Time, Mr. Data?
We will be in transporter range in three minutes 21 seconds.
Finally established audio contact with the Romulans.
Main power is failing. No way to stop the overload.
Enterprise to Romulan vessel. We are en route to your position.
Enterprise, what is your time of arrival?
Repeat your last transmission.
Sorry, Captain. They stopped.
- Picard to Riker. - Riker here.
Transport to the Romulan ship when in range.
Aye, sir. No weapons. They are not under attack.
- This is not a bright idea. - I beg your pardon?
- I didn't quite catch that. - Nothing, sir.
- All thrusters shut down. - Your information is unreliable.
The AH is inoperative.
Give me a hand here.
We're from the Starship Enterprise. We received your distress call.
- The Enterprise? - A failure in your engine core?
Yes. We had a forced chamber explosion in the resonator coil.
A strange set-up, but I'd say the graviton generator is depolarized.
There's no way to fix it. It'll have to be replaced.
- Where are your replicators? - Off line.
- Who's in charge? - The Captain is dead.
I am Science Officer Mirok.
We'd like to take this for replication.
- Alright. - Geordi, you and Ro.
La Forge. Two people and one piece of equipment.
Aye, sir.
What the hell...?
Engineering, more power to the energizing coil.
Brossmer to Riker. I'm losing them. I have to abort.
They should be returning to your coordinates.
Chief, do you have them? They're not here.
- No, sir. - Where are they?
I can't locate their patterns.
We've lost them, sir.
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.
I've done all I can, sir. I'm afraid they're gone.
Mr. Data, begin a level-one diagnostic. All transporters off.
Could they have materialized somewhere else?
Negative. The sensors cannot locate them within transporter range.
Counsellor?
- Riker to Enterprise. - Go ahead.
Captain, we're still looking at a core breach.
I need replacement personnel.
Mr. Data, continue the diagnostic at another time.
Take a shuttle and two engineers to the Romulan ship.
Mr. McDowell, have all ships and shuttle pilots standing by.
Ensign. Lay in a course away from Romulan vessel.
Engage warp one if you detect any sign it may explode.
Pressure in the containment chamber is increasing.
- What do we do to stop overload? - The conduits are damaged.
- I can't even access the computer. - Commander?
Emergency bulkheads have sealed off the rest of the ship.
There is no way to gain access to the control centres.
Survivors?
Readings indicate at least 73 Romulans are still alive.
73?
- The pressure has jumped. - I can't control the chamber.
- It's going to implode. - Auto-eject the engine core.
- I'll have to do it manually. - Mr. Worf, seal the chamber.
Implosion will occur in one minute.
Enterprise, we need to jettison the engine core.
You'll need to extend the shields.
Understood. We'll stand by for your signal.
We must get the doors closed.
Commander.
- Time? - 30 seconds.
- I'm ready, Commander. - Stay there.
- Eject the chamber on my order. - Excuse me, sir.
Implosion in five seconds.
Now.
Enterprise, extend shields.
- We're still here. - Yes.
We'll have a power survey in an hour.
We'll have to supply them with life support and a new engine.
Understood. Keep me informed. Picard out.
- I'll be in sickbay. - Aye, sir.
Ensign Ro to the bridge.
This is Ensign Ro.
I'm at... section 23 Baker, near sickbay.
Sickbay.
Excuse me, I need some help...
Excuse me.
Excuse me, I need some help...
Excuse me! I need some help.
We shouldn't make hasty decisions.
The transporter could have beamed them somewhere.
The Romulan ship, another deck here.
We've checked all those possibilities.
The initial findings seem to indicate
that there was a radiation surge which disrupted the signal.
They never re-materialized.
- We should check again. - We've done everything we can.
You're right. I just hate making out death certificates.
Does Ensign Ro have any family?
- Captain! - None that I know of.
But I'll check with the liaison officer.
- I'm not dead. - I'll have the reports in an hour.
Captain, I don't know what's going on.
Doctor.
I'm right here.
Damn it...
We're ready.
Riker to Enterprise. Begin power transfer.
The power flow is consistent at 400 kolems. No fluctuations.
The main power grid is on line.
- Picard to Riker. - Riker here.
- Power transfer appears stable. - Good.
What about the engine replacement?
Engineering is modifying a subspace resonator to act as a new core.
It won't exceed warp two but it will get them home.
- Very good. - Captain.
The diagnostic of the transporter system shows an energy fluctuation.
I need to check the scanner in transporter room three.
- By all means. - Captain?
I have a favour to ask.
I considered Cmdr La Forge to be my best friend.
I believe I should plan and conduct the memorial service.
May I have your permission to do so?
Permission granted.
Make appropriate arrangements.
Thank you, sir.
Commander, the...
The Romulans want a computer.
We cannot give them such access.
That is an unacceptable risk.
What about a core from 40 years ago that they're already familiar with?
That would be satisfactory.
Check what the Enterprise has.
Be sure your concerns are addressed before we install it.
Aye, sir.
Thank you.
- La Forge? - Ro.
Boy, am I glad to see you.
And I'm really glad you can see me.
It's like I'm here but I'm not here.
No one can see me, either.
I can't figure it out.
One minute we were transporting from the Romulan vessel.
The next, I wake up in the arboretum with a headache.
Can you pass through things like bulkheads?
Tables. People. Yeah.
We're solid enough to each other.
- It's not what you expected. - What do you mean?
This.
Death.
- What? - We're dead, Geordi.
Is that some kind of joke?
Our patterns were lost in a transporter malfunction.
We never re-materialized after leaving the ship.
Wait a minute.
What are you saying? We're some sort of spirits?
Spirits, souls. My people used to call them borhyas.
Whatever term you use, we're it.
But...
My uniform, my visor.
Are you saying I'm some blind ghost with clothes?
I don't know. I've never been dead before.
We are not dead!
According to Dr Crusher,
we died in a transporter malfunction at 1430 hours.
Geordi, I saw her make out the death certificates.
We need to make peace with our former lives.
That's what I was taught.
We have to say goodbye to the people in our lives.
No. You may be ready for the afterlife. I'm not.
I don't see we have much choice.
When I was growing up,
I never gave much thought to borhyas.
I figured it was superstition for children, but...
Fine. You go make peace with yourself.
I'm going to figure a way out of this.
I didn't have any warning that something would go wrong.
Suddenly, their patterns just weren't there.
I believe the cause may be the explosion on the Romulan ship.
Really?
But that happened before we even arrived.
In all likelihood, the explosion damaged their cloaking device,
causing it to discharge chroniton particles.
I detect a chroniton field here.
A chroniton field?
If the particles were produced on the Romulan ship,
why are they here?
The transporter beam.
I suspect the transporter beam carried them.
That may have caused the deaths.
I will go to the Romulan ship to discover the source.
Commander, are these chronitons dangerous?
They pose no danger to humans.
However, some of the ship's systems may be affected.
When I return, I will eradicate them.
La Forge to Ensign...
Thanks for the ride.
I'm here to say goodbye.
There were experimental engine components lying around there.
I'd say they were testing a new warp-drive design.
That would explain why they're so far from Romulan space.
To avoid Federation long-range scans.
We should have a core for them at 1900 hours.
Commander, there will be a memorial service at 2300 hours.
Mr. Data is making arrangements.
- I'll be there. - Me, too.
- In fact, I'll say a few words. - You knew La Forge.
Actually, I was thinking of Ensign Ro.
- Me? - Coordinate with Mr. Data.
Wait. What are you going to say?
Captain...
I don't believe this.
I'm dead, you can't hear me and I'm still intimidated by you.
I just... wanted to say thank you.
For trusting in me when no one else would.
Hey. There you are.
Excuse me, Captain. Listen.
Data's going to the Romulan ship. We need to go.
Why?
I think that what happened to us, the answers, are there.
Why can't you just accept the fact...?
If you're right, this doesn't make any difference.
If I'm right, then we're still alive and I'm gonna need your help.
Lieutenant.
I am planning a memorial service for La Forge and Ro.
I would like you to participate.
What kind of service?
Capt Picard asked for a ceremony that was appropriate.
I have given a great deal of thought to what is appropriate.
Shuttlecraft four is not yet clear of the Romulans.
Hold position.
It's weird, listening to them plan our funeral.
I find it difficult to decide on a service. Any suggestions?
Human custom is to conduct a solemn, dignified service,
in which the dead are praised by their loved ones.
Ensign Ro was Bajoran.
Her beliefs should be reflected as well.
Their death rituals are complicated.
Please, not the Death Chant.
The Bajoran Death Chant is two hours long.
I am not certain that human or Bajoran rites are fitting.
I have researched the customs of 5,000 cultures to no avail.
- Shuttlecraft four has cleared. - Resume course.
In almost all societies,
it is traditional to say a ritual farewell
to those you call friends.
I never had a friend until Geordi.
He spoke to me and treated me no differently from anyone else.
He accepted me for what I am.
And that, I have learned, is friendship.
But how do I say goodbye?
He seems almost human, doesn't he?
I'm not the proper person to advise you.
Why?
I am happy for Cmdr La Forge.
He has crossed over to that which is beyond.
For a Klingon, this is a joyful time.
A friend has died in the line of duty.
He has earned a place among the honoured dead.
It is not a time to mourn.
Begin docking.
Data, that's a nice sentiment, but premature.
I don't plan on being commemorated before my time.
I'm afraid I fail to see the point of this investigation.
Chroniton emissions may have claimed the lives of our officers.
A most regrettable event.
Was your cloaking device damaged in the explosion?
All of our systems were, including the cloaking device.
That explains the chronitons I am detecting in here now.
For your safety, it is important to eliminate those emissions.
Our safety?
There is no way to predict their interaction with the new core.
I have never seen this.
There is something that looks like a molecular phase inverter.
What?
It's supposed to change matter
so it can pass through normal matter and energy.
Hang on a second.
A few years back,
the Klingons tried to combine a phase inverter and a cloaking device.
In theory, a phased ship could hide anywhere,
even inside a planet.
Conventional weapons would be useless.
How far did they get?
It never got out of the preliminary stages.
The Romulans might be pursuing that,
trying to combine an inverter and a cloaking device.
- If this is the prototype... - That explains the explosion.
And us.
- You mean we're cloaked? - Not just cloaked, phased.
Our molecular structure altered so that we don't have any substance.
Then that would mean we're not dead.
It would also mean there's probably a way to de-phase us.
The emissions are strong in this area.
You can be assured the emissions will be eliminated.
Commander, may I speak with you?
If they come back, they'll find the generator.
Is their transfer beam still at full intensity?
It will be until we switch to internal power.
We will set up a muon feedback wave inside the beam.
Particles will accumulate in their dilithium chamber.
When they go to warp speed, their engines will explode.
- We've got to warn them. - How?
I don't know. We have to find a way.
The muon feedback wave isn't on any of the displays.
The Romulans must be hiding it in a signal.
Without a level-three diagnostic, they'd never detect it.
There must be some way to warn them before they hit warp.
This is puzzling.
Three more chroniton fields have formed in the last hour.
There's no reason why the interphase device would create new fields.
We should begin decontamination.
Run a sensor sweep of chroniton fields on the Enterprise.
Aye, sir.
These areas show contamination: sickbay, transporter room three,
main bridge, Captain's ready room,
shuttle bay two and engineering.
Ro, look!
I do not understand how these have formed.
No transporter beam has been active in those areas.
They have nothing in common.
- Yes, they do. - They are appearing at random.
No, we were in every one of those locations.
We're leaving footprints.
Can you narrow the scan to pinpoint locations?
Not with the internal sensors.
Go to science station two.
Use a lateral array to get a precise reading.
I will modify an anyon emitter to eliminate the fields.
Why don't you go with her? I'll stay here with Data.
Interesting. You're reading chroniton fields, but not from me?
There's a field in this wall? Why?
Data. I came through this wall.
I walked through it when I came in.
When the phased matter in my body passed through the wall,
it disrupted the wall's structure, producing a chroniton field.
Data, I'm right here.
That's me you're reading. Watch.
Come on. It's me.
You see?
Do not move.
Yes. I can see you.
- Who are you? - Where is the scientific officer?
The one like us. The one who came with you to our ship.
He spoke of a plan to return to normal.
Yes, this disruptor works.
I was wearing it when I was changed. Where is he?
Data, stop being so rational.
Try using your imagination once in a while.
These aren't just random patterns. It's me.
Watch where you point that.
Wait, I think you did something.
It's not so easy to push through.
The molecules must have been partly de-phased by the anyon beam.
Data, if a low-level beam can bring my hand partly back,
maybe a high-level beam can bring me back.
I'll just have to get you to turn up the intensity.
Wait a minute, don't stop now.
No, don't give up on it.
It works. I was just creating more fields.
Your method is fine. Just turn up the intensity, Data.
He's in here.
- Brossmer to Cmdr Data. - Data here.
I've just detected a large chroniton field on deck 17.
The field strength is 300 per cent above the others.
- Is that Ro? - Acknowledged.
Get up!
Where is the science officer?
I'll go.
- Commander? - Ro!
I'm detecting a chroniton field. May I scan the area?
Certainly.
- Thanks. - Any time.
There's no indication of the muon wave in our dilithium chamber.
It's there. When they go to warp...
Incoming message from the Romulan ship.
- On screen. - Now what?
Installation of the new engine core is complete.
We are ready to switch to internal power.
Understood. Disconnect the power-transfer beam.
We are now on internal power.
Capt Picard,
please accept my sincere thanks on behalf of the Romulan Empire.
Don't listen to him, Captain.
Our pleasure, Mirok.
I hope this example of cooperation between our two peoples...
..will not be an isolated incident.
As do l, Captain.
Set a course for Garadius. Warp six.
- Don't, sir! - Captain.
I'm still running the decontamination program.
Mr. Data believes we shouldn't engage warp
until I've cleared all chroniton fields from the ship.
- Let me know when you finish. - Sir.
If we get to the locations she's decontaminating,
maybe the anyon emissions would re-phase us enough.
The beam would have to be pretty strong for us to be visible.
Somebody has to look directly at us.
Then let's go somewhere with a lot of people.
It's time, sir. We should go.
You have the bridge, Mr. McDowell.
I'll be at the service in ten-forward.
Well, that's perfect. We'll create chroniton fields
and get them to flood that room with a stronger beam.
Deck ten.
I've been thinking about the first time I met Geordi.
He was a young officer piloting me on an inspection tour.
And I made some offhand remark
about the shuttle's engine efficiency not being what it should.
The next morning, I found that he'd stayed up all night,
re-fitting the fusion initiators.
I knew then I wanted him on my next command.
Have you decided what to say about Ensign Ro?
Yes, I have. It wasn't easy.
- Situations like these... - What wasn't easy?
What?
- What is going on here? - It's our memorial service.
- This? - Why not?
I don't believe this.
They think we're dead and have a party.
Yeah. It's perfect.
Come on, let's get started.
This is... unusual.
Yeah. I think I like it.
Now I'll never know what you were gonna say about me.
Do you think the others will find this service appropriate?
Look around you.
Everybody is sharing their memories of Geordi and Ro, laughing.
What could be more appropriate?
- I am glad you approve. - Brossmer to Data.
- Go ahead, Chief. - Sorry to disturb you.
We've cleared the critical areas
but we've detected a new, strong field forming in ten-forward.
Should I wait until the service is over?
No, anyon emissions are harmless. Begin now.
- Aye, sir. - Here we go.
Worf, can you see us? We're right here.
Damn.
We have to find a way to increase the emission strength.
If she hadn't lost her rank in that incident at Garon IV,
she'd be Lieutenant Commander by now.
- Bridge to Picard. - Go ahead.
Incoming message from Garadius IV.
The situation is deteriorating. They want our ETA.
Stand by, Ensign. Excuse me.
We have to do something before they go into warp.
The disruptor, I'll put it on overload.
Do it.
Let's go.
I would like to go soon.
I see no reason to delay. The chroniton fields have cleared.
Excellent. Mr. McDowell, set a course for Garadius.
Cmdr Data, field strength has increased by 3,000 percent.
Curious.
Captain, we should decontaminate this room before getting under way.
- Very well. - Chief.
Increase anyon emissions to 6,000 particles per second.
- Decontaminate this area. - OK, hang on.
Data, do you see us? We're here.
Right here.
- Did you see that, Mr. Data? - Yes, sir.
Come on, Data, put it all together.
These were not ghosts. What did we see?
I believe I may know, sir.
Data, please be right.
It would explain the mysterious chroniton fields.
If they were cloaked in some way.
You're saying that they're still alive?
If I'm right, they are, and in this room.
Their brief appearance coincided with the anyon sweep.
Perhaps the anyons neutralized the cloaking effect.
- Chief Brossmer. - Yes, Commander?
Set the beam to its highest level. Flood ten-forward.
Aye, sir.
- Data, do you see us? - Of course.
La Forge to Engineering. Take the warp engines off line.
There's a muon wave inside the dilithium chamber.
Captain, who gave that order?
That was Cmdr La Forge. Please follow his instructions.
Aye, sir.
It looks like a great party. Can we join you?
Geordi, it is good to see you.
Thanks, Data. I've never been to a better funeral.
Could you pass the rolls?
You've been eating for an hour.
Come on.
We didn't eat for almost two days. I'm hungry.
- What's wrong? - Nothing.
Come on.
I was raised with Bajoran beliefs.
I even followed some of the practices.
But I never really believed in a life after death.
Then suddenly I was dead and there was this other life.
And it made me feel arrogant to discount everything I'd been taught.
Now I don't know what to believe.
Well...
We should develop our own interphase device.
If it can teach Ro Laren humility, it can do anything.