♪ I don't want to set ♪
♪ The world on ♪
♪ Fire ♪
♪ I just ♪
♪ Want to start ♪
♪ A flame in your heart ♪
♪ In my heart ♪
♪ I have but one ♪
♪ Desire ♪
♪ And that one ♪
♪ Is you ♪
♪ No other will do ♪
♪ I've lost all ambition ♪
♪ For worldly acclaim ♪
♪ I just want to be the one you love...♪
PICARD [over computer]: Stardate 43996.2.
The Enterprise remains concealed in the dust cloud.
And, to my surprise, the Borg have maintained their position,
waiting for us to come out of hiding.
I have no explanation for their special interest
in me or the ship.
We continue to prepare our defenses
for the inevitable confrontation.
♪ On fire ♪
♪ I ♪
♪ Just want to start ♪
♪ A flame in your... ♪
Warning. Security breach.
Hull damage. Unauthorized docking.
They found us. Eleos.
Activate warp drive.
Stand by.
Warp drive charging. Attempting power-up.
How did they find us?
That's impossible.
What? No!
- No! I can help! - Eleos,
divert all power to the warp core.
Working.
- No! No! - Get us the hell out of here.
Unauthorized docking complete.
Intruder alert.
Power cell-power cell depleted.
Aah!
Let me out!
Eleos. Update warp status?
One minute, seven seconds remaining until power-up.
- Incoming vessel detected. - More of them.
Eleos, prepare to send a transmission.
Subspace frequency, Myriad codec.
System prepared to transmit. State your recipient.
This message is for Admiral Jean-Luc Picard.
First love is always the sweetest, isn't it?
Well, she wasn't the first.
But she was certainly my favorite.
Well, I hope she won't be offended if I send her away
- for a cleaning? - You know,
I didn't think they had spring-cleaning on Romulus.
We don't. That is entirely unique to humans
and their belongings.
I want to give it to Geordi.
Give it away?
No, I was-I was just teasing you.
Well, I-I know that, but he is running the Fleet Museum.
He will love it.
Take this painting down and pack it up, please.
Okay, sir.
Don't you dare.
You're gonna miss these things.
By coming with me to Chaltok-IV,
I feel I'm asking a lot of you.
No, I-I am looking forward to it.
Because while you're running around
setting up diplomatic security,
I'm going to sip Saurian brandy
and think about writing my memoir.
Jean-Luc, you don't need to prove to me
how ready you are for this.
How in the present you are.
The past matters, and that's okay.
Laris, these things
from my past...
...they are so dear to me.
They're mementos of...
...dear friends, old and new.
But they're memories.
A point comes in a man's life
when he looks to the past to define himself.
Not just his future.
Well, I hope that's not going to be me.
I am not a man who needs a legacy.
I want a new adventure.
♪ Now it seems ♪
♪ That our love affair is ♪
♪ Is through ♪
♪ I can't stop praying... ♪
♪ You'll come back home... ♪
♪ Can't understand... ♪
Computer, do you hear that alert?
- Yes. - Where is it?
Unable to determine location.
Thanks for your help.
Computer, analyze.
Communicator badge belonging to Jean-Luc Picard,
Captain, USS Enterprise, stardate 4115...
Yes, yes, but what could it possibly be receiving?
Detecting encrypted long-range transmission
via a subspace frequency.
It contains an uncommon codec.
- Codec? - A codec is a program
- that compresses data... - Yes, yes, I know what a codec is.
But tell me about this one.
It requires a passcode.
Why would anyone send a coded message
to a more than 20-year-old
- Enterprise-D communicator? - Unknown.
Myriad.
Computer, try codec: Myriad.
Picard-4-7-Alpha-Tango.
Accessing.
It is a recorded message.
Here.
- Decrypting. - Admiral Picard,
I'm encoding this transmission with coordinates.
Beverly.
Listen to me very carefully.
Hellbird.
Repeat, Hellbird.
- Hellbird? - And Jean-Luc.
No Starfleet.
Trust no one.
She's terrified.
Clearly injured.
You said she was a doctor, right?
And a good one.
But I haven't spoken with her for...
...over 20 years.
And neither has any other member of the old crew.
She just cut us off.
So why contact me now?
Well, you were close once.
And when you were on the Enterprise,
you trusted each other with your lives.
You even tried to be lovers, didn't you?
"Tried" is the operative word.
But maybe you're the one person she still feels she can trust.
But...
to say "no Starfleet..."
Okay, so...
as a former intelligence operative,
here's what I'm seeing.
This isn't paranoia. Her fear is genuine.
This is a woman out of options, and she is asking you to help.
Only you.
Damn it.
You have to go.
I'll be back, in a few days.
Maybe even less.
Maybe even more.
These are the lives we chose.
There is this great bar
on Chaltok-IV,
and you can watch the sunset from it.
So I'll save you a seat.
You...
mind yourself.
♪ I'm guilty as charged ♪
♪ I won't deny it ♪
♪ Forbidden fruit ♪
♪ I had to try it ♪
♪ Hand down my sentence ♪
♪ While I'm still at large ♪
♪ I ain't no good... ♪
Guinan's hawking souvenirs now?
Ugh, it's for Frontier Day.
How come you have so many Enterprise-Ds?
Oh, the fat ones? No one wants those.
You better leave the bottle.
You hear that, Jean-Luc?
"No one wants the fat ones."
That's "Galaxy Class" to you, young lady.
Good to see you, Will.
Look at you--
the handsome elder statesman of Starfleet.
I got to make a speech at that Frontier thing next week.
- Ah. - It's like a parade through space.
Who wants to hear some old fart drone on
about "going boldly" for the last 250 years?
Yeah. I'm giving a speech, too.
- And that's gonna be great. - Yeah.
Are you all right?
I wouldn't have asked to meet you like this
if it hadn't been very important.
And I really appreciate you giving up your family time.
Actually, Deanna and Kestra
will appreciate the time away from me.
How can I help?
Myriad codec.
Haven't thought about that since the good old days,
when we thought our comms were compromised
- back on Rigel VI. - VII.
Beverly's message references these coordinates
and to trust no one with them.
Plus the, uh, the word Hellbird.
- What's out there? - Nothing at all, as far as I can see.
But this word, Hellbird--
I've no idea what it means.
Of course not.
There was a computer virus on the Enterprise
when you were incapacitated.
Incapacitated?
Oh. Locutus.
- The Borg. Of course. - It scrambled our navigational system
and arbitrarily added 3 to every digit.
I knew that I called you for a reason.
And adding 3 to every digit gives us these new coordinates.
The Ryton system.
Ryton system?
That's outside Federation space.
Perfect place to hide. But from what?
What the hell has Beverly gotten herself into?
In all the years I have known her,
I've never seen her so frightened.
No.
Terrified.
Jean-Luc.
Why did she cut everyone off?
Me, Deanna and Geordi.
There had to be a reason.
Well, I need to find a ship.
We need to find a ship. And we can't charter one.
- Too far, too dangerous. - No. I-I can't ask you
- to put yourself in danger. - Since when?
Besides, aren't we a little overdue
for a good, old-fashioned road trip?
Well, we can't go to Starfleet. She made that clear.
Uh, I think I may have a work-around. Come on.
MALE [over loudspeaker]: If you want something exotic, come get it here.
Come in here, huh, Daddy?
♪
Hey, watch it, freak. I'm not your dealer.
Come on over here, baby.
I got Tamarian drugs-- what do you want?
Two days in a row?
I'd tell you to get your life together...
Transaction complete. Thank you for your patronage.
...but then I'd lose my best customer.
Shit.
Listen.
Y-You can help me.
You hear things, huh?
You're, like, the all-knowing oracle
of the underworld and shit, right?
I-I know. I'm a little strung out, yeah.
My girlfriend left me.
I fell off again.
Now...
I'm out.
I'm out of Starfleet.
I know I could get back in.
Look, I-I hear things too.
Like, shit stolen from Daystrom offsite station.
Yeah.
Experimental quantum tunneling tech
that, in the wrong hands, could be a weapon.
I'm talking world-ending shit.
Now, if-if... if I could bring Starfleet a tip off that?
I know I could get back in.
You-you hear anything like that?
You're crazier than I thought. Beat it.
But I could bring something to Starfleet.
Not that.
All right, thanks.
Additional funds available.
Where'd you get all this coin?
I'm all in, man. It's all I got.
Guess I can't expect a junkie
to know when to quit.
Transaction complete. Thank you for your patronage.
I heard something's going down with the Red Lady.
That's all I got.
The Red Lady?
Okay. Yeah.
Is that-is that, like, a-a buyer or...
- Aah! - Stop asking questions
or we're both gonna end up dead.
Now go.
And I don't want to see your face around here again.
Starfleet intelligence officer Commander Raffi Musiker
on a secure channel.
Requesting a debriefing.
And more money.
I'm not sure about this plan.
Because it's not really a plan, it's a ruse.
Yeah, that's the part I don't like.
You and I are two highly-ranked members of Starfleet
doing a routine surprise inspection.
We could be court-martialed for this.
You could lose everything you've worked for.
Only if we get caught. You got to sell this.
Come on, Admiral.
Show see your inspection face.
Give me one of those rigid, disapproving,
sour expressions you're famous for.
There it is.
Captain Riker,
you are cleared for approach in the starboard bay.
Hello, beautiful.
Admiral Picard, Captain Riker,
welcome to the Titan.
Initiate docking sequence.
♪
We're going on the Titan.
Your old command.
It's the only sway I've got.
It's the new refit.
Neo-Constitution class.
Now, the fleet's gonna be dispersing
for exercises in preparation for Frontier Day,
and that should give us a little freedom to operate.
The captain, Shaw, he's gonna need some convincing.
- Of what? - Well, Beverly's
coordinates are just outside Federation space,
so we got con him into changing course
and take us to the border.
Then we'll take a shuttle from there.
Yeah, Captain Shaw's not gonna like that, either.
Captain, you're clear to land on pad six.
- I don't know him. - Yeah,
he's not a friendly face.
The first officer, on the other hand,
I think you'll recognize.
Permission to come aboard, Commander?
Permission granted, sirs.
This is Captain William Riker.
Will, this is Seven of...
Commander Annika Hansen, sir.
Captain Shaw prefers that I use "Hansen," Admiral.
Welcome to the Titan.
All hands prepare to leave space dock at 1930 hours.
Your visit came as quite a surprise,
but I'm sure you'll find everything
up to inspection standards.
Captain Shaw is catching up on some logs at the moment,
but he's requested your presence for dinner tonight.
- Terrific. - If I were you, I'd lower my expectations.
Admiral on the bridge.
And captain on the bridge.
At ease.
Mm-mmm. It's got that new ship smell.
Is there something wrong with that ensign?
Ensign La Forge, eyes on your station.
La Forge?
Sidney LaForge?
It's been a long time, sirs.
Geordi said you always wanted to be a pilot.
Said you were a bit of a speed demon.
Didn't you have a nickname at the Academy?
- Will. - Uh...
I can't recall...
Crash La Forge.
Because you crashed a shuttle.
Uh, I-I was a cadet.
- Twice. - Oh...
Well, it's good to see you again, Ensign.
Comms, get me the dock master.
Control tower reading, Commander.
Space dock, this is Titan. Requesting permission to depart.
Permission granted.
Opening starboard doors.
All hands, prepare to leave space dock.
All hands to your stations.
Sir, awaiting your orders to take us out.
Why don't you do us the honor, Commander Hansen?
Aye, sir.
Helm, you may clear all moorings.
All moorings cleared.
Readings looking good.
Green across the board.
Aft thrusters, one quarter impulse power.
Aye, Commander. Aft thrusters, one quarter impulse power.
All stations, prepare for maximum warp.
All engines online.
Priming deflector shields for warp.
Uh, don't you think we should alert engineering
that we're going to Warp 9.99?
That's no longer protocol
on the newer models of the fleet.
It's all automated now.
Uh, of course.
You're gonna be a captain before you know it, Commander Hansen.
Excellent recovery, Admiral.
Shut it, will.
Metaphasic shields at the ready.
Sensors optimal and standing by for warp.
Engage.
Captain Shaw, sir.
May I present Admiral Jean-Luc Picard
and Captain William Riker.
Gentleman, please, come join.
And Hansen, there really is no need for intros.
I apologize, Captain. Are we late?
Hardly. Just, your reputation preceded you
so far enough into the room that I started early.
Ah.
Well, as a, uh, token of appreciation
for your hospitality, please accept...
Oh, Chateau Picard.
That is... that is terrific.
I'm much more of a Malbec man, myself.
Captain Riker, I take you for
somewhat of a bourbonista.
I enjoy the occasional old fashioned.
What gave you that idea?
All the bebop that I had to purge from the system
when I took the chair.
Speaks to your freewheeling,
loosey-goosey, Kentucky mash kind of style.
- Not a fan of jazz? - Mm.
No, I am not. I like structure.
I like meter. I like keeping tempo and time,
which is why you will probably find this inspection boring
for the likes of you two.
Oh, it's just all in advance of the, uh,
fleet exercises for Frontier Day.
- Oh. - Ensuring the condition
of our starships would be boring?
Well, we won't be blowing things up.
Taking or engaging in fire.
Crash-landing, expectedly or unexpectedly.
You know, the usual for you boys.
Nope.
You will find our engines pristine,
our hull intact, and run your finger along pretty much
any given surface here, you're gonna find it dust-free.
Ah. No doubt, indeed.
Which is why, uh, Captain Riker and I
would like to change course.
- Where? - The Ryton system.
That's at the edge of Federation space
in the opposite direction of our intended course.
Twice the time.
At half warp, double the speed, it's an even split.
And why would we do that?
Bragging rights.
You show the efficiency of the new Titan.
It's a great story for Frontier Day.
It's the, uh, current, former captain
putting it through the paces, running a little coal
through the engines...
And then a final engineering inspection
at Deep Space Four.
DS4's been shut down for a year.
I believe the admiral means DS11. Correct?
Mm, ah.
Yes, of course.
Eleven, yeah.
No.
No?
No.
I have kept this train running
for five years, 36 missions.
You don't get where you're told to go
by standing in front of it and then moving the track.
Respectfully, Captain, I am an admiral.
Retired. Congrats on that.
But I'm still a captain.
Without a chair.
Titan's mine now.
I'm really sorry, fellas.
I love you, I do.
I love reading about all your wildly exciting
and equally irresponsible adventures,
but I have orders that come down
from actual officers whose pay grade
are far above all of ours, so...
request denied.
Sir, I'm sure if I spoke with La Forge,
- we could make up the time. - Hansen.
Your loyalty lies with this ship.
Not to old friends, former ex-Borg.
That's enough, Captain.
Thank you for the parting punctuation.
I'm headed to my quarters.
Hansen, you have the conn.
Gentleman, I hope
you find your room accommodations suitable.
They were the best we could do on such short notice.
That went well.
Every moment that we're not en route
to the Ryton system, my concern for Beverly grows.
How do we pivot?
Short of mutiny? I'm at a loss.
Good morning, sweet girl.
Secure channel open.
So, is my handler here this time,
or are you gonna flake out on me again?
I haven't found anything on the Red Lady.
Not as a buyer or a seller.
Who is she?
Oh, that's really helpful, as usual.
Thanks.
I'm re-requesting a face-to-face to confer.
Look, we both work with Starfleet,
so we can...
Why are we doing this if you can't help me? Huh?
I...
I'm spiraling here.
I've been under for months trying to figure out
who stole these goddamn experimental weapons
from Daystrom Station and why.
The Orion gave me the Red Lady,
but I don't know if it's a person or-or an organization.
But the one thing I do know
is that I spend every second of every day terrified
with the thought that someone is going to use this weapon
to hurt people.
And... and to top it off...
...you have no idea how hard it is to be in this world.
Well. As far as mysterious handlers go,
you're very detail-oriented.
I suspect an imminent attack. Find the Red Lady.
This is utterly humiliating.
Yes, it is.
Reminds me of my cadet days,
only I don't remember having to get up to pee this much.
The last time I saw Beverly,
the way we left it...
it was not on the best of terms.
I never believed for a moment
that it would be over 20 years before we...
None of us did.
What if it's already too late, Will?
SIDNEY [over comm]: Admiral Picard, Captain Riker,
please report to Observation.
Good evening, sirs.
I apologize for interrupting your sleep.
What is it?
Permission to speak freely, sir.
Go ahead.
You're gonna tell me what the hell
you two are really doing here
or I'm about to throw both of you
out an air lock and never look back.
Watch it, Commander.
That how you speak to an admiral?
That's how I speak to a friend.
All right.
I received a coded distress call
from Beverly Crusher, former doctor of the Enterprise.
- I know who she is. - She's wounded.
She said trust no one, including Starfleet.
We didn't want you
to become complicit, jeopardize your career.
My career.
When I was a Ranger, things were much...
...simpler.
Trust my instincts.
Bring justice to an unjust universe. But then you.
You and Janeway convinced me to join Starfleet.
I thought this could be the right path for me.
I thought...
I thought I could...
one day inspire people to follow me, even if it's dangerous.
The way that you do.
I can see that you're struggling.
But I still think
that you're in the right place.
How can I inspire
when all I do is take shit from someone like Shaw?
How am I supposed to just ignore my gut,
ignore my instincts just to follow orders?
If you find that answer,
will you let me know?
'Cause I never did.
Commander, we're dropping out of warp.
Come with me.
Ensign La Forge, viewer on.
You disobeyed orders.
Welcome to the Ryton system, gentlemen.
The edge of Federation space.
We detected a vessel running at the lowest possible power levels
approximately 200 kilometers
inside the nebula's outermost edge.
The nebula's properties are interfering
with our ability to scan for life-forms.
Commander, you understand
the consequences of what you've done for us?
In four minutes-- and I mean four--
the ensign guarding shuttle 3 will be called away.
- Understand? - Got it.
Thank you, Seven.
What the hell is this?
Someone want to tell me what the hell I am looking at?
This is the Ryton system, sir.
Esmar, lock this ship down.
Where the hell are Riker and Picard?
Uh, sir?
We have an unauthorized launch
from Shuttle Bay 3.
Son of a bitch.
I like that Seven.
Mm-hmm.
This was you.
You just loyaltied your way to the end of a career.
I want a full report. The ins and outs
of everything they just did.
Damn it.
Computer, check Red Lady as...
ugh, I don't know... the name of a vessel.
- This will be your 23rd search attempt. - I know.
Red Lady. A vessel docked in the Rigel system.
Red Lady. Former member of the Tal Shiar.
Deceased 210 days ago at the hands of her own father.
Okay.
Maybe... maybe the Red Lady
isn't a buyer or a seller or a...
a ship.
But maybe...
...a target.
Show me all big events coming up in the next few months.
Oh, my God.
Chart a course to District Seven now.
Go!
Computer, engage autopilot and open a channel.
- Autopilot engaged. - District Seven,
I'm requesting to speak with Starfleet personnel.
Starfleet recruitment,
I need to speak with a security official.
I believe you're under imminent threat of a terrorist attack.
I need to speak with someone immediately.
No.
Vessel outside of sensor range.
Hell of a view.
The kind we spent half a lifetime chasing.
And the other half missing the chase.
Will, are you enjoying this?
- Course not. Are you? - Vessel in range of sensors.
Scanning.
Exterior shows phaser scorches, warp core damage.
Some affected systems are running at half power.
Life signs?
The nebula's interfering with the sensors.
I'm picking up one for sure.
Maybe more. It's hard to tell.
I'm uploading Beverly's last known
Starfleet medical profile.
Comparing.
Biosigns identical.
It's her.
Warning. Detecting critical life signs.
Pulse-ox and her respiratory are dangerously low.
She needs help. And whoever's there with her.
Friend or foe?
Please stand by for decontamination cycle.
Adrenaline rush.
From fear or the thought of seeing Beverly?
- Both. - Terrific.
Your hands are stiff, my knees are killing me.
So long as we don't have to move or shoot,
we should be fine.
Decontamination cycle complete.
Ready?
As ever.
♪ I can't stop crying ♪
♪ Over you ♪
♪ Can't think of smiling ♪
♪ Now I'm so sad... ♪
This music.
Huh.
It's a compilation of classics I created for Beverly,
in lieu of wine and roses.
♪ But honey ♪
♪ Now it seems ♪
♪ That our... ♪
- Captain. - Eh?
Old habits.
Here.
Phaser fire.
There must have been two,
maybe three assailants.
♪ You'll come back home... ♪
♪ Can't understand... ♪
That smell.
Delorium gas.
From that breach.
Created a distraction.
Kill shot, straight down.
Cool, efficient.
Doesn't sound like the Beverly I know.
Well, she'd only do that defensively.
Have you ever seen ashes like this from phaser fire?
No.
Very peculiar.
♪ Has flown... ♪
I'll check the bridge.
Beverly.
Number One, she's here.
I am Starfleet Admiral Jean-Luc Picard,
and the man you're holding hostage
is Captain William Riker.
Now lower your weapon.
We're here to help you.
What makes you think I want your help?
Beverly is clearly wounded, and given that the controls
for the med-pod are on the outside,
someone must have helped her inside.
Somebody who cared for her.
Give me that!
I should've realized that Beverly would never
call out halfway across the galaxy
in order to save only herself.
Then who's this?
Her son.
- Warp field destabilized. - Well, chaps, I have to say,
you're doing a piss-poor job of saving anything.
- Proximity alert. Unknown vessel approaching. - No.
You just led them straight to us.
Eleos, warp status.
They found us on Sarnia, we ran.
Then Kaphar, then Exo-Port.
- Each time, they had different faces. - Field off-line.
- Warning, damage to warp core detected. - Damn it!
They must've followed you here.
What the hell is going on?
We're being hunted.
- By whom? - Forward blast doors retracting.
See for yourself.
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