Mutiny." "The crew is turning against him." "They're making him drink human blood?" "Is he gonna become one of them?" "Not if I can help it." "But he's a danger to you and everyone else on the ship." "I don't understand." "You're not from the same world as him, but you still saved his life." "I couldn't save the life of someone I wasn't sure I could trust." "It wasn't in his best interest to tell us the truth about his world." "I hope we haven't done anything to make you feel unwelcome here." "I don't think anyone feels that way." "And even if they did, I'm not sure there's anything I can do to fix it." "I guess there's nothing left for you to do but... wish us luck." "You must be the captain." "Welcome aboard." "You were one of the guards that attacked us." "We're here to make sure your mission is a success." "I don't understand." "The other Enterprise" "They're not coming here to make peace with us, are they?" "No." "They're coming here to destroy us." "How soon?" "Soon." "It won't be long." "How can we stop it?" "I don't know." "In this condition?" "Maybe it's better this way." "Then at least we'll die on our own terms." "Not terms that leave our crewmates helpless to fight back." "And what about the hostages?" "That was the only way we could guarantee your safety." "And you thought they were better off killing them." "They're better off now than if you had succeeded in killing us all." "The hostages will die at the hands of the crew that you left behind." "They're going to kill us, too, when they come for us." "They'll kill us all, one by one, until there's no one left." "We didn't start the attack, and we don't know why the other Enterprise is coming here." "They're going to kill us all." "Unless you do something about it." "How?" "It's impossible." "The other ship isn't even supposed to be here yet." "The Enterprise?" "It's a computer simulation." "Obviously we can't rely on it to do everything." "So?" "So it's a virtual scenario." "Right now, it's a virtual reality that can't hurt us." "But if they start killing the hostages..." "That's what this is supposed to prevent." "Once the situation gets out of control, this simulation will end." "We won't let that happen." "We've got to help them." "I don't think we have a choice." "I'm not going to put my crew in the middle of this." "Look, if there's one thing I know about this crew, they're prepared to put themselves in the middle of the thick of things." "You can't ask them to just stand by and watch this happen." "I think it'll be a lot easier for them to do that if they know the truth." "I am not ready to tell them that yet." "Even if we don't tell them what we're facing, they can't be prepared for this." "It's going to take every resource they have." "I'm not willing to take that risk." "We can't let our guard down until we know more." "Well, I'm not willing to let them throw their lives away, either." "This has got to be kept quiet." "It's too late for that." "They've already been told." "I'm sorry, sir, but you cannot enter this area." "There's a medical emergency." "What?" "Who's sick?" "Please, you must come with me." "Let's go." "No, wait, wait, wait." "Can you take us to Dr Crusher?" "She said you would say that." "Dr Crusher is currently unavailable." "I'm going to have to ask you to wait here." "I don't understand." "I'll be back shortly." "You must understand how traumatic this must be for me." "I am fully aware that the knowledge of your captors could prove fatal to me and my crew." "But our situation is complicated." "I have no choice but to obey my orders." "Commander Riker, my crew's lives are at risk, and I am responsible for them." "What you have told me will have to wait." "My only concern is for my people and their safety." "My concern is for my people, too." "You do what you will, but we will not tolerate this." "Killing us could cost them the war." "This is a new tactical development." "We could see it as a prelude to an invasion." "They have no need to negotiate." "And if we refuse to be their hostages?" "If it comes to that, they will destroy this vessel." "It would be a futile gesture." "We can't take the chance of provoking them." "This situation is out of control." "The two of you together are responsible." "Your lives are more important to me than the war." "That's why I need you to be strong, because if you die," "I have no one left." "You're willing to risk our lives in a struggle that has little or nothing to do with us?" "I have no alternative." "If I were in control of this vessel, I would want the same thing." "There must be some way to communicate with your people." "Even if I knew how, I wouldn't tell you." "I'd consider your knowledge a threat to my people." "You're willing to risk everything on your side in order to keep us here?" "I cannot let you leave." "Then you're going to have to kill us." "If I had intended that, you would not be alive now." "And when this body dies, it will release me from my oath." "Then we must destroy this vessel before that happens." "If I have the capacity to prevent this, I have no intention of doing so." "And what does that mean?" "It means we're trapped." "We must be prepared for the worst." "We have the capacity to live, in a manner, after death." "A computer simulation?" "Yes." "I've used the Enterprise computer to generate an interactive scenario." "Why would you do that?" "I had the idea when I was a child." "I wanted to experience being on a starship, but it was denied me, so I decided to construct one." "I've devoted every spare minute for over ten years to building this model." "It became more than just a diversion, it became almost an obsession." "I didn't realize how real I'd made it until the moment we arrived here." "And now I've lost control of it." "There's no longer any reason for it to exist." "Except to help keep us alive." "Help?" "Your death will release me from my oath." "Will that be so terrible?" "Yes." "As you said, I could exist in a manner after death." "I could do anything, even go home." "I have people there who will remember me." "And you'd be willing to trade that for what?" "I would be happy never to exist again." "What about the lives on the Enterprise?" "What about your own life?" "I don't know if it's worth continuing." "I would be willing to destroy all the data and start over, if that's your wish." "How could you do this?" "I don't understand." "I've given you the power to make my wishes come true." "What more could you want?" "If this is a deliberate attempt to manipulate us, I won't be manipulated." "It was never my intention to manipulate you." "But I want you to know that when you destroy this ship," "I'm not going to die." "I'm going to live on in the lives of the people on this ship." "I'll be here with you, I'll be in this room." "No one will ever be able to destroy me." "We've got to do something." "Don't worry, it's not too late yet." "But that's only a matter of time." "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine." "If you continue to resist, I'll have no choice but to kill you." "Are you satisfied?" "That may well be, but what would Starfleet think?" "I trust Captain Picard can explain our actions." "We have nothing to explain." "The hostages were killed by an intruder." "We were forced to defend ourselves." "In the time since, we've come to realize the error of our actions." "What is it that you want?" "The same as you, to survive." "Captain, I believe we can be of some help to each other." "If you'd like, I can shut down my engines and make it more difficult for them to track us." "I think not." "When we're done, perhaps I could beam some of your people aboard." "I'd like to get an idea of how extensive their search capabilities are." "Good idea." "We'll be ready for you in a moment, Captain." "We know you're here, Captain." "I suggest you surrender now." "What do you think?" "If he wants to play it that way,