"Captain's log, stardate 47304.2." "The Enterprise has arrived at Kesprytt III in order to evaluate an unusual request on the part of the Kes for associate membership in the Federation." "This morning, she was 15 minutes late." "That's the third time this week." "Jean-Luc, you don't have any idea what I'm talking about." "No." "I'm really sorry, I don't." "I've been talking about Nurse Ogawa and Ensign Markson for 15 minutes." "You have?" "I'm really sorry." " Are you worried about this mission?" " Not worried exactly." "This notion of admitting half their planet while leaving half out." "First of all, the Kes are not half the planet, they're nearly three quarters." "The Prytt are not being left out." "They simply don't want contact with anyone from the outside." "Every member of the Federation entered as a unified world." "That unity said something about them." "They had resolved certain social and political differences and they were ready to become part of a larger community." "By all indications, the Kes are a very progressive people." "But the Prytt not." "They are reclusive to the point of xenophobia." "Think about Earth." "What if an old nation state, say, Australia, had decided not to join the World Government in 2150." "Would that have disqualified us as a member?" "That analogy is not..." " Riker to Captain." " Go ahead." "Ambassador Mauric is ready to see you and Dr Crusher." "Inform him we're on our way." "Thank you for breakfast." "Wait until tomorrow." "I have something special planned." "It's a Vulcan dish." "That's all I'll say." "Captain, Doctor." "I have the coordinates of Mauric's chambers." "Let's not keep them waiting." "Enterprise to Kes Security Relay Station One." " We are ready to commence transport." " Acknowledged." " We have lowered our shield." " Confirmed." "Energise." "This is Security Relay Station One." "We are ready to receive your captain and medical officer." "This is the Enterprise." "We have completed the sequence." "You should have them." "Negative, Enterprise." "They are not here." "Beverly." " What happened?" " I don't know." "The last thing I remember, we were beginning to transport." "I assume we must be on Kesprytt." "We're in some kind of prison cell." "The question is, why?" "I can't imagine Ambassador Mauric would have reason to detain us." " Jean-Luc." " What?" " Let me see." " What?" "It looks like an implant." "Seems to be connected directly to the brain stem." "Some kind of coercive device?" "Whatever it is, I doubt it's for our health." "What is going on here?" "If you tell us why we're hostages..." "You're not hostages." "You are prisoners." "Prisoners on whose authority?" "You're being held by the Prytt Security Ministry." "The charge is conspiring with the enemy." " Enemy?" "The Kes?" " We're not fools." "We are aware of the attempted alliance with the Kes." "It will not be tolerated." "Your information is incorrect." "We have no plans..." "There is no point in trying to mislead us." "The devices in your cerebral cortexes will soon be calibrated to your psi-wave pattern." "At that time, we will get the information we need." "Then you'll discover we're telling the truth." "We shall see." "Nothing is wrong with the transporter." "I have run a complete diagnostic of all the components." "Then what happened?" "Commander, the transporter sensor log shows a concentration of antigraviton particles in the emitter coil." "A concentration of antigraviton particles suggests a tractor beam." "It might have deflected the beam to a different set of coordinates." "Is there a way to locate them?" "The tractor beam originated in the Prytt alliance." "What does the Prytt want?" "I don't know." "It won't be easy to find out." "The Prytt have consistently refused all outside contact." "We'll have to work through the Kes." "Contact Ambassador Mauric." "Tell him I want a meeting." " What?" " What?" "You're staring at me." "I was thinking about how to get out." " There may be a structural flaw." " Right." "The important thing during any confinement is to think positively." "There is a way out of every box, a solution to every puzzle." "Damn!" "Well, at least this means we won't starve to death." "It means they plan on keeping us." "I'm beginning to think negatively." " My tricorder." " Does it work?" "Yes." "Except something's been added to the main directory." " It's a map." " An escape route." "That guard must work for the Kes." "Possibly." "Or it could be part of a carefully laid trap." "If you ask me, I'd like to take my chances." "Agreed." "Is there a way to open the cell door?" "Yes, the code's been entered." "Commander, on behalf of my government, I would like to present my profound apologies regarding this incident." "That's very kind." "But no one holds you or the Kes government responsible." "Our concern is not to assign blame but to recover our officers." "I agree." "We are prepared to insert a hostage-rescue team on three hours' notice." "We have not attempted a diplomatic effort yet." "I won't use force before trying other options." "I don't believe there is any diplomatic option." "We have no formal relations with the Prytt, no ambassadors, simply no way to contact them." "Surely you must have in the case of a planetary emergency." "We have never had the need." "We can find their communications frequency and establish a link." "Allow me to be blunt." "The Prytt are fanatical xenophobes with little regard for discourse." "Even if you establish communication, it will be a waste of time." "How long has it been since your last diplomatic contact?" " Almost a century." " It's possible they have changed." "We have had other, less formal contacts with the Prytt." "Contacts we cannot discuss." "I can assure you, they have changed very little." "With all due respect, Ambassador," "I should try to communicate before I sanction the use of force." "Of course, Commander." "In the meantime, I will prepare for a rescue mission." " Agreed." " I do have one request." "We believe the Prytt obtained the information about the transport through a breach of our communications network." "If I could establish a base on the Enterprise I'd feel more secure." " Mr Worf will help you." " Thank you, Lieutenant." "You first." "Is there a problem, Ambassador?" "Probably not." "Simply securing the area." "I assure you, there is no need." "I'm sure you're right." "Yes, this will do very nicely." "As Security Chief of the Enterprise, I would be glad to assist you." "There's no need." "We'll do everything." "Thank you, Lieutenant." "There must be a lava flow or an underground hot spring." "It's a lava flow." "It's 30 metres below us." "It says we should go this way." "I smell gas." "This whole chamber is filled with a methanogenic compound." " Can we get through it?" " I think so." " What?" " I didn't say anything." "There might be a pattern to the eruptions." " We can navigate our way." " Say when." "Now." " The eruptions have stopped." " Gas is building up." "I have scanned the Prytt communication system." "This appears to be the access module for their government." "Can you tell which link is to the Prime Minister's office?" "Yes." "But the Prytt have no link for extraterritorial communication." "Our hall may come as a surprise." "They're going to have to adjust." "Open a channel." "Prime Minister Horath's headquarters." "Can I be of service?" "This is Cmdr William T Riker of the Starship Enterprise." "The Enterprise?" "You mean the ship in orbit?" " That's right." " Why are you on this commlink?" "We're having trouble contacting your government directly." "Did you get authorisation from the Security Ministry?" "We're having trouble..." "I cannot participate in an unauthorised communication." "This transmission is terminated." " Not very friendly, are they?" " No, sir." "Sir, we are being hailed." "It is the Prytt Security Council." "It looks like we got someone's attention." "On screen." "Enterprise, this is Security Minister Lorin." "You will cease all attempts at communication." "We have been attempting to contact your government." "You have detained two of our officers." "We want to discuss that." "There is nothing to discuss." "If you do not terminate these transmissions, we will take aggressive action against your ship." "Their weapons pose no threat to us." "Just the same, keep the shields up for the time being." "Is there a problem, Commander?" "Our effort ran into a wall." "I'm sorry." "Perhaps this will brighten your spirits." "We have freed your captain and doctor." " What?" " They were being held in a prison." "But one of our operatives arranged their escape." " Where are they?" " En route to the border." "Our operative provided them with a map on where to go." "How will they cross the border?" "That information is confidential, but trust us, we do have a plan." "I must insist that you provide us with more information." "I understand your concern." "But I would feel more comfortable discussing operational details in a less public environment." " Certainly, in the ready room." " I'd prefer my quarters." "They're safer." "Alright." " There's no way out of here." " Maybe we took a wrong turn." " So am I." " What?" " I'm thirsty, too." " I didn't say anything." "I heard you." "You said, "I'm very thirsty."" "I was thinking it, but I didn't say anything." "You were thinking it?" "The transceivers." "Lorin said they would align to our psi-wave patterns." "The implants must be transmitting our thoughts." "What am I thinking?" "I don't know." "I can't hear your thoughts either." "Maybe it was a fluke." "Right now, we have more immediate concerns." " Does your map show a way out?" " Yes, we need to go up." "There's a ledge about 30 metres up." "That should lead to a tunnel to the surface." "Right." "I heard that." "They're not words exactly." "A sudden sense of fear." " A sense of fear of heights." " So much for a fluke." "It was a strange sensation." "Suddenly having thoughts appear in my mind." "If you sensed a fear of heights, you sensed accurately." "Come on, you've done this before." "It's like on a holodeck." "One step at a time, just climbing steadily and slowly." "Right." "I see you've redecorated." "Just a few pieces of equipment necessary for security reasons." " You understand?" " Certainly." "He is alright." "How do you plan to get our people out of Prytt territory?" "You must realise that everything I say cannot leave this room." "For some time, we have had certain friends among the Prytt, citizens who realise that the struggle between us can only end when the Prytt government is made to see reason." " You've recruited Prytt spies." " A crude but accurate term." "These friends are waiting for your captain and doctor at Ohn-Kor, near the Kes border." "The map will take them to a tavern there." "Forgive me, but is it wise to send two human fugitives in Starfleet uniforms into a Prytt village?" "The danger is minimal." "Our operatives control the village." "Once contact is made with Capt Picard and Dr Crusher, our friends will escort them across the border into Kes." "I would feel better if they rendezvous in a less public place." "We know what we're doing." "We've had a lot of experience of dealing with the Prytt." "We'd hardly risk the safety of your people." "After all, we hope you will recommend our entrance into the Federation." " One of us is hungry." " That would be me." "Do you mind thinking something else?" " What do you want?" " Not a bowl of vegetable soup." "My grandmother made it." "Peas, carrots..." " Beverly!" " I'm sorry." "I am not being unreasonable." "I didn't say you were." "I thought it, but that's different." "You're right." "We can't react to every thought in the other's mind." "Isn't it astonishing, the clutter in our consciousness?" "Odd memories coming to the surface." "Remembered songs." "Stray daydreams, scattered minutiae." "I wonder how true telepaths sift through it." "How can they get through if the mind churns all this flotsam to the surface?" "That is not funny." "I was seeing if you were listening." "I think our link is getting stronger." "Maybe some distance might weaken it." "Not that I'm tired of hearing your thoughts." "Certainly not." "Jean-Luc." "What happened?" "I was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea." "Me, too." "There's nothing wrong with either of us." "Maybe the air is toxic." "Same thing." "When you moved back to me, it got better." "Well, it seems as if we're stuck with each other." "What is it?" "I'm not sure whether we should go over this hill or that one." " The map is a little vague." " Let me see." "This way." " You don't really know, do you?" " What?" "You're acting like you know, but you're only guessing." "Do you do this all the time?" "No, but there are times when it is necessary for a captain to give the appearance of confidence." "I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist." "You always seem to have some acerbic remark on the tip of your tongue." "At least I've trained myself not to say it." "When I was a girl, my mouth got me in trouble with my parents, teachers." "Your friends." "There was someone called Tom Norris." "Right." "One date I brought to a halt with, "Is that a beard..."" ""...or is your face dirty?"" "There's more." "You're laughing, but you're embarrassed by that incident." "Yes." "I thought I was being cute but I really hurt him." "That was a long time ago." "I learned a valuable lesson." "This sharing of thoughts and feelings is quite compelling." "Very." "We'd better get going." "I don't think so, either." "Maybe we can find another way to the village." "No." "It's several kilometres around that ridge." "The border is just two kilometres east of here." "There's a force field protecting it but we can deal with that." "Come on." "Alright." " Something wrong?" " Have a seat." "Capt Picard and Dr Crusher did not show up at the rendezvous point." " Do you know what happened?" " No." "We have no idea." "We find it strange that your officers should follow the escape plan and then fail to make the crucial rendezvous." "Maybe they have been recaptured." "Our sources would have informed us if that happened." "Of course, if they weren't captured, if they made a different rendezvous, we might not know about it." "A different rendezvous?" "I don't know what you mean." "Of course not." "How could you know if your captain and doctor were meeting the Prytt?" "Meeting to set up an alliance with the Federation." " What?" " It's a clever scheme." "First, you pretend to lose officers during transport, then you ask us for help and get us to expose our operatives." "But you didn't expect us to get your people out so quickly." "They needed more time to plot the destruction of the Kes." "This is ridiculous." "You're seeing conspiracies everywhere." "We were invited by the Kes." "Why would we ally with the Prytt?" "Indeed, why?" "Believe what you like." "We'll find our people with or without your help." "Then it is time for us to leave the Enterprise." "Fine." "Make sure you take all this junk with you." "No luck?" "I'm beginning to think there's not a single thing to eat." "Well, by this time tomorrow, we could be on the Enterprise and you can sit in front of a replicator with a knife and fork." "Remember that Vulcan dish I promised for breakfast?" "I was..." " You hate having breakfast with me." " That's not true." "Yes, it is." "When I said breakfast, you said, "I hate that."" " That's not what I meant." " What did you mean?" "It's just that I don't like..." "What I've chosen for breakfast recently." "I think breakfast should be a simple meal." "Recently, you've been ordering elaborate things." "Coffee and croissants, that's all you want." " Why didn't you say so?" " I didn't think it was important." "You don't like elaborate meals either." "No." "I prefer something simple myself, but I thought you enjoyed variety." "Well, it's coffee and croissants for both of us from now on." "I love firelight." "There's something about the flame, the smell of the smoke." "It's always seemed to me to be intoxicating, somehow." "I remember when Jack and I took Wesley camping to Balfour Lake." "Wesley kept throwing manta leaves into the fire, watching them pop." "Jack kept telling him..." "What?" "Jean-Luc, I heard you." "Don't push it away." "When I said, "Jack and I," I felt this sudden wave of something." "I didn't know you felt that way." "Didn't you?" "I guess I always knew that there was an attraction between us right from the start, but I never knew how strongly you felt." "Why didn't you tell me you were in love with me?" "You were married to my best friend." "At first, I thought it was harmless infatuation." "Something hormonal rather than emotional." "Then when the months went by and we spent more time together..." "I realised that it was something else, and it wasn't right." "But although I would never act on it," "I couldn't help the way I felt." "And when Jack died, you felt guilty." "I felt guilty before he died." "Having feelings like that for my best friend's wife, and then later, after the accident I promised myself that I would never tell you how I felt." "It would be like betraying my friend." "That's why you didn't want me on the Enterprise seven years ago." "I didn't know how I would react." "And then, little by little, I realised that I..." "I didn't have those feelings any more." "20 years is, after all, a long time." "And now we're friends." "Yes, friends." "Well..." "We still have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow." " We should get some sleep." " Right." " Ambassador, thank you for coming." " Commander." "We're going to clear up this misunderstanding." " Hail Minister Lorin." " Aye, sir." "I have warned you about unauthorised communications." "Yes, I know, but it's time we sat down and worked this out." " I have Ambassador Mauric here..." " Your misfortune." "We have nothing to say to either of you." "You're working with the Prytt." "Putting on this show does no good." "We'll see." "Mr Worf." "There's someone waiting for us in the observation lounge." "I should have known you were capable of such an outrage." "I'm sorry, Minister, but you left me little choice." "Don't pretend the two of you are enemies." "If you're hiding your military alliance, you needn't bother." "I know more than you can imagine." "Let's all sit down and find out about Capt Picard and Dr Crusher." "I will not sit at a table with him." "No more than I would sit with her." "Alright, then, we'll stand." "The important thing is we talk." "I am not authorised to talk with a Kes." "Alright, then, talk to me." "Where are my officers?" "As if you don't know." "Let's go." "I'm alright." "We know of your plan to use Federation technology to build attack satellites." " You will find we are prepared." " A pointless lie." "I'd rather discuss your plan to take over Kolrod Island." "We've been over this before." "Kolrod belongs to the Prytt..." "That's it." "I can see diplomacy won't get us anywhere today." "I do not have time to negotiate." "Let's put our cards on the table." "You're concerned the Kes will be admitted to the Federation." "Correct." "As First Officer of the Enterprise, that won't happen." "The Kes will be denied membership." "You have no authority to make that decision." "Despite whatever games you played, we'll still take our petition to the Federation Council." " They'll listen." " They'll also listen to our report." "I can tell you now, the First Officer's report will go like this." ""Kesprytt, a deeply troubled world."" ""Social, political and military problems that they have to resolve."" ""The Kes, while a friendly and democratic people, are driven by suspicion, deviousness and paranoia."" ""It is my opinion that they are not ready for membership."" "Now..." "The matter of our missing officers." "They are charged with spying." "I have heard nothing to alter that." "Then consider this." "If anything happens to them, Starfleet will want an investigation, which means more starships will come, and those ships will want answers, which puts your country under a large and uncomfortable microscope." "Remember how unhappy you were when we contacted one of your people?" "Think what it would be like." "Ten starships, contacting hundreds of your people." "Massive sensor sweeps." "They may even send down away teams." "All because you wouldn't help me find my missing officers." "I think I can use the tricorder as a multiphase pulse." "That should weaken the force field enough." "No, the modulation frequency is in the upper harmonic range." " They're coming." " I'm working as fast as I can." "Minister, we have the human female." "The male is in Kes territory." "Very well." "Transmit their coordinates to the Enterprise." "Understood." "Thank you, Minister." "Now, if you'll excuse me." "Mauric will protest to the Federation Council." "He won't get far." "I tend to agree, Number One." "Did I miss something?" "Of course." "You're absolutely right." " That was wonderful." " My pleasure." "Don't get me wrong, but I'm glad we're not joined any longer." "Were you getting tired of my company?" "Just tired of bumping into you every 30 seconds." "I was beginning to feel you were part of my uniform." "To freedom." "Freedom." "Penny for your thoughts." "I was just thinking that as distracting as it was," "I was beginning to get used to hearing your thoughts and I find that I miss it." "So do I. It was very intimate." "You know, last night, I couldn't sleep." "I was awake for several hours." "And thanks to the implants I got to hear some very interesting dreams of yours." "A man is not responsible for what his mind does while he's asleep." "What about when he's awake?" "Now that we've had this unique experience, what do we do?" " What do you mean?" " You know exactly what I mean." "No, I don't." "The implants have been removed, remember?" "Now that we know how each of us feels, perhaps we should not be afraid to explore those feelings." "Or perhaps we should be afraid." "I think I should be going now." " Goodnight." " Goodnight."