels," Data said, looking over the transmission.

"They're meme-based," Elle said, watching the Tamarian's face intently as he browsed the database. "Looking at stained glass windows to read the Bible. We might be able to communicate in pictographs better than words."

"I hope this works," Riker muttered.

"It'll work," Elle said confidently.

"How do you know?"

"The girls that get it, get it," Elle said, waving a hand. "And he seems like the type of girl to get it."

Data frowned. "We do not have accurate gender information for the Tamarians," he said.

"Look, being one of the girls is a state of mind," Elle said. "For example, Spock? One of the girls. Bones? Absolutely not. Sulu? Definitely. Commander Riker, you should know, you're one of them."

Riker looked at Troi.

"It's true," she said.

Elle patted him on the arm. "That's why you're the head of the gossip chain," she said.

"None of that will matter if they do not understand the transmission," Worf said.

"There is a large life sign approaching the captain's position," Data said.

"Hurry up," Riker said.

"I can't make him read faster, commander," Elle said, scowling at him.

The Tamarian looked up. "Mankind at Babel," he said.

Elle grinned. "By George, I think he's got it," she said. "Mankind at the Tower of Babel," she agreed. "When the languages divided."

"Rai and Jiri at Lungha," the Tamarian said.

"So they didn't speak the same languages either," Elle decided. "Okay. Uhhh, equivalency. Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra. Gilgamesh and Enkidu at Uruk."

The Tamarian frowned and looked down. "The beast at Uruk," he agreed.

"Yes," Elle said. "Okay. Uh, you get that. We can skip the beast. We can communicate."

"Chenza at the court of silence," the Tamarian insisted.

"Enkidu in the garden," Elle insisted right back. "Dathon on El-Adrel."

The Tamarian squinted at her suspiciously. "Eras, with his mind open. The Oracle at Delphi."

"Eras, with his mind open," Elle agreed.

The Tamarians were visibly startled.

"What did you tell them?" Riker asked.

"Uh, I think they asked if I can see the future," Elle said. "I said yes."

"Elle."

"Who are they going to tell?" Elle asked.

"Good point."

The Tamarians finished consulting among themselves, and the first officer turned back. "Shaka, when the walls fell," he said.

"They've dropped the particle field," Data said.

"Riker to Transporter Room 1. Beam both captains up!" Riker ordered.

"Got 'em," O'Brien reported. "And, half a creature? Ugh. Ew. Transporter Room 1 to Biohazard Clean up Crew."

"Ewww," Elle said.

"Picard here," Picard said, sounding winded. "On our way up."

"Yes, sir."

Elle grinned at the Tamarian first officer. "Success," she said.

Picard and the Tamarian captain walked onto the bridge. They were both scuffed up, but they were both grinning. "Shaka, when the walls fell," the Tamarian captain said, holding up his hands in relief. "Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel. Mirab, with sails unfurled."

The Tamarian first officer waved a hand, and Dathon was beamed back to his own ship. "Temba, his arms open," he said.

Picard smiled. "Temba, at rest."

Dathon nodded and closed the channel.

"They're leaving," Worf reported.

"Your timing was impeccable, Number One," Picard said. "That beast almost had us."

"Wasn't me," Riker said, grinning. "It was our civilian mission consultant who talked them into lowering the particle shield."

Elle gave them a double thumbs-up. "Meme culture for the win," she said. "How did it go with Dathon, captain?"

"It went better than I thought it would once I got him to recite the whole legend," Picard said. "Did you manage to give them the cultural database?"

"Yes, sir," Elle said. "It was awesome. Now, if you don't mind me saying so, you should really go to sickbay and get that rolled ankle looked at."

Picard scowled. "Does Dr. Crusher have you on retainer?" he asked.

Elle grinned at him. "Perhaps."

"I'm going, I'm going," Picard said. "Number One, you have the bridge."

"Yes, sir. Glad to have you back."

"Solomon, the matter concluded," Elle said and bounced off the bridge to go write up her report.