Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994): Season 3, Episode 3 - The Survivors - full transcript
Responding to a distress call from Rana IV, a Federation colony under attack from an unknown alien ship, the Enterprise finds the surface of the planet destroyed, except the house and lot of one couple, Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge, who refuse to be evacuated, but why were they spared by the mysterious alien enemy? Their music box's melody haunts telepath Deanna Troi pathologically. After Lieutenant Worf stakes his reputation of thoroughness on his search as to the enemy ship being gone, it suddenly appears; Captain Picard decides not to follow it but return to Rana IV, where Rishon overcomes Kevin's reluctance to welcome them, even bearing a most useful matter replicator, he is an extreme pacifist. After an even stronger starship knocks their shields out, Picard takes surprising action...
PICARD:
Captain's log, stardate 43152.4.
We are cautiously entering
the Delta Rana star system,
three days after receiving
a distress call
from the Federation colony
on its fourth planet.
The garbled transmission reported
the colony under attack
from an unidentified spacecraft.
Our mission is one of rescue
and, if necessary,
confrontation with a hostile force.
- Shields up, maximum strength.
- Shields up.
[BEEPING]
Sensors do not indicate the presence
of any armed space vehicles
operating within the Rana system.
They could be cloaked
or otherwise shielded.
Mr. Crusher, bring us in well clear
of the planet's three moons.
WESLEY: Aye, sir.
DATA: Captain,
we are not receiving
Rana IV's call sign.
Open a frequency
to colony operations.
No response.
Rana IV is emissions quiet.
Captain, there are 11,000 inhabitants
in this colony.
At this range,
I should be sensing something.
I'm not.
Mr. Data,
put the planet on the main viewer.
Magnify.
My God.
Helm, put us in high equatorial orbit.
Scan for survivors.
Sensors are scanning 90 degrees
of longitude as we orbit.
I am detecting no bodies of water,
no vegetation, no artificial structures.
Life-form readings are negative.
- Could the colonists have escaped?
DATA: That is highly unlikely.
Rana IV possessed
no interstellar spacecraft.
Who would cause devastation
on that order?
[BEEPING]
WESLEY:
Hold it.
Captain, I've got something here.
Thirty-seven degrees north
and sixty-two degrees east.
It's a structure.
- Life?
- Two life-forms, possibly human.
Put that area on the main viewer
and magnify.
The structure is located at the center
of the vegetation, sir.
An entire planet obliterated,
except for a few acres of trees
and grass and one building?
- It must be some kind of illusion.
DATA: Negative.
It is as you see it.
Number One,
I think you had better see
who's at home.
PICARD:
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.
If they're the only survivors
of a nuclear holocaust,
they can't be in very good shape.
I understand. Counselor?
What I sense of them is human.
And something else?
TROI:
It's difficult to explain.
I feel there's something different
about these two people.
I'm sorry, I can't be clearer than that.
[DOOR OPENS]
- We're ready.
- Good luck, Number One.
Energize.
RIKER:
Geordi, what can you tell me?
The house is a typical settlement
structure with adaptations.
It's thermal properties all seem
to conform to known materials.
If there are any indicators as to why
this particular area has remained intact,
I cannot detect them.
Worf? The interior of the house?
There is one individual located
at the south end of the house.
The other toward the north.
There is a weapon.
A low-yield phaser, non-functional,
in proximity to the front-room
individual.
I guess a frontal assault
is unwarranted. Stay here.
I think I'll try an old-fashioned
knock at the door.
Commander, wait. There's something
that's sealed under the surface--
[RIKER YELLS]
[RIKER GRUNTS]
MAN: What are you doing there?
This is private property.
Who are you people?
I'm Commander William Riker
of the USS Enterprise.
Crew members.
May I come down and approach you?
You leave him right where he is.
Should I incapacitate him,
commander?
No.
We're a rescue party.
We picked up your colony's
distress call,
and we came as fast as we could.
Kevin.
Kevin, what are you doing?
Can't you see they're here to help us?
Can't you see they're human?
Go back in the house, Rishon.
This could be some kind of a trick.
Oh. We had almost given up hope.
We were afraid maybe the whole
Federation had been attacked.
What about the colony?
Do you know of any other survivors?
It's been days since we've seen
or heard from anybody.
No, don't.
Don't tell me that we're the only ones.
They came in a spaceship so big
you could see it in orbit.
They took our world apart
piece by piece.
Who?
We don't know.
We never saw their faces.
You don't know where they
came from? Where they are now?
I guess they've gone away.
[RISHON GASPS]
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm only performing a physical.
Could I have your names, please,
just for the record?
I am Rishon Uxbridge,
and this is my husband, Kevin.
Botanists. Originally from
the aquatic city New Martim Vaz,
in Earth's Atlantic Ocean.
Residents of the Rana IV colony
for five years.
You, madam, are 82 years of age,
and a composer
of Tao-classical music.
You, sir, are 85 years of age,
and a specialist in symbiotic plant life.
You have been married for 53 years.
I memorized the colony registrar
on the way to Rana IV,
in the event that such information
would be needed.
Is something wrong?
With your permission,
I'd like to look inside of the house.
Why?
Uh, what could interest you in there?
Mr. Uxbridge,
as far as we've been able to determine,
you and your wife and this house
are all that survived that attack.
Now, that's either
a bizarre coincidence, or by design.
And I don't favor
the coincidence theory.
Are you saying that
we were kept alive intentionally?
- Yes.
- I don't understand.
You don't think Rishon and I did
something that merits survival, do you?
I mean, betrayed the others?
I'm not accusing you of anything,
Mr. Uxbridge.
The attacking force spared you
for some reason.
We'd like to know why.
Now, may I go inside?
I'll make everyone a nice cup of tea.
We have lovely tea here on Rana.
It grows wild, almost every...
Sir.
May I say your attempt
to hold the away team at bay
with a non-functioning weapon
was an act of unmitigated gall.
Didn't fool you, huh?
I admire gall.
RISHON:
Go ahead. Pick it up.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
It's a music box.
It's been in my family for generations.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
There's nothing unusual
about this house.
Except the fact that it's here.
What about them?
They are in reasonably good health.
Both show signs of stress,
which is understandable
considering what they've been through.
Somehow they're different.
Let's get back to the ship.
We'll take them with us.
Excuse me, Mrs. Uxbridge,
we've gotta return to our ship now.
RISHON: But I haven't finished
fixing your tea, commander.
I'm sorry, but we've finished here.
Now, I can allow time for you
and Kevin to pack.
What do you mean, pack?
You're not thinking
of taking us with you, are you?
Surely you don't wanna remain here.
How could you take care
of yourselves?
Kevin, I can't leave my home.
Don't let them do this to us.
No one's going to make us leave.
RIKER:
You'll be protected on our ship.
You could still be in danger
here on Rana.
Commander,
we appreciate your concern,
but we're not going anywhere.
We'll manage. We always have.
All right.
I can't make you come with us.
Are you familiar with one of these?
We'll be in the system
for the next several days at least.
If you reconsider, please contact us.
We'll be fine, commander.
We have each other.
Are they collaborators?
Did they provide the colony's
assailants with something
that abetted the total destruction
of Rana IV
in order to protect their own lives?
What could two botanists
in their 80s possess
that could possibly aid
whoever attacked the planet?
We don't know
what their enemy needed, doctor.
Love, fear, hope?
[MUSIC PLAYS]
LA FORGE: Maybe they're being
held hostage in some fashion.
CRUSHER: No, nothing
in the tricorder readings
indicated they were under
that kind of stress.
PICARD:
Counselor?
[MUSIC STOPS]
Counselor Troi?
I'm sorry.
Um, I don't sense them well enough.
Number One, you say the couple
is incapable of sustaining themselves?
There's a fusion reactor in the house
good for another five years of power,
but their water table is tainted.
And they have nothing to feed
themselves except for a small garden.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
- They won't come to the ship?
- No, they were adamant about it.
Well, we'll do what we can for them.
[VOICES FADE
AND MUSIC GROWS LOUDER]
In the meantime,
I want them kept under surveillance.
[MUSIC STOPS]
I'm sorry. I'm not feeling very well.
I'd like to go to my quarters.
- By all means.
- Is there anything I can do?
WORF:
Captain.
A search of the Ranian system
has determined
that the hostile force that attacked
this planet is no longer present.
I remember a Starfleet admiral
once saying the same thing
about some renegade Andorians
in the Triangular system.
It turns out that they had dismantled
their ship and hidden it.
Those Andorians
did not have to contend
with someone of my thoroughness.
I will stake my reputation.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
Don't listen.
Think of something else.
Ah. Stop. Please stop.
[DOOR CHIMES]
[MUSIC STOPS]
Yes?
I was concerned.
I came to see if I could be of any help.
I'm fine.
There's nothing wrong.
I'm just tired, that's all.
Now, I may not have your gifts
at reading emotions, counselor,
but I can tell when someone is in pain
and hiding it.
It's so silly.
I hear music in my mind.
Music that won't stop.
Perhaps it's a symptom of fatigue.
We've all been afflicted,
one time or another,
with that melody that won't go away.
No. It's deeper than that.
The song doesn't stop for an instant.
It plays in perfect clarity
from beginning to end,
over and over again.
I don't even know what song it is.
I never heard it before.
When did this start?
A few hours ago, while the away team
was on the surface.
I was trying to...
I was thinking of Rishon and Kevin.
Rishon and Kevin? And?
I can't explain it, captain.
They're elusive.
They're...
I'm so-- I'm sorry.
Well, try and rest.
Take the necessary
sleep inducements if you have to.
[ALARM WAILING]
Data, give us a visual.
Magnification factor 50.
WESLEY:
Look at the size of that.
Now, where did that come from?
Apparently,
it was riding a Lagrange point,
hiding behind Rana [V's
furthest moon.
My vehicle-classification index
can put no identity to it.
- Its design is completely foreign.
RIKER: But that's our boy.
Approximately five times our mass
and carrying enough armament
to pulverize a planet.
Lieutenant?
I, uh, cannot explain this, captain.
RIKER: It's heading for the planet.
- Hailing frequencies.
Open.
Mr. Data,
ask them to identify themselves
and match our orbit.
They have received the message,
captain, but are ignoring it.
Maximum shields.
Ready all weapon systems.
Aye, sir.
RIKER: It's assuming an attack
posture. Don't be surprised if--
The vessel is firing jacketed streams
of positrons and anti-protons.
Equivalent fire power, 40 megawatts.
Shields are holding.
[VESSEL FIRING]
Again, 40 megawatts. No damage.
If that's the best they can do,
this should last about five minutes.
Mr. Worf, let's raise our voice a little.
Fire phasers, just a warning shot.
Mr. Data, invite them to stand to.
The vessel has assumed a position
outside of the Rana system,
and it is rapidly increasing velocity.
Helm, initiate pursuit.
Aye, sir.
The vessel has reached warp 2
and continues on a steady
acceleration curve.
We're not getting any closer.
Give us a superior curve,
Mr. Crusher.
Warp 3, warp 4.
The warship continues to match
our acceleration curve
simultaneously, point for point.
Warp 4.5, warp 5, warp 5.5.
Riker to La Forge. Give us everything
you can to close that gap, Geordi.
Yes, sir.
I'll get you to 9.37 in 15 seconds.
Warp 8.75, warp 9.
The warship continues to match
our acceleration curve perfectly.
Number One, I have the distinct
impression that we're being toyed with.
- Take us back to Rana IV.
- Back?
We have unfinished business there.
I need to have a talk
with those two people.
You have the Bridge.
Reduce speed.
Bring us around on a return course.
This one's getting away.
Good afternoon.
I'm sorry if I startled you.
I'm Jean-Luc Picard,
captain of the Enterprise.
I have brought you something
you will need
if you're going to stay on Rana IV.
It's a matter replicator.
It has limited capabilities, but--
Thank you,
but we have no use for such a thing.
It will provide you with clothing,
food and clean water.
Lieutenant Worf will demonstrate
its operation.
- We don't need it.
- Kevin, you know we do.
Thank you, captain.
Kevin and I were about to have
afternoon tea.
You and Mr. Worf must join us.
I'd like that very much.
Rishon, they only wanna spy on us
like this morning.
Kevin Uxbridge, I have never turned
anyone away from this house,
and I'm not going to start now.
- Captain?
- Thank you.
Stop! Stop!
[MUSIC PLAYS]
Please, I'll do anything. Make it stop!
[TROI SOBBING]
Please.
Hey, I'm here to help.
It's so loud. It's getting louder.
Please, I can't stand it. Make it stop.
Move her to the bed.
This will help you relax.
I hear it.
It's still there. It's so loud.
- Take her to Sickbay.
- No.
I wanna stay in my quarters.
- I can get you to sleep.
- I don't wanna sleep.
The music will only follow me.
I can induce delta sleep.
Lock out even your deepest dreams.
It's not a dream. It's real.
Kevin and I first met each other
on a ship at sea.
He was a starving student
with this threadbare suit
and mismatched shoes.
I was traveling with my parents,
who did not like the way
that he kept hanging around.
Two hours after I met him,
I asked him to marry me.
And he knew I was serious.
I don't think that he has ever recovered
from that day.
[WORF SLURPING]
Well, what do you think, Mr. Worf?
Good tea.
Nice house.
Why did you leave the Earth and come
to a brand-new planet when you did?
You mean at our age.
Well, we thought that it might
make us fall in love all over again.
It worked.
Must have been terrible when
the colony was fighting for its life.
RISHON:
Yes, it was.
Fires lit the sky.
There was thunder,
this unbelievable thunder.
The ground never stopped shaking.
And yet you survived.
We don't know why we survived
and the others didn't.
I've tried to put some purpose to it,
but I can't.
I was wondering, captain, when you
and your ship would be leaving.
I don't have an answer for that.
A few hours ago,
we encountered a warship,
possibly the one that attacked you.
We forced it to leave the system,
but we were not able to affect it
otherwise.
It could return.
Kevin, you said it had gone away.
I guess I was wrong.
Now, don't worry. It didn't hurt us
before, it won't hurt us now.
Do you know that for a fact, Kevin?
No, but I don't enjoy seeing
my wife frightened.
We've told you time and time again,
we don't know why we were spared.
But there had to be some reason.
In some way, you were different
from the other colonists.
Your geographical location,
your philosophical beliefs.
The color of your eyes.
In some way,
you were set apart from them.
There was a difference.
I'm a man of special conscience.
All the others did what they could.
I chose not to fight.
Mm.
Well, that is your protected right.
But I can assure you, the attacking ship
had no way of realizing this.
I expected to die like all the others.
There is no reason for you
and your ship to remain, captain.
We can manage without you.
Kevin grieved for the others,
captain, but he did nothing.
He is a very gentle man.
You must understand that.
What about you, Rishon?
Is that how you feel?
I wanted to fight,
but I stayed with my husband.
Well, captain, uh,
thank you again for the replicator.
I better clean up now.
Before we leave, I ask you
one more time to come to the ship.
For your own safety.
Captain, I am frightened,
but I can't leave Rana.
Even if it means my life.
[BEEPING]
I don't understand it.
I've inhibited almost all the activity
of the neocortex,
and she continues to behave
as if she's hearing the music.
We're going to have to shield her from
all outside stimuli by inducing coma.
[ALARM WAILING]
I have a positive identification,
commander.
It is the vessel
that attacked us earlier.
It is re-entering the system
at high velocity
and is approaching Rana IV.
Give us a tight visual, Data.
Is it my imagination
or does it look a lot meaner this time?
Shields up, weapons ready.
Our friend is back.
I'm not surprised.
Mr. Worf, open a hailing frequency.
Warn the vessel
to stay clear of the planet.
Aye, sir. But they are already
within firing range.
Shields are down.
Captain, they hit us with 400 gigawatts
of particle energy.
- Damage?
WORF: Superficial.
But I'm having trouble
reassembling the shields.
[VESSEL FIRES]
Shields down.
There's thermal damage to the hull.
The warship is capable of striking us
with far more powerful bursts.
They're maneuvering to come between
the Enterprise and Rana IV.
Number One, we have been exemplary
in our patience.
Lieutenant Worf, fire phasers on full
with a simultaneous spread
of torpedoes.
[ENTERPRISE FIRING]
The vessel appears undamaged, sir.
Its defenses are apparently able
to absorb incoming matter and energy.
Commence rapid fire
with all weapons on full.
[ALARM WAILING]
Shields down.
Internal damage.
Weapons systems control
has been lost.
Riker to Sickbay,
medical assistance to the Bridge.
MAN [OVER COM]:
On our way, commander.
Mr. Crusher, move the Enterprise
out of range of the attacking vessel.
WESLEY:
Aye, sir.
PICARD:
Mr. Worf?
The vessel has terminated its pursuit.
It is assuming an orbit
around Rana IV.
Kevin and Rishon.
We can't help them.
But it's my guess
they're in no danger.
Can you help her?
CRUSHER:
I've done everything I can.
I don't understand the nature
of this music she says she's hearing,
nor where it's coming from.
- Could it be telepathic?
CRUSHER: Yes.
But I'm not the expert
in determining that.
They're blocking her sensitivity.
They're stopping her
from seeing the truth.
CRUSHER:
Who's stopping her?
- Kevin and Rishon.
CRUSHER: What?
They wanted us to leave Rana IV,
and that's exactly what we're doing.
- Picard to Bridge.
RIKER [OVER COM]: Yes, captain.
Number One, I want you to maintain
this course for another hour,
and then turn the Enterprise around
and take it back to Rana IV.
We still won't have our shields
restored by then.
Take it back, Number One.
And this time,
nothing is going to lure us away.
Sir, sensors indicate no spacecraft
in the vicinity of Rana IV. But, captain--
Forget your previous error, Mr. Worf.
There is no way
you could have prevented it.
Captain, the Uxbridge house
is coming into transporter range.
Mr. Worf, will you accompany me
to the Transporter Room?
- You have the Bridge, Number One.
- I think you should reconsider.
That warship has come after us twice.
It could come back.
I disagree, Number One.
I don't think it knows we're here.
I think that it believes
that it has run us off for good.
However, that will all change
once I'm back onboard.
- Sir?
- It's protecting Kevin and Rishon.
It responds to their wishes.
Indirectly or directly, I'm not sure.
But that's what I'm gonna
put to the test.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
Celebrating?
KEVIN:
What are you doing here?
What do you want?
This is the second time that you have
shown surprise at my appearance.
The first time was understandable,
but now?
Unless it is because
you never expected to see me again.
Why do you keep interfering
with our lives, captain?
It is not my intention to interfere.
Only to help you and Rishon.
Then please, leave us alone.
I promise you that when I leave this
house, I will never set foot in it again.
But the Enterprise will remain in orbit
over the planet.
- Why?
PICARD: To protect you.
That's not necessary.
I thought you understood.
It is necessary.
You're in grave danger.
The warship has returned.
- Kevin.
- He's lying, Rishon.
PICARD: We have fought
a pitched battle with it and lost.
Many of my crew have been injured,
including a woman whose mind
is being slowly destroyed
by telepathic manipulation.
- No. Please, no.
- This is a form of intimidation.
I have my rights.
Your rights?
What about Rishon?
Is she in favor of being left here?
Come to the Enterprise.
Let me take you
where you'll be safe.
No.
I can't leave Kevin.
I'm staying.
She's safe here with me,
in this house.
Why are you safe?
Why is this house a sanctuary?
Does it have to do with you?
With your refusal to fight?
Tell me this.
If Rishon were in danger,
would you Kill to save her life?
No. Not for her. Not for anyone.
- I will not kill.
- Please stop hurting him.
Captain, leave our house.
It is my sworn duty to protect you.
The Enterprise will remain in orbit
around Rana IV
as long as the two of you are alive.
Number One. An update, please.
Little change, captain.
Our shields are still inoperable.
We have partial control
of our weapons,
and I've doubled the repair crews.
The warship is approaching
from high orbit.
- It is very close, 300,000 kilometers.
- How's that possible?
- Something wrong with the sensors?
- That's no concern, Number One.
It's here,
and it's precisely on schedule.
The vessel has altered its course
to a direct intercept with the Enterprise.
Worf, arm phasers
and photon torpedoes. Prepare to fire.
Belay those orders, Mr. Worf.
The vessel is now within
20,000 kilometers of the Enterprise
- and closing.
PICARD: Let it come.
Let it come.
Activate the main viewer.
Evasive action, sir?
The Enterprise will hold its position,
Mr. Worf.
- Weapons, sir?
- On my orders, not before.
The vessel is entering a low orbit
around Rana IV.
It appears to be preparing to fire
at the planet, captain.
Understood.
My calculations indicate
that its target is the house
of Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge.
There will be no interference from us,
Mr. Data.
[BEEPING]
The house has been obliterated.
Scan for survivors.
There are no survivors.
Mr. Worf,
prepare a photon torpedo.
Fire at the enemy vessel
when ready.
Aye, sir.
[ENTERPRISE FIRING]
Number One,
what reason does the Enterprise have
for remaining at Rana?
The unknown vessel
has been destroyed.
The Uxbridges have been destroyed.
There's no reason
for the Enterprise to remain.
Good.
Helm, move us into higher orbit
so that we may keep the surface
of the planet under surveillance.
Aye, sir.
But, captain,
what are we watching for?
Anything. Everything.
I'll be in my Ready Room
if I'm needed.
That will be all for now.
[DOOR CHIMES]
Come.
May I speak with you, captain?
It's my pleasure, Number One.
We've been observing this planet
very carefully for three hours.
We've seen nothing.
I have the feeling you're waiting
for something to happen.
[PICARD SIGHS]
Your captain is acting
on an assumption, Will.
And I'm not sure
what the result will be,
or even that my assumption
is correct.
We found two people alive
in a house on a devastated planet.
But...
...there was only one survivor
of the war on Rana IV.
Why is it we maintain watch
on a planet that is now totally dead?
[BEEPING]
Bridge to Captain Picard.
You'd better come see this.
Captain, commander,
the house is back.
Trees, grass, everything.
Happened right in front of us.
Mr. Worf, do you see any survivors?
I detect two life-forms
inside the house.
It appears Kevin and Rishon
were not destroyed.
Helm,
take us within transporter range.
We're gonna beam them aboard
directly onto the Bridge.
But, captain, will they not protest?
Let them.
My apologies if I interrupted a waltz.
Why have you brought us here
against our will?
I want to end the suffering
of one of my crew members.
I don't understand.
Kevin does.
He's the cause.
At first, I couldn't understand
why your house survived the holocaust
when the others hadn't.
Then it occurred to me.
It had been destroyed.
That dwelling
where you served me tea,
where you danced your waltzes,
is a reproduction.
Real to the touch,
but capable of being created,
destroyed and created.
All on a whim.
You're joking with us, captain.
Can't you see
this is hurting my husband?
Rishon,
hear what he has to say.
PICARD:
More than anything else,
you wanted the Enterprise
away from Rana,
because the house, the plot of land,
your very existence were incongruities
that you were not prepared to explain.
The warship, another re-creation,
tried to chase us away twice,
and failed.
But when I came to your house
a second time,
I provided you with the only condition
that would make the Enterprise leave.
Your deaths.
You did your best to satisfy
that condition.
I'm deeply sorry about the woman.
I will help her.
But I must know what you intend
to do with me afterwards.
You'll be taken to the nearest starbase
and held responsible
for the attack on the Enterprise
and possibly the deaths
of 11,000 people.
No.
He never killed anyone.
The destruction of the planet
happened just as I told you.
PICARD: But you haven't told us
the whole story.
How it ended.
The part about Rishon.
What is he saying?
Rishon, I can touch you.
I can hear your voice.
I can smell your perfume.
In every respect, you are a real person
with your own mind
and beliefs.
But you do not exist.
You died along with the others,
defending the colony.
He re-created you,
just as he re-created the house.
You are the only living thing
that really exists on Rana.
And though you look human,
you're not.
- He's in the turbolift.
PICARD: Let him go.
Captain, he is dangerous.
So dangerous, Mr. Worf,
that he could have destroyed us
in an instant had he wished.
Track him.
Alert the crew to keep clear of him.
I want him to understand
we mean him no harm.
Will he return to the planet?
If he is the creature of conscience
I believe him to be,
he has someone to help first.
I've taken the music from her mind.
She's all right now.
She's sleeping.
She was beginning to sense
who I really was.
Captain's log, stardate 43152.4.
We are cautiously entering
the Delta Rana star system,
three days after receiving
a distress call
from the Federation colony
on its fourth planet.
The garbled transmission reported
the colony under attack
from an unidentified spacecraft.
Our mission is one of rescue
and, if necessary,
confrontation with a hostile force.
- Shields up, maximum strength.
- Shields up.
[BEEPING]
Sensors do not indicate the presence
of any armed space vehicles
operating within the Rana system.
They could be cloaked
or otherwise shielded.
Mr. Crusher, bring us in well clear
of the planet's three moons.
WESLEY: Aye, sir.
DATA: Captain,
we are not receiving
Rana IV's call sign.
Open a frequency
to colony operations.
No response.
Rana IV is emissions quiet.
Captain, there are 11,000 inhabitants
in this colony.
At this range,
I should be sensing something.
I'm not.
Mr. Data,
put the planet on the main viewer.
Magnify.
My God.
Helm, put us in high equatorial orbit.
Scan for survivors.
Sensors are scanning 90 degrees
of longitude as we orbit.
I am detecting no bodies of water,
no vegetation, no artificial structures.
Life-form readings are negative.
- Could the colonists have escaped?
DATA: That is highly unlikely.
Rana IV possessed
no interstellar spacecraft.
Who would cause devastation
on that order?
[BEEPING]
WESLEY:
Hold it.
Captain, I've got something here.
Thirty-seven degrees north
and sixty-two degrees east.
It's a structure.
- Life?
- Two life-forms, possibly human.
Put that area on the main viewer
and magnify.
The structure is located at the center
of the vegetation, sir.
An entire planet obliterated,
except for a few acres of trees
and grass and one building?
- It must be some kind of illusion.
DATA: Negative.
It is as you see it.
Number One,
I think you had better see
who's at home.
PICARD:
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.
If they're the only survivors
of a nuclear holocaust,
they can't be in very good shape.
I understand. Counselor?
What I sense of them is human.
And something else?
TROI:
It's difficult to explain.
I feel there's something different
about these two people.
I'm sorry, I can't be clearer than that.
[DOOR OPENS]
- We're ready.
- Good luck, Number One.
Energize.
RIKER:
Geordi, what can you tell me?
The house is a typical settlement
structure with adaptations.
It's thermal properties all seem
to conform to known materials.
If there are any indicators as to why
this particular area has remained intact,
I cannot detect them.
Worf? The interior of the house?
There is one individual located
at the south end of the house.
The other toward the north.
There is a weapon.
A low-yield phaser, non-functional,
in proximity to the front-room
individual.
I guess a frontal assault
is unwarranted. Stay here.
I think I'll try an old-fashioned
knock at the door.
Commander, wait. There's something
that's sealed under the surface--
[RIKER YELLS]
[RIKER GRUNTS]
MAN: What are you doing there?
This is private property.
Who are you people?
I'm Commander William Riker
of the USS Enterprise.
Crew members.
May I come down and approach you?
You leave him right where he is.
Should I incapacitate him,
commander?
No.
We're a rescue party.
We picked up your colony's
distress call,
and we came as fast as we could.
Kevin.
Kevin, what are you doing?
Can't you see they're here to help us?
Can't you see they're human?
Go back in the house, Rishon.
This could be some kind of a trick.
Oh. We had almost given up hope.
We were afraid maybe the whole
Federation had been attacked.
What about the colony?
Do you know of any other survivors?
It's been days since we've seen
or heard from anybody.
No, don't.
Don't tell me that we're the only ones.
They came in a spaceship so big
you could see it in orbit.
They took our world apart
piece by piece.
Who?
We don't know.
We never saw their faces.
You don't know where they
came from? Where they are now?
I guess they've gone away.
[RISHON GASPS]
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm only performing a physical.
Could I have your names, please,
just for the record?
I am Rishon Uxbridge,
and this is my husband, Kevin.
Botanists. Originally from
the aquatic city New Martim Vaz,
in Earth's Atlantic Ocean.
Residents of the Rana IV colony
for five years.
You, madam, are 82 years of age,
and a composer
of Tao-classical music.
You, sir, are 85 years of age,
and a specialist in symbiotic plant life.
You have been married for 53 years.
I memorized the colony registrar
on the way to Rana IV,
in the event that such information
would be needed.
Is something wrong?
With your permission,
I'd like to look inside of the house.
Why?
Uh, what could interest you in there?
Mr. Uxbridge,
as far as we've been able to determine,
you and your wife and this house
are all that survived that attack.
Now, that's either
a bizarre coincidence, or by design.
And I don't favor
the coincidence theory.
Are you saying that
we were kept alive intentionally?
- Yes.
- I don't understand.
You don't think Rishon and I did
something that merits survival, do you?
I mean, betrayed the others?
I'm not accusing you of anything,
Mr. Uxbridge.
The attacking force spared you
for some reason.
We'd like to know why.
Now, may I go inside?
I'll make everyone a nice cup of tea.
We have lovely tea here on Rana.
It grows wild, almost every...
Sir.
May I say your attempt
to hold the away team at bay
with a non-functioning weapon
was an act of unmitigated gall.
Didn't fool you, huh?
I admire gall.
RISHON:
Go ahead. Pick it up.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
It's a music box.
It's been in my family for generations.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
There's nothing unusual
about this house.
Except the fact that it's here.
What about them?
They are in reasonably good health.
Both show signs of stress,
which is understandable
considering what they've been through.
Somehow they're different.
Let's get back to the ship.
We'll take them with us.
Excuse me, Mrs. Uxbridge,
we've gotta return to our ship now.
RISHON: But I haven't finished
fixing your tea, commander.
I'm sorry, but we've finished here.
Now, I can allow time for you
and Kevin to pack.
What do you mean, pack?
You're not thinking
of taking us with you, are you?
Surely you don't wanna remain here.
How could you take care
of yourselves?
Kevin, I can't leave my home.
Don't let them do this to us.
No one's going to make us leave.
RIKER:
You'll be protected on our ship.
You could still be in danger
here on Rana.
Commander,
we appreciate your concern,
but we're not going anywhere.
We'll manage. We always have.
All right.
I can't make you come with us.
Are you familiar with one of these?
We'll be in the system
for the next several days at least.
If you reconsider, please contact us.
We'll be fine, commander.
We have each other.
Are they collaborators?
Did they provide the colony's
assailants with something
that abetted the total destruction
of Rana IV
in order to protect their own lives?
What could two botanists
in their 80s possess
that could possibly aid
whoever attacked the planet?
We don't know
what their enemy needed, doctor.
Love, fear, hope?
[MUSIC PLAYS]
LA FORGE: Maybe they're being
held hostage in some fashion.
CRUSHER: No, nothing
in the tricorder readings
indicated they were under
that kind of stress.
PICARD:
Counselor?
[MUSIC STOPS]
Counselor Troi?
I'm sorry.
Um, I don't sense them well enough.
Number One, you say the couple
is incapable of sustaining themselves?
There's a fusion reactor in the house
good for another five years of power,
but their water table is tainted.
And they have nothing to feed
themselves except for a small garden.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
- They won't come to the ship?
- No, they were adamant about it.
Well, we'll do what we can for them.
[VOICES FADE
AND MUSIC GROWS LOUDER]
In the meantime,
I want them kept under surveillance.
[MUSIC STOPS]
I'm sorry. I'm not feeling very well.
I'd like to go to my quarters.
- By all means.
- Is there anything I can do?
WORF:
Captain.
A search of the Ranian system
has determined
that the hostile force that attacked
this planet is no longer present.
I remember a Starfleet admiral
once saying the same thing
about some renegade Andorians
in the Triangular system.
It turns out that they had dismantled
their ship and hidden it.
Those Andorians
did not have to contend
with someone of my thoroughness.
I will stake my reputation.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
Don't listen.
Think of something else.
Ah. Stop. Please stop.
[DOOR CHIMES]
[MUSIC STOPS]
Yes?
I was concerned.
I came to see if I could be of any help.
I'm fine.
There's nothing wrong.
I'm just tired, that's all.
Now, I may not have your gifts
at reading emotions, counselor,
but I can tell when someone is in pain
and hiding it.
It's so silly.
I hear music in my mind.
Music that won't stop.
Perhaps it's a symptom of fatigue.
We've all been afflicted,
one time or another,
with that melody that won't go away.
No. It's deeper than that.
The song doesn't stop for an instant.
It plays in perfect clarity
from beginning to end,
over and over again.
I don't even know what song it is.
I never heard it before.
When did this start?
A few hours ago, while the away team
was on the surface.
I was trying to...
I was thinking of Rishon and Kevin.
Rishon and Kevin? And?
I can't explain it, captain.
They're elusive.
They're...
I'm so-- I'm sorry.
Well, try and rest.
Take the necessary
sleep inducements if you have to.
[ALARM WAILING]
Data, give us a visual.
Magnification factor 50.
WESLEY:
Look at the size of that.
Now, where did that come from?
Apparently,
it was riding a Lagrange point,
hiding behind Rana [V's
furthest moon.
My vehicle-classification index
can put no identity to it.
- Its design is completely foreign.
RIKER: But that's our boy.
Approximately five times our mass
and carrying enough armament
to pulverize a planet.
Lieutenant?
I, uh, cannot explain this, captain.
RIKER: It's heading for the planet.
- Hailing frequencies.
Open.
Mr. Data,
ask them to identify themselves
and match our orbit.
They have received the message,
captain, but are ignoring it.
Maximum shields.
Ready all weapon systems.
Aye, sir.
RIKER: It's assuming an attack
posture. Don't be surprised if--
The vessel is firing jacketed streams
of positrons and anti-protons.
Equivalent fire power, 40 megawatts.
Shields are holding.
[VESSEL FIRING]
Again, 40 megawatts. No damage.
If that's the best they can do,
this should last about five minutes.
Mr. Worf, let's raise our voice a little.
Fire phasers, just a warning shot.
Mr. Data, invite them to stand to.
The vessel has assumed a position
outside of the Rana system,
and it is rapidly increasing velocity.
Helm, initiate pursuit.
Aye, sir.
The vessel has reached warp 2
and continues on a steady
acceleration curve.
We're not getting any closer.
Give us a superior curve,
Mr. Crusher.
Warp 3, warp 4.
The warship continues to match
our acceleration curve
simultaneously, point for point.
Warp 4.5, warp 5, warp 5.5.
Riker to La Forge. Give us everything
you can to close that gap, Geordi.
Yes, sir.
I'll get you to 9.37 in 15 seconds.
Warp 8.75, warp 9.
The warship continues to match
our acceleration curve perfectly.
Number One, I have the distinct
impression that we're being toyed with.
- Take us back to Rana IV.
- Back?
We have unfinished business there.
I need to have a talk
with those two people.
You have the Bridge.
Reduce speed.
Bring us around on a return course.
This one's getting away.
Good afternoon.
I'm sorry if I startled you.
I'm Jean-Luc Picard,
captain of the Enterprise.
I have brought you something
you will need
if you're going to stay on Rana IV.
It's a matter replicator.
It has limited capabilities, but--
Thank you,
but we have no use for such a thing.
It will provide you with clothing,
food and clean water.
Lieutenant Worf will demonstrate
its operation.
- We don't need it.
- Kevin, you know we do.
Thank you, captain.
Kevin and I were about to have
afternoon tea.
You and Mr. Worf must join us.
I'd like that very much.
Rishon, they only wanna spy on us
like this morning.
Kevin Uxbridge, I have never turned
anyone away from this house,
and I'm not going to start now.
- Captain?
- Thank you.
Stop! Stop!
[MUSIC PLAYS]
Please, I'll do anything. Make it stop!
[TROI SOBBING]
Please.
Hey, I'm here to help.
It's so loud. It's getting louder.
Please, I can't stand it. Make it stop.
Move her to the bed.
This will help you relax.
I hear it.
It's still there. It's so loud.
- Take her to Sickbay.
- No.
I wanna stay in my quarters.
- I can get you to sleep.
- I don't wanna sleep.
The music will only follow me.
I can induce delta sleep.
Lock out even your deepest dreams.
It's not a dream. It's real.
Kevin and I first met each other
on a ship at sea.
He was a starving student
with this threadbare suit
and mismatched shoes.
I was traveling with my parents,
who did not like the way
that he kept hanging around.
Two hours after I met him,
I asked him to marry me.
And he knew I was serious.
I don't think that he has ever recovered
from that day.
[WORF SLURPING]
Well, what do you think, Mr. Worf?
Good tea.
Nice house.
Why did you leave the Earth and come
to a brand-new planet when you did?
You mean at our age.
Well, we thought that it might
make us fall in love all over again.
It worked.
Must have been terrible when
the colony was fighting for its life.
RISHON:
Yes, it was.
Fires lit the sky.
There was thunder,
this unbelievable thunder.
The ground never stopped shaking.
And yet you survived.
We don't know why we survived
and the others didn't.
I've tried to put some purpose to it,
but I can't.
I was wondering, captain, when you
and your ship would be leaving.
I don't have an answer for that.
A few hours ago,
we encountered a warship,
possibly the one that attacked you.
We forced it to leave the system,
but we were not able to affect it
otherwise.
It could return.
Kevin, you said it had gone away.
I guess I was wrong.
Now, don't worry. It didn't hurt us
before, it won't hurt us now.
Do you know that for a fact, Kevin?
No, but I don't enjoy seeing
my wife frightened.
We've told you time and time again,
we don't know why we were spared.
But there had to be some reason.
In some way, you were different
from the other colonists.
Your geographical location,
your philosophical beliefs.
The color of your eyes.
In some way,
you were set apart from them.
There was a difference.
I'm a man of special conscience.
All the others did what they could.
I chose not to fight.
Mm.
Well, that is your protected right.
But I can assure you, the attacking ship
had no way of realizing this.
I expected to die like all the others.
There is no reason for you
and your ship to remain, captain.
We can manage without you.
Kevin grieved for the others,
captain, but he did nothing.
He is a very gentle man.
You must understand that.
What about you, Rishon?
Is that how you feel?
I wanted to fight,
but I stayed with my husband.
Well, captain, uh,
thank you again for the replicator.
I better clean up now.
Before we leave, I ask you
one more time to come to the ship.
For your own safety.
Captain, I am frightened,
but I can't leave Rana.
Even if it means my life.
[BEEPING]
I don't understand it.
I've inhibited almost all the activity
of the neocortex,
and she continues to behave
as if she's hearing the music.
We're going to have to shield her from
all outside stimuli by inducing coma.
[ALARM WAILING]
I have a positive identification,
commander.
It is the vessel
that attacked us earlier.
It is re-entering the system
at high velocity
and is approaching Rana IV.
Give us a tight visual, Data.
Is it my imagination
or does it look a lot meaner this time?
Shields up, weapons ready.
Our friend is back.
I'm not surprised.
Mr. Worf, open a hailing frequency.
Warn the vessel
to stay clear of the planet.
Aye, sir. But they are already
within firing range.
Shields are down.
Captain, they hit us with 400 gigawatts
of particle energy.
- Damage?
WORF: Superficial.
But I'm having trouble
reassembling the shields.
[VESSEL FIRES]
Shields down.
There's thermal damage to the hull.
The warship is capable of striking us
with far more powerful bursts.
They're maneuvering to come between
the Enterprise and Rana IV.
Number One, we have been exemplary
in our patience.
Lieutenant Worf, fire phasers on full
with a simultaneous spread
of torpedoes.
[ENTERPRISE FIRING]
The vessel appears undamaged, sir.
Its defenses are apparently able
to absorb incoming matter and energy.
Commence rapid fire
with all weapons on full.
[ALARM WAILING]
Shields down.
Internal damage.
Weapons systems control
has been lost.
Riker to Sickbay,
medical assistance to the Bridge.
MAN [OVER COM]:
On our way, commander.
Mr. Crusher, move the Enterprise
out of range of the attacking vessel.
WESLEY:
Aye, sir.
PICARD:
Mr. Worf?
The vessel has terminated its pursuit.
It is assuming an orbit
around Rana IV.
Kevin and Rishon.
We can't help them.
But it's my guess
they're in no danger.
Can you help her?
CRUSHER:
I've done everything I can.
I don't understand the nature
of this music she says she's hearing,
nor where it's coming from.
- Could it be telepathic?
CRUSHER: Yes.
But I'm not the expert
in determining that.
They're blocking her sensitivity.
They're stopping her
from seeing the truth.
CRUSHER:
Who's stopping her?
- Kevin and Rishon.
CRUSHER: What?
They wanted us to leave Rana IV,
and that's exactly what we're doing.
- Picard to Bridge.
RIKER [OVER COM]: Yes, captain.
Number One, I want you to maintain
this course for another hour,
and then turn the Enterprise around
and take it back to Rana IV.
We still won't have our shields
restored by then.
Take it back, Number One.
And this time,
nothing is going to lure us away.
Sir, sensors indicate no spacecraft
in the vicinity of Rana IV. But, captain--
Forget your previous error, Mr. Worf.
There is no way
you could have prevented it.
Captain, the Uxbridge house
is coming into transporter range.
Mr. Worf, will you accompany me
to the Transporter Room?
- You have the Bridge, Number One.
- I think you should reconsider.
That warship has come after us twice.
It could come back.
I disagree, Number One.
I don't think it knows we're here.
I think that it believes
that it has run us off for good.
However, that will all change
once I'm back onboard.
- Sir?
- It's protecting Kevin and Rishon.
It responds to their wishes.
Indirectly or directly, I'm not sure.
But that's what I'm gonna
put to the test.
[MUSIC PLAYS]
Celebrating?
KEVIN:
What are you doing here?
What do you want?
This is the second time that you have
shown surprise at my appearance.
The first time was understandable,
but now?
Unless it is because
you never expected to see me again.
Why do you keep interfering
with our lives, captain?
It is not my intention to interfere.
Only to help you and Rishon.
Then please, leave us alone.
I promise you that when I leave this
house, I will never set foot in it again.
But the Enterprise will remain in orbit
over the planet.
- Why?
PICARD: To protect you.
That's not necessary.
I thought you understood.
It is necessary.
You're in grave danger.
The warship has returned.
- Kevin.
- He's lying, Rishon.
PICARD: We have fought
a pitched battle with it and lost.
Many of my crew have been injured,
including a woman whose mind
is being slowly destroyed
by telepathic manipulation.
- No. Please, no.
- This is a form of intimidation.
I have my rights.
Your rights?
What about Rishon?
Is she in favor of being left here?
Come to the Enterprise.
Let me take you
where you'll be safe.
No.
I can't leave Kevin.
I'm staying.
She's safe here with me,
in this house.
Why are you safe?
Why is this house a sanctuary?
Does it have to do with you?
With your refusal to fight?
Tell me this.
If Rishon were in danger,
would you Kill to save her life?
No. Not for her. Not for anyone.
- I will not kill.
- Please stop hurting him.
Captain, leave our house.
It is my sworn duty to protect you.
The Enterprise will remain in orbit
around Rana IV
as long as the two of you are alive.
Number One. An update, please.
Little change, captain.
Our shields are still inoperable.
We have partial control
of our weapons,
and I've doubled the repair crews.
The warship is approaching
from high orbit.
- It is very close, 300,000 kilometers.
- How's that possible?
- Something wrong with the sensors?
- That's no concern, Number One.
It's here,
and it's precisely on schedule.
The vessel has altered its course
to a direct intercept with the Enterprise.
Worf, arm phasers
and photon torpedoes. Prepare to fire.
Belay those orders, Mr. Worf.
The vessel is now within
20,000 kilometers of the Enterprise
- and closing.
PICARD: Let it come.
Let it come.
Activate the main viewer.
Evasive action, sir?
The Enterprise will hold its position,
Mr. Worf.
- Weapons, sir?
- On my orders, not before.
The vessel is entering a low orbit
around Rana IV.
It appears to be preparing to fire
at the planet, captain.
Understood.
My calculations indicate
that its target is the house
of Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge.
There will be no interference from us,
Mr. Data.
[BEEPING]
The house has been obliterated.
Scan for survivors.
There are no survivors.
Mr. Worf,
prepare a photon torpedo.
Fire at the enemy vessel
when ready.
Aye, sir.
[ENTERPRISE FIRING]
Number One,
what reason does the Enterprise have
for remaining at Rana?
The unknown vessel
has been destroyed.
The Uxbridges have been destroyed.
There's no reason
for the Enterprise to remain.
Good.
Helm, move us into higher orbit
so that we may keep the surface
of the planet under surveillance.
Aye, sir.
But, captain,
what are we watching for?
Anything. Everything.
I'll be in my Ready Room
if I'm needed.
That will be all for now.
[DOOR CHIMES]
Come.
May I speak with you, captain?
It's my pleasure, Number One.
We've been observing this planet
very carefully for three hours.
We've seen nothing.
I have the feeling you're waiting
for something to happen.
[PICARD SIGHS]
Your captain is acting
on an assumption, Will.
And I'm not sure
what the result will be,
or even that my assumption
is correct.
We found two people alive
in a house on a devastated planet.
But...
...there was only one survivor
of the war on Rana IV.
Why is it we maintain watch
on a planet that is now totally dead?
[BEEPING]
Bridge to Captain Picard.
You'd better come see this.
Captain, commander,
the house is back.
Trees, grass, everything.
Happened right in front of us.
Mr. Worf, do you see any survivors?
I detect two life-forms
inside the house.
It appears Kevin and Rishon
were not destroyed.
Helm,
take us within transporter range.
We're gonna beam them aboard
directly onto the Bridge.
But, captain, will they not protest?
Let them.
My apologies if I interrupted a waltz.
Why have you brought us here
against our will?
I want to end the suffering
of one of my crew members.
I don't understand.
Kevin does.
He's the cause.
At first, I couldn't understand
why your house survived the holocaust
when the others hadn't.
Then it occurred to me.
It had been destroyed.
That dwelling
where you served me tea,
where you danced your waltzes,
is a reproduction.
Real to the touch,
but capable of being created,
destroyed and created.
All on a whim.
You're joking with us, captain.
Can't you see
this is hurting my husband?
Rishon,
hear what he has to say.
PICARD:
More than anything else,
you wanted the Enterprise
away from Rana,
because the house, the plot of land,
your very existence were incongruities
that you were not prepared to explain.
The warship, another re-creation,
tried to chase us away twice,
and failed.
But when I came to your house
a second time,
I provided you with the only condition
that would make the Enterprise leave.
Your deaths.
You did your best to satisfy
that condition.
I'm deeply sorry about the woman.
I will help her.
But I must know what you intend
to do with me afterwards.
You'll be taken to the nearest starbase
and held responsible
for the attack on the Enterprise
and possibly the deaths
of 11,000 people.
No.
He never killed anyone.
The destruction of the planet
happened just as I told you.
PICARD: But you haven't told us
the whole story.
How it ended.
The part about Rishon.
What is he saying?
Rishon, I can touch you.
I can hear your voice.
I can smell your perfume.
In every respect, you are a real person
with your own mind
and beliefs.
But you do not exist.
You died along with the others,
defending the colony.
He re-created you,
just as he re-created the house.
You are the only living thing
that really exists on Rana.
And though you look human,
you're not.
- He's in the turbolift.
PICARD: Let him go.
Captain, he is dangerous.
So dangerous, Mr. Worf,
that he could have destroyed us
in an instant had he wished.
Track him.
Alert the crew to keep clear of him.
I want him to understand
we mean him no harm.
Will he return to the planet?
If he is the creature of conscience
I believe him to be,
he has someone to help first.
I've taken the music from her mind.
She's all right now.
She's sleeping.
She was beginning to sense
who I really was.