- After 111 years of silence, an extremely litigious alien race asserts its agreed upon right to wipe out a Federation colony in its territory.
- After a century of silence, the Enterprise receives a message from the Shelia system informing them that they have discovered a human colony on a world in their sector. As they will be colonizing the planet themselves in four days time, they want the Enterprise to evacuate all humans from their territory. The planet in question is in a high radiation zone and no one can understand how any human could be living there. Data, immune to the radiation, is sent to the planet to arrange for the inhabitants' departure. Once there, however, he finds a population of 15,253 who firmly have no intention of leaving. While Picard seeks a way to get more time from the Sheliak, Data enlists the help of one local to convince the rest to leave.—garykmcd
- A reclusive alien race, the Sheliak, notify the Federation that a small human colony has been discovered on a planet in their space. Under the treaty between the Sheliak and the Federation, the Enterprise has only a few days to evacuate the colony before the Sheliak destroy it. While Picard pleads for more time, Data is sent to warn the colonists, but the colonists, who have worked hard to make the planet their home, refuse to go.—crouchbk
- After a century of silence, the Enterprise receives a message from the Shelia system (from the Sheliak Corporate) informing them that they have discovered a human colony on a world in their sector on the fifth planet of the Tau Cygna system. As they will be colonizing the planet themselves in four days' time, they want the Enterprise to evacuate all humans from their territory. The planet in question is in a high radiation (Hyperonic Radiation is fatal to all humans) zone and no one can understand how any human could be living there. As the ship gets there, due to radiation, the Transporters are ineffective and so are all weapons. The Sheliak consider humans a lower life form and will eradicate them if their wishes are not complied with.
Data, immune to the radiation, is sent to the planet in a shuttle to arrange for the inhabitants' departure. He learns that the settlers were originally on the ship Artemis that was lost few centuries ago and was massively off course. Once there, however, he finds a population of 15,253 who firmly have no intention of leaving as they have been on the planet for 90 years. The Sheliak have given 3 days to evacuate the planet and even with all shuttles, it will take 4 weeks for evacuation to be completed. The colonist leader Gosheven tells data how a third of the original settlers were killed before they adapted to the Hyperonic radiation. But they are firm, there will be no evacuation.
While Picard seeks a way to get more time from the Sheliak (but they are completely uninterested in listening or talking), Data enlists the help of one local Ard'Rian McKenzie (Eileen Seeley) to convince the rest to leave. Ard'Rian is fascinated by an android and spends more time with Data to learn how he functions. Picard orders Geordi to find a way to make the Transporters work. The Starfleet cannot send a transport ship before 3 weeks. Picard decides to intercept the Sheliak ship en-route to the planet to buy more time for Data.
Meanwhile Dtaa's presence has caused fear amongst the colonists and Gosheven calls for a public meeting. Ard'Rian asks Data to use reverse psychology in addition to facts, to get his point across. But he fails as the crowd was unwilling to confront Gosheven and he convinces the colonists to make a stand against the Sheliak for their sweat and blood. Data then conducts a separate meeting of like-minded people with Ard'Rian, but Gosheven cattle prods Data to shut him down. Meanwhile Deanna preps Picard for his confrontation of the Sheliak. She asks Picard to be precise as they find human language confusing.
Picard intercepts the Sheliak ship and asks for a face to face as per tenants of the treaty. This is granted and Deanna and Picard beam over to their ship. But the Sheliak still insists that the given time has elapsed and if Picard can't remove them, they will be eradicated. Deanna and Picard are beamed back to the Enterprise. Meanwhile Data fixes himself and awakens. He modifies a phaser to work and destroys the aqueduct providing water to the colony. He says if one android with one phaser can do this damage, then the threat from Sheliak is real, who will just kill them from orbit. The point is made and Gosheven agrees.
Picard reads the treaty with the Sheliak and invokes an arbitration clause. The Sheliak agree. But Picard chooses the Grizzelas as the arbiters, who are known to have long hibernation periods and will only awaken in 6 months. The Sheliak relent and give Picard his 3 weeks. The evacuation is successful. Ard'Rian says goodbye to Data and kisses him.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content