Captain's Log, Stardate 46461.3.
We have arrived at a communication relay station
near the Klingon border
where we are scheduled to deliver supplies.
However, the station has not responded to repeated hails.
What's that noise?
They must have left their audio monitoring system on.
We're hearing a few thousand subspace messages.
I'll try and shut it off.
Got it.
Geordi, what's that?
I don't know.
It sounds like a loose panel or something.
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.
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 civilizations
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
All the blood traces I found
match those of Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari.
I'll assume those are her remains
but I need to take the deckplate
back to Sick Bay just to be sure.
It would take a powerful weapon to do that.
I'll have a better idea
once I've analyzed the deckplate.
If that is Uhnari, where's Rocha?
The station's shuttle's gone.
Maybe he took it.
Before Uhnari died or after?
We're ready, Commander.
You have any luck downloading the station logs?
Not yet. I can't get past these security lockouts
and I think I know why.
All encrypted subspace messages are sent through this channel.
Take a look at this signal notation.
It's out of sequence.
Looks like somebody tried to bypass the access protocols
and break into the coded messages.
It caused the security lockouts to freeze right up.
Are there any messages missing?
Well, I won't know until I get into the files.
Looks like you made a friend.
Yep.
I'm going to go back to the ship.
Let me know as soon as you have something.
I'm going to try accessing the logs
from another console.
What's going on here?
Well, we can start with repolarizing the interface.
What is it, pup?
What's the matter?
Something over here?
This doesn't look like it belongs to you.
Ah...
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 primary system we had to overhaul.
We are scheduled to recalibrate and align the antennae systems
in the next three days.
Computer, access visual output.
sent in my third request for a message delay buffer.
Until it arrives, Lieutenant Rocha and I
have rigged a memory module to compensate.
It better work, or about a half million subspace messages
are going to end up drifting through space.
Computer, open Uhnari correspondence file.
Computer
access correspondence files, Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari.
Hello, Shiana.
Sorry I haven't talked to you in a while
but I've been dealing with the new Lieutenant, Rocha.
So far he's been rude, arrogant and condescending
and he's only been here two days.
This might be a long year.
Come on, Lieutenant, stick with me.
I had the dream again.
Mother's calling out my name.
She's somewhere in the house.
I get to the top of the hill all right
but then 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 metal of the deckplate.
We're trying to micro-vaporize the metal
in order to get a clear DNA sample.
Do you have any idea what killed her?
Well, this is just a guess
but from the molecular deposition of the plating
I'd say it was caused by a high-level phaser blast.
Could it have been a Klingon disrupter?
Possibly.
Geordi's found evidence that the encrypted messages
have been tampered with
and we are close to Klingon space.
There hasn't been a Klingon raid
against the Federation for more than seven years.
I don't want to risk a diplomatic incident
until I have more evidence.
And there's still the question
of what happened to Lieutenant Rocha.
Get Rocha's personnel file from Starfleet Command
and ask Starbase 212
if they will help us to find the shuttle.
Aye, sir.
Keep me apprised, Doctor.
All right, 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 ten to 100 megahertz.
Diagnostic cycle will be complete in 20 seconds.
Iced coffee.
What is it, girl?
Hello, Shiana.
There you go.
By the time you get this, the Batarael will be over.
This is the first time I haven't been there.
I've been wondering.
Who's singing the Horath in my place?
Jomiael hahnalia ma marou nitalia
Rumael tavariel fatra di va
Jomiael...
I had that dream again...
the one where mother is screaming.
I climb the hill to our house
but I, I can't get to her.
Shiana, this time I ran away.
I was so scared I ran back down the hill.
I, 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 threat...
It's because of what's been happening with that Klingon.
He's getting more aggressive all the time.
Not just the usual threat.
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...
is 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.
There are three references to a Commander Morag
a Klingon officer who patrols this section of the border.
Apparently, he would pass by the station
every few days and harass them.
Perhaps this Morag was the one who was interested
in obtaining the encrypted messages.
Could be. 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 Commander Morag.
Are you saying we attacked your outpost?
I'm merely saying that I'm following up
on evidence that my officers discovered on board.
Evidence.
So you are making an accusation.
The Klingon Empire will not stand for these kinds of lies.
Governor Torak, I apologize.
I can see that you honestly didn't know
what happened aboard the station.
I will just have to take this matter up with Gowron.
I'm really sorry that we bothered you.
Gowron won't bother with such a minor incident.
Well, ordinarily he wouldn't
but, of course, I was his Arbiter of Succession.
I'm sure that he will be happy
to come here and investigate this matter.
You needn't worry about it any longer.
Gowron will come here?
Oh, yes.
So, once again, thank you for your help.
Oh, 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'!
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?
Hmm?
Definitely not you.
Okay, maybe I'm getting a little crazy.
You would, too
if you were 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 com traffic
for Relay Station 194
while they shut down for maintenance.
Rocha said we couldn't handle the additional 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.
You can get it from the replicator
but it's not the same.
I'd give anything
for some of 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 this 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 managed to access all of Lieutenant Uhnari's logs.
I'm still looking for Lieutenant Rocha's.
Whatever happened to the encrypted messages
had a cascade effect on the whole storage system.
I can't find his files anywhere
but I'm running a level-3 diagnostic now.
Well, maybe Rocha didn't make the official logs.
Uhnari could have been responsible for them.
I don't think so.
Aquiel was the junior officer here.
Aquiel?
Lieutenant Uhnari.
I've been up all night watching her personal logs.
I guess I'm starting to feel like 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 humor.
She liked to sing.
She... had questionable taste in literature.
Enterprise to Commander Riker.
Riker here.
The Klingon ship Qu'Vat has arrived with Governor Torak.
Please report to the observation lounge.
We're on our way.
Governor Torak, sir.
Governor, welcome aboard.
Do not bore me with your human pleasantries.
I told you we did not kill the woman.
Now I will prove it to you.
GhoS!
This is Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari.
We were running a level-2 diagnostic
of the message buffer... nothing special.
Rocha had been on edge all morning
but he'd been irritable ever since he got there
so I didn't think anything of it.
We were halfway through the procedure
when suddenly he... attacked me.
He grabbed me, threw me against a bulkhead.
I yelled at him to stop, but he wouldn't listen.
He took me by the 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 on board the station?
I don't know, sir.
Maybe I passed out.
I'm not even sure how long I was on the shuttle
before the Klingons picked me up.
46 hours. You've been gone 46 hours.
We presumed you were dead.
Your bloodstains were found at the murder scene.
I must have cut my head
when he pushed me against the bulkhead.
Then the remains we found
must be those of Lieutenant Rocha.
I can't confirm that.
Until we're able to separate
the cellular residue from the deckplate
I won't be able to do a clear DNA scan.
You said you were trying to get to the weapons locker.
Is there a possibility that you did?
No, I... didn't.
You're sure?
I don't remember exactly what happened to me
after I was attacked.
I'm sorry.
It's as if all my memories were drained out of me.
Your log said that a Commander Morag
had been harassing you.
Did you let him or any other Klingon
onto the station?
Absolutely not.
If that is true, then Morag or some other Klingon
must have 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 least I do not wear the uniform of the P'tak!
Governor, we're merely exploring all the possibilities.
Lieutenant Uhnari's logs reported that Commander Morag
had been harassing the station.
He was doing his job.
If he was only doing his job
then I'm 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 very 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 Blackwater.
Have you read it?
I'm not much for gothic fiction.
Well, not many people are, nowadays.
Oh, your shoe.
Uh, yeah. Maura got a little restless.
Maura, shame on you.
That's not like you. What a naughty dog.
It's all right.
Don't worry about it.
At least she's chewing them up in pairs.
I'll arrange quarters for you.
I'm sure you want some time alone.
Well, actually, I've been stuck on that station
for over nine months.
I wouldn't mind going someplace with some activity.
I know just the place.
There you are, sir.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Ah!
Mmm! Oh.
Have you ever tried Muskan seed punch?
Uh... it nearly made me sick.
You have to be raised on it.
It's very nutritious.
The taste grows on you.
Batar al nalia.
You speak Haliian?
We traveled around quite a bit while I was growing up.
I picked up a couple of languages along the way.
Hmm. We never traveled.
My family lived in the same house
for five generations.
Mm-hmm. 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... you need to understand
that we thought you'd been murdered.
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?
Hmm...
Actually, I'm... I'm not sure.
The woman I saw on those logs is very complicated.
I think there's more to you than meets the eye, Lieutenant.
In what way?
Well, your relationship with Lieutenant Rocha, for example.
He was only there for five days
and yet there was evidence of plenty of friction.
And you seemed to delight
in doing things that... you knew would upset him.
Why take on extra com traffic
when you knew it was going to make him angry?
Is this a personal question
or part of a murder 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 attacked you?
I don't know.
Rocha's file is spotless.
Two decorations for valor
three outstanding evaluations from his previous commanders.
It doesn't sound like the same man
that Lieutenant Uhnari described.
What did you find out about Uhnari?
I checked into her record, too.
Her last posting was on Deriben V.
I spoke to her commanding officer.
He said she was argumentative, quick to take offense.
He also told me
he transferred her to that relay station
because she was "hampering their efforts."
To be honest, I'm having trouble believing her story, sir.
Why?
I sent Worf to check the weapons locker
on the relay station.
There's a phaser missing.
You think that she lied?
Lied, conveniently forgot... I'm not sure.
I think it's something we have to consider.
As of now we don't have
sufficient evidence, one way or the other.
I want you to examine her shuttle.
You might find something there that will shed some light
on her story.
Aye, sir.
How much longer do you think the investigation will take?
Three, maybe four days.
It's tough to tell.
I know I'm a suspect in the murder.
Let me ask you something.
You've watched my logs.
You know me better than anyone here.
Do I seem like the kind of person
who would murder someone?
No, you don't.
I don't think I realized how much I needed to hear that.
Look, Aquiel, it's been a rough couple of days.
I think you need some sleep.
You called me complicated.
You're right.
I don't make friends easily.
Oumriel.
Commander.
It is set to kill.
We found this type-2 phaser in your shuttlecraft.
It was taken from the weapons locker on the station.
I told you I don't remember what happened.
Maybe I did make it to the weapons locker.
It was set to level ten.
Standard procedure requires that all phasers
are set on level one when they're put in storage.
That means that somebody
deliberately changed the setting.
And then there's the matter
of your conflict with Lieutenant Rocha.
Rocha and I had our disagreements
but that does not mean I would kill him.
Have you been able to remember
anything that happened after he attacked you?
No.
Nothing.
I suppose, maybe
in self-defense, I...
Dr. Crusher tells me that in order to inflict
the type of molecular damage found in Rocha's remains
it would take a sustained phaser discharge
of at least 30 to 40 seconds.
That doesn't sound like self-defense to me.
Now, wait a minute.
We haven't even established
this phaser is the murder weapon yet.
And even at level ten, I don't see
how it could have done the damage
the medical evidence says it did.
A phase disrupter like a Klingon weapon, maybe...
Look, we're not here to make accusations.
We're trying to find out what happened.
Commander Morag is due here in two hours.
Let's see what he has to say.
Fine. In the meantime
I'd like to go back down to the station
and see if I can access Rocha's personal logs again.
Good idea.
Geordi, wait a second.
Thank you, Mr. Worf.
Aye, sir.
This is off the record.
I'm saying this to you as a friend...
not your superior officer.
I think it would be best
if you weren't so personally involved
with Aquiel right now.
There's a lot about her we don't know.
And there's a lot about her that 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 judgment.
I'm not the one making judgments.
Got it.
Computer, display the personal records of Lieutenant 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 Commander Morag.
We are preparing to question him
regarding his involvement
in the murder of Lieutenant Rocha.
I killed 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 patrol 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.
Commander Morag
we have discovered that the encrypted message bank
on the station has been tampered with.
Our analysis indicates that 27 priority Starfleet messages
are missing.
What of it?
Your DNA was also found
on the message control module.
This is outrageous!
We will not tolerate these ridiculous accusations.
This is a diplomatic matter
Morag!
Do not make me search your ship.
Yes... I did take the messages.
Did you kill Lieutenant Rocha?
No, I killed no one.
There was no one there.
I took the codes, but I killed no one.
Governor, we would like Commander Morag
to remain on board the Enterprise
until this investigation is completed.
Take him.
This way.
Last night, after I dropped you off at your quarters
you established a subspace link with this console.
You deleted some of Rocha's personal files, didn't you?
Yes.
I did.
Why?
I found a letter
Rocha was planning to send to Starfleet Command about me.
The letter 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.
I find out that you've erased a letter
that contained a possible motivation for murder...
I didn't kill him!
Then explain this.
I was afraid that if they found the letter
they'd blame me for the murder.
I'm not a model officer.
I realize that.
Sometimes I act on impulse
instead of thinking things through.
Aquiel... this really complicates things.
What are you doing?
Getting out of here.
Aquiel, running away
isn't going to prove your innocence.
Facing the situation will.
I'm scared, Geordi.
Look, we'll get through this.
I promise you, okay?
Then you believe me?
Yes, I do.
Medical Officer's Log, supplemental.
I've isolated the cellular residue from the deckplate
but the DNA has destabilized.
I'm attempting to reform it.
All right, 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 motile.
Let's try another frequency burst, but 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.
All right.
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.
It's an exact reproduction of my hand
right down to the DNA structure.
Doctor, you said that this was formed
from the organic matter taken from the deckplates.
When I infused the matter
with a resonance frequency burst
it activated its DNA.
Then it touched my hand
and it began to mimic my cellular structure.
Doctor, what exactly is this?
This is going to sound very far-fetched
but have you ever heard of a coalescent organism?
No.
They're rare microscopic life-forms
which need to absorb other organisms
in order to survive.
Now, that in itself isn't so unusual
but coalescents become the organisms
they've absorbed...
right down to the cellular level.
Do you think this is what happened with your hand?
There have been reports
that these organisms can exist on a larger scale.
Certainly what happened to my hand
seems to support that theory.
So you think that Rocha
was killed by one of these organisms?
It's possible that something happened to him
before he reported for duty on the relay station.
I do not understand.
I've checked the records.
Before he was posted to the relay station
Rocha served on an outpost in the Triona system.
Now, that is a remote sector.
Maybe he was absorbed
by a coalescent during that mission.
So, what boarded the station
could have been an organism that looked
and acted like Lieutenant Rocha.
How often do they have to change bodies?
The microscopic organisms
have a cycle of no more than five to ten seconds.
We can only assume
that a larger, more complex coalescent
would have a cycle of days...
even weeks.
Doctor, if what you're saying is true
then Rocha attacked Lieutenant 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 Commander Morag and Lieutenant Uhnari.
Commander Morag is in his quarters.
Lieutenant Uhnari is not aboard the Enterprise.
Where did she go?
Lieutenant Uhnari transported to Relay Station 47
at 1830 hours.
You get Morag.
I'm going to the station.
Aye, sir.
Geordi?
I can see you.
Oh...
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 Lieutenant Uhnari.
What?
What are you saying?
Step away... now.
Medical Officer's Log, supplemental.
Commander Morag and Lieutenant Uhnari
are being kept under close observation.
So far, no sign of coalescent behavior has surfaced.
Aquiel and Morag will be transferred
to a secure medical facility on Starbase 12.
Maybe we'll know more by the time we get 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.
Maura, come on.
Not now.
Maura, I said not now.
Come on, give me a break here!
Not...!
Go lay down!
Maura?
Maybe the reason you don't remember
anything that happened after Rocha attacked you
is that the coalescing process had begun.
Thank you.
Remember when you said you felt like the memories
had been drained right out of you?
Well, that's probably exactly what was going on.
Then maybe I did take the phaser.
Well, 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.
You know, I had a conversation
with Chief Pendleton in Communications
and there's an opening for a level-2 specialist.
Really?
Oh, I'm sure the waiting list is so long
I'd be gray 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.