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Copyright 1990 by David B. Mears and Eric Klien. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "The Ghosts of Yesteryear" ACT ONE FADE IN: INT. MAIN BRIDGE Geordi is sitting next to counselor Troi. GEORDI Do you think Jack Crusher could still be alive out there? TROI I don't know, but someone had to send that message. GEORDI Could a man survive alone for ten years? TROI We don't know that he has. The message was five years old. GEORDI I'd go crazy if I found myself all alone with nothing to do for even five years. TROI You'd be surprised what a person can endure when necessary. Survival is the strongest instinct there is in humans, as well as in many other species. Remember when you were trapped on Galornden Core? GEORDI I was only on the planet for a few hours, and I wasn't alone. TROI Ten years IS a long time for a man to live with no one but himself for company. If we do find Jack Crusher alive, he may not be the man who was left behind. WORF When the Romulans attacked Kittemar and left me to die, I survived without adverse effect. GEORDI You'd just come through the middle of a war zone, Worf. And you'd just seen your parents killed. That couldn't help but affect you. TROI Jack's experience was much the same. He'd been through a battle, and just as the Captain assumed that Jack had been killed, for all Jack knew, the Beagle had been destroyed and the Captain killed. GEORDI It must be hard on the Captain, knowing he may have to confront a man he abandoned like that. TROI Though I've sensed some guilt from the Captain, he knows what command responsibility means, and he knew it then. He'll be fine. GEORDI Well, I certainly don't envy him right now. TROI Nor do I. WORF A true warrior always finds strength through adversity. INT. CORRIDOR Riker and Data are walking from the turbolift to holodeck four. DATA Commander, do you believe this transmission came from Commander Crusher? RIKER I think if Starfleet and Captain Picard didn't believe it possible, the Captain wouldn't have looked so upset. DATA I do not believe I have ever seen the Captain so disturbed. Do you think he will be all right? RIKER We'll know in a minute, Data. They arrive at the holodeck entrance. RIKER Computer, request permission to enter holodeck. COMPUTER VOICE Simulation is not secured. (beat) You may enter when ready. Riker and Data look at each other briefly then enter the holodeck. INT. HOLODECK It is a recreation area filled with gymnastic equipment, duotronic games, and a small juice bar to the side. Seated alone at a small table by the bar is Picard, nursing a pulpy orange colored drink. RIKER This looks like the Rec Bar at the Academy. PICARD It is, Number One. I suppose I wanted to be in an old familiar place to think about the past. DATA No people, Captain? PICARD At the time, Data, I felt more like being alone with my thoughts. Picard swirls the juice in his glass and takes a sip. RIKER It's not like you to brood, Captain. PICARD Being reminded of the death of my closest friend is not something I have to deal with every day, Number One. Jack Crusher and I spent a lot of time here going through the Academy together. (beat) It's also where Jack and I spent our last few planet bound hours before leaving on his final mission. RIKER I'm afraid I'm not as familiar with the details of that mission as I should be. What happened out there? PICARD It was just after the Stargazer had been lost in battle. There was a hearing to determine the extent of my culpability, and I was exonerated. They even ended up giving me a bloody medal for bravery, though I never felt comfortable with that decision. DATA Starfleet does not bestow citations without reason, Captain. PICARD Afterward, I was given command of the SS Beagle for a cadet training mission to the Hirgato sector. We were to identify and study the source of Beckett waves coming from there. RIKER You were exonerated, yet they only gave you a small science vessel on a cadet training mission? PICARD There were no ships of the line available at that time. RIKER Jack Crusher was also assigned to the mission? PICARD Jack was at the Academy, giving a guest lecture series on the quadrature variant of the superstring theory. I knew he had an interest in Beckett waves, and I needed a good Science Officer so I asked him to join me. That was my first of several decisions that would ultimately lead to his death. Picard pauses for a moment, looking at his drink. RIKER But he may not really be dead, according to Starfleet. PICARD We had no way of knowing that at the time. Upon arriving at the Hirgato sector, we localized the source of the Beckett waves as coming from the Anjinn star system. Jack wanted to get some preliminary measurements away from the ship to avoid the interference produced by the warp chamber. He took a shuttle craft out, away from the ship, and was setting up his instruments when it came. RIKER It? PICARD The Ghost ship. It came upon us without warning. DATA A ghost ship, Captain? PICARD A figure of speech, Mr. Data. We could see the ship on visual, but none of the other ship's sensors could pick it up. RIKER The ship was cloaked and yet it didn't affect visual sensors? PICARD You can't assume all alien technology is either better or worse than ours, Number One. Sometimes, it's just different. When you come across the different, you take precautions. I signaled to Jack to pack up and get back as quickly as he could, and I ordered shields raised just to be safe. An overly eager cadet energized ship's phasers as well. RIKER And the mysterious ship sensed that and attacked you? PICARD Yes. It wasn't a strong attack, really only a good shaking. But those cadets were just children, they weren't prepared for battle. I suppose after the Stargazer, I wasn't much in the mood myself. (beat) I'd wanted to wait for Jack to get back but there wasn't enough time. So I ordered a tractor beam locked onto the shuttle and we left as quickly as we could without losing tractor lock. DATA Pulling a shuttle craft in tractor lock, even at low warp, is highly unusual, Captain. PICARD It was a calculated risk. One unfortunately that failed. The Ghost ship came after us. They fired again, stronger this time. (beat) I knew we weren't going to escape cleanly so I ordered the phasers fired at the enemy vessel. Apparently, we scored a lucky blow because the viewscreen was filled with a blinding flash of light. When the smoke cleared, so to speak, they were gone. RIKER The Ghost ship? PICARD The Ghost ship, and the shuttle. Ship's sensors were damaged and we had only limited visual capability. We searched for nearly a full day but without luck. We finally had no other choice but to return to Starbase. RIKER And so you had to leave your friend behind, not knowing if he was alive or dead. PICARD But knowing that if he wasn't dead, he likely soon would be. Which is why Starfleet declared him dead and ordered a memorial service. They didn't want too many people asking too many questions right after the Stargazer incident. Picard picks up his drink and swirls its contents. PICARD (continuing) I've often wondered if things would have turned out differently if I'd waited just the minute or two longer it would have taken for Jack to get safely back to the Beagle. The first attack wasn't that severe. Perhaps if we'd waited; if I'd tried to reason with the other ship instead of fight. Perhaps ... RIKER You can't let the ghosts of the past continue to haunt you, Captain. You can't change what happened. PICARD No, but I mustn't fail to let it teach me how to deal with the future either, Number One. RIKER I've had a course laid in for the Hirgato sector. It's waiting only your orders to proceed. But we don't have to go. Admiral Raintree gave you the opportunity to answer the call. She didn't order you to. PICARD No, Number One. A good captain not only must never second guess a decision once made, he must also be able to face up to the consequences of that decision and never run from the responsibilities it entails. We will go. PICARD (downing the remaining liquid) Now, I think it's best we all get back to work. Riker nods and they all leave. FADE OUT. END OF ACT ONE Copyright 1990 by David B. Mears and Eric Klien. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "The Ghosts of Yesteryear" ACT TWO FADE IN: INT. TEN FORWARD Wesley is seated at a table near the windows looking out at the stars going by. Troi enters and comes over to him. TROI Need some company? WESLEY Can we talk? TROI You should be talking to your mother. WESLEY I can't talk to my mother about this. Not after what she did. TROI You know you're going to have to talk to her eventually, Wes. WESLEY Even if she hadn't lied to me, I still don't think I could talk to her now. It's too personal. Troi sits down with Wesley. TROI Then tell me all about it. WESLEY I hardly ever talk about him, and I guess I never really knew how to express it to him, but I did love my father. He was my role model for wanting to learn all about the sciences. TROI Your father was a great scientist, Wes. He was an inspiration to many people. WESLEY Captain Picard was a close friend to both my parents, but he would always avoid me when he came to visit. I had to sneak around so I could hear him tell my parents all sorts of wonderful tales of space. It was the Captain that gave me the desire to serve on board a Starship. TROI And then, one day... WESLEY My father told us he had the opportunity to serve on a mission with Captain Picard. I never saw him again after that. And until I came aboard the Enterprise, I only saw Captain Picard one other time. TROI When he came to bring the news of your father's death. WESLEY It felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. At first I hated the Captain for bringing the news, and I blamed him for killing my father. It was a very long time before I understood it really wasn't his fault. TROI And now that word has come that your father might still be alive out there somewhere, all those old feelings have returned. WESLEY I feel like I should be looking forward to seeing my father again, but instead all I feel is a sense of dread and fear. Why is that? TROI Wesley, how old were you when your father disappeared? WESLEY Eight. TROI And how long ago was that? WESLEY About ten years. TROI Wesley, you've lived more years since your father left than you knew him before. That's a long time. (beat) Remember back to the year your mother spent at Starfleet while you stayed here on the Enterprise? How did you feel when she came back after that year? WESLEY A little strange, I guess. I was glad to see her back, but I felt awkward around her for awhile. TROI Exactly! Wes, when we love someone very much and we don't see them for awhile, it's a little strange seeing them again for the first time. You don't feel strange around your mother anymore, do you? WESLEY No. In some ways, we're closer than we've ever been. At least I thought so until today. TROI The same thing will happen with your father, if we find him. But it's going to be harder for you because you were much younger when he left and it's been a much longer time since you've seen him. WESLEY I think I understand, but I'm not sure. TROI It's all right to be confused. Just don't let it get in the way of living your life. Wesley stands up. WESLEY Thanks. TROI You really should talk to your mother, Wes. Wesley nods and leaves the room. INT. MAIN BRIDGE DATA Entering the Hirgato Sector now, Captain. I am receiving the beacon signal, originating from the second planet in the Anjinn system. PICARD Estimated time to orbit? DATA Five minutes. PICARD Very good. Please notify me in the transporter room when we make orbit. Worf, Counselor, you will accompany me to the surface of the planet. Picard glances at Riker out of the corner of his eye, but Riker merely looks back at him with an expression that clearly says "I'm not about to argue you on this one, Captain." PICARD Wesley, if you'll call your mother to the transporter room, the two of you will be joining us as well. WESLEY I'll notify my mother, Captain, but I think I'd rather stay on board. Picard starts to say something, but Counselor Troi puts her hand on his arm and speaks softly so that only he can hear. TROI It's alright, Captain, he's just not ready yet. PICARD Very well. Data, I want every visual sensor on full sweep. I don't want any surprises like the last time I was here. DATA (pressing controls on his panel) Aye, sir. Picard and the rest of the away team leave the bridge. INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM The away team and CHIEF O'BRIEN are present. Beverly is just entering the room. BEVERLY I don't know why I bothered to try to make myself look more presentable. It didn't do any good. PICARD (matter-of-factly) Don't worry. You look beautiful. BEVERLY Really? O'BRIEN Captain, I'm reading a small structure at the source of the beacon. I can put you down behind a small rise nearby. PICARD Very good. Energize! EXT. GRASSLANDS This is a semi-barren world, with mostly scrub for vegetation. WORF (studying tricorder) This way. They go around the small rise. Picard and Worf lead, with Beverly and Troi behind. In front of them is a small white hut glistening in the bright sunlight. Next to it, about twenty feet away, is a small garden plot with corn, tomatoes, beans and other fresh vegetables growing in neat little rows. The hut has an open doorway but it is too dark to see inside. PICARD Hello, in the hut, is anyone there? JACK (from inside the hut) I know that voice! A man appearing to be in his mid-fifties emerges from the open doorway, squinting and shading his eyes with his hand. JACK Jean-Luc? Is that you? Could it really be you after all these years? PICARD Jack? Jack Crusher? JACK My God! It IS you! It's been so long I'd given up hope anyone would ever hear my signal. (beat) I lost the subspace radio when I crashed but I was able to patch up a lightspeed transmitter attached to a marker buoy I found in storage. I was afraid I'd die of old age before anyone heard it. Yet, here you are. And what of Beverly? Have you kept up with her, Jean-Luc? Do you know how she's been doing? PICARD I think there's someone else who should answer that question for you. Beverly steps forward. JACK Beverly? Beverly runs toward him. BEVERLY Jack! They embrace and kiss. PICARD (quietly) Counselor, what do your empathic skills tell you about this man? TROI Considering what he must have gone through these last ten years, everything he's feeling now is completely normal, and completely human. JACK How? Why are you here? BEVERLY I've been serving under Captain Picard, off and on, as Chief Medical Officer aboard the Starship Enterprise for a little over three years now. Jack gives a brief glance to Picard, then turns back to Beverly again. JACK What about Wesley? Is he alright? What's he been up to? He must be, what, eighteen or nineteen by now? BEVERLY He's on board the ship, Jack. He's serving as an ensign on the Enterprise. He's done so many things and learned so much, Jack, you'll be very proud of him. JACK He's on the ship? Why didn't he come with you, Bev? I want to see him! BEVERLY Be patient, Jack, this whole thing has been very hard on Wes. Just give him a little time and a little space and I know he'll come around. JACK Captain, I'd like to leave for the ship now, if you don't mind. I'll come back and gather the things I want to take with me before we leave orbit. Do we need to leave right away? PICARD You know what happened the last time we were here, but I suppose we can stay for a little while. The Enterprise should be able to give a much better showing of herself than we were able to with the Beagle. (using communicator) Enterprise, five to beam up. INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM Wesley, Riker, and O'Brien are here. WESLEY I don't know. I'm still not sure this was a good idea. RIKER Come on Wes, you're going to have to face him sooner or later. O'BRIEN You're lucky to have known your father. Mine was lost in the Lamdovan Riots before I was born. My very pregnant mother barely managed to get on the last transport out and she wasn't able to bring anything with her, not even a single picture of my dad. RIKER A second chance isn't something to throw away, Wes. They don't come along that often. I nearly lost the one chance I had to make things right again with my father, but I finally came to my senses. Don't throw away this opportunity. WESLEY (tapping head) I know here what you guys are trying to tell me. (placing hand over heart) But I just don't feel it here yet. I promise you, though, I won't let myself lose it. PICARD'S COM VOICE Enterprise, five to beam up. O'BRIEN Acknowledged. The away team and Jack are beamed up. JACK Wesley? Is that you? Wesley just stands there. BEVERLY Yes, Jack, this is our son. JACK Wesley, just look at you! You've grown into such a fine young man. Come greet your long lost father. Wesley just stands there. BEVERLY Wes! The least you could do is say hello to your father. WESLEY I lost my father ten years ago. I don't think I can just welcome him back like nothing happened. This man is a stranger to me. BEVERLY Wes! JACK It's alright, Bev. I've waited ten years, I can wait a little longer. (to Wesley) Wesley, although I'm still your father, I guess you really have no reason to think of me that way. If you're not quite ready to deal with that and to accept me back, I can live with that, for awhile. BEVERLY In the mean time, Jack Crusher, I'm going to get you to sickbay where I plan to give you a thorough, and long overdue, checkup. PICARD I'm afraid that will have to wait, Doctor. I want to convene a debriefing session before we leave orbit, and I'm not sure I want to stay any longer than necessary. Do you feel up to it, Jack? JACK I'm a little beat but I'd rather get it over with so I can spend some serious time sleeping and being with my family without interruptions! Jack turns and winks at his wife. Everyone but Beverly and Wesley leaves the room. BEVERLY You may be a Starfleet officer, young man, but that doesn't excuse you from being rude. How can you treat your father like that? WESLEY How can you act like the last ten years never happened? I can't just pretend things are the way they were before. BEVERLY If I've learned one thing in life, it's that you can't depend on things going the way you want. Time is too precious a thing to waste, and now that I've got your father back, I'm not going to run the risk of losing him again. Beverly turns and leaves the room leaving Wesley standing there. FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO Copyright 1990 by David B. Mears and Eric Klien. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "The Ghosts of Yesteryear" ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. CONFERENCE ROOM Everyone including Jack is present. PICARD After the destruction of the unknown vessel, we retraced our path and spent a full day searching for you before we were forced to give up. JACK When you first started dragging me out with the tractor beam, I honestly thought you were crazy. I had barely enough time to try to hold on with bare knuckles. When the ship came after us and opened fire the second time, I was thrown from the seat, struck my head and blacked out. RIKER Then you had no idea what had happened with the Beagle? JACK When I came to, the shuttle was tumbling out of control, headed directly for the planet where you found me. I just barely managed to land in one piece. RIKER So you had no idea how long you were out or where you were? Did you try to make contact with the Beagle? JACK The subspace radio was but one of many casualties. I found an old locator buoy, but without a functioning subspace transducer coil, it seemed pretty hopeless. I managed to get it transmitting on the old broadband frequencies, but I knew it would be a long time if ever before anyone heard it. PICARD If the Tyroleans hadn't passed through the area, we still wouldn't have heard your signal. You were very lucky. Jack turns to look Picard squarely in the face. JACK Sometimes luck is all you can count on. The Enterprise personnel sit in stunned silence as the meaning of the veiled accusation sinks in. JACK (continuing) With the matter of calling for help out of the way, I decided to do a little exploring. My only functioning tricorder gave no clues so I picked a direction that looked promising, and took off. Just over the ridge I found another ship about twice the size of my own. DATA Could you describe the other ship? JACK It was boxy, no struts or legs to hold it up, sitting flat on the ground. I tried checking it out with the tricorder, but it didn't even register. Yet my own shuttle, back over the ridge, did. DATA That does correlate with a similar phenomenon mentioned by Captain Picard concerning the ship that attacked the Beagle. PICARD I don't know if we destroyed that ship or not, but from your description, I'm certain it was at least ten times the size of the one you found. They must have launched a shuttle undetected during the commotion of battle. BEVERLY You never found any inhabitants from the ship you found? JACK Absolutely none. RIKER That's curious. DATA But possibly not unexpected. PICARD Explain, Mister Data. Data starts to speak, then looks at Jack and stops. Finally he looks back at Picard and continues. DATA I have yet to complete my data analysis, and am not prepared at this time to report on my findings. PICARD Very well, but please do so as quickly as possible. We're in dangerous space. DATA Certainly, Captain. JACK By cannibalizing both ships, I was able to construct the hut you found me in down below. It's mostly just the main body of the alien ship. RIKER Our transporter chief had no trouble in locating your hut with ship's sensors. How could that be if what you told us is true? JACK I don't know. Maybe the effect wears off with time. Maybe it stopped when I pulled the thing apart. To be honest, I never thought about it again. BEVERLY I think you should have all the information you need for now, Captain. PICARD Yes, quite. We can let Jack go for now. BEVERLY Now I'm going to get you to sickbay for that checkup. JACK I'm very tired, Bev. Can you give me an hour's nap before we get into that? BEVERLY Very well, but don't think for a moment you're going to get out of this! I've got some lab work to finish, but I'll join you in my, in our cabin shortly. PICARD Lieutenant Worf, please escort Commander Crusher to the doctor's cabin. WORF If you'll follow me, sir. Worf and Jack leave through the door out into the corridor. The remaining people leave through the door to the bridge, but Riker holds Picard back for a moment. RIKER Shouldn't we have Worf put a security guard outside the cabin? PICARD I don't think that will be necessary, Number One. Jack Crusher is not a threat to this ship. RIKER Until we know for sure what happened on that planet, I don't think it's wise to make any assumptions. PICARD Commander, I was forced to leave Jack Crusher behind to die ten years ago. I will not now insult him by treating him as you suggest. Picard turns and leaves for the bridge. INT. TURBOLIFT Worf and Jack are in the turbolift. JACK You know Lieutenant, it pleases me to see a Klingon warrior aboard the Enterprise. It could prove to be very useful. WORF Sir? JACK Ten years ago when I was marooned, the Klingon-Federation Alliance was very young, and the years of conflict preceding it were many. It wouldn't have taken much to turn an uneasy truce into a costly war. Yet here you are, serving aboard a Federation Starship. WORF Even today there are those who are not pleased being in the alliance. Many still live who served during the conflicts. Memories sometimes die harder than those who fought in battle. The turbolift comes to a halt and they exit to the corridor. JACK Ghosts of the past. WORF (indignantly) Klingons do not believe in ghosts, or spirits. JACK It's just a figure of speech among humans, Lieutenant. It means that memories live on, even after the times and people are gone. WORF The Klingons do have a saying: SuvwI' Heghpu' 'ach bortaSDaj ratlh. (shoov-WEE khegh-poo, uch bor-TASH-dooj rah-TLL. A warrior dies, but his vengeance remains.) JACK Tell me, Lieutenant, how is it you not only live with those ghosts, but can also work so closely with humans without having the memories affect your work? WORF My parents were killed in a surprise attack by the Romulans who left me to die a slow and honorless death. A Federation scout found me and I was taken to be raised by a human family. It allowed me to see both sides. JACK Having the experiences of many lives can make a very powerful warrior. Worf stops outside a door and Jack follows suit. WORF We have arrived at the Doctor's cabin. Worf opens the door and Jack enters the room and turns to face the Klingon through the open door. The camera perspective changes to be from inside looking out to Worf. JACK Thank you, Lieutenant, for the company and the conversation. We must find time to talk again. WORF Yes. I would like to learn more of Captain Picard's past, and his ghosts. The door closes and we see now only Jack. JACK Before we are done, my warrior friend, the entire crew will learn more than any of you bargained for. INT. MAIN BRIDGE Data is seated at the science station at the back of the bridge viewing records on the console. Wesley comes and sits down next to him. WESLEY (quietly) Data, do you remember Dr. Soong very well? DATA I remember all of my experiences in perfect detail. WESLEY That's not what I mean. DATA Ah, you are thinking of Dr. Soong as my father and wishing to equate your experiences now to my own. WESLEY Something like that. DATA While I spent time with Dr. Soong during the few weeks before I was shut off to save me from the crystal creature, I can not really say I knew him. WESLEY What if you suddenly found out he was still alive out there somewhere? How would you feel? DATA I would not feel anything. WESLEY If you met him again, what would you say to him? DATA I would first ask him what had happened to him during the last years, and then I would ask him to tell me more about myself and his motivations for creating me, and my brother Lore. WESLEY What would you call him? DATA I would call him Doctor Soong. WESLEY Data, no, you don't understand. DATA I am afraid I do not, Wesley. WESLEY When my father left, I was only eight years old. I called him Dadaw. But that's a child's name for a father. I'm an adult now and it wouldn't be appropriate. Calling him Father seems too cold. I'm having trouble feeling close to him anymore, but I don't want to exaggerate the problem. DATA You could call him Doctor Crusher, or perhaps just Jack. WESLEY Data, you're no help. DATA I am sorry Wesley. Counseling humans in emotional issues is not an area in which I am proficient. Perhaps Counselor Troi can help you find the answers you seek. WESLEY We've already talked. DATA Then perhaps you can find them within yourself. Wesley gets up and leaves and Data goes back to studying his computer readouts. INT. DEANNA TROI'S CABIN Deanna is sitting and reading on a sofa amid several large overstuffed cushions. The door chime rings. TROI Come in. The door opens and Riker enters. Troi smiles as she sees him. TROI (continuing) Hi, Will. Her smile quickly fades. TROI (continuing) You're worried about the Captain, aren't you? RIKER Deanna, I wish you'd stop telling me how I feel before I have the chance to tell you. TROI I'm sorry. You ARE worried! What's wrong? RIKER I'm worried about the Captain. I fear he's letting his personal feelings for Commander Crusher cloud his judgement concerning the safety of the ship. TROI I have sensed a certain amount of guilt from the Captain. It's possible he's overcompensating for those feelings by treating the Commander with extra care. RIKER I've never seen him let personal matters get in the way of ship's business before. I'm worried it may endanger the ship. TROI Have you talked with him about it? RIKER No, I wanted someone to tell me I'm not imagining things before I go accusing him of anything so drastic. TROI I've never seen the Captain intentionally endanger the lives of those around him. And I've never seen him refuse to listen to constructive criticism. You need to talk this out with him, to clear the air. Both of you will feel better for it. RIKER I suppose you're right. Riker turns to leave and the door opens to let him out. Riker exits, then turns to face Deanna again. RIKER (continuing) And I hope I'm wrong, about Jack and the Captain, for all our sakes. INT. CAPTAIN'S READY ROOM Picard is sitting at his desk looking at something on his display which we cannot see. He is pondering. The chime for his door sounds. PICARD Enter. The doors open and Riker enters. RIKER Captain, why haven't we left yet? PICARD Commander Crusher has been too busy to bring up his belongings from the surface. RIKER We could have gathered his things for him hours ago without having to bother him. PICARD That wouldn't be polite, Number One. RIKER Permission to speak candidly, sir? PICARD Always. RIKER I don't think this has anything to do with politeness. I think you're feeling guilty for having left Jack Crusher behind all those years ago, and now you're bending over backward to be nice to him, even if it endangers the ship. PICARD What is it you're really trying to say, Commander? RIKER Captain, I don't feel comfortable staying here with the possibility of another Ghost ship returning. PICARD I almost hope they do. I'd like another chance to talk to them and find out more about them. RIKER Do you think that's wise? PICARD It may not be wise, Number One, but it IS the reason we're out here. We could have the opportunity to interact with beings completely unlike any we've met before. And even if there is a confrontation, I believe the Enterprise can take care of herself. Neither man says anything for a moment. PICARD (continuing) Is there anything else, Commander? RIKER No, sir. PICARD Very well. Dismissed. Picard returns to looking at his display and Riker leaves. FADE OUT. END OF ACT THREE Copyright 1990 by David B. Mears and Eric Klien. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "The Ghosts of Yesteryear" ACT FOUR FADE IN: INT. DOCTOR CRUSHER'S CABIN Jack Crusher is sitting at a computer studying something on the viewscreen. A door behind him, leading between the Doctor's cabin and her sickbay, opens. He turns off the computer display before anyone can see what he has been looking at. BEVERLY (entering through the door) I thought you were going to get some rest. JACK I guess the excitement of being rescued was more than I thought. I just couldn't get any sleep. (motioning to the nearby bed) Come, sit, let's talk. BEVERLY We really should get you to sickbay for that exam. That's what I came here for. JACK The exam can wait, Bev. I haven't had the chance to talk to you for ten years. There's so many things I want to say, so many things I need to ask. Beverly hesitates for a moment, then sits. BEVERLY Where do we begin after ten years apart? JACK Tell me, what did you do to try to deal with my death? And how did you end up here, on the Enterprise, with Picard? BEVERLY I left the University to set up a clinic in a small town in Iowa. I had to get away from the coast, the University, Starfleet, and anything else that reminded me of you or of him. JACK But you didn't stay. BEVERLY No, I couldn't really get away from your memory. And Wesley was suffering. He had such a voracious appetite for learning and he was being stifled by the very small town limitations I had gone there to find. He was growing up and I could see the same wanderlust in him that I'd seen in both yours and Jean-Luc's eyes so many years before. JACK You were afraid of losing Wesley, weren't you? BEVERLY I couldn't stand the thought of losing him after having already lost you. He was the only part of you I had left. When he started talking of wanting to join up with Starfleet I knew the only way I'd keep him was to go myself and bring him with me. JACK But why the Enterprise? Why Picard? BEVERLY When I heard Starfleet was about to launch a new Galaxy Class ship, with families on board along with the officers and crew, I knew that was where I needed to be. And when I found out Jean-Luc was going to be her Captain, I realized I finally had to face him. JACK I'm not sure I understand why you'd want to put yourself through that. BEVERLY The Captain didn't understand it either. When he found out I'd been assigned to the Enterprise, he graciously offered me the opportunity to transfer to another ship. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I'd requested assignment to the Enterprise. JACK So there was nothing between the two of you, then? BEVERLY (laughs) Is that why you've been acting so cold around Jean-Luc? You know he feels badly enough about what happened as it is. (shakes her head in disbelief) I won't say I haven't thought about it from time to time. He's an attractive man and you were dead as far as anyone knew. Was I supposed to just shrivel up and die? Anyway, the Captain's too busy with his ship to pay attention to a woman. (beat) Most of the time, anyway. (beat) But now you're back in my life, and I still love you, Jack Crusher, and I always did no matter what you may think. (stands up) And we've spent enough time jabbering. It's time for your physical. JACK (yawning) You know, Bev, all this talk has used up all that nervous energy I had before. I think I WILL take that nap now. I'll see you later for the exam, OK? BEVERLY Jack Crusher, you may be my husband, and Jean-Luc Picard may be Captain of this ship, but when it comes to medical matters, I'm the boss around here. (points to doorway) Now move it, Mister! INT. MAIN BRIDGE Picard reenters the bridge from his ready room. DATA Captain, I have finished my records search and I believe I have found information relevant to both the Beagle mission and our present situation. PICARD What is it, Data? DATA A search of Starfleet records for related material turned up nothing beyond your own report. I also found nothing in the Federation Science records, as well as those of the Klingon Empire, the Nordane Protectorate, the Bryzantean Syndicate, the--- PICARD (interrupting) But you did find something. DATA Yes, sir, in the Federation Archeological Archives. Expeditions to two different planetary systems by unrelated archaeological teams reported similar mythos found among the remains of the civilizations on their respective planets. Each civilization had expired more than a thousand years before the Beagle contact, and neither civilization had ever made contact with the other. Yet each team reported information closely matching that from your report. Each system was within twenty-five light years of the other and of the Anjinn system. RIKER Do you think there's a connection between the dead civilizations and the Beagle encounter? DATA The research teams reported numerous accounts of visitations by alien ships which seemed to appear out of nowhere without being detected by planetary sensor systems. And although widely discredited by the official planetary governing bodies, there were claims that aliens were merging themselves with some citizens. RIKER Merging themselves? Do you mean the aliens were replacing the natives? DATA I do not know, Commander, I am only able to quote from the reports. A few of the people who were supposed to have been taken over were examined, but no evidence was ever found they were not who they claimed to be. Eventually, all those who had made the claims recanted them as having been an elaborate hoax. PICARD You say these things happened in nearly identical fashion in each of the two lost cultures? DATA It appears each civilization died out without explanation within one century of the first alien reports. They simply ceased to exist. RIKER (to himself) Merged? (aloud) What a horrible way to die. To exist and yet not exist. To no longer be you, but some alien creature. DATA Captain, assuming this to be true, it is possible Commander Crusher--- PICARD (interrupting) Might not really be himself, but an alien from the Ghost Ship. DATA Commander Crusher did say no evidence was found of any being in the other ship. RIKER Surely the Enterprise' instruments are much better than those of the two dead civilizations. I'm sure we'd be able to tell if Jack had been taken over. PICARD He has seemed to display some reluctance to participate in a medical examination. (using communicator) Sickbay. Doctor Crusher, are you there? BEVERLY'S COM VOICE Yes, Captain, what can I do for you? PICARD Has Jack come by for his checkup yet? BEVERLY'S COM VOICE It took some convincing to get him here, but yes, he has. In fact he left here just a few minutes ago. PICARD Any results, yet? Did anything out of the ordinary show up? BEVERLY'S COM VOICE Everything was completely normal. PICARD Anything too normal? Any old injuries that don't show up? Anything like that? BEVERLY'S COM VOICE Well, there was that old fencing injury, but the scar was still there. (sounding worried now) Why, Jean-Luc? Is something wrong? PICARD One moment, Doctor. Picard pushes a control on his arm rest control pad. Picard and Riker then turn to look at each other for a moment. PICARD Computer, please locate Jack Crusher. COMPUTER VOICE All ship's personnel accounted for. Unregistered person located in Main Engineering. PICARD Picard to Engineering. Jack, are you down there? (pause) Lieutenant LaForge, can you respond? After a long pause, Worf heads for the turbolift. PICARD Worf, I want you here to coordinate security activities. Mr. Data will check out Engineering. Data gets up and leaves. Picard pushes the button on his arm rest again. PICARD (continuing) Beverly, it appears there's some trouble in Engineering, your services might be needed. And yes, something could be very wrong. We now believe the man we brought back to the Enterprise is not really Jack Crusher, but an alien who has taken over his body. BEVERLY'S COM VOICE (hesitantly) I see. PICARD Well, Number One, it looks like we were both wrong. Apparently, our sensors aren't any better at detecting these creatures than those civilizations' were. I only hope my indulgence in accepting the creature as Jack Crusher won't prove to be fatal. INT. MAIN ENGINEERING Data is just arriving. He finds several engineering personnel laying sprawled on the floor, and Beverly kneeling over Geordi who was in the same general state as his fellow engineers. DATA Are they all right, Doctor? BEVERLY They're alive. DATA (using communicator) Captain, I am in Engineering. Doctor Crusher is here administering to the needs of the engineering crew who appear to have been attacked. BEVERLY (so as to be heard) They're all in a state of heavy stun. It's similar to a phaser stun, but appears to be more long lasting. DATA Several of the engineering panels appear to have been tampered with. I cannot at this time assess the damage. INT. MAIN BRIDGE PICARD Doctor, is Lieutenant LaForge there? BEVERLY'S COM VOICE Yes, Captain, I'm looking after him now. PICARD Can you bring him safely back to consciousness? I need him to assess the damage. BEVERLY'S COM VOICE I'll do what I can. PICARD Worf, alert your security teams to be on the lookout for the alien. Use extreme caution, he's apparently armed and dangerous. WORF They're already on their way. INT. CORRIDOR Wesley is walking down a corridor mumbling to himself, trying to decide how best to address his father when he sees him. He is nearly run down by Jack coming in the opposite direction as he rounds a corner. WESLEY Dad! Wesley turns and follows his father who is walking at a good clip. WESLEY (continuing) I was just coming to see you, to apologize for the way I've been acting since you came aboard. JACK That's alright, Wes. I know you must have been filled with so many confusing thoughts and emotions. Soon all that will be over. Soon you'll understand everything. As Wesley and Jack round a corner, they run into two SECURITY GUARDS with phasers drawn. WESLEY What's the meaning of this? GUARD ONE Orders from Lieutenant Worf. We're to locate and detain Jack Crusher until the Lieutenant can interrogate the prisoner. WESLEY Prisoner? Camera follows as Jack pushes Wesley away from him and onto the floor. Phaser blasts hit above Wesley where Jack was. Then the camera pulls back to show that the guards are stunned and Jack is gone. INT. MAIN BRIDGE WORF A security team in sciences has reported they are closing in on Commander Crusher. WESLEY'S COM VOICE Captain Picard? This is Wesley. I was with my father when two guards stopped us and claimed he was a prisoner. The next thing I knew, he pushed me down to the floor, they were stunned and he'd disappeared. What's going on? PICARD Wesley, the man you were with is not your father, but an alien. Your report, however, may be of critical value in helping us deal with him. Worf, please pull your security teams out between the science labs and transporter room. WORF Sir? PICARD Jack, or whatever he is, is headed in that direction and I don't want anyone else hurt. We're not ready yet to face him. (to com) Chief O'Brien, Jack Crusher's headed your way. I want you out of the way. Whatever happens, do not interfere with him. O'BRIEN'S COM VOICE Will do, Captain. RIKER If this man, or whatever he is, is so dangerous, why are we letting him leave the ship? PICARD It's precisely because he IS so dangerous that I want him off the ship. (beat) Mister Worf, I want you to accompany myself and Commander Riker to the planet. Select two guards to accompany us. RIKER Captain, I said nothing before because Jack Crusher was such a close friend of yours, but I must strongly object to your going after him now. It's too dangerous. PICARD Your objections have been noted, Commander. But I believe I'm the only hope we have of stopping him. Picard goes towards the turbolift. Riker is not following him. PICARD (continuing) Coming, Number One? FADE OUT. END OF ACT FOUR Copyright 1990 by David B. Mears and Eric Klien. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION "The Ghosts of Yesteryear" ACT FIVE FADE IN: INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM Two new security guards are ready for beam down. O'Brien is at the controls. Picard, Worf, and Riker are entering the room. O'BRIEN I kept out of sight as ordered, but was able to see what happened. Jack Crusher transported himself and a bundle to the planet. PICARD What coordinates? O'BRIEN They're still set to the structure where we beamed you up earlier. GEORDI'S COM VOICE Captain, I have a preliminary report on engine room damage. PICARD Glad to hear you're feeling better, Mr. LaForge. Let's hear it. GEORDI'S COM VOICE Whoever did this knew what they were doing. The main warp engine coupling circuits have been taken out. Also the primary backup, the phaser couplings, and the shield control circuits. PICARD Can the circuits be fixed? GEORDI'S COM VOICE Not without Starbase facilities. This guy did a real professional job. Shields and weapons are definitely out for the duration. RIKER I think we may have overstayed our welcome. GEORDI'S COM VOICE We may still have one chance left with the Warp drive, but I haven't been able to check it out yet. PICARD Do what you can, Geordi. If you can't get Warp working again, then get everyone in the saucer section and we'll leave on maximum impulse. GEORDI'S COM VOICE Yes, sir. Oh, and Captain, there's a subspace transducer assembly missing. It's not critical, but I thought you'd like to know. WORF'S COM VOICE Captain, I'm picking up a ship at extreme range, but on visual scans only. It's traveling toward us at Warp three point four. PICARD How much time, Lieutenant? WORF'S COM VOICE Fourteen minutes. PICARD Geordi, forget the impulse engines, get the warp drive working any way you can! Mr. O'Brien, reset transporter to our original beamdown coordinates. O'BRIEN Got it. Worf, Picard, Riker, and the security guards are beamed down. EXT. GRASSLANDS Worf silently directs the security guards to take up positions on two low hills overlooking each side of the encampment. Picard takes out his phaser, and leads the remaining three around the embankment and into sight of the hut. He points the phaser at the hut. PICARD Jack, or whatever you are now, we know you're here. Jack strolls out of the hut. JACK Do you really think you can stop me? Your ship's disabled and I've repaired my subspace radio, thanks to the generosity of your engineering department. My people will soon be coming and there'll be no way to stop us from taking the Enterprise and her crew. With that, the galaxy will at last be ours. PICARD You have no right to do this! JACK We have the right to survive! PICARD Not at the expense of other sentient species. You've already killed off two civilizations that we know of, and what has it gotten you? You're still looking for victims. JACK They were weak. They couldn't help us to survive. You humans are strong, though. We'll make it this time. And I know enough of your human heritage, Jean-Luc, to know that your race hasn't always abided by those lofty sounding words of yours. You're just as guilty as we are. PICARD Whatever evils the human race has perpetrated, it's in the past. JACK Yet you hold those two civilizations from the past against my people. PICARD Then let's talk of the present, and the future. The Federation will help your people in any way we can. JACK There's nothing your Federation can give us, Captain, except your bodies and your souls. PICARD Not if you're not willing to sit down and negotiate, no. JACK It's the only way we can survive, Captain. We will take what we need to survive. PICARD Not if I stop you. JACK You? How? You don't know what you're up against. I'm too good, too fast. (beat) You don't believe me? Watch! He quickly pulls out a weapon and stuns the two guards up on the overlooks with two shots. Special effect should show blurring motion too hard to follow. JACK (continuing) Oh, don't worry, Captain, they're not dead. We'll need all the bodies we can get. Can't you see your position's hopeless? There's nothing you can do. PICARD I don't believe that, because I believe there's still some small part of the real Jack Crusher left in you. JACK I have Jack Crusher's body, right down to the cell structure and DNA. I have all his memories, a knowledge of his likes, his dislikes, every one of his emotions and every bit of his personality at my recall if I need them. But I'm not Jack, he's been gone for ten years. PICARD I believe you may have done too good a job of assimilating Jack. I think there's enough of him in you that he and I together will defeat you. JACK Then you're a fool, Captain. The moment you begin to thumb the trigger on your phaser, I'll take you out just like the guards. And before your two friends can help you, I'll take them out too. Then, there'll be nothing left to do but wait for your replacements to come and claim your bodies. ON PICARD'S THUMB Picard moves his thumb closer to the phaser trigger. WIDE ANGLE Jack looks nervous. Picard looks calm. ON PICARD'S THUMB Picard's thumb twitches. WIDE ANGLE Suddenly, a large discharge of energy envelops the space between the two men and they are thrown to the ground from the resulting blast. For a few seconds, it is unclear who has won the battle. PICARD Am I still here, Number One? RIKER It appears so. Riker helps Picard up and they walk towards Jack's body. Then the body is surrounded by a glowing area and it slowly dissolves. For several seconds, they all stare at the now empty ground without anyone speaking. PICARD We must destroy that transmitter. Picard points his phaser at the hut and the other two follow suit. Together they fire and destroy the structure. PICARD (using communicator) Enterprise. DATA'S COM VOICE Data here, Captain. I trust you were successful. PICARD The creature is destroyed and the transmitter disabled. Do you have a status report on the engines? GEORDI'S COM VOICE Our one chance panned out, Captain. The creature apparently didn't know about the secondary Warp backup system in the auxiliary engineering room. It's still intact and we've coupled it into the main reactors. We will have to limit ourselves to Warp four, though, until we can get to a repair dock. PICARD Good work, Geordi. We'll need every bit of engine power you can deliver to outrun that incoming ship. WORF'S COM VOICE Captain, the ship is now less than two minutes away from our position. PICARD Then we have no time to waste. Enterprise, beam us up. And notify Doctor Crusher her professional skills will be needed. The three standing and two guards on the overhangs are all beamed back to the ship. INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM As the away team beams back in, Dr. Crusher is waiting for them. Picard and Beverly look at each other without speaking. Then Picard shakes his head and speaks. PICARD I'm sorry, Beverly. She tries to speak but only nods in return without saying anything. She wordlessly goes to the injured guards on the transporter and begins to tend to them. Picard leaves the transporter room. INT. MAIN BRIDGE Picard enters the bridge and sits in the command chair. PICARD Status, Mister Worf. WORF We are pulling away. ANGLE ON VIEWSCREEN The ship is getting smaller. Suddenly, it appears confused, turning first one way then the other in its attempts at pursuit. WORF (continuing) We appear to be beyond their sensor capability. PICARD Good. They won't be able to track us to Federation space. Notify Starfleet of their last known position and mark it in our logs. We must return and try to find them again when we're back to full strength. WORF Aye, sir. Picard stands and prepares to leave the bridge. PICARD Notify me if the situation changes. INT. DOCTOR CRUSHER'S SICKBAY OFFICE Beverly is sitting at her desk trying to attend to paperwork type matters but is not able to concentrate. The outer door opens and Wesley enters. WESLEY I guess it's too late to have that talk, huh? BEVERLY It's too late for a lot of things, Wes. You were right, not to bother wasting your time with that thing. WESLEY No, Mom, you were the one who was right. For a few hours, in your own mind, you had Dad back. It doesn't matter that he wasn't really Dad, he was to you. I'm just sorry I never really got to know my father. BEVERLY (smiles) There's an awful lot of him in you, you know. Beverly and Wesley hug. INT. HOLODECK Same simulation as before. Picard is here and Riker is entering the room. RIKER May I join you, Captain? Riker sits down at the little table where Picard is seated. There is a second glass of fruit juice at his place. PICARD I suppose I owe you an apology, Number One. I'm sure you were wondering about your captain, waiting around for dangerous aliens to come back again. RIKER Captain, I--- PICARD (interrupting) There was another part of Starfleet's message that you didn't see. I was to locate and make contact with the aliens if at all possible. The Federation wanted to determine if friendly contact could be made and maintained between our cultures. But I was to prevent them from locating Federation space at all costs if negotiations were impossible. (looking down) They're all gone, Number One. The only close friends I had at the Academy. Jack Crusher, Walker Keel, Harrison Palmer. The best men I've known during my career and my life, and they're all gone. Yet I'm still here. RIKER You can't feel guilty for surviving, Captain. PICARD But I did feel guilty about what I did to Jack ten years ago. Even though I did have orders to stay and make contact, I got careless. My feelings for an old friend nearly got us all killed. The only thing that saved us was pure luck. RIKER Some say ships named Enterprise have always been blessed with luck enough to save even the most foolhardy. When fortune smiles on you, you don't question it. You learn from your mistakes and move on. PICARD But what a cost those mistakes sometimes exact, Number One. RIKER I know how you must feel. PICARD Do you? Have you ever given an order knowing it would result in the death of someone you loved? Have you ever actually killed someone you cared about? (beat) Yes, I suppose you have. But tell me, have you ever had to kill your closest friend? RIKER That was ten years ago, Captain, and you didn't kill him, you only did what you had to, leaving him behind. PICARD I'm not talking ten years ago, Will, I'm talking down there, on that planet, today. RIKER That thing down there wasn't Jack Crusher. It was something that had taken him over many years ago. PICARD You still don't see it, do you, Number One? I knew as soon as we got Wesley's report. That's why my going down to the planet was the only hope we had. (beat) Wesley said Jack pushed him out of the way before the fire fight with the guards. There was something buried deep in him that didn't want Wesley getting hurt. You saw how fast he took out the security guards on the planet. They outflanked him and had nearly perfect defensive positions. Yet he took them out without the slightest problem. You don't think I was any real match against that, do you Number One? Riker remains silent and Picard stares into his glass. PICARD (continuing) If there hadn't been a bit of Jack left in him, to slow him down just a little, we never would have made it. Jack gave his life down there for us today. And I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing I was the one to take it. Riker picks up his glass and holds it toward Picard. RIKER To old friends! Picard hesitates for a moment, then clinks his glass against Riker's. PICARD To new friends. (beat) You know it just doesn't feel right for this place to be so empty. Computer, some people please. The room is now filled with noisy, playing, laughing people having a good time. FADE OUT. END OF ACT FIVE THE END.