- Act XIII - [Last time, on STAR TREK 8: The Rescue of Kirk... refer to Act XII...] [And now, the conclusion...] Dax : Benjamin, the ship is repeatedly transmitting a series of pulses at audio frequencies... 440 Hz... 495... 396... 198... 297... and then again... Sisko : Hmmm... a, b, g, G, d? Play it through the loudspeakers... [As Dax connects the audio to the loudspeaker system, the first five notes of the "CE3K" theme are heard...] Sisko : Maybe that's the way they're hailing us... Let's see... Computer, mimic the signals coming from that ship! [As the station's computer mimics the Mother Ship's tune, the whole theme from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is played, and then the Mother Ship nears the DS9 and docks with it. The whole crew has been watching in astonishment] Sisko : Major, come with me. Dax, call Odo and Dr. Bashir and tell them to meet me at the docking area. And send a message to Starfleet Command telling them we have a case of first contact. [Inside the detention cell, Riker is playing chess with Quark. An aged Colonist watches the game from beyond] Riker : [moving his queen] Checkmate! Quark : That's not fair! I cannot concentrate with this man looking over my shoulder! He makes me nervous! Colonist : You don't want me looking over your shoulder, eh? Well, then how about a nice little friendly poker game among the three? [He takes a deck of cards out from his pocket, while Riker clears the chess- board from the table. He shuffles the deck and gives it to Riker] Here, cut. [Riker cuts the deck and gives it back to the Colonist, who starts to deal] Colonist : So, we'll play seven cards stud, one-eyed wild... Quark : And... what are we going to bet? Colonist : Oh, this is just a friendly game. Do you have a starship? [At this point, Odo enters followed by another Colonist about the same age as the first one] Odo : Well, you can take your friend if you can assure me you'll prevent him from keeping on cheating on poker. Colonist2 : You can take it for grant- Starbuck! When are you going to learn? You have to stop robbing the beginners! Starbuck : Oh, come on, Apollo, I was only having some fun... I was planning to return everything I won... Apollo : At your age, you should be ashamed! This is the last time I help you get out of troubles. [Riker and Quark look at each other, then at Starbuck, who has just collected the deck and is staying up] Starbuck : Sorry, gentlemen, it's time to leave! Maybe another time we can resume the game... [Odo disconnects the forcefield to let him out, then reconnects it. Apollo and Starbuck leave the cell block] Quark : Hey, what about me? When are you letting me out? Odo : Well, although personally I'd keep you in there for an undefined period of time, I'm forced to... [Dax calls Odo] Dax : Dax to Constable Odo. Captain Sisko wants you to meet him on the docking area at once. Odo : Understood. I'm on my way. [To Quark] Sorry, but duty is calling. Don't go anywhere while I'm absent! [He leaves] Riker : Wait! I've told you there is a mistake! I'm Commander Riker! I must return to the Enterprise! Quark : And now once again we only have the chessboard... - Act XIV - [Odo arrives at the docking area. Sisko, Kira and Bashir are already there] Sisko : I want some security officers around the perimeter. Remember, we want to look friendly. Nobody knows what could develop from this First Contact... Doctor, have your tricorder handy... Kira : Captain, look! [The door begins to open. Light floods the area. A silhouette is seen coming from the light source. Smaller silhouettes, in number of seven, approach from behind. As the taller silhouette comes closer, it becomes clear that it is a woman...] Bashir : That can't be Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! [The woman comes nearer. She is a black woman wearing an old Starfleet uniform, from the type used some 70 years ago] Uhuru : Commander Nyota Uhuru, retired from Starfleet, reporting back to duty. Bashir : [Examining her with the tricorder] This is incredible! You're the healthiest person I've ever seen! Sisko : I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko, in charge of this Station. Tell me, Commander, when did you retire? Uhuru : Just two months ago, on Stardate 9546.8. [The tiny aliens approach. Dr. Bashir tries to examine them with the tricorder] Bashir : Most incredible! My tricorder doesn't register any kind of life signals on them! Sisko : [To Uhuru] And you've been with those aliens ever since that date? Uhuru : Yes, it seems they were bored and wanted someone who would dance for them. Sisko : Sisko to Dax. Please come here and bring the Admiral and his companions with you. [To Uhura] Well, Commander, there have been some changes in the time you haven't been. But I think I'm not the adequate person to tell you... [Dax arrivcs, followed by Bones, Spock and Scotty. As they see Uhura, they stop in astonishment] Scotty : Uhura! Uhura : Scotty, darling! Doctor! Mr. Spock! Scotty : Where did you go 78 years ago? I was waiting the whole day for you and finally had to board the Jenolen alone! Uhura : What are you talking about? The Jenolen was supposed to depart no sooner than tomorrow! Spock : Commander, let me explain you. The current Stardate is 49016.3, or in Terran dates, January 6, 2372. Uhura : Are you telling me that I've spent nearly 80 years aboard that ship dancing for those LGM's? 80 years of my life? Spock : Actually, it has been only two months of _your_ life but some 78 years for the rest of us. That ship should have been using some kind of Einsteinian, relativistic, non-warp drive. Uhura : But... all of you... you don't look as if you were so much older... Spock : You must remember that I am a Vulcan, and I don't age at the same pace as humans do. As for Mr. Scott and Dr. McCoy... Scotty : The Jenolen crash-landed on a Dyson sphere and I put myself in a diagnostic loop inside the transporter in order to survive until a rescue party found us. And just guess _which_ ship finally found me! McCoy : And I just drank a secret beverage which turned me younger! [No, it's nothing to do with Coke's secret recipe] Uhura : And what about Captain Kirk? McCoy : Oh, we were just going to rescue him from the very fauces of Death! Now, I would say the crew is complete. We can board our ship and depart. Scotty : And that you were going to say about the ship, Doctor? McCoy : Oh, forget it. There's no time for superstitions if we want to save Jim. Spock : I think I know the way to the ship. If you could follow me... Uhura : Just let me say goodbye... [She waves her hand to the aliens] McCoy : Captain, many thanks for leasing us your Runabout. Sisko : Oh, don't worry, Admiral. You can leave it anywhere on the Quadrant once you don't need it anymore. Goddbye, Admiral, and good luck! [Spock heads to the 'Little Bighorn', followed by Bones, Scotty and Uhura] Sisko : Well, let's continue with this First Contact... Dax : Benjamin, look! They are retreating back into their ship! [The aliens enter their ship. Bashir runs after them, holding his tricorder] Bashir : Wait! I still haven't had enough detailed readings from you! [The door is closed right in Bashir's face. Then, the Mother Ship separates from the Station and disappears through the Wormhole quicker than you would ever imagine] Sisko : They are gone! It seems their only interest was to leave Commander Uhura here before her friends departed... Kira : A coincidence? Sisko : Well, this is Sci-Fi... there must have been millions of improbable coincidences, no wonder... [They begin to walk back to the Command Center. Suddenly, Sisko remembers some- thing...] Sisko : Before I forget again... tell me, Constable, how could Riker escape from your well-guarded cell? Odo : What are you talking about? He hasn't escaped - he's been beating Quark at chess. And he keeps saying he's COMMANDER Riker... Sisko : What do you say, he hasn't...? So who was it that entered...? Oh, damn it! We must call the Enterprise immediately! I guess there's been a mistake! - Act XV - [Meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise-E] Picard : I'll be in my ready room. The Bridge is yours, Number One. Number One? [Picard looks around, but cannot find Riker anywhere on the Bridge] Data : Commander Riker left the Bridge some minutes ago, Captain. I guess he was going to his quarters. Picard : [clicking at his comm badge] Picard to Riker... [He gets no response] Picard : Picard to Riker. Will, do you get me? [Still no response] Picard : Computer, where is Commander Riker? Computer : Commander Riker is not aboard the Enterprise. Picard : What? Worf : Sir, there is a message from DS9. Picard : On screen! [Sisko's face appears on the viewscreen] Picard : What do you want? We are busy looking for Commander Riker! Sisko : Er... don't look for him any more... he's here. Picard : On DS9? How can that be possible? Sisko : Oh, he - he's still in the detention cell. It seems you took THOMAS Riker with you. Picard : THOMAS Riker?! We must find him immediately! Data : Captain, there is one shuttlecraft missing from Shuttle Bay 1. Picard : Mr. Worf, do a long range scan. Worf : Sensors pick the shuttlecraft 400 million kilometers away from our current position, traveling at warp 5 towards the region known as The Badlands. Picard : Mr. Data, how long would it take us to get into transporter range of the shuttlecraft? Data : At Warp 8, 27 minutes 25,58 seconds, Sir. Picard : Set intercept course towards the Badlands, Mr. Data. Sisko : You can't do that, Picard! Your ship is too big for maneuvering in the Badlands...! Picard : Listen, this is _my_ ship and I can do anything I want with it - and no newly-promoted Captain is going to tell me what I should and shouldn't do with it! Picard out! [To Worf] Off screen! [The viewscreen is turned off] Data : Sir, I think we should consider... Picard : Negative, Mr. Data. Set course to the Badlands, Warp 8. Data : Yes, Sir. [He obeys the order] [...and now once again we see a Starfleet ship heading towards the Badlands in order to find a ship with Maqui crew which entered there previously.] [Meanwhile, at DS9. Odo enters his office. Some moments later, Sisko comes in] Odo : Well, I guess now I should free the prisoner, huh? Sisko : Everything signals him as Commander Riker. So we must admit there was a mistake. [They head to the cell. As Riker sees them, he leaves the chess game. Quark takes advantage of this and moves his rook] Riker : I say there is a mistake! I'm Commander William T. Riker! Sisko : Now we know, Commander. The Enterprise is now chasing your 'other' Thomas into the Badlands. You are free. I must ask you to excuse us for the mistake, but you must understand... [Odo disconnects the forcefield] Odo : You can go too, Quark - but first return that rook to its place! Quark : [Leaving] Damn it, I'll never again play chess for the rest of my life! Sisko : So, Commander Riker, now that the Enterprise has left you here for a while, would you like to help us with our ratings? Riker : Let me see... how much will I get per episode? [Riker and Sisko leave, talking about percentages and other details]