Star Trek 7: Generations Page #4

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traveling through the universe.

It's a doorway to another place

that we call the Nexus,

and it's a place I've tried very,

very hard to forget.

What happened to you?

It was like being inside joy.

As if joy was something tangible

and you could wrap yourself up in it

like a blanket,

and never in my entire life

have I ever been as content.

And then you were beamed

away from there.

Pulled. Ripped away.

None of us wanted to go,

and I would have done anything,

anything to get back there.

And once I realized that wasn't

possible,

I learned to live with that.

What about Soran?

If he's still obsessed,

he could be a very, very dangerous man.

Why would he destroy a star?

Thank you, Guinan.

If you go,

you're not gonna care about anything.

Not this ship, not Soran, not me.

Nothing.

All you'll want is to stay in the Nexus,

and you're not gonna want

to come back.

Marvelous technology.

This is a remarkable

piece of equipment.

-Glad you approve.

-It's not very stylish, though, is it?

Have you ever considered a prosthesis

that would make you look a little more...

How can I say? More normal?

-What's normal?

-What's normal?

Well, that's a good question.

Normal is what everyone else is

and you are not.

Can we just get down to it, please?

What do you want?

As you may or may not be aware,

I am an El-Aurian.

Some people call us a race of listeners.

We listen.

Right now, Mr. La Forge,

you have my complete attention.

I want to listen to everything

you know about trilithium.

Captain's Log, Stardate 48632.4.

Dr. Crusher has informed me

that Data's emotion chip has been fused

into his neural net

and cannot be removed.

However, she believes he is fit for duty,

so I've asked him to join me

in Stellar Cartography.

According to our information, the ribbon

is a conflux of temporal energy

which travels through this galaxy

every 39.1 years.

It will pass through this sector

in approximately 42 hours.

Yes. Guinan was right.

She said that Soran was trying

to get back to the ribbon.

Now, if that's true,

there has to be some connection

with the Amargosa star.

Data, give me a list of anything that

was affected by the star's destruction,

no matter how insignificant.

-Data?

-Sorry, sir.

It will take the computer a few moments

to compile the information.

Data, are you all right?

No, sir.

I am finding it difficult to concentrate.

I believe I am overwhelmed

with feelings of remorse

and regret concerning my actions

on the observatory.

What do you mean?

I wanted to save Geordi,

but I experienced

something I did not expect.

Fear.

I was afraid.

According to our current information,

the destruction of the Amargosa star

has had the following effects

in this sector.

Gamma emissions

have increased by .05%.

The Starship Bozeman was forced

to make a course correction.

Ambient magnetic fields...

Wait. The Bozeman,

why would it make a course correction?

The destruction of the Amargosa star

has altered the gravitational forces

throughout this sector.

As a result,

any ship passing through this region

would have to make

a minor course correction.

A minor course correction.

Where's the ribbon now?

-This is its current position.

-Can you project its course?

Captain.

I cannot continue with this investigation.

I wish to be deactivated

until Dr. Crusher can remove

the emotion chip.

Are you having some kind

of malfunction?

No, sir. I simply do not have the ability

to control these emotions.

Data, I have nothing but sympathy

for what you are feeling,

but right now, I need you to...

Sir, I no longer want these emotions!

Deactivating me

is the only viable solution.

Part of having feelings is learning

to integrate them into your life, Data,

learning to live with them

-no matter what the circumstances.

-Sir, I cannot!

You will not be deactivated.

You're an officer on board this ship,

and I require you to perform your duty.

That is an order, Commander.

Yes, sir.

I will try, sir.

Sometimes it takes courage to try, Data,

and courage can be an emotion, too.

Now, can you project the course

of the ribbon?

I believe so.

Enhance grid 9-A.

Where was the Amargosa star?

Now, you said that when

the Amargosa star was destroyed,

it affected the gravitational forces

in this sector.

Now, did the computer

take that into account

when it projected

the course of the ribbon?

No, sir.

I will make the appropriate adjustments.

That's what Soran's doing.

He's changing the course of the ribbon.

But why?

Why would he try to change its path?

Why doesn't he just fly into it

with a ship?

Our records show that every ship

which has approached the ribbon

has either been destroyed

or severely damaged.

He can't get to the ribbon, so he's trying

to make the ribbon come to him.

Data, does it pass near

to any M-Class planets?

Yes, sir.

There are two in the Veridian system.

Well, it gets close to Veridian III,

but not close enough.

Data, what would happen

to the ribbon's course

if Soran destroyed

the Veridian star itself?

That's where he's going.

It should be noted, sir,

that the collapse of the Veridian star

would produce a shock wave

similar to the one we observed

at Amargosa.

Destroying all the planets in this system.

Veridian III is uninhabited.

However, Veridian IV supports

a pre-industrial humanoid society.

Population?

Two hundred thirty million, sir.

-Picard to Bridge.

-Worf here, sir.

Set a course for the Veridian system,

maximum warp.

Did you get anything from the human?

No. His heart just wasn't in it.

We have entered orbit of Veridian III.

-Prepare to transport me to the surface.

-Wait. When do we get our payment?

This contains all the information

you'll need to make a trilithium weapon.

It's been coded.

Once I'm safely to the surface,

I'll transmit

the decryption sequence to you.

-Not before.

-Mistress!

A Federation starship

is entering the system.

What? On viewer.

They're hailing us.

We're still cloaked. They can't see us.

Klingon vessel,

we know what you are doing,

and we will destroy any probe

launched toward the Veridian star.

We demand that you return

our chief engineer

and leave this system immediately.

There's no time for this. Eliminate them.

That is a Galaxy-class starship.

We're no match for them.

I think it's time we gave Mr. La Forge

his sight back.

Maybe they're not out there.

They're just trying to decide

if a 20-year-old Klingon bird-of-prey

can be a match

for the Federation flagship.

-Perhaps they're on the surface.

-Sir, according to my calculations,

a solar probe launched from either

the Klingon ship or the planet surface

will take 11 seconds to reach the sun.

However, since we do not have

an exact point of origin,

it will take us between 8 and 15 seconds

to lock our weapons onto it.

-That's a pretty big margin of error.

-Much too big.

Mr. Data,

how long before the ribbon arrives?

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