06x13 - Aquiel

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Aired: September 28, 1987 – May 23, 1994.*
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Series is set 78 years after the original series -- in the 24th century.
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06x13 - Aquiel

Post by bunniefuu »

We are at a communication station
near the Klingon border,

where we are meant to
deliver supplies.

However, the station has not
responded to repeated hails.

- What's that noise?
- They left a monitoring system on.

We're hearing thousands of subspace
messages. I'll try and shut it off.

Got it!

- Geordi, what's that?
- Sounds like a loose panel.

I think it's coming
from this service duct over here.

Here's your loose panel.

Hey, pooch!

Hey, pooch.
Come on out of there. Come on!

Come on!

Hey, pooch!
What are you doing in there?

Commander, the shuttlecraft is gone.
There is no one on board.

Commander?

- What is it?
- Cellular residue.

I believe these are the remains
of one of our lieutenants.

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 civilisations...

... to boldly go
where no one has gone before.

All the blood traces I've found
match those of Lt Aquiel Uhnari.

I take it those are her remains, but
I'll check the deck plate to be sure.

It would take a powerful w*apon
to do that.

- I'll have a better idea soon.
- If that is Uhnari, where's Rocha?

The station shuttle's gone.
Maybe he took it.

Before Uhnari d*ed or after?

We're ready, Commander.

- Any luck downloading the logs?
- I can't pass the security.

I think I know why.

Encrypted messages
are sent through this channel.

Take a look at this signal notation.

- It's out of sequence.
- Someone tried to bypass protocols

and break into the coded messages.
That froze the security locks.

- Any messages missing?
- I'll know once I'm in the files.

- Looks like you've made a friend!
- Yep!

Tell me when you have something.

I'm going to try accessing the logs
from another console.

What's going on here?

Well, we can start with
repolarising the interface.

What is it, pup?

What's the matter?

Something over here?

This doesn't look like
it belongs to you.

This is what you want, huh?

There you go!

Computer,
run station logs in sequence.

Station log, stardate 46458.3.

Today we configured
the relay-controller grid.

It was the last system
we had to overhaul.

We are scheduled to align antenna
systems in the next three days.

Computer, access visual output.

Sent third request
for a message delay buffer.

Until it arrives, we have rigged
a memory module to compensate.

It better work,
or a half-million subspace messages

are going to end up
drifting through space.

Computer,
open Uhnari correspondence file.

Computer, access correspondence
files, Lt Aquiel Uhnari.

Hello, Shiana.
Sorry it's been a while.

I've been dealing with
the new Lieutenant, Rocha.

He's arrogant and condescending,
and he's only been here two days.

This might be a long year.

C'mon, Lieutenant. Stick with me.

I had the dream again.
Mother's calling out my name.

She's in the house. I get to the top
of the hill but the house is slanted.

I'm still walking uphill.
I can't find her.

Doors everywhere
and they all look the same.

The cellular residue is
completely fused to the deck plate.

We're trying to micro-vaporise
the metal to get a clear DNA sample.

Do you have any idea what k*lled her?

Well, this is just a guess,
but from the molecules of the plating

I'd say it was caused by
a high-level phaser blast.

- A Klingon disruptor?
- Possibly.

The messages have been tampered with.
And we are close to Klingon space.

There hasn't been a Klingon raid
against us for more than seven years.

We can't risk a diplomatic incident
without more evidence.

And there's still the question
of what happened to Lt Rocha.

Get Rocha's file
from Starfleet Command

and ask Starbase 212
to help us find the shuttle.

Keep me apprised, Doctor.

Alright, let's try this again.

Come on, this should be working!
The phase inducers are aligned.

Come on, Lieutenant.
I know you're in here somewhere.

Computer, run me
a subsystems diagnostic

with a frequency range
of 10 to 100MHz.

Diagnostic cycle
will be complete in 20 seconds.

Iced coffee?

What is it, girl?

- Hello, Shiana.
- There!

By the time you get this,
the Batarael will be over.

It's the first time
I haven't been there.

I've been wondering, who's singing
the Harath in my place?

I had that dream again,
the one where Mother is screaming.

I climb the hill to our house,
but I can't get to her.

Shiana, this time I ran away.

I was so scared,
I ran back down the hill.

I think I know why I've been
having the dreams about danger.

It's because of what's been happening
with that Klingon.

He's getting more aggressive
all the time.

Not just the usual thr*at.

It's because of what's been happening
with that Klingon.

He's getting more aggressive
all the time.

Not just the usual thr*at.

Morag actually locked his disruptors
to the station this time.

I don't think
there'll be any trouble.

It just... brings up
those feelings of... panic,

of wanting to run,
wanting to get away from danger.

Shiana, I couldn't say this
to anyone but you, but the panic...

It's the same thing I used to feel
whenever Father got angry,

when I knew he was going
to punish me.

Only now, I'm out here in space.

And there's nowhere to run.

Three times she refers to Cmdr Morag,
a Klingon who patrols this section.

Apparently he passed by the station
every few days and harassed them.

Perhaps this Morag was interested
in obtaining the encrypted messages.

She didn't say but I do have
several more days of logs to watch.

- I'm hoping to learn more.
- Very well.

In the meantime I'll speak with the
Klingon governor about Cmdr Morag.

Are you saying
we att*cked your outpost?

I'm merely saying I'm following up
on evidence discovered on board.

Evidence.
So you are making an accusation?

The Klingon Empire will not stand
for these kinds of lies.

Governor Torak, I apologise.

I see that you honestly didn't know
what happened aboard the station.

I will just have to take this up with
Gowron. I'm sorry we bothered you.

Gowron won't bother
with such a minor incident.

Ordinarily he wouldn't
but I was his arbiter of succession.

I'm sure he will be happy
to come and investigate this.

You needn't worry about it
any longer.

- Gowron will come here?
- Oh, yes.

So once again,
thank you for your help.

I will be sure to mention your
name to Gowron when I speak to him.

I will investigate this further,
Picard.

You need not bother Gowron
with this matter.

That's very kind.

- Qapla'!
- Qapla'!

Computer, access the personal logs
of Aquiel Uhnari.

- Logs accessed.
- Begin playback.

Shiana, you always said
I'd look great in a wig.

So here it is.
What do you think?

Definitely not you.

OK. Maybe I'm getting a little crazy.

You would, too, stuck on a relay
station in the middle of nowhere

with no one for company
except an egomaniac like Keith Rocha.

I took a big risk today.
I countermanded an order he gave.

I agreed to handle the comm traffic
for Relay Station 194

while they shut down for maintenance.

Rocha said we couldn't handle
the extra signal load

but I think he's wrong.

When he finds out, he'll be furious.

It's days like this
I wish I was home.

You know what I miss most?
Muskan seed punch.

Real muskan seed punch.

The replicator has it
but it's not the same.

I'd give anything
for the punch Mother used to make,

with chunks of the seed still in it.

Keith, is that you?

Keith?

Commander.

There are DNA traces here. Klingon.

- So Klingons did board the station?
- Yes.

But I only found DNA
from one Klingon so far.

I will continue to scan.

How could she read this stuff?

How's it going?

I've accessed all Lt Uhnari's logs.
I'm still looking for Lt Rocha's.

Whatever happened to the encrypted
messages affected the whole system.

I can't find his files anywhere.
I'm running a diagnostic now.

Maybe Rocha didn't make the logs.
That could have been Uhnari's job.

I don't think so.
Aquiel was the junior officer.

Aquiel?

Lt Uhnari.
I've been up all night watching her.

I'm starting to feel I know her.

What was she like?

Well, she was Haliian.
She had one sister named Shiana.

She drank muskan seed punch.

She... had a quirky sense of humour.

She liked to sing. She... had
questionable taste in literature.

- Enterprise to Cmdr Riker.
- Riker here.

The Klingon ship Qu'Vat
has arrived with Governor Torak.

Report to the observation lounge.

We're on our way.

Governor Torak, sir.

Welcome aboard.

Do not bore me
with your human pleasantries.

I told you
we did not k*ll the woman.

Now I will prove it to you.

This is Lt Aquiel Uhnari.

We were running a diagnostic of
the message buffer. Nothing special.

Rocha had been on edge all morning.

But he'd constantly been irritable
so I didn't think anything of it.

We were halfway through the procedure
when suddenly he... att*cked me.

He threw me against a bulkhead.

I yelled at him to stop
but he wouldn't listen.

He grabbed my throat,

I broke free and tried
to get to the weapons locker.

I'm not sure what happened next

but somehow
I got aboard the shuttle and left.

We found her on our side of the
border, heading toward Sector 2520.

She is lucky my patrol ship
did not destroy her vessel on sight.

Lieutenant...

Why didn't you contact Starfleet?

Let them know
what had happened at the station.

I don't know, sir.
Maybe I passed out.

I'm not even sure how long I was on
this shuttle before I was picked up.

46 hours. You've been gone 46 hours.

We presumed you were dead. Your blood
was found at the m*rder scene.

I must have cut my head
when he pushed me.

Then the remains we found
must be those of Lt Rocha.

I can't confirm that.

Until we separate the cellular
residue from the deck plate,

I can't do a clear DNA scan.

You said you were trying
to get to the weapons locker.

- Is there a possibility you did?
- No, I... didn't.

You're sure?

I don't remember exactly what
happened to me after I was att*cked.

I'm sorry. It's as if all my memories
were drained out of me.

Morag was harassing you. Did you let
him or any other Klingon on board?

Absolutely not.

If that is true,

then Morag or some other Klingon
boarded the station after she left.

We found traces of Klingon DNA
on the station.

You still try to blame us!

Have the courage
to admit your mistakes.

Or are you a lo'Be Vos?

At last I do not wear
the uniform of the pahtk!

Governor, we are merely
exploring all possibilities.

Lt Uhnari's logs reported that Cmdr
Morag had been harassing the station.

He was doing his job.

In that case, I am sure you would
not mind if we spoke with him.

Very well.
In the interests of diplomacy

I will allow you to speak to Morag.

But my patience has limits.

Lieutenant, I know a friend of
yours who's eager to see you.

Who?

Come with me.

Maura! Come here, girl!
Come on, Maura!

Maura? That's the name, huh?

Yes, it's from Cold Moon
Over Black Water. Have you read it?

- I'm not much for Gothic fiction.
- Not many people are nowadays.

Your shoe!

Yeah, Maura got a little restless.

Shame on you!

That's not like you.
What a naughty dog.

Don't worry about it. At least
she's chewing them up in pairs.

I'll arrange quarters for you.
You'll want some time alone.

Actually, I've been stuck on
that station for nine months.

I wouldn't mind
somewhere with activity.

I know just the place.

Here you are, sir.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- Ever tried muskan seed punch?
- It nearly made me sick.

You have to be raised on it. It's
nutritious. The taste grows on you.

You speak Haliian!

We travelled a lot when I was a kid.
I picked up a couple of languages.

We never travelled.

My family lived in the same
house for five generations.

The one on the hill.

How do you know about that?

Well, to be honest,
when we thought you were dead,

I needed to review your logs
and... personal correspondence

for any possible clues
about what happened.

All of it?

Most of it, yeah.

You need to understand,
we thought you'd been m*rder*d.

We needed information.

I'm sorry.

It's just that I tell my sister
things I wouldn't tell anyone else.

I guess I was feeling
a little... exposed.

I'd feel the same way.

Especially if I had seen you
in that wig!

It really wasn't you.

I'm curious.

Now that you've met me,
am I what you expected?

Actually, I... I'm not sure.

The woman I saw in those logs
is complicated.

I think there's more to you
than meets the eye.

In what way?

Well, your relationship
with Lt Rocha, for example.

He was only there for five days,
yet there was plenty of friction.

You seemed to delight in doing things
that you knew would upset him.

Why take on extra comm traffic
when it would make him angry?

Is this a personal question
or part of a m*rder investigation?

I don't know. Maybe both.

Keith Rocha was obnoxious
from the minute he reported to duty.

He treated me
as though I was beneath contempt.

I felt like I had to battle him
to hold my own.

But I didn't want to see him dead.

Why do you think he att*cked you?

I don't know.

Rocha's file is spotless.

Two decorations for valour. Three
outstanding commander's evaluations.

Doesn't sound like the same man
Lt Uhnari described.

- What did you find out about her?
- Her last posting was on Deriben V.

Her commanding officer
said she was argumentative,

quick to take offence.

He told me he transferred her
to that relay station

because she was
"hampering their efforts".

- I'm having trouble believing her.
- Why?

I sent Worf to check the weapons
locker. There's a phaser missing.

- You think that she lied?
- Lied, conveniently forgot...

I'm not sure.
It's something we have to consider.

As of now, we don't have
sufficient evidence either way.

I want you to examine her shuttle.

You might find something
to shed some light on her story.

Aye, sir.

How much longer
will the investigation take?

Three, maybe four days.
It's tough to tell.

I know I'm a suspect in the m*rder.
But let me ask you something.

You've watched my logs.
You know me better than anyone here.

Do I seem like a person
who would m*rder someone?

No, you don't.

I don't think I realised
how much I needed to hear that.

Look, Aquiel, it's been a rough
couple of days. You need some sleep.

You called me complicated.
You're right.

I don't make friends easily.

Oumriel.

Oumriel.

Commander!

It is set to k*ll.

We found this phaser in your craft.
It was taken from the weapons locker.

I don't remember what happened! Maybe
I did make it to the weapons locker.

It was set to level ten!

Phasers are always set at level
one when they're put in storage.

That means that somebody deliberately
changed the setting.

Then there's your conflict
with Lt Rocha.

Rocha and I had our disagreements.
That does not mean I would k*ll him.

Have you been able
to remember what happened?

No. Nothing.

I suppose maybe in self-defence I...

To inflict the type of molecular
damage found in Rocha's remains,

it would take a sustained phaser
discharge of 30 to 40 seconds.

- It doesn't sound like self-defence.
- Now wait a minute.

We don't even know this phaser
is the m*rder w*apon.

And even at level ten I don't see
how it could have done that damage.

A Klingon w*apon, maybe...

We're not making accusations.
We want to find out what happened.

Cmdr Morag is on his way.

- Let's hear his story.
- Fine.

In the meantime, I'd like to try to
access Rocha's personal logs again.

Good idea.

Geordi? Wait a second.

- Thank you, Mr Worf.
- Aye, sir.

This is off the record, said as
a friend, not a superior officer.

It would be best if you weren't
so personally involved with Aquiel.

- There's a lot we don't know.
- There's a lot I do know.

And if she's innocent,
I want to help her prove it.

I think you've let your personal
feelings cloud your judgement.

I'm not the one making judgements.

Got it!

Computer, display the records of Lt
Rocha from stardates 46455 to 46460.

Computer, what happened to
the log entries for stardate 46459?

The logs have been deleted.

- Who deleted them?
- Unknown.

Captain's log, supplemental.

The Qu'Vat has arrived
with Cmdr Morag.

We're preparing to question him
regarding the m*rder of Lt Rocha.

I k*lled no one!

We found your DNA
on the bulkheads and the console.

- We know you were there!
- Answer their questions.

Yes. Yes, I was there.

My route takes me near the station
every six days.

Three days ago, I hailed them.
There was no response.

I was... concerned.

- Concerned?
- Yes.

I went aboard
to see what had happened.

There was no one there, so I left.

- Is that all?
- That's all.

Cmdr Morag, we found the encrypted
message bank has been tampered with.

Analysis indicates that 27 priority
Starfleet messages are missing.

What of it?

Your DNA was found
on the message-control module.

This is outrageous! We will not
tolerate these accusations.

This is a diplomatic matter, Morag!

Do not make me search your ship.

Yes.

I did take the messages.

- Did you k*ll Lt Rocha?
- No! I k*lled no one.

There was no one there.

I took the codes
but I k*lled no one.

Governor, we would like Cmdr Morag
to remain on board

until this investigation
is completed.

Take him.

This way.

Last night, after I dropped you off,

you established a subspace link
with this console.

You deleted
some of Rocha's files, didn't you?

- Yes, I did.
- Why?

I found a letter Rocha planned to
send to Starfleet Command about me.

It said I had become belligerent
and insubordinate.

He was going to ask for
a formal hearing.

- Geordi, I know how this looks.
- Yeah, it looks bad.

You've erased a letter containing
a possible motivation for m*rder?

- I didn't k*ll him.
- Then explain this!

I was afraid if they found the letter
they'd blame me for the m*rder.

I'm not a model officer.
I realise that.

Sometimes I act on impulse
instead of thinking things through.

Aquiel,
this really complicates things.

- What are you doing?
- Getting out of here.

Running won't prove your innocence.
Facing this will.

- I'm scared, Geordi!
- Look.

We'll get through this.
I promise you, OK?

Then you believe me?

Yes, I do.

Medical Officer's log. I've isolated
the cellular residue from the deck,

but the DNA has destabilised.
I'm attempting to reform it.

Alright, initiate
the resonance frequency burst.

I'm beginning
to get a stable DNA scan.

This is odd.

The nucleotide sequences
are beginning to fluctuate.

The DNA is becoming mobile.

Let's try another frequency burst.
Increase the resonance level by 20%.

I haven't been this close to someone
in a long time.

I don't want to let go of it.

Neither do I but we've got
600 logs to go through.

Alright. But first there's
something I want to share with you.

What?

A way that we can
become more intimate.

My people are partially telepathic.

We use something called the Canar
to help focus our thoughts.

We also use the Canar
for a stronger emotional link

during love.

I was wondering what that was for.

Do both of us have to be telepathic
for it to work?

Let's find out.

Like this.

Think of me.

An exact reproduction of my hand,
right down to the DNA structure.

This was formed from the organic
matter taken from the deck plates?

When I infused it with
a resonance-frequency burst

it activated its DNA.

Then it touched my hand and it began
to mimic my cellular structure.

What exactly is this?

This sounds far-fetched, but have you
ever heard of a coalescent organism?

No.

They're microscopic life forms which
absorb other organisms to survive.

That in itself isn't so unusual,

but coalescents become the organisms,
right down to the cellular level.

Is this what happened with your hand?

There have been reports that these
organisms can be quite large.

What happened to my hand
seems to support that.

Was Rocha k*lled
by one of these organisms?

It's possible that something happened
to him before he reported for duty.

- I do not understand.
- I've checked the records.

Before he was posted to the station,
Rocha served in the Triona system.

That is a remote sector.

Maybe he was absorbed
by a coalescent on that mission.

So, there could have been an organism
that looked and acted like Lt Rocha?

How often do they
have to change bodies?

The microscopic organisms have
a cycle of no more than ten seconds.

We can only assume that a larger,
more complex coalescent

would have a cycle of days,
even weeks.

If that's true, then Rocha att*cked
Lt Uhnari to find a new body.

- Right.
- That means Uhnari is a coalescent.

There was one other person
on the station. Morag.

It is possible he was the one
who was... absorbed.

Computer, locate Cmdr Morag
and Lt Uhnari.

Cmdr Morag is in his quarters.
Lt Uhnari is not on the Enterprise.

Where did she go?

Lt Uhnari transported to
Relay Station 47 at 1830 hours.

- Get Morag. I'll go to the station.
- Aye, sir.

- Geordi?
- I can see you!

And I can feel you.

Do not move!

- What is this?
- You will come with me.

You've never been as close
to someone as you are about to be.

Think of me.

Step away from him, Lieutenant.

- What are you doing, Commander?
- That may not be Lt Uhnari.

- What?
- What are you saying?

Step away, now.

Medical Officer's log.

Cmdr Morag and Lt Uhnari are being
kept under close observation.

So far no sign of coalescent
behaviour has surfaced.

Aquiel and Morag will be transferred
to a secure hospital on Starbase 12.

- We'll know more once we're there.
- Yeah? Right.

It could be Morag.
We don't know for sure.

Sure.

Get some rest.
You've had a rough couple of days.

Thanks.

Computer.

Display the Engineering duty roster
for the next three days.

Not now.

I said, not now.

Give me a break here! Go lay down!

Maura?

Maybe the reason
you don't remember anything

is that the coalescing process
had begun.

Thank you.

You said you felt your memories
had been drained out of you.

That's probably
exactly what was going on.

Maybe I did take the phaser.

Whatever happened, at least you got
away before the process took hold.

- So he turned on Maura.
- Right.

Well... what now?

I guess I'll be going
to Starbase 212 for reassignment.

I had a talk with Chief Pendleton
in Communications.

There's an opening
for a level-two specialist.

Really?

With the waiting list,
I'd be grey before I got here.

I could put in a good word.

It's an appealing offer, but I think
I'd rather get here on my own merits.

Don't be surprised
if you see my name on that list.

(ENGLISH)
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