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STAR TREK: RENAISSANCE

"Together We Stand"

Written by James Sampson

With Additional Material by Rob Jelley

This teleplay is originally from www.startrekrenaissance.com "Star Trek" and related names are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures, Inc. This original work of fiction is written solely for non-profit purposes. Copyright 2002 by The Renaissance Group All rights reserved

RENAISSANCE: "Together We Stand" - TEASER 1.

TEASER

FADE IN:

EXT. COASTAL TOWN -- NIGHT

Stars. The camera looks upwards into the heavens -- but notfor long, as a ferocious storm holding cloud majesticallysteals our peaceful view. A flash of lightning and thebeginning of a heavy rain storm masks whatever little viewwe had left, as the camera pans down to reveal an old narrowstreet with houses and small shops on either side, leadingdown to a HARBOR.

A title appears:

ROBIN HOOD'S BAY, ENGLAND

EXT. PIER -- NIGHT

We cut to a new shot of the harbor, before stopping and seeinga HOODED FIGURE walk past the camera and towards a long pier,with the harbor on one side, and a cruel, threatening sea tothe other. From the lighting we can not see who it is, orindeed see the figure very well at all. It is only when thelightning strikes that we can see anything in great detail.

Waves fly over the side of the pier from time to time, asthe force of one wave slamming into the side builds up thepower of another and another until the sea erupts like avolcano, sending water over the high harbor walls.

A sole figure stands next to an old, dead lighthouse, justavoiding the waves that erupt over the harbor wall. We movein closer to reveal ERIK GREY, soaked to the skin. He'swearing civilian clothing, covered with a thick but non-waterproof coat. Rain drips from his blonde hair, which therain has turned an unrecognizable dark brown.

He looks out to one side of him, were a flash of lightningand a crash of thunder, indicating the storm is directlyahead of him, reveals a rocky outcrop of cliffs.

He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a paper photographwith a grim look on his face, and compares it to the cliffshe can see illuminated by the lightning. They match. Asthe paper begins to get sodden he puts it back into hispocket, and turns to look out at the sea. He sighs.

Behind Grey, the figure we saw earlier continues to walkdown the pier and reaches a position behind Grey. It reachesinto a pocket within its cloak and reaches for something,and places it on the sea wall next to Grey still holding onto it, preventing it from falling into the sea.

Grey quickly turns around, surprised. He looks down at whatthe figure has placed on the wall, looks grim.


GREYI guess you've finally caught upwith me?

The figure nods.

GREY (CONT'D)I never thought this day would comeso soon -- I thought I had so muchleft in front of me, in front of us. It's like it's some... like...

(sighs)I can't believe it's happening.

WOMAN'S VOICEIt took me quite some time to trackyou down, Lieutenant.

GREYMaybe I don't want to be found.

WOMAN'S VOICEWhat brings you here?

Grey hands the photo over to her, as he continues to examinewhat has been placed on the sea wall -- he picks it up. It's a PADD.

GREY(half heartedly)

Something someone gave me the otherweek

WOMAN'S VOICEI see.

GREYHe died because Starfleet wouldn'tprotect him. A child -- and Starfleetwouldn't protect him! I don't thinkI want to go back. Maybe what'shappening is a good thing.

WOMAN'S VOICEYou're a talented man, Lieutenant. Starfleet is where you belong.

GREYIt will never be the same. We'vetarnished the name of the Enterprise --she's the only starship in history,in history, to be decommissionedwithin a year of being launched,with no major damage. It's nevergoing to be same again. NotStarfleet, not me, not any one ofus.


The growing wind begins to pull at the figure's hood, beforeit finally gets the better of it and pulls it down, revealingTALORA.

TALORAPerhaps. But the Enterprise stillhas one final journey. And she'snot going to set sail without you.

Grey looks up into the cloudy night sky.

GREY(re: stars)

I can't even see where she is. Iused to think that was where Ibelonged, but maybe I am in the wrongplace. Maybe I should be down heretrying to do some good for theFederation, instead of just sailingthrough a cloudy night sky.

TALORAAn intriguing metaphor.

GREYBut an accurate one.

(beat)If there are people out there whocan murder innocent civilians andcaptain starships...

Talora looks at him.

GREY (CONT'D)Or at least be responsible for theirdeaths... If there are Admirals whocan't protect innocent civilians,and knowingly plunge them head oninto death... I don't know where myplace is in the universe anymore,Talora. I really don't.

A long, sobering beat.

TALORA(softly)

Let's go, Erik.

Grey nods, takes one last look around at the surroundings,before the two of them walk together down the pier, and intothe dark, cloudy night. As Grey leaves, the photograph slipsout of his coat, and soars off into the night...


CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE

The Cardassian ship seen in previous episodes floats throughthe night.

INT. CARDASSIAN SHIP -- BRIDGE

The control center appears as active as ever, with variouscontrol panels flashing status reports and spoutinginformation. But the room still carries an aura of gloom. GRIL DOJAR and Y'LAN sit, pensive.

DOJARWhat do we do now?

Y'LANThe Q'tami will try again. Theywill keep trying until they succeed.

DOJARWhat do you think they will do?

Y'LANThey may change their tactics. Theymay use diversions, shields, illusionsto achieve their aims.

A console suddenly makes a noise.

Y'LAN (CONT'D)It's a distress call from Starfleet. It's across the entire fleet.

He looks at Dojar.

Y'LAN (CONT'D)It's Q'tami.

DOJARSetting a course. At least there'sone good thing about it. We didn'thave to wait long.

Y'LANWhy is that a good thing?

DOJAROne thing I can't stand is waitingaround.

(beat)Let's go.

He presses a button.


EXT. SPACE

The Cardassian ship jumps to warp as we slowly...

FADE OUT.

END OF TEASER

RENAISSANCE: "Together We Stand" - ACT ONE 6.

ACT ONE

FADE IN:

EXT. SPACE -- UTOPIA PLANITIA FLEET YARDS

We have a general view of the expansive starship facilities --there is the usual buzz of activity, of shuttles coming andgoing.

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- RECEPTION

A reception area, the same one we saw in "Living in theShadows." People filing off various shuttles, and arrivingin transporter bays. Not unlike an airport. Off one shuttlewe see amongst the crowd LEWIS CARTER, carrying a satchel. He looks around, and then sees the person waiting for him ADMIRAL DELFUNE. He approaches her.

CARTERHello.

DELFUNEYour shuttle was late.

CARTERYes, well I got delayed in SanFrancisco. Had some unfinishedbusiness to attend to.

DELFUNEI don't appreciate being kept waiting.

CARTERSorry, it won't happen again.

DELFUNEYou're right, it won't. Come withme.

CUT TO:

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- CORRIDOR

Like one of the ones in "Living in the Shadows," a glasstube that runs between the various ship bays. Through thewalls we see various impressive ships, including a Pelagicand an old Ambassador class starship, in the bays. Delfunemarches ahead and Carter hurries to keep up.

CARTERSo, are you going to tell me whatthis is actually about now? Youseemed rather furtive on the comm.


DELFUNEAs needs be, the less publicity weget the better. There, that's whyyou've come.

She points out of the corridor. Carter looks past her fingerto a bay containing a very familiar vessel.

CARTERThe Enterprise? I don't understand.

DELFUNEThis afternoon at fourteen hundredhours the Enterprise begins her finalvoyage, to the Hellion Expanse. There she will be dismantled andwhat parts can be salvaged will beremoved and used in the manufactureof other vessels.

CARTERI see...

DELFUNEObviously the Enterprise is still ofinterest to a lot of people, and assuch I felt it best if the fact shewas finally being scrapped was notbroadcast. We don't want a lot ofsight- seers and ghouls, wanting tosee the march to the guillotine.

CARTERBut surely only Starfleet personnelare allowed here.

DELFUNEIt was about them that I wasreferring.

CARTERFine, well that's very interestingbut I don't see what it's got to dowith me.

DELFUNE(irately)

Starfleet Command in their infinitewisdom decided that the event shouldbe covered by an FNN reporter sothat in a week or so people areinformed the ship has gone for good. Do you know, we get more messages onthe Subspace Comms Network asking"When is the Enterprise coming back?" than anything else?


CARTERI thought the most frequently askedquestion was, "When are we going toget another episode?"

DELFUNEPardon?

CARTEREpisode. Of "Carter Investigates." My show.

DELFUNE(dismissively)

Oh. Now your assignment is to journeyon the Enterprise to the Expanse,and just describe the emotions ofthe people on board.

CARTEREmotions?

DELFUNEOh yes. A couple of the crew havedecided they want to be on board forthe final journey.

CARTERHow touching.

DELFUNENonsense. Sentimentality gets younowhere. Look at how they've turnedout...

CUT TO:


Close up of the shuttle carrying Talora and Grey.

INT. SHUTTLE

Grey is at helm, Talora next to him. The atmosphere is muted.

GREYApproaching the shipyards now.

TALORAYou can almost hear Delfune rubbingher hands together in glee from here.

Grey gives her a wry look.



We see the shuttle going in... It begins to fly through thevarious bays on its course to the central core receptionarea.

GREY'S COMM VOICEThis is Lieutenant Erik Grey,requesting permission to dock.

COMM VOICEPermission granted.

INT. SHUTTLE

Talora is watching out of the window as Grey pilots. Suddenly, she stops and points out.

TALORALook, there she is!

Grey looks out.

EXT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- DRYDOCK

The shot favors the shuttle, but in the distance we can seewhat looks like a familiar shape...

INT. SHUTTLE

As before, Grey and Talora.

TALORALet's take one last fly round her,for old time's sake.

GREYI don't know.

TALORAOh, come on. It's our last chance.

GREYOkay, why not?

EXT. ENTERPRISE -- DRYDOCK

The shuttle turns, and we follow it as she makes her waythrough the other ships to… the ENTERPRISE. She still looksmajestic, and has none of the battle scars she had at theend of the last season. Her lights are lit again, too, inpreparation for her final voyage. She looks alive, andactive.

INT. SHUTTLE

As before, Talora and Grey.


GREYYou forget how beautiful she is. Nomatter what happened on her, she'sstill a wonderful ship.

TALORAIt's going to be hard saying goodbye.

GREYIt always is.

They both look sad and a little wistful.

TALORAEnough! Let's go get this over with.

GREYOkay.

He taps in some commands.

EXT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- DRYDOCK

The shuttle turns, and leaves the Enterprise behind as itheads back towards the Central Core.

INT. SHUTTLE

As before, Grey at helm, Talora beside him.

GREYSo is anyone else coming?

TALORAYes...

(she doesn't lookhappy)

I contacted Elris, but she said shewouldn't be able to get here in time. But she is sending someone else...

CUT TO:


The reception area is as busy as ever. Carter is walkingthrough it watching the people when suddenly he hears acommotion.

QUINLAN (O.S.)Excuse me, excuse me...

We see JENNIFER QUINLAN hurrying through, and barging up toan information panel on the wall.


QUINLAN (CONT'D)Computer, has the Enterprise leftyet? Am I too late...

Carter hurriedly moves over to her.

CARTERHi.

Quinlan turns and looks at him.

QUINLANHi.

CARTERYou must be Jennifer Quinlan.

QUINLANI must be. Who the hell are you?

CARTERLewis Carter, FNN.

He offers his hand, which Quinlan accepts.

QUINLANI have no idea what that means. Friendly Nanite Nurses? FantasticallyNoisy Nausicaans? Help me out here.

CARTERFederation News Network.

QUINLANOh, you're a journalist.

CARTERSome people would say that was anexaggeration.

QUINLANIt explains the greasy hair and thesecondhand suit. What can I do foryou?

Carter pulls Quinlan over to a less conspicuous corner ofthe area.

QUINLAN (CONT'D)Who we hiding from?

CARTERI'm here covering the Enterprise'sdeparture.

QUINLANWhy are we whispering?


CARTERAdmiral Delfune feels it would bebest if the general population weren'taware at the present time that todayis the day the Enterprise leaves.

QUINLANScrew that, I'll announce it to thewhole world.

CARTERPlease don't. It... it mightjeopardize your chances of coming onthe trip.

QUINLANOh yeah. You're smarter than youlook. Are the others here yet?

CARTERI don't believe so.

QUINLANFine, then you can buy me a coffee. And we'll see if we can come up withsome more amusing acronyms for FNN.

She leads him away.

CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE

We become aware of a large black hulk moving slowly throughthe cosmos. We can't make out any detail -- we can't evensee its shape fully -- but we know it's massive. The voiceswe hear are fluidic, oscillating.

VOICE 1Our mission nears its end.

VOICE 2Agreed.

VOICE 1Where are Y'lan and the Cardassiannow?

VOICE 2They are in the K'tarn Nebula.

VOICE 1Good, that is far from our coursevector. Our plan will be unimpeded.

VOICE 2At first.


VOICE 1We will have enough time.

VOICE 2Agreed. The hologram is working.

VOICE 1Good.

VOICE 2The mission will not take long.

VOICE 1Setting a course now for the SolSystem.

VOICE 2I will report back. Our objectivewill soon be achieved. Soon.

CUT TO:

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- CAFE

Talora and Grey enter and start to queue for one of thereplicators.

GREYIt's a shame really, the ship hasnever been in better shape. Wasteof resources.

TALORAIf only they'd known that it was allfor nothing...

Suddenly she spots something and points it out to Grey. Wesee what they are seeing: Quinlan and Carter talking in acorner. They walk over.

QUINLANAnd then I injected him with thedrug, went out like a light.

GREYHello, Quinlan.

Quinlan looks at them and smiles.

QUINLANErik, hi.

She embraces him. Then turns to Talora, who looks stifflyat her.

QUINLAN (CONT'D)Talora.


TALORAQuinlan.

QUINLANThis is Lewis Carter, a reporter forFNN, he's going to be joining us onthe voyage.

TALORAHow delightful.

Grey and Talora sit down.

QUINLANSo what have you guys been up to?

TALORAWent back to Romulus and met oldflame.

GREYI had fun on a freighter trying toavoid Klingon Reformists. You?

QUINLANOld acquaintance tried to kill me.

(beat)Well, at least we're keeping ourselvesbusy.

DELFUNE (O.S.)Some wouldn't say that was necessarilya good thing.

They turn and look up. The Admiral is standing there.

QUINLAN(dryly)

Oh good, now the party can reallyget started.

DELFUNEIf you will follow me. We're readyto launch.

TALORAFine.

They stand and start off.

DELFUNELieutenant Grey, a word if I may? The rest of you go on.

They nod and head off, Grey hanging back.


GREYWhat can I do for you, Admiral?

DELFUNEWe have a problem. The Hawking isdocked at present, and has developeda rather... peculiar problem in itscentral computer core.

GREYThe Hawking... Let me guess, a sciencevessel?

DELFUNEBut of course. She is meant to launchtonight to record the Beta Sapphiresupernova. It's imperative she doesso or she will miss it, but at themoment it looks unlikely. I waswondering if you'd mind helping theteam over there?

GREYBut I won't get back from the HellionExpanse until tomorrow...

He looks at Delfune.

DELFUNEI wouldn't ask if it wasn't important.

He nods.

GREYOf course I'll go over.

DELFUNEI'm sorry you're missing the voyage.

GREYThese things can't be helped. Dutycomes first.

DELFUNEGood man.

CUT TO:

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- TRANSPORTER BAY

Talora, Quinlan, and Carter enter. There, standing behindthe console, is NARV OZRAN.

OZRANCommander.


TALORANarv! What are you doing here?

OZRANI never left. When we got back Isaw there was a space open for atransporter chief here, applied, andhere I am.

TALORAIt's good to see you. You know wherewe're going?

OZRANA little bird told me.

They go and stand on the pad.

TALORAThree to beam up.

OZRANMake that four.

He types in a command, and then goes and stands next to them.

OZRAN (CONT'D)You don't think I'd miss it, wouldyou? The Enterprise has been verygood to me.

Talora and Quinlan smile and Carter looks wary as they shimmerinto nothingness...

CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- TRANSPORTER ROOM

...and shimmer back into cohesion here. There are no peoplein the room though, but the lights are on. Talora, Quinlan,Carter, and Ozran all step off.

TALORALights. Makes a change from thelast time we were here.

CARTERWhy?

Quinlan looks at Talora as they realize her mistake.

QUINLAN(covering)

Because, because... we turned outthe lights before we left.


She makes a face at Talora. They walk out, but Ozran holdsback a minute.

TALORAYou coming?

OZRANIn a minute.

She nods and walks out, as Ozran walks round to the console his console.

CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- TURBOLIFT

Talora, Quinlan, and Carter all stand inside.

CARTERThat was a Gorn.

QUINLANGive the man a round of applause.

CARTERI didn't know there were any Gornsin Starfleet.

TALORAWell, he is half-Trill.

CARTERWhat?

He looks confused, and Talora and Quinlan grin as the doorsopen again...

INT. ENTERPRISE -- BRIDGE -- CONTINUOUS

Talora, Quinlan, and then Carter walk out, to be met by thesurprising sight of someone sitting in the Captain's chairand someone at helm. The guy sitting in the Captain's chairturns.

BONDAhh, welcome aboard.

TALORAThank you.

BONDI'm Commander Bond.

TALORAI didn't realize there was going tobe a crew on board.


BONDOnly a skeleton crew -- myself, LtBarry at helm and a couple down inengineering. You're just honoredguests today.

(to comm)Engineering, are we ready?

ENGINEER'S COMM VOICEWe are.

BOND(taps button on chair)

This is Commander Bond on theEnterprise, we're ready to go.

SUPERNUMERARY'S COMM VOICEAcknowledged, Enterprise. Free togo. Good luck.

BONDThank you.

He turns to Talora and Quinlan, while in the background Carteris watching everything keenly and every so often writingthings down.

BOND (CONT'D)Today you're just honored guests, sojust sit back and enjoy the ride. Helm, take us out.

HELM OFFICERAye, sir.

As the ship begins to move on the viewscreen Talora andQuinlan sit a bit dejectedly at one of the empty stations.

QUINLANI guess we really aren't needed anymore...

They watch the viewscreen.

CUT TO:


Grey, on his way to the Hawking, stops and watches as theEnterprise slowly turns and moves out of the bay. He standsstiffly as it goes, but do we see the slight quiver of thelips?

GREY(whispers)

Godspeed, Enterprise.


CUT TO:


The ENTERPRISE leaves and turns ninety degrees, before warpinginto space as we...

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT ONE

RENAISSANCE: "Together We Stand" - ACT TWO 20.

ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXT. SPACE

The Enterprise at warp.

INT. ENTERPRISE -- BRIDGE

Talora and Quinlan are sitting rather miserably at the Scienceand Operations stations, watching BOND and his helm officerat work. Carter sits in Commander Talora's old chair,interviewing Bond in the Captain's chair.

CARTERSo, is it a great honor to sit inthe chair of the Captain of theEnterprise?

BONDIt is! In fact, for a very shortwhile, it's as though I am the Captainof the Enterprise!

CARTERYou have a lot to live up to.

BONDYes, when you think of the namesthat have sat in this chair. Archer,Kirk, Garrett, Picard...

CARTERAnd Cross?

BOND(hesitates)

Well, I suppose so.

CARTERYou hesitate. Wouldn't you classhim with those other names?

BONDWell, not quite.

CARTERSo you think he's more like one ofthe also-rans, like April, say, orHarriman?

BONDErm...

Our view swings to Talora and Quinlan who are watching thiswith disgust.


QUINLANLook at him, badmouthing the captainlike that. Makes my blood boil.

TALORAWell, have you ever seen his program? You know what it's like.

(beat)Helm, what's our ETA to the Expanse?

HELM OFFICERFour point two hours, Commander.

QUINLANFour hours? I'm not sitting herefor four hours. I'm going to go andhave a final look round.

TALORAAgreed.

They get up and walk to the turbolift. Carter looks up.

CARTERWhere are you going?

TALORAWe're going for a walk.

CARTERCan I come?

QUINLANNo.

She shuts the turbolift door in his face.

CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE

The large black hulk. We see it is slowly passing throughan asteroid belt.

VOICE 1We are ready.

VOICE 2Scanning now.

There is a pause.

VOICE 2 (CONT'D)Scan is negative.

VOICE 1How can that be?


VOICE 2Unknown. What is our course ofaction?

VOICE 1We must discover what has happened.

VOICE 2How?

VOICE 1By any means necessary.

The hulk continues to move... and do we see a small red planetin the distance?

CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- CORRIDOR

Talora and Quinlan wander down it.

QUINLANThis is horrible. I hate it likethis, all empty. At least when itwas dark it didn't really look likeour ship.

TALORAYes...

QUINLANWhat?

TALORAI was just thinking. About whathappened. About the references toJanus. About the Klingons on theships.

QUINLANWe were close to finding outsomething.

TALORAWe were. We are...

She turns to Quinlan.

QUINLANWhat do you mean?

TALORAI mean I'm not going to give up. Welost the Enterprise because of thisthing, we lost our Captain, we lostDojar...

(MORE)


TALORA (CONT'D)(beat)

And I don't want that loss to be invain.

QUINLANWhat do you want to do?

TALORAI don't know. Not yet. But if I dowant to do something, dig deeper,try and unearth something... do Ihave your support?

QUINLANYou want to go behind Starfleet'sback again?

TALORAPossibly.

QUINLANYou want to poke your nose in whereit's not wanted?

TALORADefinitely.

QUINLANRisk your life for who knows what?

TALORAMost probably.

QUINLANSounds fun. Count me in.

TALORAI knew I could rely on you.

They've wandered now into...

INT. ENTERPRISE -- ENGINEERING -- CONTINUOUS

Quinlan and Talora look round. There are three or four peoplemilling around, who look up briefly at the two.

QUINLANThis doesn't look right either withoutErik sweating away over something orother. You know...

(imitating Grey)"The warp core is at ninety ninepoint nine efficiency, it's not goodenough dammit!"

Talora smiles.


TALORAIt's a shame he's not here. But Iimagine he's quite happy working onthe Hawking...

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- OPERATIONS

The same command center seen in "Living in the Shadows." Alot of people moving about at various consoles. At one endGrey is tapping furiously at a console. Suddenly it goespzzzt and starts alarming.

GREYSon of a bitch! Hawking, did youread that?

HAWKING ENGINEER'S COMM VOICENegative, lieutenant, it's not atour end.

Grey taps for a moment.

GREYNo, you're right. I see the problem,there's a gel pack gone. I'll goand replace it.

He gets up and walks over to a Jefferies Tube opening. Heunhooks it and crawls in. As he disappears in, Delfune entersand walks over to a senior-looking guy.

DELFUNEYou wanted to see me, Commander?

BRIGGSYes, Admiral, look at this.

He points at a console reading.

DELFUNEWhat the hell is that?

BRIGGSThat's what we're wondering.

Delfune frowns and taps her commbadge.

DELFUNEScience bay, are you reading anunidentified mass coming fromcoordinates two two four mark eightone?

COMM VOICEConfirmed.


BRIGGSCould be a cloaked ship.

DELFUNEThat size?

OFFICER(sounding alarmed)

Commander Briggs, I'm reading amassive energy build up.

BRIGGSComing from the mass?

OFFICERNo, sir, coming from in here...

Suddenly there is a high pitched WHINE... and all around theroom, NUMEROUS Q'TAMI suddenly beam in. Hordes and hordesof them. They leap down from the ceilings and off the walls. Delfune and Briggs duck under cover, and begin firing atthem as the people begin to run in panic. The red alertclaxon rings out.

CUT TO:

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- JEFFERIES TUBE

Grey is working on the gel pack when he hears the commotion. He turns and begins to crawl quickly back out, unholsteringhis phaser. As he gets to the end, he looks out...

CUT TO:


There is chaos. Q'tami are sending people flying everywherewith their tentacles, as phaser fire criss-crosses in theair. It also becomes apparent that the phaser fire isdeflecting off them again, as it did in the beginning of"Faction Protocols." The Q'tami are in much the ascendancy...

CUT TO:


Grey quickly scoots back down, pulling the cover onto theexit. He taps his commbadge.

GREYGrey to Hawking, we're under attack! Hawking!

(beat)Hawking come in!

(beat)Shit. Grey to science bay.

(MORE)


GREY (CONT'D)(beat)

Dammit, comms are down…

He continues to crawl to a cross-section of the tubes, andquickly begins to crawl...

CUT TO:


The Q'tami are here too, rampaging through the receptionarea. People are running, and screaming, as the Q'tamiattack. One man gets to a console and taps in...

MANMayday, mayday, shipyards are underattack! Mayd--

He is suddenly whipped away by a tentacle, and sent flyingthrough the air. The force smashes him through an airlockfrom a shuttle, hitting the release mechanism. The shuttlestarts to fall away as the automatic forcefield protects thepeople inside from the vacuum of space. The man slumps tothe floor.


The shuttle begins to fall through the air, and as it doesso we see the various ships docked begin to EXPLODE. Oneafter another after another they go up, like a chain reaction. The shuttle bounces off one ship, as it DETONATES.


The computer starts issuing a warning in its cold, clinicalvoice.

COMPUTER VOICEWarning, structural stability ofarea is compromised. Warning. Protective forcefields are offline. Warning.

Delfune and Briggs, still cowering in a corner, look up.

BRIGGSIt can't be...

He can't help but look out of the viewscreen.


The entire outside is a BLAZING INFERNO, as the fireballsjoin and coalesce. The glass walk ways come undone and fall,and people trapped in them are sucked out into the void. Ifthere was air, we'd hear them screaming.


Our perspective changes to a wider angle, where we can seethe entire shipyard complex -- dozens of drydocks and otherfacilities. All we can see is a giant fireball, gushingthrough the air. And next to it is the black hulk. We stillcannot make out what it is, but finally we see some scale:next to the shipyards, it is huge.


Grey is climbing down a ladder hurriedly, when suddenly allof it below him is wrenched off. Suddenly, he is danglingover an inferno, and being sucked towards it.

GREYShit!

He holds on for dear life and tries to get at an access portthat will close off the tube below him. He strains for it,but slips again, down another couple of rungs. Tears comeinto his eyes, and he begins to cough, as the air becomesthinner and thinner.

Finally, he scrabbles for his phaser. He pulls it out, andaims at the port. Now holding on with only one hand, heaims and fires once, twice, but his aim is way off. Suddenlyhe LETS GO.

GREY (CONT'D)Arggh!

As he falls, he fires again wildly and, what do you know,hits the port. He lands on the newly closed trap doorawkwardly and with a thud, banging his head and trapping oneleg beneath him. He cries out in agony before passing out.

CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE

The Enterprise at warp.


Carter is walking along a corridor. He gets to a door andopens it, walking into...

INT. ENTERPRISE -- REC LOUNGE -- CONTINUOUS

It used to be Ten Forward, but now it's the recreation lounge. In one corner are sitting Talora and Quinlan, both lookingout at the warp trails.

TALORAAnd then there were those people whochased us off the...

Quinlan nudges her to shut up, as she has spotted Carter.


CARTERHello, you two. I wondered whereyou'd got to, skulking down here.

QUINLANHello, Carter.

CARTERMind if I join you?

QUINLANYes.

Carter pulls up a chair and sits down.

CARTERI used to date a girl like you.

QUINLANShe has my sympathies.

CARTERAnd mine! I hope you don't mind,but part of this assignment is totalk to you, about how you feel aboutthis day, and so on.

QUINLANI've got two words for you.

TALORA(warningly)

Quinlan.

Quinlan looks wryly at Talora, then turns back to Carter.

QUINLANNo comment.

CARTERSo, you feel quite defensive aboutthis? Must be hard, seeing the shipthat rehabilitated you being scrapped. How does that make you feel?

QUINLANIs murder still illegal?

TALORANot on Stanos IV.

QUINLANWe're not passing anywhere near there,are we?

CARTERAll I want is a couple of comments.


QUINLANGo away.

CARTERFine.

He stands up and begins to walk out. Then he stops and turnsback.

CARTER (CONT'D)I'm only trying to provide a fittingepitaph for this ship. I think shedeserves one.

He walks out. Quinlan rolls her eyes at Talora.

CUT TO:


It is now lit by the fires outside, but slowly the Q'tamiare regaining some order. Some carry equipment in, whileothers herd the prisoners. One Q'tami pulls Delfune andBrigs out from their hiding place. Delfune raises her phaserand points it defiantly at the Q'tami.

Q'TAMIYour weaponry will not harm us.

Delfune fires it at the Q'tami, but it is blocked again. The Q'tami seems unperturbed.

Q'TAMI (CONT'D)Your course of action is useless.

DELFUNEWhat do you want?

Q'TAMIYou. You are in charge.

DELFUNEI am.

Q'TAMICome with me.

Delfune looks at Briggs and then slowly turns to follow him.

CUT TO:


Here, too, some order is now being reined in. People arehuddled into small groups, with Q'tami carefully guardingthem while others carry Q'tami equipment through, placing itin the center of the area.


The place is a mess, with bodies laying strewn everywhere,while outside fires still blaze. The Q'tami leads Delfunethrough the carnage.

Q'TAMIYou see our capabilities?

DELFUNEI see nothing but vicious animals. Only they could do something likethis.

Q'TAMIIf you are trying to insult me, itwill not work. I do not care whatyou or any of your kind think of me.

DELFUNEIf you don't care, what is it thatyou want?

Q'TAMIOne of your ships.

DELFUNEThen you shouldn't have destroyedthem.

She walks to the windows and looks out. Her face quiverswith emotion, and for the first time we see another side toher, as her mask drops, just for a moment.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)(whispers)

So many people...

She turns back to the Q'tami, and her face is red with rage.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)(yelling with fury)

How dare you do this to us? Howdare you? We do nothing to you butoffer our hand in friendship, andthis is how you repay us? Let meassure you that for every life youtake, we will do the same, buttenfold! We will not rest untilevery man and woman you have killedis avenged. I promise you that.

Q'TAMIYou have offered us no hand but oneof war.

DELFUNEWe have been in talks with theHegemony--


Q'TAMIWe are not members of the Hegemony. We are the Faction. We did not wantthis to happen. We just wanted peaceto be left on our own, but that couldnot be so. We are only doing whatwe must to protect ourselves.

DELFUNEI know nothing about any so-calledFaction.

Q'TAMIThen perhaps you should monitor theactivities of your underlings moreclosely. Using your method of markingthe passage of time, on Stardate78702.3 one of your Captains destroyedone of our ships.

DELFUNEWho?

Q'TAMICross of the Enterprise.

DELFUNE(makes a face ofdisgust)

I might have known.

Q'TAMIFurthermore, it will not be the lasttime. Our future predictions show ahigh degree of probability that theEnterprise will be involved again inattacks on us in the next two years,attacks that will create greatdifficulties in carrying out ourduties.

DELFUNE(sharply)

Duties? What duties?

Q'TAMIThat does not concern you.

DELFUNEI think it does. As much as I andCaptain Cross do not see eye-to-eye,I don't believe he would attack youunless he had a good reason.

Q'TAMIHe wanted to take back the Q'tami wehad taken from his ship.


DELFUNEYes, well, Neil Cross doesn't takekindly to people or things close tohim being attacked. I've learntthat the hard way. Why does he attackyou in the future?

Q'TAMIYou do not need to know that.

DELFUNEI think I do, if this is the sort ofstunt you pull. Do you do somethinglike this again?

Q'TAMIEnough! You will listen to me clearlyand carefully. I want the Enterprisebrought here. Now. And I want hercaptain and senior crew handed overto us.

DELFUNEI think that will be a bit difficult.

Q'TAMIYou will manage. For every hour ourdemands are not met, we will killone of your people here. Do I makemyself clear?

Delfune seethes, but clearly has few options for the moment.

DELFUNEPerfectly.

CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE

The Enterprise flies by at warp.


Commander Bond is still in the command seat, sitting upsquarely as he imagines all captains of the Enterprise do. There is a blip.

HELM OFFICERCommander, we're being hailed.

BONDWhat? From where?

HELM OFFICERIt's a fleet-wide signal... PriorityOne.


CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- REC LOUNGE

Talora and Quinlan, as before. Both are now silent andstaring out the window. Talora's commbadge chirps.

BOND'S COMM VOICEBond to Talora.

TALORAYes, what is it?

BOND'S COMM VOICEI think you should come and have alook at this, Commander.

Quinlan and Talora look at one another, then quickly get up.

CUT TO:


As before, but now Carter is there as well. Talora andQuinlan enter via the turbolift.

TALORAWhat's going on?

BOND(grimly)

We've just received a hail. Helm,put it on screen.

On the screen appears Delfune, looking battered from thebattle. In the background, we see people and Q'tami.

DELFUNEThis is Admiral Elizabeth Delfune atthe Utopia Planitia Shipyards. Wehave been attacked and overrun byQ'tami separatists calling themselvesthe Faction.

Talora and Quinlan start and look at each other.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)Many are already dead, and unlesstheir demands are met, our captorsare saying even more will die. Theyare demanding that the starshipEnterprise NCC-1701-G be brought tothem, together with her seniorofficers: Captain Neil Cross,Commander Talora...


INTERCUT:


Grey is sitting on his trap door, slowly coming round andnursing his leg, and listening to the message which is beingtransmitted through what remains of the shipyards.

DELFUNE (V.O.) (CONT'D)...Lieutenant Erik Grey...

He closes his eyes, desperate, not knowing what to do...

INTERCUT:


This is where Delfune is sending the message from. The otherswatch her as she speaks, almost impassively.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)Doctor Elris Lea, and LieutenantsGril Dojar...

INTERCUT:


As before: Talora, Quinlan, Carter, Bond, and thesupernumeraries watching the transmission.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)...and Jennifer Quinlan.

Quinlan closes her eyes.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)If they are not handed over, theQ'tami tell me they will kill one ofus every hour until their demandsare met.

The screen goes blank.

HELM OFFICEREnd of transmission, Commander.

Everyone is stunned for a moment, aghast. Then Bond turnsand looks at Talora.

BONDWhat do we do, Commander?

Talora looks at him as though in a dream.


TALORAThere's only one thing we can do,Commander.

(beat)We go back.

Off her expression we slowly...

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO

RENAISSANCE: "Together We Stand" - ACT THREE 36.

ACT THREE

FADE IN:


Continuous action from the end of Act Two.

BONDGo back? Are you kidding? What canwe do?

TALORA(ignoring him)

Helm, set a new course for the SolSystem.

BONDBelay that order.

Talora wheels on him.

BOND (CONT'D)It's suicide!

TALORAQuinlan, would you deal with him?

Quinlan walks sweetly over to Bond.

QUINLANCommander Bond, let's get thisstraight. This is not your ship. It never was, and never will be. It's ours. And now people are introuble and need our help, and it isour job to go and do whatever wecan.

(beat)Now, if you do not want to spend therest of the trip in extreme pain, Isuggest you cooperate.

Bond looks at her nervously.

BONDWhat do you have in mind?

TALORAWe need to know what's going on atthe shipyards.

HELM OFFICERCommander, we're being hailed again. It's Starfleet Command.


TALORAOn screen.

The screen flickers and changes. On it appears the fraughtface of ADMIRAL GONZALES (from "Delfune").

TALORA (CONT'D)Admiral.

GONZALESYou know the situation?

TALORAOnly what we heard from AdmiralDelfune.

GONZALESWe are holding an emergency meetingof the Council now to determine ourcourse of action. In the meantime,lay in a course for Earth, maximumwarp.

TALORAWe already have done so. Admiral,about Erik Grey...

GONZALESGrey was still on board the shipyardswhen they attacked. However, giventhe Q'tami are still demanding him,my guess is he is among thecasualties; otherwise they wouldhave him by now.

TALORASo we don't know if--

GONZALESNow is not the time for speculation. Be ready for further instructions. Gonzales out.

The screen goes blank.

QUINLANThat was curt. Not very sympatheticto Erik.

TALORANo, and I didn't like the phrase "beready for further instructions,"either.

QUINLANYou don't think they'd seriouslythink of handing us over, do you?


TALORAOf course not.

Quinlan looks doubtfully at her.

TALORA (CONT'D)But just in case, I suggest we comeup with an alternative plan of action.

CUT TO:


Grey is as he was at the end of Act Two, lying at the bottomof the shaft. Slowly he begins to ease himself up, but winceswith pain from his leg and sits down again hard. He startsto breathe.

GREYOn the count of three. One. Two. Three!

He moves again, pulling himself up a rung on the ladder, andthis time bites down on his uniform as the wave of pain fromhis leg hits him. He sweats for a moment, but finally itsubsides. He is now holding himself up with his hands onthe ladder.

GREY (CONT'D)And again. One, two, three!

He begins to pull himself up again...

CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- CONFERENCE ROOM

Talora, Quinlan, and Bond are standing round the table,looking at a schematic. The door opens and Ozran enters. Carter begins to follow him in, but Quinlan quickly stopsthis.

QUINLANNo. Senior staff only.

Carter opens his mouth in protest but the door shuts in hisface. The door immediately opens again.

QUINLAN (CONT'D)I thought I said--

CARTERAdmiral Delfune's orders.

QUINLANBut--


TALORAJust leave it, Quinlan we don't havetime.

Carter looks smugly at Quinlan as Ozran walks over to thetable.

OZRANWhat are we doing?

TALORAThis is a schematic of the shipyardsbefore the attack. We've receivedpreliminary estimates about the damagebased on available data. Here.

She presses a button. Nearly two thirds of the schematicsdisappear. Quinlan whistles.

QUINLANThey don't do anything in halfmeasures, do they?

TALORAStarfleet hasn't been able to getany firm data from the yards, butpreliminary estimates are in therange of three to four thousand peoplekilled...

Stunned looks all around.

TALORA (CONT'D)...And given the number of peoplelikely to be in the central corearea at the time of attack, and goingby past experience of Q'tami attacks,it's likely we're dealing with atleast fifteen hundred hostages.

QUINLANSo we can't blast our way in?

TALORANo. Look at this.

She presses a button. The footage of Delfune from earlierappears on the screen. As the Admiral mouths silently onthe recording, Talora points things out.

TALORA (CONT'D)This looks like it's the mainreception and administration area. You can see in the background theQ'tami herding the hostages. Lookhow they're positioned.


They all peer closely.

OZRANThe hostages are facing outwards.

TALORARight.

QUINLANA Human shield.

TALORAGiven the Q'tami's known predilectionfor ramming attacks, it's unsurprisingthey'd take steps to ensure we don'tfollow their example.

CARTERVery clever aliens. I should do aprogram about them.

Everyone stares at him.

CARTER (CONT'D)Carry on...

BONDLook at the flames out there, wecouldn't do much anyway.

OZRANHow did they get control so quickly?

TALORAComputer, replay footage from timeindex fifteen thirty.

They watch again the attack on Ops. As they do so, somethingcatches Talora's attention.

TALORA (CONT'D)(abruptly)

Computer, hold. Back ten seconds.

The computer plays again.

TALORA (CONT'D)Hold again.

QUINLANWhat is it? What do you see?

TALORAI'm not sure. Computer, magnifythis area...

(MORE)


TALORA (CONT'D)(she traces it on thescreen)

...and enhance, magnification factortwenty.

The computer does so. In the corner we see a blonde headpoking out of a Jefferies Tube, before disappearing back inagain quickly.

QUINLANErik?

TALORAComputer, run back by ten minutes. Play frame by frame at thirty secondintervals.

They watch as Grey, stuttering, goes over and enters theJefferies Tube.

TALORA (CONT'D)Computer, show us those schematicsagain.

The schematics replace the monitor image. Quinlan traces afinger.

QUINLANThat Jefferies Tube is still intact. He could still be there. Like theAdmiral said, the Q'tami wouldn'thave asked for him if he was alreadyin their hands.

BONDWonderful, he's still alive. Sowhat? How can we use that?

TALORAThat, Commander Bond, is what wehave to figure out.

She and Quinlan look at each other.

CUT TO:


Grey has managed to pull himself onto a flat area. He issoaked in sweat and grimy, but has a determined look in hisface. We can see he is looking down through a blasted gapat the scene in Operations below. Delfune and a couple ofothers sit in a desultory group as the Q'tami patrol. Greylooks round and, seeing none of the aliens are watching, hequickly climbs down...



Delfune sits in the corner. Grey quickly crawls over toher, and puts his finger to his mouth as she starts to speak.

GREYSssh.

DELFUNELieutenant Grey. I thought we'dlost you.

GREYI thought you'd lost me.

Delfune watches the Q'tami consulting together in the corner.

DELFUNEYou know what they want?

GREY(nods)

Yes. Any word from Starfleet yet?

DELFUNENone. All comm systems are down.

Grey reaches in his pocket and hands Delfune his phaser.

GREYHere.

DELFUNEIt's useless at the moment. Theydeflect the shots somehow.

GREYDammit. They did the same thingwhen they attacked the Enterprise.

DELFUNEHow could they do that though?

GREYLet me think. As well as the weapons,the comms are down as well. Theymust be using some kind of localizeddampening field. If they used that,the Q'tami's comms would be as uselessas ours.

DELFUNEWhy would they use a debilitatingdevice like that?


GREYWell, look at it this way. How manyQ'tami have you seen on board?

DELFUNEMaybe thirty at most.

GREYRight. They couldn't overpower allof us if we had our weapons.

DELFUNEThen why not attack with more?

GREYMaybe they don't have more. Maybethey're just stage managing a giganticbluff.

DELFUNEThat could work in our favor.

GREYExactly.

DELFUNEThe first thing to do then is to getthe weapons back. Where would thedampening field be generated from? Their ship?

GREYNo, they wouldn't want to disrupttheir ship as well. It'd have to besomething they've brought on board.

DELFUNEThey've brought so much equipment onboard. Where would be a good placefor a dampening field?

GREY(sighs)

It wouldn't matter at this range. It could be anywhere.

DELFUNEThen that must be your mission. Find it.

GREYThe words "needle" and "haystack"spring to mind.

DELFUNEYou'd better get moving then.


Grey nods sadly. He turns and quickly reenters the JefferiesTube.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)And Erik? Good luck.

He nods and crawls off. Suddenly we become aware of a fracasgoing on at the other side of the room. Two Q'tami bring ina crew man whom we soon see is COMMANDER BRIGGS.

BRIGGSNo, please!

Delfune stands up.

DELFUNEWhat is going on?

Q'TAMIAdmiral, one hour has elapsed.

DELFUNENo, you can't. Give them more time!

Q'TAMINo negotiation.

CUT TO:


Talora, Quinlan, Bond, Ozran, and Carter march in from theConference Room.

TALORAReport.

HELM OFFICERCommander, we're receiving anotherfleet-wide message from UtopiaPlanitia.

TALORAOn screen.

On the viewscreen appears the Q'tami holding Briggs, withDelfune standing to one side.

Q'TAMIFederation, our demands have notbeen met. You know what the penaltymust be.

BRIGGSNo! Please, anything!


The Q'tami reaches up with a tentacle and quickly snapsBriggs' neck. After a moment, the Q'tami lets the body slumpto the floor.

Q'TAMIOne hour, and then another will die.

The screen cuts out. The Bridge crew looks aghast for amoment.

HELM OFFICEROh my God.

BONDThis is too much. Even the Admiralwas shaking!

TALORAWhat? Admiral Delfune never shakes.

BONDShe was there. Helm, isolate AdmiralDelfune and show her from that lastrecording.

TALORAThat isn't necessary.

The image reappears, but in mute and with only the Admiralvisible, the rest blurred. Her hands are indeed shaking.

BONDSee what I mean?

Carter suddenly frowns.

CARTERI don't think that was shaking. Play it again.

The helm does so.

TALORAMr. Carter?

CARTER(triumphantly)

Sign language. She's using Deltansign language. I did a whole programon it a while back as part of mycommunity service.

TALORAComputer, translate hand movementsof image using Deltan sign languagematrix.


COMPUTER VOICEAccessing...

On the screen we see a blown up picture of Delfune's hands,slowed down.

COMPUTER VOICE (CONT'D)Translation complete. Message reads:"Grey find EMF generator." Messageends.

Carter looks triumphantly at Talora.

CARTERTold you.

HELM OFFICERCommander, being hailed again. It'sAdmiral Gonzales again.

TALORALet's hear what he has to say. Onscreen.

Gonzales appears looking very grave. He is seated in ameeting room with other Admirals, including THEL and CHIANG.

GONZALESCommander, I presume you just sawthat?

TALORAYes, sir.

GONZALESWe cannot hesitate any further. Allattempts to communicate with theQ'tami have been blocked, and wecannot hope to get past their ship. We have only one option left.

TALORAYou want us to surrender?

GONZALESI'm afraid so.

TALORAAdmiral, if you just gave us a bitmore time--

GONZALESThere is no more time! We cannotallow any more needless deaths. The Penal Colony holding the Captainhave been informed and are ready torelease him.


Beat. Talora takes a minuscule glance at Quinlan.

TALORAUnderstood sir. ETA, helm?

HELM OFFICERThirty minutes to enter Sol System.

GONZALESI'm sorry, Talora. Gonzales out.

He signs out. Talora looks at Quinlan.

TALORAWe have thirty minutes to think of aplan.

QUINLANSurely you're not thinking of goingagainst orders?

TALORAWhy not? What have we got to losenow?

CUT TO:


Grey makes his way along. As he does so, he reaches for hiscommbadge again and presses it. Still nothing.

GREYDammit.

He leans against the wall, and thinks. Then something dawnson him. He reaches in and gets his phaser out. He smashesit against a sharp corner at a bend, and it opens. He priesopen his commbadge and connects the wires to the power cellin the phaser. He presses it again. There's a slightlydifferent noise.

GREY (CONT'D)There. That gives us a comm radiusof -- oh, say twenty kilometers. Now, is there anyone out there tohear it? This is Lieutenant Grey,calling...

CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE

The Enterprise swoops past our point of view. In thebackground, we see the beautiful planet Earth.


INT. NZ PENAL -- CROSS'S CELL

NEIL CROSS is pacing up and down, when his door opens and aGUARD enters.

GUARDThey're here.

He stands aside and lets Talora enter.

TALORACaptain.

CROSSTalora.

They embrace. And then they look at each other.

CROSS (CONT'D)I hear we're to go to our horribledeaths at the hands of the Faction?

TALORAAfraid so.

CROSSBusiness as usual then?

TALORACertainly is.

CROSSYou have an idea?

TALORAOf course. We make it up as we goalong.

CROSSIt really is business as usual.

He looks at her wryly at they walk out.

CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- TRANSPORTER ROOM

Cross materializes on the pad with Talora. Ozran is at thecontrols, and waiting too are Carter and Quinlan.

Cross walks slowly forward.

QUINLANWelcome aboard, Captain.

CROSSThank you, Quinlan.


QUINLANI took the liberty of getting you auniform.

CROSSThank you. Ozran.

OZRANCaptain.

CROSSI could use a familiar face inEngineering.

OZRANI'm on my way, sir.

CUT TO:


Cross hurries down it urgently, pulling on his uniform as hetalks. Behind him Talora and Quinlan race to keep up, andlagging just behind but keeping pace is Carter. The corridorsare bathed in the red alert light.

CROSSWhen did this happen?

TALORAAbout three hours ago.

CROSSHow many hostages do they have?

TALORAApproximately fifteen hundred, sir. Including Admiral Delfune.

CROSSOh well, every cloud has a silverlining, I guess.

(taps commbadge)Ozran, what can you tell me?

INTERCUT:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- ENGINEERING

Ozran is rushing about, trying to master Engineering as besthe can with a staff of about four.

OZRANCaptain, I'm doing my best, but theEnterprise is not equipped for anysort of mission like this.


CROSS'S COMM VOICEIt'll have to do, Chief.

INTERCUT:


As before Cross, Talora, Quinlan, and Carter.

CROSSAre we in communication with them?

TALORANo, sir, there's a communicationsblack out around the yards.

CROSSWhat support do we have?

TALORANone, Starfleet want us to go inalone, shields down, kissing theirboots.

CROSSOf course. Speaking of which, wherethe hell is Y'lan?

TALORANo idea, he's been missing for someweeks.

CROSSMarvelous. How do we know he's notinvolved?

TALORAWe don't.

They reach a turbolift and enter.

INT. ENTERPRISE -- TURBOLIFT -- CONTINUOUS

CROSSBridge.

CARTERCaptain, if I may just--

CROSSHow about Lea? Does she know what'sgoing on?

Talora and Quinlan look at each other.


TALORA(quietly)

We haven't contacted her, but I'msure she's heard.

CROSSBest get it sorted quickly then,before she turns up as a noble martyr.

CARTER(loudly)

Captain, if I might just have a word--

Cross looks at Carter as if noticing him for the first time.

CROSSI'm sorry, who is this jackass?

Carter thrusts out his hand.

CARTERLewis Carter. Federation NewsNetwork.

CROSSOh, Christ. What the hell is hedoing here?

TALORADelfune's orders.

CROSSOf course he is. Remind me againwhy we have to rescue her?

TALORAI think it would be frowned on if wedidn't.

CROSSPity.

The door opens...


Cross walks out slowly and looks around. Talora, Quinlan,and Carter file out behind him. Bond waits for him.

BOND(stiffly)

Captain on the Bridge.

CROSSThank you, Commander...?


BONDBond, Commander Bond.

CROSSOh good, you'll be helpful to havealong.

QUINLAN(heading for helm)

I hope everyone remembers where theysit...

Cross hesitates then, and looks at his chair. Quinlan andTalora both go to their places.

CROSSI'm not sure I do...

He looks thoughtful.

QUINLANBloody hell, someone's gone andrearranged my console! This took meages to get how I liked it.

TALORAIn times of war, we all have heavyburdens to carry, Quinlan.

Cross, noticeably not sitting, looks over at Bond. Cartersteps forward.

CARTERCaptain, please, just a few words...

TALORAMr. Carter, if you don't want tospend your time on this mission inthe brig, you will be advised tokeep quiet.

CARTERBut just...

He looks at Talora, who shakes her head warningly at him. Carter looks back at Cross, who seems almost not to be withthem.

CROSS(quietly)

Commander, open a channel to Command.

BONDChannel open, Captain.


CROSSStarfleet Command, this is theEnterprise, Captain Neil Cross takingtemporary command, as per orders. Request permission to depart.

GONZALES'S COMM VOICERequest granted. Good luck,Enterprise.

CROSSAcknowledged with thanks. Quinlan,if you will do the honors?

QUINLANOf course.

She presses her console. Suddenly the whole bridge jerksbackwards, throwing everyone.

QUINLAN (CONT'D)Sorry, still getting used to thisnew layout.

(beat)There.

She presses again, and we see on the viewscreen the shipbeginning to move. Carter moves forward determinedly.

CARTERCaptain, I really must insist.

TALORACarter...

CROSSIt's all right, Talora. Let's givehim enough rope to hang himself. What can I do for you, Mr. Carter?

CARTERI was just wondering what your planswere. What you're going to do whenwe get there.

CROSSWhat we're going to do? What we alwaystry and do, Mr. Carter. We're goingto save the day.

He turns back to the viewscreen as the Enterprise clearsspacedock doors.

EXT. SPACEDOCK

THE ENTERPRISE heroically turns and heads off into thedistance, as slowly...


FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE

RENAISSANCE: "Together We Stand" - ACT FOUR 55.

ACT FOUR

FADE IN:


The massive black hulk still looms ominously in front ofthem. The fires still rage but slightly less so.


The Q'tami continue to monitor the situation with theirequipment as the people remain standing against the walls. The camera pans up through the ceiling into...


Grey making his way slowly along, still with his commbadgeand phaser. He gets to an opening in the wall and slowlyand carefully eases it to one side, peering into...

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- STORAGE ROOM -- CONTINUOUS

It is empty of people, and only has small consoles and boxesdotted around the room. He checks the room is empty andthen goes over to one of the consoles.

GREY(whispering)

Computer, status of sensors.

The console flickers, stutters, then:

COMPUTER VOICESensors are non-operational.

GREYThis is hopeless.

He slumps down at the corner, and looks at his commbadgeagain. Desultory he taps it.

GREY (CONT'D)This is Erik Grey, calling to anyoneout there. This is Erik Grey, pleaserespond...


As before; Cross standing in front of the center chair, Talorasitting beside him, Quinlan at helm, Bond at ops and Carterjust watching. Bond looks up.

BONDCaptain, we're receiving a hail. It's... as far as I can make out,it's coming from inside the shipyards.


TALORAThey've detected us.

BONDI'm not sure, it's a Federationsignature. Audio only.

CROSSLet's hear it.

The comm comes on. It is very crackly and breaks up everyso often.

GREY'S COMM VOICE...Grey, calling to ... there. ...Respond.

CROSSErik? This is Captain Cross. Canyou hear me?

GREY'S COMM VOICE...tain? Is that you?

INTERCUT:

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- STORAGE ROOM

Grey sits up, suddenly alert. Cross's voice is distortedtoo.

CROSS'S COMM VOICE...is. Where are you?

GREYCaptain, listen, we don't have muchtime. The Q'tami are using a subspacedampener field generator, somewhereon board here, to block our phasers. We need to find it, but it's playedhavoc with our sensors. You need tofind it.

CROSS'S COMM VOICE...knowledged. Hang firm.

INTERCUT:


As before; Cross, Talora, Quinlan, Bond, and Carter.

CROSSWe don't want them to detect our...

The ship suddenly SHAKES.


BONDThe Q'tami ship has opened fire.

TALORAToo late.

CROSSRaise shields and go into evasivemaneuvers. Talora, help Bond. Weneed to find that generator.


The black hulk is turning and firing on the Enterprise.


Three Q'tami move with purpose towards a door in a corner. With a flick of a tentacle, the door bursts open into...

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- STORAGE ROOM

The Q'tami enter -- but the room is empty. They look up andsee the Jefferies tube open. One whips a tentacle, knockingit off, before all three rise and enter the tubes...

Q'TAMI 2We must find him quickly.

Q'TAMI 3Agreed.

We hear them scuttering down the tubes quickly. One of theboxes slowly opens and Grey peers out.

GREYSmarter than the average Q'tami...

CUT TO:


As before with the hostages. The lead Q'tami turns toDelfune.

Q'TAMIA rescue is being attempted.

DELFUNEDid you expect anything else?

Q'TAMIIt will not succeed. Our ship isten times as strong.


DELFUNEThen you should have nothing to worryabout.

CUT TO:


It is noticeable the hulk is not moving far, but the energybeam blasts from it are hitting home. The Enterprise's shots,on the other hand, do not seem to be doing any damage atall.


As before. The red alert klaxon is going.

CROSSReport.

BONDShields are down to forty ninepercent.

CROSSQuinlan, you're going to have to bea lot quicker.

QUINLANI'm sorry, Captain, I'm rusty onmaneuvering a ship this large.

CROSSI suggest you remember quickly.

QUINLANI'm trying...

CROSSHow much longer on the scan?

TALORAEvery time we're hit the computerloses track. We've only scannedseventeen percent--

The bridge rocks again under an impact from a shot.

BONDShields at twenty nine percent.

CROSSFind that dampener!


CUT TO:


GREY eases out of the storage room, and watches the Q'tamicarefully. He sneaks along one wall, and manages to turn acorner, into...


This leads into a corridor which is free from Q'tami. Hehurries down it as fast as his leg will allow him to. Hegets to a door, and tries to enter it.

COMPUTER VOICEAccess denied. Access to the armorypermitted only to senior personnel.

GREYOverride, code Grey four sevenEpsilon.

COMPUTER VOICEAccess denied. You do not havesecurity clearance.

GREYDammit!

He looks around. A Jefferies tube opening stands by him. Hehesitates. Can he enter with the Q'tami roaming round insidethem?

CUT TO:


As before. It rocks again under another impact.

BONDShields at fourteen percent!

CROSSTalora?

TALORA(shaking her head infrustration)

It's no good, Captain. Only twentysix percent, there's no sign of thedamn thing.

Suddenly Cross notices Carter beginning to inch towards theturbolift.

CROSSWhere are you going?


CARTERI thought I might try and find anescape pod...

CROSSDon't be a fool, they'll shoot youout of the sky.

Carter whimpers.

QUINLANHold on, here they come again!

The bridge rocks again under a massive barrage. The consoleBond is using explodes, and he cries out as he is thrown tothe floor. Talora presses some buttons.

TALORAWe've lost shields completely.

Cross turns and looks at the screen ashen faced.

QUINLANThey're preparing to fire again. Should we flee?

CROSSNo.

QUINLANCaptain?

CROSSOur mission was to save the peopleon board that station. Our deathswill do that. Hold firm.

He looks round at Carter.

CROSS (CONT'D)I hope you got enough footage.

Carter looks at him fearfully.

CUT TO:


The hulk slowly swings around and prepares to fire one moretime. It begins to, but the shot is knocked off course by anew phaser barrage. Out of the void comes the CARDASSIANFREIGHTER of Y'lan and Dojar. It fires hard on the hulk,which turns its attention to them.



Y'lan stands at weapons, impassive as always. Dojar sits athelm with a triumphant smile on his face.

DOJARAfternoon, Captain, mind if we playtoo?

CROSS'S COMM VOICEDojar?

DOJARYes, Captain. Reports of my deathhave been greatly exaggerated.

INTERCUT:


As before. They all look at each other.

CROSSFeel free to join the party. Talora?

TALORAScanning now.


The hulk is now taken up with fighting the Cardassian ship --which is maneuvering with much greater agility than would besuggested by its massive bulk. The Enterprise is lefttemporarily alone.

CUT TO:


Grey crawling along it. Suddenly from behind he hearsscuttering. He looks back and sees Q'tami approaching. Hehurries quicker.

GREY(taps commbadge)

Any time you like, Commander.

INTERCUT:


As before.

TALORAWorking on it, Erik. Working on it.


We see a close up of her console. The computer is homing inon an area.

INTERCUT:


The Q'tami are right behind GREY, who is moving as quicklyas he can. It looks to be futile though, as a tentaclereaches out... but he is over an opening, and drops just asthe tentacle is about to hit him, into...

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- ARMORY -- CONTINUOUS

Grey lands with a thud, and cries out in pain. With a supremeeffort, he gets himself together and gets over to a bankcontaining phaser rifles, as the Q'tami jump into the roombehind him. He turns and looks at them.

GREYNow would be a good time, Talora.

INTERCUT:


As before.

TALORAGot it! It's in the central core.

INTERCUT:

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- ARMORY

As before.

GREYI'm nowhere near the central core.

One Q'tami lashes out at him, and whips his phaser away.

GREY (CONT'D)If you kill me, you'll never get theEnterprise.

Q'TAMIThe Enterprise is already ours.

GREYThey would leave rather than let youhave it.

Q'TAMIWe shall see.


It moves over and picks him up, ready to smash him to theground.

INTERCUT:


As before.

CROSSQuinlan, take us in.

QUINLANWhat?

CROSSInto the shipyards. We have todestroy that generator without hurtingthose people.

QUINLANYou're... not kidding, are you?

CROSSNow, Quinlan!

QUINLANOkay...

CROSSGet ready, Talora.

EXT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- DRYDOCKS

The Enterprise moves into the , through the flames. Thegiant hulk turns quickly to try and fire at them, but theCardassian ship attacks them again.


Through the flames, like the rising of a phoenix, theENTERPRISE bursts through, flying through the docks the shipswere in. The hostages stare and point out of the windows,and the Q'tami react. In the background, we see for thefirst time what they have been guarding -- a Q'tami consolelike device.


As before.

QUINLANChanging frequency to counterforcefields.

CROSSFire.



As before. An arc of phaser fire cuts through the forcefieldsholding the atmosphere in, flying harmlessly over the peopleand striking first the Q'tami and then the generator, whichinstantly self-destructs and explodes.

CUT TO:

INT. UTOPIA PLANITIA -- ARMORY

Grey is about to be thrown against the wall when the phaserattached to his comm badge glows again. He quickly snatchesit and fires into the head of the Q'tami. Immediately itlets him go, screaming. He drops to the floor, and rollsover to the phaser rifle.

GREYSorry to disappoint you. Betterluck next time.

He picks it up and shoots at the Q'tami. One explodes,another tries to grab the rifle, but Grey shoots the tentacleoff it, before blasting it to smithereens. He looks at thethird.

GREY (CONT'D)You want some?

The Q'tami roars and leaps at him, but Grey shoots him outof the air. He quickly picks up a few more rifles, andhurries out.

CUT TO:


People are cheering at the dead Q'tami, as Grey appears.

GREYHere.

He starts to distribute the rifles, as more Q'tami appear. They start shooting them, and the Q'tami start dropping. The Starfleet officers quickly spread out...

CUT TO:


The Q'tami there turn as people barge in and begin firing. They don't have the time to react as they start dropping. The one holding Delfune panics and begins to turn, but dropsto the floor in front of her. Delfune looks at him.

DELFUNEExcellent.


CUT TO:


The black hulk is starting to flicker as the Enterprisereappears out of the shipyards.


As before.

CROSSCross to Dojar and Y'lan. What'shappening?

INTERCUT:


Y'lan and Dojar, as before.

Y'LANAn illusion, Captain. The generatorwas creating the impression of avast ship, when as you can see, itis no bigger than yours.


The black hulk image finally disappears, and is replaced bya small Q'tami vessel, roughly the size of the Enterprise. It turns away quickly, and jumps into warp.


As before.

QUINLANShould we pursue it, Captain?

CROSSNot with our shields. Cross to Grey. What's happening?

INTERCUT:


Grey enters to see Q'tami lying dead everywhere.

GREYThe situation is under control,Captain. Thank you.

He looks up at Delfune, who looks back at him and nods. Grey smiles.


INTERCUT:


As before. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

CROSSStand down from red alert, then. Lieutenant Dojar?

DOJAR'S COMM VOICECaptain?

CROSSWould you mind reporting to my readyroom? You have some explaining todo.

DOJAR'S COMM VOICEUnderstood, Captain.

Talora silently watches, her emotion unreadable, as Crossbreathes a sigh of relief and we slowly...

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT FOUR

RENAISSANCE: "Together We Stand" - ACT FIVE 67.

ACT FIVE

FADE IN:

EXT. SPACE -- EARTH SPACEDOCK

The ENTERPRISE has returned.

INT. STARFLEET COMMAND -- DELFUNE'S OFFICE

Delfune is sitting behind her desk, with crutches proppedagainst it, and a black eye. The door chimes.

DELFUNECome in.

The door opens and Cross enters. Delfune looks at him.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)Neil.

CROSSAdmiral. You wanted to see me?

DELFUNEYes. Please, sit down.

Cross does so.

CROSSHow are you feeling?

DELFUNEI'll survive.

CROSSI'm glad to hear it.

Delfune looks at him wryly.

DELFUNEI suppose you've read the report?

CROSSWith great interest.

DELFUNEThe Q'tami went to a great deal oftrouble to get rid of you.

CROSSIt would seem they had quite a grudgeagainst me.

DELFUNEI'm wondering if there's any speciesout there that doesn't.


CROSSI don't think the tribbles have anyreason to complain.

DELFUNEUnder normal circumstances, I wouldjust put this terrible incident downto another example of you creatingtrouble, but it's more complex thanthat. It wasn't just you they wanted.

CROSSAnd from my limited experience, theQ'tami wouldn't even understand theconcept of vengeance, let alone dowhat they did for it.

DELFUNEFor once I agree -- as does theCouncil. This wasn't about youdestroying one of their ships.

CROSSWhat was it about then?

DELFUNEThey said that you would interferewith their plans again. It wouldappear that you and your crew are athreat to them and whatever it isthey are planning.

CROSSIt's nice to feel useful.

DELFUNEIt must be. Evidently they decidedthat before they put whatever they'replanning into operation they'd getrid of something that could stand intheir way. Namely, you and yourcrewmates.

CROSSI bet you wish you'd thought of that.

DELFUNE(ignoring this)

We've contacted the Hegemony, but asusual we've got nothing back fromthem.

CROSSWhat did they say?


DELFUNEThe gist was they don't care one wayor the other. I think they ratherwelcomed the fact that the Factionwere concentrating more on us thanon themselves.

CROSSIt makes you wonder why, though.

DELFUNEWhy?

CROSSWhy they are concentrating on us. The Q'tami seem to enjoy pointingout that we are beneath them, asants are to us. Why then are theFaction bothering about us? What dothey hope to achieve?

DELFUNEI don't know. But I imagine you'regoing to have fun finding out.

CROSSExcuse me?

DELFUNEThe Faction are a threat to us now.It would be foolish to take awaysomething that are evidently a threatto them, for whatever reason. Therefore, the Federation Councilhas decided to recommission theEnterprise, with you in command.

Cross stares at her, momentarily stunned.

CROSSWon't... won't the Reformists havesomething to say about that?

DELFUNEThe Reformists have just signed apeace treaty with the Federation andthe Imperialists, a treaty I myselfhad a great deal of influence in. They'll play ball.

CROSSI see.

DELFUNEYour orders are simple.

(MORE)


DELFUNE (CONT'D)To reform your senior staff -- allthose who were targeted by thesecreatures -- and to find out whatthe Faction is up to. Amongst allthe other missions the Enterprise isused to receiving.

CROSS(overwhelmed)

I... understand. Thank you, Admiral--

DELFUNEThis isn't a pardon, Neil. You havea permanent scar on your record andI'm going to make damn sure theEnterprise is the last ship you evercommand. If matters were different,have no doubt you'd be spending therest of your days in the penal colony.

CROSSI do.

DELFUNEHowever, matters are not different. And, given your recent service inalleviating the shipyard situation--

CROSSWhere I rescued your ass, you mean?

DELFUNE(patiently)

Where you and your crew saved thehostages, the Council felt they hadno choice.

CROSSI promise they won't regret theirdecision.

DELFUNEI already regret it. However, therest of the crew mustn't be informedof why you are being relaunched. Itwould not be in their best interests.

CROSSWhat do we tell them then?

DELFUNEThat due to your sterling service insaving the shipyards, the ship hasbeen recommissioned.


CROSSIt's a bit thin.

DELFUNEIt'll have to do. I expect theEnterprise to launch within a week,understood?

CROSSYes, Admiral.

DELFUNEAll right, dismissed.

Cross nods, and turns to go.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)Oh, one more thing, Neil.

Cross turns back.

DELFUNE (CONT'D)You understand that with her tarredrecord, the Enterprise will not bereturned to her status as theFederation flagship. It would notpresent an acceptable image forStarfleet.

Cross's face drops, but he nods, understanding.

CROSSMay I ask which ship will become theflagship?

DELFUNE(thin smile on herlips)

The Leviathan. Under Captain Joel.

CROSS(stiffly)

A good choice.

DELFUNENow get moving. You'll be wantingto greet your new crew member.

CROSSNew crew member?

DELFUNEOh, yes. I'm sure you're going toget on like a house on fire.


CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- SHUTTLEBAY

Quinlan and Talora are ticking names off a PADD as crewmembersdisembark. They both look at the latest addition.

QUINLANYou've got to be kidding me.

Carter beams at them.

CARTERHello. Lewis Carter, signing aboard.

QUINLANWhat the hell are you doing here?

CARTEROh, hasn't anyone told you? Here...

He hands Quinlan a PADD.

CARTER (CONT'D)The FNN has been negotiating withStarfleet to have a reporter placedaboard every starship, sort of a manon the front line, if you like.

QUINLANI don't like. I haven't heardanything about this.

CARTERIt's a new initiative. I think it'san excellent idea, don't you?

QUINLAN(dryly)

Fabulous.

CARTERSince the Enterprise is in the foreof news at the moment, it's seen asan ideal slot for a pilot run of thescheme. And since I've had experienceof you all already, who better forthe job?

QUINLANI can think of several people. Talora, do you know about this?

Talora comes over and reads the PADD. Carter beams again.


QUINLAN (CONT'D)(aside to Talora)

See who the order's signed by?

TALORADelfune. Perfect.

CARTERI hope I don't get in anybody's way.

TALORAThis says you have access to theBridge?

CARTERYes, and to staff meetings, althoughit is of course Captain's prerogativewhat I can report from them.

TALORAOf course. Welcome aboard, Mr.Carter.

CARTERThank you. Now Ensign, which way tomy quarters?

Quinlan blanches.

CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- ENGINEERING

Grey is walking round, tutting, as LIEUTENANT SARAH BOYLEstands aside.

GREYThis is terrible. Nothing is whereit used to be. This is going totake weeks to sort out.

BOYLEThen you should be in your elementthen.

GREYYeah.

He sighs.

BOYLEWhat is it?

GREYI... I don't know.

(MORE)


GREY (CONT'D)A week ago, if you'd asked me, I'dhave said there was no way I wantedto get back on this ship. But now...

BOYLENow?

GREYThe Q'tami are hunting us. For whatreason we don't know. So it's betterthat we all stick together, watcheach other's backs.

BOYLEYeah.

GREYAnd yet... and yet I don't knowwhether I want to. I can neverforgive the Captain for what he didon Coular. And how can I serve undera Captain I don't respect?

BOYLEYou're not serving under a Captainyou don't respect. You're serving acrew and ship you do.

She takes his hand.

GREYYeah.

(shakes his head)Anyway, these phase alignments won'tcorrect themselves.

BOYLEI'll leave you to it.

GREYThanks.

She wanders off, but Grey still looks unhappy.

CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- Y'LAN'S LAB

It is in darkness. The door opens and Y'lan enters, followedby Dojar. Both are carrying equipment, as the room is empty.

Y'LANPlease place the equipment over there.

Dojar does so.


DOJARPhew, this stuff is heavy. Whycouldn't we transport it?

(beat)Don't tell me, let me guess. Somegobbledygook Q'tami reason that'llmess up the transporters.

Y'LANNo, I did not wish to wait in thequeue.

DOJARFair enough. So. Good to be home?

Y'LANHome? This is not my home.

DOJARWell... it is a bit.

Y'LANThe Q'tami do not have an attachmentto any particular location. We donot need to feel a bond with certainplaces to feel more comfortable.

DOJARSounds a bit miserable. Home iswhere the heart is.

Y'LANQ'tami hearts are very different instructure to bipeds.

DOJARYeah, that's true. Y'lan, what doyou think is going to happen?

Y'LANIn what way?

DOJARWith the attackers.

Y'LANI do not know.

DOJAROne thing is encouraging. They'renot as powerful as we thought. Ifthey have to try and bluff us tothink there's thousands of them...

Y'LANThere are many thousands of them. Millions, even.


DOJARThen why did they attack the shipyardswith barely thirty? And why didthey create an illusion of that giantship?

Y'LANI do not know. The Q'tami's waysare...

(thinks)...becoming more difficult for me tofollow.

DOJARThat must feel difficult for you.

(hesitates)Y'lan, I just wanted to say thankyou.

Y'LANThank you?

DOJARYeah, for everything you did for me. And for this crew.

Y'LANI just did whatever needed to bedone.

DOJARI know, but still. Thank you.

Y'LANYou are... welcome.

(beat)Please put that console over here.

Y'lan begins setting up his equipment again, and Dojar carriesa large box to the center of the room.

Talora and Quinlan enter.

TALORADojar. The computer told us youwere here.

Dojar starts, looks round.

DOJARSorry, I was a bit distracted. Talora, it's good to see you again.

They hug.


TALORA(still in the hug)

We thought we'd lost you.

DOJARTakes more than an exploding ship toget rid of me.

They break off.

QUINLANI didn't doubt you'd be back for asecond.

DOJAR Thanks, Jenn.

They hug too.

QUINLANDon't do that to us again.

DOJARI don't plan to.

QUINLANI see Y'lan's got you working already?

DOJARYeah.

(beat)I owe him a lot.

Y'LANThe Lieutenant has been most helpful. Without him, my mission to protectyou would have been much harder.

DOJARWe make quite a team when we put ourmind to it.

QUINLANIt sounds it.

TALORADojar, we need a word with you. Y'lan, will you excuse us?

Y'LANOf course.

Talora, Quinlan and Dojar exit. Y'lan watches them go.


CUT TO:

INT. ENTERPRISE -- REC LOUNGE

It is very busy with lots of excited new crewmemberscelebrating their transferal. Talora, Quinlan, and Dojarare sitting in a corner.

DOJARWhy here?

TALORAWe have to be on our guard all thetime. We don't know if the ship isbugged or not. At least here it'llbe harder to listen in.

DOJARYou're thinking of Janus.

TALORAOf course.

DOJARI've still got that data from theReformist ships. I've been lookingat it, but the cryptography is likenothing I've ever seen before.

QUINLANWe should get Grey to look at it.

TALORA(sharply)

No.

QUINLANWhat? Why?

TALORAI don't know. It's just the lesspeople know of this, the better. Noone else can know. No one. Agreed?

DOJAR & QUINLANAgreed.

TALORAWe don't know what we're dealingwith here. We can't be too careful.

QUINLANSo what's the plan?

TALORAKeep our eyes and ears open.

(MORE)


TALORA (CONT'D)That's all we can do at the moment. Janus seems pretty determined, I'msure it, whatever it is, will turnup again at some point.

She looks across. Carter has just entered.

TALORA (CONT'D)(indicating him)

You never know where there are spies,lurking in our midst. You neverknow.

They look over. Carter cheerfully waves to them as he goesto the bar.

INT. ENTERPRISE -- READY ROOM

Cross is staring at himself in the mirror. The door chimes. He turns.

CROSSCome in.

The door opens. He starts.

ELRISHello, Neil.

Elris walks into the room slowly.

CROSSLea. When did you get here?

ELRISJust shuttled in this morning.

CROSSWelcome back.

ELRISThank you.

CROSSAlthough I'm not sure it's entirelyappropriate to be welcoming someoneon a voyage of the damned.

ELRISVoyage of the damned?

CROSSWe're on the Faction's hit list.


ELRISSo I heard. But we've faced thembefore and not done too badly.

CROSSLuck has to run out sooner or later.

ELRISPerhaps. But I tend to be a bitmore optimistic about our future.

CROSSThat's good to hear.

Beat.

ELRISI'm sorry I didn't come to visit.

CROSSThat's okay. I needed some time. It's good to see you now, though.

(beat)I still love you, you know.

ELRISAnd I still love you. But thingscan never...

CROSS(nods)

I know. I think finally we havemoved on.

ELRISGood.

CROSSWelcome aboard, Doctor.

Cross offers his hand. Elris smiles and hugs him instead.

ELRIS(still in the embrace,whispering)

I'm always here for you.

They part.

CROSSThank you.

His comm chirps.

QUINLAN'S COMM VOICECaptain, we're ready for departure.


CROSSOn my way.

He makes a gesture for Elris to go first.

CROSS (CONT'D)After you, Doctor.

ELRISThank you, Captain.

They exit.


Cross and Elris walk in. Quinlan is at helm, Talora at theside. At the back, Carter is filming it all with a smallcamera.

CROSSMust you film everywhere?

CARTERHistoric moment, Captain.

CROSSIt wouldn't matter if you missed it,Mr. Carter, historic moments have ahabit of happening regularly on thisship.

(beat, to comm)Cross to Starfleet Command, requestingpermission to depart.

GONZALES'S COMM VOICEGonzales here, Enterprise. Permissiongranted. Good luck.

CROSSLieutenant Quinlan, take us out.

He looks around at the crew and then back to the front.

CROSS (CONT'D)Let's go get them.

Quinlan engages the engines.

EXT. SPACE -- EARTH SPACEDOCK

The ENTERPRISE turns and slowly but surely sets off, beforejumping to warp. The adventure has begun again...

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT FIVE

THE END

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