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The Emissary

Looking good.

I'll go five.

Five here.

And five more.

I believe the wiser course of action here is to bend.

You mean fold, Data.

That is correct. Fold: to bend, to make compact, or to capitulate.

I raise 50.

I do not believe Lieutenant Worf understands all the nuances of this betting procedure.

I wouldn't be so quick to judge, Data.

His pile's a lot bigger than yours.

Than any of ours.

The cards have been favoring the Lieutenant, but that is the result of random chance.

Therefore, a temporary situation.

You hope.

Talk or play-- not both.

50, right?

50 is the bet.

What's the matter?

Feet getting cold?

My cards are getting cold.

Here you go.

I'm glad you stayed in. I need the chips.

Talk, talk, talk.

Okay, here's the action.

Fifty.

And another 50.

Ouch.

Fold, fold, fold.

Your 50, and 50 more.

Love to play, but not with these cards.

Looks like it's just us, handsome.

I'll see you.

( La Forge whistles )

Beats my straight.

The iceman wins again.

You took my last chip.

You could at least smile, Worf.

Smiling would break his concentration.

Your deal.

Geordi?

The game is seven-card stud.

After the queen, one-eyed jacks and low card in the hole are wild.

Wait a minute, let me write this down.

I open with 50.

CREWMAN: Bridge to Commander Riker.

We're receiving a class 11 emergency signal from Starfleet Command.

On my way.

50? You were bluffing.

Klingons never bluff.

Yeah, right.

Mr. Data?

Emergency signal reads as follows--

"Enterprise to divert to coordinates 4-2-3

"by 1-1-2 by 5-1 immediately.

Further orders forthcoming."

That's it?

What's the emergency?

The message did not elaborate, sir.

You'd think they'd at least give us a hint.

CLANCY: Course laid in, Captain.

Warp 8.

Whenever Starfleet gets enigmatic,

I know we're about to face a challenge.

Engage.

Space, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

Its continuing mission--

to explore strange new worlds,

to seek out new life and new civilizations,

to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Our destination is a point near the Boradis system.

That area was colonized recently, as I recall.

The first Federation outpost was established 34 years ago on Boradis III.

Since then, the Federation has colonized several planets in that sector.

Yet, we are not headed for a specific colony.

The coordinates given are outside the Boradis system.

Any problems reported in that area?

DATA: None, sir.

What the devil is going on?

WORF: Captain.

Starfleet Command is hailing us.

About time.

On screen.

Greetings, Captain Picard.

My compliments, Admiral Gromek.

Captain, you will soon be joined by a Federation special emissary from Starbase 153.

We are now transmitting the specifics.

We are receiving, sir.

GROMEK: The rendezvous will be a bit tricky, so it is imperative that you reach the intercept point on schedule.

Understood. And the mission?

The envoy will fill you in.

You are to cooperate fully.

Admiral, can you give me any details?

Negative.

Admiral, it's a little difficult to prepare for a mission I know nothing about.

I sympathize, Jean-Luc.

But Starfleet Command considers this a top security matter.

Once the envoy has briefed you,

I think you will understand our caution.

Gromek out.

Data, what ship is transporting the envoy?

DATA: Apparently, there were no starships available on Starbase 153.

The envoy is aboard a class-8 probe.

A class-8 probe is just over two meters long.

Yes, that's true, Number One.

But if the transmitters and the sensors were removed and a life-support system installed, there would be just enough room for one person.

And it is designed to travel at warp 9.

DATA: By sending the probe to meet us rather than diverting the Enterprise, they are saving us 6.1 hours.

Obviously, Starfleet feels that time is of the essence.

But still, to seal someone inside a class-8 probe and launch it off, that's a hell of a way to transport a Federation dignitary.

Coming to 3-1, mark 1-1-3.

We are on a course precisely parallel to the probe, sir.

Increase speed to warp 8.9.

8.9, aye.

Full sensors aft.

Scanning.

Data, if we project our course beyond the rendezvous coordinates, what lies ahead?

As far as I can determine, sir, very little.

There are four colonies in the Boradis system as well as nine other outposts scattered throughout the sector.

I have it, sir. Bearing 0-5, mark 2-3-1.

Velocity, warp 9.

I see it.

Adjust speed to intercept.

Probe is coming up to starboard.

Range 8,200.

Tractor beam ready.

Mr. La Forge?

Transporter ready, Captain.

Range now... 7,500.

Steady as she goes.

Probe is standing abeam.

Engage tractor beam.

O'BRIEN: Transporter beam locked, Captain.

Energize.

Probe aboard, Captain.

Acknowledged. Number One.

I'll welcome our visitor.

Resume original course and speed.

Aye, sir.

All yours, Commander.

Hmm.

Something wrong, Doctor?

I'm not sure.

The readings are quite interesting.

I greet you. I am K'Ehleyr.

nuqneH qalegneS.

You speak Klingon.

A little. I'm Commander William Riker.

This is Chief Medical Officer Katherine Pulaski.

I hope your voyage wasn't too unpleasant.

Klingons are not supposed to mind hardship.

Nonetheless, I am delighted to be out of that damned coffin.

I don't blame you, it's not most luxurious accommodations

Starfleet has to offer.

Whoever said getting there was half the fun never rode in a class-A probe.

How are you feeling?

Your vital signs are rather atypical for a Klingon.

No doubt because I am only half Klingon.

Oh?

Yes, my father was Klingon.

My mother was human.

Captain.

Allow me to present Special Federation Emissary K'Ehleyr.

Welcome aboard. I'm Jean-Luc Picard.

This is Counselor Troi.

Lieutenant Commander Data.

And this is Lieutenant...

Worf.

So, this is where you've been hiding.

I told you we'd meet again.

Aren't you going to greet me?

I have nothing to say to you.

Haven't changed a bit, hmm?

Well, I missed you, too.

Two days ago, Starbase 336 received an automated transmission from a Klingon ship.

The T'Ong.

That ship was sent out over 75 years ago.

When the Federation and the Klingon Empire were still at war.

The message was directed to the Klingon High Command.

It said only that the ship was returning home and was about to reach its awakening point.

Which suggests that the crew had been in cryogenic sleep for that long journey.

Exactly.

And when this crew is revived?

We'll have a ship full of Klingons who think the war is still going on.

So, our task is to find the ship and tell the Klingons they're no longer at war.

RIKER: Why us?

Wouldn't a Klingon ship be a better choice?

A Klingon ship, the P'Rang, is on its way, but it's two days behind us. That may be too late.

Why too late?

RIKER: When the T'Ong crew awakens, it will be within striking range of several Federation outposts.

There are 13 colonies with minimal defenses in that sector.

Nice, ripe targets for a Klingon warship.

And you believe you can convince these Klingons that the humans are now their allies?

No, not a chance.

If you ask me, talking will be a waste of time.

Klingons of that era were raised to despise humans.

We'll try diplomacy, but I promise you, it won't work.

And then, you'll have to destroy them.

No.

No?

Captain, these Klingons are killers.

You'll have no choice.

We shall find another choice.

I want options, and I want them before we encounter the Klingon ship.

Lieutenant...

I'm assigning you to help the emissary.

Dismissed.

I will escort you to the guest quarters.

Captain.

Lieutenant?

Sir, I suggest Commander Riker or Data would better serve Special Emissary K'Ehleyr.

Are there any personal reasons that you don't want the assignment?

Yes.

Any professional reasons?

No.

I withdraw my request, Captain.

Good.

I didn't know it was possible for a human and a Klingon to produce a child.

Actually, the DNA is compatible, with a fair amount of help. Rather like my parents.

I know exactly what you mean.

My father was human, and my mother is a Betazoid.

Really?

It was the other way around for me.

My mother was human.

You must have grown up like I did-- trapped between cultures.

I never felt trapped.

I tried to experience the richness and diversity of the two worlds.

Perhaps you got the best of each.

Myself, I think I got the worst of each.

Oh, I doubt that. Oh, yes.

Having my mother's sense of humor is bad enough.

It's gotten me into plenty of trouble.

And your Klingon side?

That, I keep under tight control.

It's like a terrible temper.

It's not something I want people to see.

Everyone has tempers.

Not like mine.

Sometimes I feel there's a monster inside of me fighting to get out.

And it frightens you.

Of course it does.

My Klingon side can be... terrifying, even to me.

It gives you strength.

It's a part of you.

That doesn't mean I have to like it.

You are late.

Sorry.

Had to make myself beautiful.

I fail to understand why.

Worf, we're alone now.

You don't have to act like a Klingon glacier.

I don't bite.

Well, that's wrong...

I do bite.

Shall we proceed with our assigned duties?

You weren't this aloof six years ago.

Or don't you remember?

There is nothing wrong with my memory.

Well, there's something wrong with the rest of you.

You're not even looking at me.

I'm familiar with your appearance.

And it gives you no pleasure to see me again.

It isn't as if we tried it and it didn't work, you know.

You never gave it a chance.

I never?

I mean, as I see it, we have some... unfinished business, you and I.

Not as far as I'm concerned.

According to the library computer, the Captain of the T'Ong is K'Temoc.

But there is nothing regarding the ship's mission.

Probably some secret military objective.

Perhaps, but we have no evidence of that.

Why else would there be no record of the mission?

The records may simply have been lost.

What does it matter?

Our concern is the present. The possible threat.

And to contend with that threat, we need information.

We have all the information we need.

That is foolish.

Knowing their mission might help us understand them.

There is nothing to understand.

These are Klingons! They'll attack.

In their minds, we're the enemy.

And there's no way we're going to talk them out of that.

And I do not appreciate being interrupted.

And I do not appreciate wasting my time.

We were instructed to come up with options.

There aren't any, the assignment's hopeless.

There are always options.

Oh, are there?

Tell me, whatever happened to that wonderful Klingon fatalism of yours?

My experiences aboard this ship have taught me most problems have more than one solution.

Starfleet hasn't improved you one bit.

You're as stubborn as ever.

Are you going to carry out your duties or aren't you?

All right, I will.

Upon due consideration of the problem and careful examination of all possible options, my original recommendation stands.

Meeting adjourned.

( screaming )

( door chime )

( groans ) Come.

You're upset.

Your finely honed Betazoid sense tell you that?

Well, that and the table.

( chuckles )

I warned you about my Klingon half.

May I make a suggestion?

I thank you, Counselor, but I don't want any counseling.

Actually, I was going to suggest something else.

Oh?

I find the exercise programs on the holodeck rigorous enough to take my mind off most frustrations.

And it'll keep me from wrecking the ship.

That, too.

( chuckling )

COMPUTER: Enter program.

Show me the exercise menu.

Hold.

Calisthenics program of Lieutenant Worf.

Program complete. You may enter when ready.

( screeching yowls )

Status, Mr. Data?

Based on the last assumed position of the Klingon vessel, its apparent trajectory, and our estimates of their cruising speed, WORF: I relieve you. we should be within scanner range in 15 hours, 8 minutes.

Lieutenant?

Special Emissary K'Ehleyr has... declared a short recess, sir.

I wish to run a full diagnostic test on all tactical backup equipment.

We just ran a full test on those systems.

I feel it necessary to check them again.

Lieutenant.

Lieutenant, I commend your diligence.

However, I'm concerned that you're working yourself too hard.

Sir, considering the unknown elements we're about to face--

Lieutenant, I order you to relax.

I am relaxed.

Yes, sir.

I've never before seen the Lieutenant so unsettled.

The iceman's finally melting.

( computer beeping )

( screeching )

( screechy grunts )

( growls )

( yells )

( screeching )

( panting )

It's not much of a program.

Computer.

( beeping )

Level Two.

( screeching )

( growling )

( trumpeting bellow )

( growls )

( grunting )

( trumpeting )

( bellowing yell )

( yells )

( grunts )

( sniffing )

( growls )

Some calisthenics programs are better than others.

You still can make jokes?

You don't like people with a sense of humor.

I did not say that.

Worf, you're the perfect Klingon-- the ultimate minimalist.

Talk to me.

I've noted that some people use humor as a shield.

They talk much, yet say little.

Whereas others take a simpler approach.

Say nothing.

When one does not have the words.

Or is loath to speak them.

( sighs )

Why didn't we do this six years ago?

We were not ready.

I was.

No, we were both too young, too unaware.

We lacked commitment.

Perhaps we lacked courage as well.

No longer.

TlhIngan jiH.

Wait. You can't mean--

We are mated.

Yes, I know. I was there. But--

And now, we must solemnize our union with the oath.

I am not going to become your wife.

You already are.

Don't give me that Klingon nonsense.

You would dishonor our sacred traditions?

( scoffs ) They're not sacred.

They're absurd.

Marrying you is out of the question for a million reasons.

None of which stopped you earlier.

Worf, it was what it was-- glorious and wonderful and all that-- but it doesn't mean anything.

That is a human attitude.

I am human!

You are also Klingon.

So, that means we should bond for life?

It is our way.

Yours. Not mine.

TlhIngan jiH.

I will not take the oath.

Then this night had no meaning, and that I will not believe.

Believe what you will.

( holodeck doors open and close )

Approaching the coordinates.

Slow to impulse.

Short and long-range sensor scans negative, Captain.

Lay in a standard search pattern.

Search pattern laid in.

Full impulse. Engage.

I hope we find them before they come out of their nap.

Agreed.

There's not an outpost in this area that could defend itself from a Klingon warship.

I've been working on our assignment, trying a few computer simulations.

Your devotion to duty is commendable, if belated.

Unwilling to be alone with me?

I asked Commander Data to help us analyze the alternatives.

An android chaperone?

"Android," of course, is correct, but I fail to see how "chaperone" is applicable to this situation.

Never mind.

I guess I can't blame you.

Tell me one thing.

You would have gone through with the oath, wouldn't you?

Regardless of the consequences to our careers, to our lives?

Honor demanded no less.

What do you want?

Is honor all you care about?

Don't you feel anything else?

No comment, huh?

Poor android.

Whose behavior do you find more perplexing, human... or Klingon?

At the moment, I would find it difficult to choose.

So would I.

Okay, when we locate the T'Ong, there are two possibilities. First...

We find the ship before it reaches the awakening point.

In that case, we simply keep the crew asleep.

Is that feasible?

We can beam an away team over to the T'Ong and override their cryogenic controls, sure.

That way, we simply await the arrival of the Klingon ship P'Rang.

So that when the T'Ong's crew awakens, they're surrounded by their fellow Klingons.

That would be ideal.

But there's the second possibility that the crew of the T'Ong has already revived.

They realize they're in Federation territory, and attack the nearest outpost.

They could have been on a scientific voyage.

Klingons of that era doing research for its own sake?

The point is, they may be reasonable.

The point is that this is beside the point.

These are Klingons at war with us.

Whatever their mission was, once they see a Federation target, they'll attack.

Could the T'Ong be disabled rather than destroyed?

We could probably knock out their warp drive engines without damaging the rest of the ship.

That would gain you nothing. Disable the ship, and K'Temoc will destroy it himself.

Klingons do not surrender.

If we don't reach the T'Ong before its crew wakes up, you have no alternatives.

I can't accept that.

There must be some way that we can make the Klingons listen.

If we could only convince them--

DATA: Captain, we are detecting a ship bearing 3-1-6, mark 4-2.

Extreme sensor range.

Lay an intercept course. Go to Yellow Alert.

Shields are up.

Better lock in phasers.

This may be the only chance you get.

Intercept course laid in.

Hold this position. Let's see if they've spotted us.

Magnification 100.

Mr. Data?

Sensors show life-forms aboard, but I am unable to ascertain whether they are awake or dormant.

However, their propulsion system is inactive, so I would hypothesize that the crew is asleep.

( alarm blaring )

However, I could be in error.

Shields holding.

They've cloaked themselves.

Well, Captain... you've had your chance.

Transferring Engineering to the Bridge.

Can you find them?

I think so. Those old shields weren't particularly efficient at blocking gamma ray output.

If I can tune the sensors to a particular band of...

There, got them.

Transferring coordinates to helm.

Intercept, warp 2.

CLANCY: Warp 2, sir.

Captain, let them die like Klingons-- in battle.

They deserve that much.

Captain.

I have another option.

Captain's log, stardate 42901.3.

Despite their cloaking shields,

we have located the Klingon vessel T'Ong.

In an effort to avoid further confrontation,

we're about to implement the option

presented by Lieutenant Worf.

The T'Ong has changed course to 3-2, mark 8-1.

Increasing to warp 3.

Standard evasive maneuver.

Helm, stay with them.

Yes, sir.

The T'Ong is now on a heading of 4-2, mark 1-1-3.

They are accelerating to warp 5.

They're gonna make a break for it.

Mmm. Overtake. Warp 8.

Aye.

Now, put us right in their path and come to a full stop.

Full power to shields.

CREWMAN: Full power, sir.

Well, we've thrown down the gauntlet.

Let's see if they pick it up.

They are slowing to impulse, sir.

Phaser hit on forward shields.

Firming up now, no damage.

I guess we've piqued their interest now.

Agreed.

Let's give them a chance to look their enemy in the face.

Ready, Lieutenant?

WORF: Open hailing frequencies.

CREWMAN: Open, sir.

What?

What is this?

Captain K'Temoc, have you lost your mind?

Halt your vessel and drop your shields.

What treachery is this? By whose authority?

I am Worf, commanding the Enterprise, and it is you who have committed an act of treason by firing on this vessel.

I have standing orders to fire on all Federation ships.

You fool!

Did it not occur to you that the war would be over by now?

I have no proof of that.

Trust your eyes.

Or is your brain still stuck in its long slumber?

How do I know this is not a Federation trick?

How can I be sure?

Captain, as you are new to this century,

I have tried to be patient.

But I will tolerate no further insubordination.

Drop your shields immediately.

And if I refuse?

Then die in ignorance.

I can waste no more time on you.

Phasers to full power.

CREWMAN: Aye, sir.

Phasers ready. Target locked.

You dare not destroy us.

We are on a crucial mission for the Klingon High Command.

Has the T'Ong dropped its shields?

CREWMAN: No, sir.

Very well, fire all phasers.

Wait!

Lower the shields.

I yield command of the T'Ong to you, Captain Worf.

Long live the Klingon Empire.

A wise decision, Captain.

Commander K'Ehleyr will board your vessel and take command.

The Klingon cruiser P'Rang will soon arrive and escort you home.

And, Captain...

Yes?

Welcome to the 24th century.

I return command of the ship to you, Captain.

Thank you, Lieutenant. Congratulations.

A very fine first command. Well done.

How did you like command?

Comfortable chair.

And you wore it well.

One to beam aboard the T'Ong.

All set.

I relieve you.

But...

Yes, Lieutenant.

The Klingon vessel P'Rang will rendezvous with you in three days.

In the meantime, I'll begin the assimilation of these Klingons to our era.

Is there anything else you require?

No.

Nothing else.

Damn you, Worf.

You'd let me go without saying another word, wouldn't you?

What needs to be said?

Nothing. Everything.

We're about to go our separate ways again.

And that disturbs you?

I hid the truth from you.

Last night did have meaning.

I was tempted to take the oath with you.

That scared me.

I've never had such strong feelings toward anyone.

Nor have I.

Then it was more than just a point of honor.

Maybe someday, when our paths cross again...

I won't be so easy to get rid of.

K'Ehleyr...

I will not be complete without you.

( console controls beep )