Captain's log, stardate 46578.4.
The Enterprise has arrived at Station Deep Space Nine
to assist in the reconstruction of the Bajoran aqueduct systems,
damaged during the Cardassian occupation.
I should be through with water analysis in a few hours,
then I'll check out the holosuites.
They have a relaxation program from Alture VII.
Listen to this. First they bathe you in a protein bath.
Then a cloud of chromal vapour carries you to a meditation chamber.
You should try it.
I'll be too busy discussing water management
with ten Bajoran bureaucrats.
They won't be carrying me on a cloud of chromal vapour.
Ops.
- What is this? - Pasta al fiorella.
One of my favourites. You'll love it.
I want to look at those Ktaran antiques.
They've got a 21st-century plasma coil in almost perfect condition.
I'll have to talk to Chief O'Brien about these replicators.
Worf, I don't see how you can eat that stuff.
It tastes like liquid polymer.
Delicious.
I think I'm gonna try that kiosk. They had some real food.
Commander, I am reading a power drain in the starboard EPS conduit.
What's causing it?
The problem is originating in sickbay.
There's been an unauthorized access into the bio-imaging system.
- Better check it out. - Aye, sir.
Excuse me. Do you have authorization for this area?
Come in. I need a hand with this field generator.
See if you can boost the power output to 65 percent.
I am sorry.
Use of sickbay equipment is limited to ship's medical personnel.
Dr Julian Bashir, Chief Medical Officer, Deep Space Nine.
- And you are Commander...? - Data.
Cmdr Data.
- The synthetic life form. - Yes.
An honour to meet you. I've heard so much about you.
You must have a fascinating perspective into cybernetic research.
I'd be delighted to discuss it.
I would be happy to do so, but I must ask you to stop your experiment.
Yes. I should have asked before using your sickbay.
But it would take days to analyze this device with the computer I have.
What type of device is this?
It's from the Gamma quadrant. A medical instrument.
It appears to employ plasma inputs.
I'm hoping it's a medical scanner.
I wanted to use your computer to see how it works.
I suggest we take it to Engineering and run a circuit-pathway diagnostic.
Splendid.
I must admit, Commander, I didn't think you'd be so personable.
Klingon.
You are Starfleet Klingon.
I am Lt Worf.
Worf.
Son of Mogh.
What of it?
I am Jaglom Shrek, a man with information to sell.
You have no information I could use.
I would not be so sure.
It is about your father, Mogh.
My father died 25 years ago at Khitomer.
That is what you believe.
What if I tell you he is still alive?
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.
My father is dead.
No, he's not.
I know where he is.
How is that possible?
I expect to be paid for my information.
Perhaps we could negotiate an exchange.
The location of your father...
Tell me what you know.
Not all the Klingons at Khitomer were killed during the massacre.
Many were captured by the Romulans
and placed in a prison camp
on a remote planet. Your father was among them.
Where is this planet?
Not far from here.
I could give you the location, for a price.
A Klingon would rather die than be taken prisoner!
I should kill you for spreading lies about my family.
My father was killed defending Khitomer.
Ensign Lopez, this duty roster is unacceptable.
Assignments should be listed by priority. Prepare it again.
I'll expect it no later than 0900 hours. Dismissed!
Mr. Worf, we need to get the rendezvous schedule to the Merrimack.
I am well aware of your request.
Lieutenant, are you alright?
Yes, sir, I am fine. I will send your schedules, sir.
Excuse me.
Enter.
Did the table do something wrong?
No.
I'm glad you weren't that hard on Ensign Lopez.
He made a mistake. The duty roster was inaccurate.
Would you like to talk about what's bothering you,
or would you like to break more furniture?
Today on the Promenade, a Yridian approached me.
He knew who I was and tried to sell me information about Mogh.
Your father?
He claimed that he's alive
and is being held captive in a Romulan prison camp.
Oh, my God. Could it be true?
A Klingon would never allow himself to be captured.
A warrior fights to the death.
If my father were alive, it would dishonour his sons and their sons.
Even Alexander would bear the burden.
So, you're willing to ignore the possibility because of dishonour?
My father is dead. That Yridian is selling lies.
If you're so sure about that, why are you so upset?
Worf, you can't deny the possibility
just because you don't want it to be true.
If you want to talk, you know where to find me.
If we transfer 20 megajoules from the dilithium chamber
into the plasma inputs, it should activate the device.
It's worth a try.
You two connect the coil. I'll configure the energy transfer.
Data, can I ask you a personal question?
Certainly.
Does your hair grow?
I can control follicle replenishment.
However, I've not had a reason to modify my hair's length. Why?
Just curious.
Power conduits are ready.
Is something wrong?
- You're breathing. - Yes.
I have a functional respiratory system.
However, its purpose is to maintain thermal control of my systems.
I am, in fact, capable of functioning in a vacuum.
And you have a pulse.
My circulatory system not only produces biochemical lubricants,
it regulates micro-hydraulic power.
Most people are interested in my extraordinary abilities.
How fast I can compute. My memory capacity. How long I will live.
No one ever asked me if my hair grows or noticed that I breathe.
Your creator went to a lot of trouble to make you seem human.
I find that fascinating.
OK, I think we're ready.
Power connections are complete.
I'll monitor the coil's transfer rate.
Can you check the transient power response?
Of course. We are ready, Geordi.
OK. Initiating energy transfer.
- Power levels are steady. - Transient response is normal.
Hold on. I'm picking up a power surge.
- Reduce the transfer rating. - Reducing by 20 percent.
- What happened? - The connections blew.
- It sent out a plasma shock. - Synaptic energy is dropping.
Data, are you alright?
I believe so. What has happened?
A plasma shock overloaded your positronic net.
You were down 30 seconds.
That cannot be possible. I have a memory record for that period.
I can recall images.
I saw Dr Soong.
My father.
I can't find anything wrong with your positronic subprocessors.
No sign of any residual energy fluctuation,
cascade overload.
My internal diagnostic indicates
that my memory systems are within normal parameters.
For the 47 seconds I was inactive, there was no cognitive activity.
There's no doubt about it. You were shut down.
Maybe you had some kind of random power fluctuation
causing you to access memory files.
That cannot be. The image I saw was of Dr Soong as a young man.
I did not encounter him until later in his life.
There appears to be no rational explanation for my experience.
I'll take a look at the diagnostic log.
In the meantime, you'd better disconnect that device.
Data, perhaps we're going about this the wrong way.
How so?
Maybe you had a dream or a hallucination.
I am not capable of either.
Yet you can't account for what happened today, can you?
At present, I cannot.
You should approach this from a human standpoint.
You're right that machines can't have hallucinations.
But then again, most machines can't grow hair.
Wait.
What is it, Commander?
I am sorry, but I have a question of a personal nature.
Do you have a moment?
A moment.
I have heard you mention that you once experienced a vision.
Yes. When I was young, my adoptive parents
arranged for me to partake in the Rite of MajQa.
I understand it involves deep meditation in the caves of No'Mat.
That prolonged exposure to the heat induces a hallucinatory effect.
Why are you asking?
I have recently had an unusual experience
which might be a vision.
What happened?
An accident shut down my cognitive functions for a short period,
yet I seemed to remain conscious. I saw my father.
You are very fortunate.
That is a powerful vision.
If it was a vision, I do not know how to proceed.
You must find its meaning.
If it is to do with your father, learn all you can about it.
In the Klingon MajQa ritual,
there is nothing more important than a revelation about your father.
Your father is a part of you.
Always.
Learning about him teaches you about yourself.
That is why, no matter where he is or what he has done, ...
..you must find him.
But I am not looking for my father.
Yes, of course.
Do not stop until you have the answer.
Thank you, Worf.
Ah, Lt Worf.
You have reconsidered?
Yes. I wish to go to the Romulan prison camp.
Excellent. I can provide you with the coordinates.
No, you will take me there.
No, it's not possible. I have no means of transportation.
I checked the station records.
You have a vessel capable of warp speed.
I do not have the time. I have other business...
What is the real reason you will not take me?
Because what you told me is not true?
No. The camp is located on the edge of Romulan space.
- It is a dangerous journey. - Dangerous?
It would be more dangerous for you to refuse.
Very well. But I will require full payment in advance.
- No, I will pay after. - But...
Yes. Yes, of course. After.
If you are lying, if there is no camp, I will kill you.
The Romulan guards have a detection perimeter.
It will be necessary to transport you to the surface
30 kilometers from the camp.
The foliage is very dense.
It will take me 12 hours to reach the camp.
- I may have to travel at night. - That would be unwise.
This is not an empty jungle. There are many predators.
- I am prepared. - Very well.
But I recommend that you look up from time to time.
The arboreal needle snake likes to attack from above.
I will provide you with a map of the camp.
How did you learn of this camp?
It is not important for you to know.
Why have you not informed the Klingon government?
I sell information. I do not give it away.
You do this for profit.
I have my reasons, Mr. Worf.
What reasons could you have for letting these people suffer?
We will arrive in the Carraya Sector in approximately three hours.
I suggest you get some rest.
Come.
- Yes, Mr. Data? - Sorry to disturb you, sir.
Not at all.
I'm studying the intricacies of Bajoran aqueduct management.
I would welcome an interruption. Please sit down.
I require your advice.
I have come to an impasse regarding my recent unexplained experience.
Your vision of Dr Soong. How is your investigation proceeding?
I have analyzed over 4,000 religious and philosophical systems
as well as 200 psychological schools of thought
in an effort to understand what happened.
And what have you found?
I have been unable to find a single interpretation of the images I saw.
The hammer, for instance, has several meanings.
The Klingon culture views it as a symbol of power,
the Taque tribe of Nagor sees it as an icon of hearth and home.
The Ferengis view it as a sign of sexual prowess.
I'm curious. Why are you looking at all these other cultures?
The interpretation of visions and metaphysical experiences
are almost always culturally derived.
I have no culture of my own.
You do. You're a culture of one,
which is no less valid than a culture of one billion.
Perhaps the key to understanding your experience
is to stop looking into other sources for a meaning.
When we look at Michelangelo's David or Symnay's Tomb,
we don't ask what it means to others but what it means to us.
Explore this image, Data.
Let it excite your imagination. Focus on it.
See where it leads you.
Let it inspire you.
I believe I understand, sir. Thank you.
Good luck, Mr. Data.
The camp is in a southeasterly direction.
After ten kilometers, you will come to the edge of the sulphur canyon.
Look for a riverbank and follow it until you come to the camp.
This is a homing device.
It will allow you to find my ship when I return.
I will not land in the same location.
- When will you return? - 50 hours. Do not be late.
Who's there?
Toq, is that you?
I can see you.
I hope you're enjoying yourself.
Toq, I swear I will hang you by your...
Stop.
- Please. - Who are you?
- I've come to help you. - Help me?
Yes. How did you get out of the camp? Does anyone know you are gone?
- Yes. I come here often. - You must lead me to the camp.
You are Klingon. Where did you come from?
That does not matter. I have come to take you home.
Home? This is my home.
Ba'el!
It is important you tell no one you saw me.
- Is it time for the ceremony? - We're about to begin.
Come in.
Data, we were supposed to meet at...
- What are you doing? - I am painting.
I can see that. How long have you been at this?
I have created 23 illustrations in the past six hours, 27 minutes.
I believe you could say I have been inspired.
I'll say.
I have done as Capt Picard suggested.
I have tried to explore the images.
Has it helped?
I am not certain.
I began by painting the image of the blacksmith.
Then I painted the corridor.
After that, ...
..the anvil, the hammer...
..and Dr Soong's face.
The thought then occurred to me...
..that I should paint smoke.
- Smoke? Why smoke? - I cannot explain it.
It is not an image I saw in my vision.
You got the smoke coming out of a bucket of water.
Blacksmiths used water to cool the metal.
Maybe that's why you painted it.
Perhaps.
After I'd painted the smoke, it then occurred to me...
..to paint a bird's wing.
I then drew an entire bird.
A flock of birds flying in formation.
An individual feather.
If the bird is related to my vision, I do not understand how.
I am left with more of a mystery than ever.
Geordi, I want to recreate the experiment
which caused my shutdown.
What for?
My vision may have continued had I not been reactivated.
That plasma shock almost fused your neural net.
I don't think it's a good idea.
I am aware of the risks.
But I know no other way to investigate my experience.
Will you help?
Yeah, sure.
- I'll go find Dr Bashir. - I will prepare the power transfer.
OK, Data.
We're gonna monitor every subsystem in your positronic net.
If I see any neural pathways overload beyond 65 percent,
I'm shutting down the experiment.
- Agreed. - We're ready.
Initiating energy transfer.
Get ready, Data.
Power levels are rising.
It should be any second now.
The bird did not appear in my original experience.
- This vision is different. - Of course it's different.
It's never the same.
Always changing.
Unpredictable.
It doesn't make sense.
What is happening, Father?
I don't know, Data.
What is happening?
We are on the deck of the Enterprise.
My cat is present.
My potted plant.
And my paintings.
A beginning.
Still a little grounded in the mundane, but...
..showing promise.
I do not understand.
You're not supposed to.
No man should know where his dreams come from.
It spoils the mystery.
The fun.
I'm proud of you, son.
I wasn't sure you'd ever develop the cognitive abilities
to make it this far.
But if you're here, if you can see me, ...
..you've crossed over the threshold
from being a collection of circuits and subprocessors, ...
..and have started a wonderful journey.
What type of journey?
Think of it...
Think of it as an empty sky.
I do not understand.
Shh.
Just dream, Data.
Dream...
Data.
You are the bird.
The images I saw while shut down
were generated by a series of previously dormant circuits.
I believe Dr Soong incorporated them into my program,
intending to activate them once I reached a certain level.
The plasma shock activated them prematurely.
That is correct.
I'm curious. Now they are active, what will you do?
I plan to shut down my cognitive functions each day.
I hope to generate new visions.
- It sounds like dreaming. - An accurate analogy.
Remarkable.
This might get me published in the Starfleet Cybernetics Journal.
Would you mind if I authored a paper on this?
- Of course not. - Thank you, Data.
And sweet dreams.
Quiet!
I'm a friend.
Who...?
Who are you?
- Worf, son of Mogh. - Why have you come here?
I have come to find my father. Is he alive?
- Is he here? - Your father fell at Khitomer.
Did he die in battle?
He was fortunate.
- You were captured. - Yes.
Romulans. They robbed you of your right to die in battle.
There's little time.
How many Klingons are being held here?
73.
How many Romulans?
There are things you do not understand.
- What do you mean? - I must speak with the elders.
I knew your father well, Worf. And I remember you.
A boy, barely able to lift a bat'leth.
Once, your father insisted we take you on the ritual hunt.
You were so eager, you tried to take the beast with your bare hands.
It mauled your arm.
I still have the scar.
I do remember you now.
You should not have come here.
I do not understand.
You should not have come.
Who is this?
I am Worf. I can help you escape.
- He does not know. - He must leave at once.
It's too late. He would bring others.
We are not leaving here and neither are you.