01x07 - First Con-tact

[bunniefuu]

Captain's Log.
We've been on edge since Gwyn

showed us what happened
to the last "Protostar" crew.

Mayday! Mayday!

This is Captain Chakotay
of the USS "Protostar."

The mystery surrounding
our ship still haunts us...

Captain, send out the warning.
We are being board...

Janeway most of all.

We are all frustrated
we can't find out more,

but, in the meantime,

we've discovered
a welcome distraction.

Yes! Whoa!

- It's still hot!
- Let's go farther.

- [laughter]
- That was at least meters!

- Mmm, floor pie.
- It smells amazing!

And it's delicious!

The transporter's some kind
of teleportation machine.

It converts the pie
into energy,

- then reconverts it back. Wow.
- [gasps]

- We need a living test subject!
- Don't look at me!

- Who?
- Murf is indestructible...

- Ah.
- So we can keep track of you.

I love you, Murf.
Don't worry.

♪ ♪

Energize.

[console beeping]

[transporter humming]

[chirruping]

Whoa!

- Open it.
- Hurry up.

- Murf?
- Murf?

- Murf?
- Where's Murf?

- He should be right here.
- Yes. Murf?

[laughs]

[humming]

Oh, he just keeps going,
doesn't he?

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- He's okay!
- Yeah!

Aw, you still look
as handsome as ever.

"Protostar" crew to the bridge.

We have
an incoming distress signal.

Please, I need
immediate transport.

My warp core is compromised.

I have sick orphans aboard
who need help.

We're the only ship within
two parsecs of its location.

- We need to help her.
- Let me guess.

Your sick orphans
have a bad case of the Phage?

Why yes.
How did you know?

Out of all the sectors...

- Dal?
- You two-bit, crooked-tooth,

no-good Ferengi!

Dal, you worthless scamp!
Holo-emitters off.

Get your ship over here.
Pik-Pox will beam you aboard.

Target the "Damsel's" location.

Crew, I want you
to meet DaiMon Nandi...

the captain who raised me.

- Nice to meet you.
- Uh...

- Uh... hi?
- Don't really see the resemblance.

[sedate music]

♪ ♪

- [sighs]
- Ah! Ah!

Oh, please, let everything be
in the right place.

[long sigh]
It's good to be back.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

[laughs]

Welcome to the "Damsel"!

I wouldn't touch that.

Oh, my lobeling,

I never forgave myself
for losing you.

- I searched for... years.
- I missed you too.

Oh, how I've missed you!
You're alive!

And... you joined the Federation?

- I stole it.
- I taught you well!

I even kept your room
just as it was.

- Ah!
- Oh!

- You slept under the engine?
- What a dump!

All the stories
you would tell me...

this is where you saw it from?

The battles, the planets,
the Window of Dreams?

[laughs nervously]

Ahh, what is this contraption?

- Ooh, it looks powerful.
- It's a cloaking device.

- Ooh.
- Oh, she reads Klingon?

A girl like that can be useful!

Cloaking?
It can make a ship invisible?

Too bad it doesn't work
without chimerium.

It's impossible to get your hands on.

Chimerium?
We have loads of that!

If we're invisible,
we can hide from you-know-who!

Chimerium? Pfft.

Who said we have chimerium?

Rok did, just now.
Jeez, this guy.

We should talk.

Oh, my lobes are tingling
with opportunity.

So you have a connection
to some chimerium?

- Who's your source?
- Uh-uh-uh.

Ferengi Rule of Acquisition
number .

"Sometimes the only thing
more dangerous

than a question is an answer."
You have my attention.

Okay.
You want the cloaking device.

I'll give it to you
if your crew does a job for me.

A Federation ship
can open a lot of doors.

- What's the job?
- [speaks alien language]

A planet
in the Skeralyx System.

An advanced civilization
that has never met alien life,

with loads of remalite crystals.

Too many to handle,
in my humble opinion.

- I just need one.
- How does one crystal benefit you?

Ugh, I owe a hefty debt
after a losing streak

- at the dabo tables.
- I thought you were done with that.

I owe a lot, Dal.

- If I don't get them that crystal...
- I don't know, Nandi.

It's just a diplomatic exchange.

- A crystal for a-a...
- Really? A Ferengi spit pan?

Not only will they meet life
from other planets,

but a gift of precious metal
from outer space?

And your crew is in desperate
need of a cloaking device.

Let me guess: you got them
into some hot water?

[uneasy music]

It's a diplomatic exchange.
[chuckles]

We'd be the first people
from outer space to meet them?

I'd be the first person
to communicate with them?

They're not gonna know

what to do
with all this handsome.

Curiously, Dal doesn't
share our excitement.

- I sense hesitation.
- Why would you think that?

I'm not hesitating.
Who's hesitating?

You should be.

We need to have a serious talk
about first contact.

Ugh, where's her off switch?

Starfleet's Prime Directive
is to avoid interfering

in the evolution
of other intelligent species.

These are the highest priority
guidelines Starfleet abides by.

I cannot stress enough
that failure to adhere

to these rules could have
disastrous consequences

altering the fate of this civilization.

We'll be careful not to interfere
in their develop-lution.

What about uniforms?
To look the part.

We are representing
the Federation.

We don't need to be that formal.

- Let's just do this and get out.
- Okay, fine.

Your thoughts are conflicted.

You feel we need
the cloaking device,

yet I sense you question
her motives.

I-I trust her.
She's a friend.

[wondrous music]

♪ ♪

Huh, how curious.

- Pik-Pox's intel is good.
- Oh. No, that's strange.

According to my readings,

there are lifeforms all around us.

[gasps]
Maybe they're invisible!

[resonating sound]

Do you hear that?

Whoa!
Uh, what's happening?

Uh, the sand is dancing.

- What are these murmurations?
- They're communicating.

- What are they trying to say?
- Don't ask me.

She's the communications officer.

Something's definitely wrong.
Zero?

No, I can't read their thoughts,
but they seem upset.

- I got that much.
- Do something!

- Why are they mad at us?
- I don't know.

Translators aren't working.
What's happening?

- We're in big trouble now.
- Make it stop.

It's the hair!

This is not
a good first impression!

It's m*rder planet all over again.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

- Stand back!
- I think they are angry.

They must think we are here
to hurt them.

- I don't like this place!
- That isn't helping!

Everyone, bow.

Look submissive.
Show we're not a thr*at.

We're trusting you.

My body's telling me
this ain't working.

Of course,
they're using harmonics.

An electrical, uh, frequency
or tone.

Quick, calibrate your
tricorders off this frequency.

♪ ♪

Huh?

[gentle chiming]

♪ ♪

- What's happening?
- The ground... Can you feel it?

♪ ♪

[wondrous music]

♪ ♪

Wow, wow, wow.

♪ ♪

I think they want us to enter.

I could've translated that.

Captain, send out the warning.
We are being boarded.

Computer, pause.

[mysterious music]

♪ ♪

Computer, frame on screen.

% magnification.

♪ ♪

Who are you?

♪ ♪

They truly are an advanced species.

Look, the symmetry
and designs suggest

- strong mathematical knowledge.
- How is this possible?

Cymatic transmutation.
By changing the pitch,

they create sound waves
that can shape matter.

- Hmm?
- Acoustic terra-molding.

Cymatics?

Maybe we should... we should
call them the Cymari.

We can call them anything they like

as long as I get that crystal, okay?

Hmm?

- Again with the walls?
- Ah!

Aw...

- It's getting bigger!
- What is that?

- Whoa!
- ALL: Whoa!

We're gonna die!

[grunting]

Ah, man.
Where are we?

- I can't see anything.
- Why is it so quiet?

[crystal chimes]

[crystals gently resonating]

[gentle ringing melody]

♪ ♪

ALL: Whoa!

♪ ♪

- Remalite crystals.
- They're beautiful.

♪ ♪

Each crystal is emitting
a unique frequency.

That's how they're achieving
harmonic resonance.

The crystals must be

the power source
of their cymatic abilities.

They need them to transform matter.

- Every crystal matters.
- We shouldn't be here.

Don't be ridiculous!
We came to make a trade!

I present you precious metals
from the stars!

♪ ♪

Now you give us a gift.

Hmm.

[gasps]

[ethereal music]

♪ ♪

- It's magnificent.
- This is the greatest gift.

Ugh.
It's the most horrible thing

- Jankom's ever heard.
- A song?

We want a crystal!
Give it to me!

[all gasp]

[discordant reverberation]

They're in pain!

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

- This isn't what we agreed to.
- Agreed to?

You said this would be
a diplomatic exchange.

- Did you lie to us?
- Rule of Acquisition number .

"Never place friendship
above profit."

[ground rumbling]

ALL: Oh!

♪ ♪

- These don't belong to you!
- The job isn't done!

♪ ♪

Let's go!
We got to get out of here!

- Dal, what do we do?
- This isn't good!

We have to get the crystals back.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

I'm so sorry!
Please, forgive us!

- Nandi has the last crystal.
- We gotta go.

This whole place is coming down!

[all yelling]

♪ ♪

- Which way?
- There! There! Go! Go! Go!

♪ ♪

Look for an exit.

- Yes! Yes, hurry!
- Gotta go! Come on!

You don't have
to tell Jankom twice!

♪ ♪

- [yells]
- Ah!

♪ ♪

Please!
We have to give it back!

Rule of Acquisition number one,

"Once you have their money,
never give it back"!

- Let go!
- It doesn't belong to you!

You weak, lobeless fool!
You're too soft!

Not even working the mines
hardened you up!

How would you know
I was in the mines?

- [growls]
- Ah!

You couldn't know.
They kidnapped me.

Kidnapped? Ha!

I sold you and bought a partner

with an actual eye for treasure.

Pik-Pox doesn't have the mouth
to muck it up!

♪ ♪

Your ship can cloak?
You stole our chimerium!

Stole?
Your shields were down,

- so I consider it a gift.
- Did you even need our help?

Did you really lose
at the dabo tables,

- or was all of this just another con?
- I needed the crystal,

but when you dropped
into my lap,

I saw a way to get it
and cloak my ship too.

You shouldn't be
feeling sorry for yourself.

You should be taking notes!

Aw, don't look so grim, my boy.

We'll cross paths again one day.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

I'm sorry.

♪ ♪

- You got him!
- No thanks to Dal!

The dumb-dumb lost
his combadge,

so Jankom had to lock on
without it!

- You're welcome!
- But where's the crystal?

I didn't lose the combadge.
I used it.

He put his combadge
on the crystal

so we can beam it back!

Get out of my face!

[soft music]

♪ ♪

[gasps]
No! I need that!

No!
No, no, no! No!

[ethereal music]

♪ ♪

- [chitters]
- Well, that's done.

That was way too close.

No more diplomatic exchanges
for me, thank you.

- At least we fixed it, right?
- [sighs]

Fixed it? You've done
irreparable harm to this species.

But we gave the crystals back.

That doesn't change the fact
that their first brush

with alien life tried
to take advantage of them.

You broke the Prime Directive.

You didn't even go in
with good intentions.

You acted for yourselves,
not Starfleet.

- You broke their trust and mine.
- I-I messed up.

- Ugh.
- I don't like getting into trouble.

You did what you could.

How could Nandi do that to me?
I was like a son to her.

And I was my father's daughter,

- but here we are.
- I'm sorry. I...

I... because of me,

we lost the cloaking device
and the chimerium.

But you learned
who your true friends are.

The ones willing to go along
with you,

no matter how foolish it seems.

Never take that for granted.

I wish I could tell you
it'll stop hurting,

but I don't know that yet.

[downbeat music]

♪ ♪

[grunts]

[speaking alien language]

You heard what?

[speaking alien language]

A reward for information
on the "Protostar"?

Don't just hover!
Open a channel to the REV- !

I want to speak to this Diviner.

My lobes are tingling
with opportunity.

[laughs]