==================================
Star Trek:  The Crouton Generation
Season 4, Pack #30
==================================

Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1993 16:36:41 -0800
From: Katherine 'Kabeta' Bryant 
To: tcg@typhoon.ofps.ucar.edu
Subject: "Reunion," part 3 (LONG)


Date: Thu, 11 Mar 93 11:56:00 PST
From: mckinnon@math.berkeley.edu (David McKinnon)
To: yawn@husc.harvard.edu

		  STAR TREK, THE CROUTON GENERATION

			       REUNION

			     EPISODE THREE

	[The scene opens in Kabeta's quarters.  Kabeta is alone in the
room, seated in front of her computer console on her desk.  She gazes
intently at the screen, waiting anxiously for the computer to finish
its computation.  As she reads what is on the screen, her eyes widen
with surprise.] 

Kabeta:  My God ...

	[Suddenly, she is suffused with a strange magenta glow,
identical to the colour of the walls.  She momentarily becomes
completely rigid, then relaxes.  Still glowing magenta, she takes her
phaser from its holster, aims it at her computer, and fires.  The
computer explodes in a burst of flame, singeing her hair and uniform
slightly, but she seems not to notice. As the console burns in front
of her, she turns the phaser towards herself, and pulls the trigger.
She glows in the blast of the phaser, and slumps to the floor,
unmoving.  She no longer glows magenta.]

				*******

	[Cut to the bridge of the Heisenberg.  Mr. Kleber is in
command.]

Thokk:  Sir, there's a fire in the captain's quarters!

Kleber:  [horrified] What?  Send a security team down there right away!

Thokk:  Aye, sir, I'll lead it myself.

	[Thokk rushes off the bridge.  Mr. Kleber speaks urgently into the
intercom.]

Kleber:  Captain Kabeta, come in.  Captain, are you there?

	[There is no response.  Mr. Kleber pushes a different button
on the intercom.]

Kleber:  Commander Furd?

Furd:  [through intercom] Yes, Lieutenant?

Kleber:  Sir, there's a fire in the captain's quarters, and she's not
responding to the intercom.  I've sent Thokk with a security team to
investigate.

Furd:  Good God, what happened?  No, never mind, I'm headed over there
myself.  Furd out.

				*******

	[Cut to the inside of the TARDIS.  The Doctor is searching
through the innards of a closet in the control room.  There are
numerous bizarre odds and ends strewn around the control room,
evidently late of the inside of the closet.]

Doctor:  Good grief!  Why on earth should I have kept all this rubbish and
not saved an extra gravitational anomaliser?

	[The Doctor gives up his search, and begins to throw things
back into the closet.  He picks up a frilly velvet coat, and looks at
it disapprovingly.]

Doctor:  Take this, for example.  What sort of twit would wear
something like that, for goodness' sake?

	[He snorts and tosses it back into the closet.  After a few
moments, he finishes clearing away the rubbish, and turns back to the
console.]

Doctor:  Now, maybe I can improvise something ... 

	[He gazes thoughtfully at the console and flicks a couple of
switches idly.]

Doctor:  I've got it!  Since I never activated the time rotor, the
TARDIS should still have only the timelike momentum imparted to it by
the Timescoop, so I should still be on roughly the same geodesic in the
Goldhaber field.  So if I just give the TARDIS a push, I'll land right
where the Timescoop would have put me.  Since I don't have to do any
time steering, I won't need the gravitational anomaliser.  Brilliant,
Doctor! 
 
	[He bounds cheerfully around the console, flicking switches on
the console.  The central column begins to move slowly up and down.]

Doctor:  [beaming cheerfully] Off we go, into the wild blue yonder ...

				*******

	[Cut to Kabeta's quarters.  There is a sizeable hole in the
door, with phaser burn marks around it.  Thokk, Furd, and two security
officers are standing in the room.  Kabeta is sprawled on the floor
beside her desk, and the two security officers are examining her.  The
desk is blackened and charred where it had been burning.] 

Furd:  Thokk, why did you burn a hole in the door?

Thokk:  Sorry sir, but I had to get into the captain's quarters.  It
was an emergency.

Furd:  But the door was working perfectly!  You could have just walked
in!  Geez, Thokk, you have no class whatsoever.

Thokk:  Sorry, sir.  We do not have a class system on my home planet.

Furd:  Well, what's the incentive to get ahead, then?

Thokk:  Greed.

First Security Officer:  Sir, it seems that the captain has been
stunned by a phaser.  Her own phaser, in fact.

Thokk:  [puzzled] That's very strange.  Someone must have overpowered
her, took her phaser, and shot her and the computer.

F.S.O.:  Unlikely, sir.  There are no signs of forced entry, uh ...
[he glances at the door] ... well, there didn't used to be.  And there
are no transporter traces, so no one could have beamed in.  It seems
as though the captain first destroyed her own desk computer, then shot
herself with the phaser. 

Thokk:  All right, get her to sickbay.  She should be all right, but
we don't want to take any chances.

Furd:  [abruptly] No!  Don't take her to sickbay; she'll be fine.  If
she's just been stunned by a phaser, she doesn't need medical
attention, just rest.  Just move her to her bed, there, and let her
rest.  Keep her under constant observation.

Thokk:  [a bit angrily] Sir, I must disagree!  She has clearly been
attacked somehow in here.  This is therefore a most dangerous place to
keep her.  She must be taken to sickbay, sir!

Furd:  [taken aback] Thokk!  Uh, ... very well.  But ... [he seems
very upset and uncertain] ... listen, Thokk.  I don't want the captain
to be in any danger from the recent computer malfunctions.  See to it
that the captain is not connected to any computer-controlled medical
supervision equipment.  Is that clear?

Thokk:  [confused] Aye, sir.  But --

Furd:  [angrily] No buts, Lieutenant!  I want you to follow orders, is that
clear?

Thokk:  [growling] Aye, sir.

				*******

	[Cut back to the interior of the TARDIS.  The Doctor is standing
over the central console.  He flicks a switch, and the viewscreen hums
into life, showing a Heisenberg corridor outside.  The walls are not
magenta.]

Doctor:  Here we are, Doctor.  Let's go and have a look, shall we?

	[He pushes a lever on the console, and the TARDIS doors open.
He strides purposefully out the door, into the hallway.  We cut to the
corridor in which the TARDIS is standing.  For several metres up and
down the corridor next to the TARDIS, the walls are their usual
colour, but farther away than that, the walls are magenta.  There is
an identification panel in the wall near the TARDIS.]

Doctor:  [reading the panel] Well, well, well, the Federation starship
Heisenberg.  It seems it isn't as lost a ship as everyone thinks.

	[He notices the magenta walls farther down the corridor.]

Doctor:  Curious, I wonder what that is.  I thought the Federation
shipbuilders had better taste than to paint their ships' walls magenta.

	[He moves closer to the magenta-coloured walls, and walks a
few metres into the magenta-coloured section of the corridor.  As he
touches the wall, his entire body is suffused with a bright
magenta glow, and his body goes rigid with agony.]

				*******

	[Cut to sickbay, where Thokk and Dr. Hertzman are wrangling about
how to treat the unconscious Kabeta.]

Hertzman:  But Thokk, it's standard procedure just to put a safety
monitor on the captain, in case of stunshock.

Thokk:  I know, Dr. Hertzman, but the first officer's orders were not
to place the captain under any computer-controlled care whatsoever.

Hertzman:  But that's silly!  Tell you what, I'll just connect her to the
Chused module.  It's totally automated, and if I disconnect the more
sophisticated controls, it needn't be hooked up to Pandora at all.
It's a very elegant piece of medical programming, actually.  It's
completely safe, I promise you.

Thokk:  [uncertain] Well, I suppose you know best ...

Hertzman:  I most certainly do, Lieutenant.  Now go and blow things
up, or do whatever it is you do on the bridge.  Medical care and
sickbay is best left to us doctors.  [She starts to shoo him out of
sickbay.  Thokk exits.] 

Hertzman:  [to herself] No computer-controlled care, ha!  What if she
suffered stunshock?  But orders are orders, I suppose, so I'll just
hook up the basic Chused module.  And disconnect it from Pandora, too.

				*******

	[Cut to the bridge of the Heisenberg.  Furd has taken
command, and Thokk has resumed his place at the weapons station.]

Kleber:  Sir, there are three alien vessels approaching.  They all
match the specifications of the Slubber-yuck vessel encountered
earlier.

Furd:  I see.  Shields up, red alert!  Thokk, arm crouton torpedoes.
Onscreen, Mr. Kleber.

Kleber, Thokk:  Aye, sir.

	[Three Slubber-yuck vessels appear on the viewscreen.]

Furd:  Fire, on my mark.

Kleber:  Wait, sir, don't you want to hail the enemy vessels?

Furd:  [firmly] Mr. Kleber, this is war.  They are attacking
unprovoked, and I do not intend to sit here and take it.  Thokk, fire
two crouton torpedoes at the first Slubber-yuck vessel.  Aim for the
warp drive, maximum spread, full yield.

Thokk:  Aye, sir.

Kleber:  [protesting] But sir!

	[Two crouton torpedoes are fired, and score a direct hit on
one of the Slubber-yuck vessels.  There is a colossal explosion, and
it is completely destroyed.]

Thokk:  A direct hit, sir!  The enemy vessel is completely destroyed,
and the two other vessels have sustained minor damage to the shields.

Furd:  Arm two more torpedoes, Thokk, and fire when ready.  Same
strategy.

Thokk:  Aye, sir.

Kleber:  Sir, the enemy are powering up phasers!  We have to evade;
our shields can't take even one hit!

Furd:  [ignoring him] Fire, Thokk.

	[Two more crouton torpedoes zip towards a second Slubber-yuck
ship, with similarly destructive results.  Simultaneously, the third
Slubber-yuck vessel fires phasers at the Heisenberg.  An explosion
rocks the bridge.]

Thokk:  Sir, shields dest -- sir, shields holding at 80 percent!  
I don't understand!

Kleber:  Sir, the Slubber-yucks are firing again!  We've got to evade!

Furd:  [unworried] Thokk, give me two more torpedoes at the last ship.

	[Another explosion rocks the bridge as the Slubber-yuck
phasers hit again.  At the same time, Kabeta enters from the
turbolift.]

Kabeta:  Belay that order, Mr. Thokk.  Modify the torpedoes to knock
out the phasers and the warp drive, but do not destroy the
Slubber-yuck vessel.  Furd, I'm taking the bridge.

Furd:  But ma'am, the Slubber-yucks are --

Kabeta:  Furd, stand down!  That's an order!

Thokk:  The Slubber-yucks are firing again, ma'am!  Shields down to 57
percent.

Kabeta:  Fire the modified torpedoes, Thokk!

	[Thokk fires, as do the Slubber-yucks.  An explosion rocks the
bridge again, but the torpedoes score a direct hit on the Slubber-yuck
vessel.  This time, however, it is not destroyed.]

Thokk:  Direct hit, captain.  The Slubber-yuck warp drive and weapons
array are completely inoperative.  Our shields down to 41 percent and
holding.

Kabeta:  [shaken] Thokk, how did our shields manage to withstand that
last phaser blast?

	[Furd slips quietly out of the bridge and into the turbolift.]

Thokk:  [bewildered] I don't know, ma'am.  Sensors showed their phaser
fired at full capacity, but somehow our shields absorbed far more of
the blast than we anticipated.

Kabeta:  Well, I guess we got lucky.  Mr. Kleber, hail the
Slubber-yuck ship. 

Kleber:  There is no response, ma'am.

Kabeta:  Keep trying, Mr. Kleber.  They don't exactly have a lot of
choice.  Furd, did you manage to scoop the Doctor as I ordered?  [She
notices that he is not there.]  Furd?  Where did he go?

Kleber:  Captain, I'm reading an unauthorised entry on deck four.  An
unidentifiable object in the corridor, and a humanoid life form.
There are no transporter traces, though, ma'am; I don't know how he
got there.

Kabeta:  That must be the Doctor.  Thokk, send a security team to
deck four right away.  I want him taken to the conference room; we're
going to have a meeting there.

Thokk:  Aye, ma'am, I'll lead the team myself.  [He exits.]

Kabeta:  Mr. Kleber, keep trying to hail the Slubber-yucks.  Let me
know if there's any response.  Tell them we need information, but that
we're prepared to help them repair their ship.  You have the bridge.

Mr. Kleber:  Yes, ma'am.  [He notices a change in the sensor readout.]
Captain!  Sensors show that all life signs on the Slubber-yuck
vessel have disappeared!  And their warp coil is becoming wildly
unstable; I think it's going to blow!

Kabeta:  [frantically] Pull away from them, full impulse!

	[The Heisenberg begins to pull away from the Slubber-yuck
ship, and a few moments later, the viewscreen shows the Slubber-yuck
ship exploding violently.  The bridge rocks wildly as the blast hits
the Heisenberg.]

Kabeta:  [anxiously] Damage report, Thokk?

Thokk:  Minor damage to the phaser array and external sensors.  The
shields took the brunt of the blast -- they're down to 15 percent.

Kabeta:  Damn!  I needed to talk to those Slubber-yucks!  Damn you, Furd!

	[Kabeta heads for the turbolift as we cut away.]

				*******

	[Cut back to the Doctor, who is slumped unmoving on the ground,
non-magenta-coloured, as Thokk and two security guards appear.  They
are somewhat surprised at the colouring of the walls.]

First Security Guard:  Why on earth would Commander Furd have
skipped this section of the walls?

Thokk:  An interesting question, Ensign, but not one whose answer will
speed the Doctor on his way to the conference room.  [The second
security guard is examining the Doctor.] Is he all right?

Second Security Guard:  Yes, sir, but he's unconscious.  He seems to
be exhausted.

	  [The Doctor moans, puts a hand to his head, and begins to
try to sit up.]

Doctor:  [a bit dazedly] Oh, sorry, it's being hit on the head lessons
in here ...

Thokk:  You are the Doctor?

Doctor:  [shaking his head] What?  Oh, yes, of course.  [He regains
his senses, and stands up.  He glances at Thokk.]  Ah yes, you must
be the mindless security thug they've sent to pick me up.  How do you
do?  [He proffers a hand to Thokk, who ignores it.]

Thokk:  [growling] You are to come with me immediately to the
conference room.  The captain wishes to speak with you.

Doctor:  [cheerfully] Ah yes, Captain Kabeta, charming woman, I'd be
delighted.  But tell me, is it standard Federation security procedure
these days to invade the mind of an unauthorised intruder?

Thokk:  No.  Come with me now, Doctor, or I shall drag you there myself.

Doctor:  [walking towards the turbolift] Oh, don't worry, I didn't
really think so.  [conversationally] After all, psychic invasion
wouldn't do much good against someone like you, would it?

	[The Doctor beams cheerfully at him.  Thokk growls angrily as
the four enter the turbolift.]

				*******

	[Cut to the conference room.  Kabeta, McDonough, Yaz, the
Doctor, Aoki, and Thokk are seated around the table.  The walls are
still magenta.  Kabeta is gazing a bit apprehensively at them.] 

Yaz:  [concerned] What happened to you, Captain?  We all thought you'd
gone barmy. 

Kabeta:  [urgently] Does anyone know of an area of the ship where the
walls are not coloured magenta?

Aoki:  Oh, come on, it's not that bad, is it?

Kabeta:  [angrily] I'm serious!  Is there?

Q.T.:  Yes, ma'am.  Engineering is still unpainted -- I guess Furd
never made it down there. 

Kabeta:  Right, meeting adjourned to Engineering.  I want all of us
down there, on the double.

	[Kabeta exits briskly.  The crew members look at each other
bemusedly, but leave the room.  The Doctor follows them, gazing
thoughtfully at the magenta walls.]
 
				*******

	[Cut to Engineering.  The same people who were in the last
scene are now here, either sitting at a computer console or perched
awkwardly on the edge of a desk.  Kabeta looks much more relaxed here.]

Yaz:  Captain, would you mind telling us what's going on?  Why did we
move down here?

Kabeta:  Furd didn't paint these walls magenta, Yaz.  I don't know what
they are exactly, but the magenta colour is derived from some sort of
life form.  A hostile one.

Thokk:  Captain, it is an ancient custom among my people to begin
stories at their beginning.  It would perhaps be wise to follow this
custom now.

Kabeta:  My mind was invaded by some alien force.  It took control of
my body; it was as though my body took on a mind of its own.
[shuddering] It was horrible.  I watched myself lift my phaser, fire
it point blank at the computer console, then turn the phaser around to
shoot myself.

Yaz:  [softly] 'Strewth!

Kabeta:  And what's more, it has something to do with these magenta
walls.  I was glowing bright magenta when I shot myself.  

Aoki:  Ugh.  A tasteless alien.  How awful.

Doctor:  That's exactly what attacked me in the hallway.  I've never
really felt anything like it before, but it has huge reserves of
artron energy, and has uncanny control over the neural pathways.

Kabeta:  I managed to translate some of Slarg's message before I was
taken over.  He said that his sensors detected an alien presence on
the Heisenberg, something he called a Graath.  His description, or
what little of it I could read before I was shot, matches the
description of what attacked me and the Doctor pretty closely.

Q.T.:  Why did it attack you?  And why hasn't it attacked others?

Kabeta:  I have no idea.  Perhaps it knew that I had found it out, and
was trying to keep its presence unknown.

Thokk:  What else do we know about this Graath?

Kabeta:  Nothing, really.  I wish the Slubber-yuck ships hadn't all
been destroyed.  I wanted access to their data banks, to find out all
that they know about this creature.  [She sighs.] What do you and Mr.
McDonough have to report, Yaz?  

Yaz:  We searched the whole warp coil system, and the anti-matter
core, and there are some very strange sensor faliures.  The core
sensors show that the core is tremendously unstable, and in fact
should have exploded a few minutes after entering phase space, which
after all is what should have happened.  But the core must be
perfectly stable -- after all, we're still here. 

Kabeta:  And the warp coil?  What about this mysterious attraction
from the energy source?

Q.T.:  Well, there doesn't seem to be any.  External sensors aren't
showing any external force on the ship at all, but the navigational
systems respond as though there were a massive pull from the energy
source whenever we try to move away from it.  For example, the warp
coil stress sensor is showing readings of about 3 or 4 microquizzes at
the moment, just what you'd expect from a ship drifting in space.  But
the navigational systems are behaving as though the stress levels were
up at about 14 megatheses!

Aoki:  [excitedly] That's exactly what I thought!  Pandora is also
having some bizarre failures, as you know, and many of them relate
directly to the navigation systems and the warp systems.  The failures are
seemingly unconnected and intermittent, as though some unseen hand
were manipulating the circuits themselves.  And the failures occur
right through the whole system, even below the Kronenfeld configuration.

Doctor:  Really?  How interesting.  We already know that the Graath
has the power to manipulate human minds, and controlling computer
systems is child's play compared to that.  So it seems as though the
Graath is manipulating the computer systems as well.  If that's true,
the ship is totally under its control.

Aoki:  [grimly] That's right, Doctor.

Kabeta:  Furd is mixed up in this, too, somehow.  He knows about the
Graath, otherwise he wouldn't have lied about redecorating the ship.
Pandora!  Where is Commander Furd?

Pandora:  Commander Furd is --

	[There is a burst of static, and Pandora's voice is replaced
with a condescending tenor.] 

Pandora/tenor:  Oh, sorry!  The correct response was, "What is the
Algolian Yogurt Sneezer?"  But you still have control of the board;
select again. 

Kabeta:  [yelling] Pandora!  Shut up!

Pandora:  [now a rumbling baritone] I'll take "Lithuanian Monarchs" for
1000 please, Alex.  

	[Aoki quickly dashes to a computer terminal and presses a few
buttons.  Pandora is abruptly silenced.]

Kabeta:  Thank you, Lieutenant.  This is very mysterious indeed.
Thokk, organise a search for Commander Furd.  I want him arrested and
brought down here to engineering.

Thokk:  Yes, ma'am.  [He exits.]

Doctor:  Mr. Aoki, what kind of computer is Pandora?  One of the
Shectman series?

Aoki:  A Shectman series 5000, Doctor.  State of the art, although the
personality routines are a little ... eccentric.

Doctor:  Yes, I know.  I remember talking to Nick Shectman once.
Fascinating fellow.  I learned all sorts of useful stuff about
breaking into computer security systems from him.  That was one of his
hobbies, actually, although I think mostly he did it just to wind up
poor Matt Ender.

Aoki:  Is there a point concealed in here somewhere?

Doctor:  [irritably] Yes, yes, I'm getting to that.  As I recall, the
Shectman series computers were designed with high parallel structure,
to accomodate the Kronenfeld configuration.

Aoki:  Yes, so ... ?

Doctor:  I've noticed that there are two places on the ship into which
the Graath seems not to be able to go: engineering, and the corridor
near the TARDIS.

Yaz:  The how-much?

Doctor:  My, er ... spaceship.  Anyway, both the warp coil in
engineering and the core of the time rotor in the TARDIS have
hyperdimensional extensions; they have thickness in the fourth
dimension, so to speak.  The patterns of magenta around the TARDIS are
very reminiscent of a shadow, I thought. 

Yaz:  You mean ...

Doctor:  I think the magenta colour in the walls is the
three-dimensional projection of a hyper-dimensional creature, and that
the four-dimensional structure of the warp coil and the TARDIS are
blocking the projection, the same way a tall object casts a shadow in
ordinary space.

Yaz:  [excitedly] Yeah, right!  So if we could find a big enough
four-dimensional object, we could block it right out!

Doctor:  Exactly.  The only problem is, I would guess that you don't
have such an object on board.

Q.T.:  Correct, Doctor.  It would interfere with the warp drive.

Doctor:  I thought as much.  So we'll have to project a
four-dimensional holoimage through Pandora.

Yaz:  [skeptically] A four-dimensional holoimage?  Pull the other leg.

Doctor:  [witheringly] Well, I don't have my Bryant's Scientific
History with me, but I do seem to recall that you human primitives
have developed holotechnology by now, haven't you?

Kabeta:  [diplomatically intervening] Yes, Doctor, but we can't
project holoimages into four dimensions.  Would you care to explain?

Doctor:  Well, I could get the dimensional stabiliser from the TARDIS,
and hook it up to Pandora's circuits here.

	[He produces a crumpled piece of paper and a stub of a pencil
from his pockets, and begins to explain the idea to Mr. Aoki.  Yaz and
Q.T. crane their necks to watch the Doctor's explanation.] 

Doctor:  You connect the stabiliser here, and convert these parallel
circuits into a hyperdimensional tranmitter by sending a massive
energy pulse down this pathway.  The holoimage is projected at right
angles to the energy tensor.  The only problem is, you stand a good
chance of knocking out a fair amount of Pandora's systems this way.
We'll have to reorganise the Kronenfeld configuration to accomodate
that.  That is, unless you prefer a ship without life support systems.

Aoki:  [enthusiastically] Yes, I think it'll work!

Q.T.:  [frowning] Well, let's see.  The warp systems should be able to
sustain the image for a while, but not longer than a few hours, I think.

Doctor:  Enough time to rid ourselves of the Graath, and perhaps to
get out of phase space, too.  Presumably the Graath can't penetrate to
ordinary space, since phase space would be in the way,
hyper-dimensionally speaking.

Kabeta:  It sounds an excellent plan, Doctor.  Let's get working on it!

Doctor:  Certainly.  Why don't you start setting up Pandora's systems?  I'm
just going to fetch the dimensional stabiliser; I won't be a moment.

	[He exits, and the others start work on the computer.]

				*******

	[Cut to a corridor in the Heisenberg.  Thokk is leading four other
security officers on a search for Furd.  That's five officers in total.]

Thokk:  We'll search this deck in pairs.  You come with me down
corridor one, you two search corridor two, and you ... oh wait, that
doesn't work out, does it?  OK, let's do it in threes, then.  Uh, you
three search corridors two and four, and the three of ... hmm.  [He
ponders this conundrum.]

First Security Officer:  Sir?  Why don't all five of us split up?
That way, we can search all five corridors.

Thokk:  An excellent plan.  Leave your communicators on -- if any of
you detects Commander Furd, spread the word.  Our communicators are
connected straight through engineering, so there shouldn't be any
intereference from the Graath.

	[Furd meanwhile, is just around the corner from them.  He has
overheard the previous conversation, and his eyes widen at the mention
of the Graath.  Thokk's communicator activates.]

Yaz:  Thokk, the holoimage projector is nearing completion.  Spread
the word that the crew should stay away from the computer terminals
for the next hour or two.  And don't use the computers -- we don't
want the Graath to find this out.

Thokk:  Yes, sir.  What exactly will the effects of the destruction of
the Graath be on the computer terminals?

Yaz: Well, probably nothing too drastic besides ruining them
completely, but there might be some power surges, and we don't want
anyone to get hurt.  Yaz out.

	[There is a sharp intake of breath from Furd, and he scampers
frantically away towards the turbolift.  Meanwhile, the five security
officers split up to search the deck.]

				*******

	[Cut to engineering.  Various of the computer consoles are
strewn with various complicated-looking equipment, and Yaz, Q.T.,
Aoki, and the Doctor are fiddling with various bits of it.]

Yaz:  Mr. Aoki, have you finished the interface to Pandora yet?

Aoki:  Almost ... yes!  There it is.  The linkup is stable now.

Doctor:  Excellent.  Everything's hooked up here; all we need now is
the power.  Q.T.?

Q.T.:  Almost ... there.  I have it Doctor. You can activate any time now.

	[Suddenly the turbolift door to engineering opens, and Furd,
wild-eyed, careens into the room, brandishing his phaser.] 

Kabeta:  Commander!  What is going on?

	[The Doctor whirls around, and sees Furd with his phaser drawn.
The Doctor lunges for the nearest computer console, but Furd
anticipates the move and fires his phaser at the console, which
explodes with a flash of sparks.  Furd spins, phaser in hand, to face
Kabeta.]

Furd:  What the hell are you --

	[Furd is cut off in mid-sentence as Kabeta draws her phaser
and fires.  Furd is briefly caught in the phaser blast, then slumps to
the floor.  Zoom in on Furd's body, and freeze with a nice, dramatic
chord.  Display the caption, "To be continued," hold for a few
seconds, then fade to black.]

				*******


Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1993 16:21:06 -0700
From: klb 
Subject: Teaser for "Reunion," part 4

Date: Mon, 19 Apr 93 09:58:27 PDT
From: mckinnon@math.berkeley.edu (David McKinnon)
To: yawn@husc.harvard.edu
	
	Next week, on an ALL NEW episode of STAR TREK, THE CROUTON GENERATION:
	
		It's the exciting conclusion of Reunion!  After his sabotage,
	Furd has finally been captured, and there are some questions to be
	answered.
	
	Kabeta:  Commander, I think it's time you explained.  From the
	beginning.  And give us the truth this time.
	
		But the crew of the Heisenberg soon have more to worry about
	than Furd.
	
	Slubber-yuck Captain:  Is the boarding party ready, Narg?
	
	Narg:  Yes, Captain.
	
		And it's not just from the Slubber-yucks!
	
	Q.T.:  We've got about ten minutes before the biggest bang in history!
	
		Can the crew be saved?  Will the Heisenberg be destroyed?  Find out,
	on the next STAR TREK, THE CROUTON GENERATION!
	
---------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1993 22:26:09 -0700
From: klb 
Subject: "Reunion," part 4 (***LONG***)


At last, the grand finale....


Date: Tue, 20 Apr 93 10:55:45 PDT
From: mckinnon@math.berkeley.edu (David McKinnon)
To: yawn@husc.harvard.edu

		  STAR TREK, THE CROUTON GENERATION

			       REUNION

			     EPISODE FOUR

	[The scene opens in engineering.  Various of the computer
consoles are strewn with various complicated-looking equipment, and
Yaz, Q.T., Aoki, and the Doctor are fiddling with various bits of it.]

Yaz:  Mr. Aoki, have you finished the interface to Pandora yet?

Aoki:  Almost ... yes!  There it is.  The linkup is stable now.

Doctor:  Excellent.  Everything's hooked up here; all we need now is
the power.  Q.T.?

Q.T.:  Almost ... there.  I have it Doctor.  You can activate any time now.

	[Suddenly the turbolift door to engineering opens, and Furd,
wild-eyed, careens into the room, brandishing his phaser.] 

Kabeta:  Commander!  What is going on?

	[The Doctor whirls around, and sees Furd with his phaser drawn.
The Doctor lunges for the nearest computer console, but Furd
anticipates the move and fires his phaser at the console, which
explodes with a flash of sparks.  Furd spins, phaser in hand, to face
Kabeta.]

Furd:  What the hell are you --

	[Furd is cut off in mid-sentence as Kabeta draws her phaser
and fires.  Furd is briefly caught in the phaser blast, then slumps to
the floor.]

Kabeta:  [urgently] What's the condition of the holoprojector?

Yaz:  [shaking his head] Sorry, Captain.  The part Furd fired at is
totally fused.  We'll have to start that bit from scratch.  The rest
of it's all right, though.

Kabeta:  [cursing] Fiocca la neve, Furd!  And your father, too!

Doctor:  [gesturing to Furd] Who is this chap, anyway?

	[Kabeta moves over to Furd, and removes his phaser.]

Kabeta:  [bitterly] This, Doctor, is my second-in-command,
Lt.-Commander Furd the Nurd.

Doctor:  [thoughtfully] Furd the Nurd, eh?

Kabeta:  Q.T., how long will it take to repair the damage to the
interface?

Q.T.:  Well, we'd have to redo it from scratch, but that shouldn't
take too long.  Say about ... an hour or so?

Doctor:  An hour?  Rubbish!  We can have it ready to go in fif -- oof!

	[The Doctor breaks off as Q.T. elbows him in the ribs.]

Q.T.:  [muttering] Doctor, have you never heard of the Montgomery
Scott protocol?

	[Furd moans, and begins to stir on the floor.]

Kabeta:  [sharply] Furd!  [She kicks him.] Get up!

	[Furd moans again, and tries to sit up.  He shakes his head,
trying to clear it.  After a moment, he suddenly sits bolt upright,
as if remembering something.]

Furd:  [anxiously] Captain!  You haven't activated the holoprojector
yet, have you?

Yaz:  [acidly] You made sure of that, didn't you?

Kabeta:  Why did you sabotage our attempt to free the Heisenberg from
the Graath?

Furd:  [relieved] Oh, thank goodness.  The Graath is using its own
power to stabilise the anti-matter core.  If you had succeeded in
blocking out the Graath, the whole ship would have been blown to
smithereens.  

	[There is a stunned silence.]

Kabeta:  Commander, I think it's time you explained.  From the
beginning.  And give us the truth this time.

Furd:  Aye, ma'am.  Well, I never made it to the anti-matter core of
the ship.  As soon as the ship entered phase space, my mind was attacked by
the Graath.  Luckily, I managed to hold it off.

Doctor:  [quietly] Using the Kirdan relaxation technique, no doubt.

Furd:  [whirling around to face the Doctor] Who are you?

Doctor:  Oh, I'm nobody.  I'm more interested to know who you are.

Furd:  [wheeling around to face Kabeta] Captain!  I demand that you
arrest this man.  He is a dangerous criminal!

Kabeta:  So far, Commander, he has proved far less dangerous than you
have.

Furd:  [a bit hysterically] He is a trained killer!  While he's free,
we're all in grave danger! 

Doctor:  Come now, Furd, a Nurdistani assassin prides himself on a
clean kill.  The innocent bystanders won't get hurt.

Furd:  [angrily] You evil, murdering --

Doctor:  Oh, come on, Furd, use your brains.  If I were really a
Nurdistani assassin, do you really think I would have let myself be
Timescooped?  [the Doctor's voice hardens] Especially when there was
the possibility that the Scoop might be aborted halfway, and I'd be
left stranded in the Vortex? 

Furd:  [shocked] You mean you're not ... [trails off lamely]

Kabeta:  Would someone mind explaining what's going on?

Doctor:  Yes, Furd, I think some explanations are in order.  For
example, why should the Nurdistani government want you dead?  I
thought they were lenient on runaways.

Furd:  [grimly] Not when the runaway is a former agent of the Secura
suspected of dealing technology to aliens.

Kabeta:  What's going on, Commander?  I thought you were from the
Bouzouki system.

Furd:  I am now, Captain.  But I was born on a planet called
Nurdistan, thousands of light-years from Federation space.  We are a
very secretive people, with a hierarchical government effectively run
by the secret service, known as the Secura.  I was a member of the Secura,
assigned to monitor the progress of the Federation.  But I liked my
assignment too much.  I made Federation friends, even married a
Federation woman.  When Starbase Harvard was about to be attacked by
the Lucky Charms, my superiors ordered me to abandon the base and
return to Nurdistan; they thought the Federation was doomed.  I
couldn't do it.  I stayed and fought, and hoped that they wouldn't
bother with a hopeless, romantic runaway.

Doctor:  But now that you have leaked Timescoop technology to the
Federation, you think they're coming after you.

Furd:  [grimly] I don't think so, Doctor.  I know so.

Q.T.:  But what about the Graath?  Why didn't you tell anyone about
it?

Furd:  It demanded that its existence be kept secret from the crew,
claiming that the crew would work better if they didn't know about the
presence of an alien.

Kabeta:  It was right on that count!

Furd:  We made a deal.  In return for a complete repair of the
Heisenberg and its return to normal space, I agreed on behalf of the
crew to use the Heisenberg to destroy the power source in the
Slubber-yuck home system.

Kabeta:  The Slubber-yuck power source?  No wonder the Slubber-yucks keep
attacking us!  Which reminds me, Furd -- how did you know the
Slubber-yuck phasers wouldn't destroy the shields?

Furd:  The Graath is also using its power to augment the shields.
The Slubber-yuck phasers are designed for use against the Graath --
the two races are ancient enemies -- and the Graath specialise in
energy defense.  That's also why the Slubber-yucks had no defenses
against crouton torpedoes -- the Graath can only attack with energy
weapons.

Yaz:  Until now, you mean.  You've just tipped the balance of power in
this war!  You're going to be responsible for some hideous casualties!

Furd:  [turning on him]  You have no idea what the Slubber-yucks are like!
There used to be half a dozen different humanoid species in this
sector of phase space, and the Slubber-yucks have completely
exterminated all of them!  These are callous, cold-blooded killers
we're dealing with here!

Kabeta:  Commander, that's as may be, but using Federation
technology to interfere in this war is a flagrant violation of the
Prime Directive.  I cannot allow this.

Furd:  Well, Captain, what are you going to do about it?  The Graath
has total control of the ship, and if you get rid of it, the ship will
blow sky-high!

				*******

	[Cut to the bridge.  Mr. Kleber is in the command chair.  Two
Slubber-yuck vessels loom nearby on the viewscreen.]

Kleber:  [into intercom] All bridge personnel to bridge!  Red alert!

	[The red alert klaxons start hooting.]

Ensign:  Sir!  The Slubber-yucks are preparing to fire!

Kleber:  Fire crouton torpedoes!

	[Two torpedoes streak towards the Slubber-yuck vessel, which
explodes violently.]

Ensign:  Direct hit, sir.  Alien vessel totally destroyed.

	[Thokk enters the bridge.  The security ensign steps away
from Thokk's defense station.]

Kleber:  Captain!  Captain Kabeta, come in please!

Pandora:  [tenor] This famous mathematician, the oldest Fields
medalist ever, had finished his groundbreaking work years earlier, but
only won the medal when he pulled an all-nighter writing up the paper
the night before his fortieth birthday.

Pandora:  [baritone] Who is Will Brockman?

Kleber:  Pandora!  Shut up!

Pandora:  [tenor] Correct!  Make another selection.

	[Mr. Kleber dives for the nearest computer console, and stabs
at a button.  Pandora is silenced.]

Kleber:  What the hell is going on?

	[An explosion rocks the bridge.  The lights dim briefly, then
return to full brightness.]

Thokk:  Hit sustained from Slubber-yuck phasers.  Shields holding at
seventy percent.

Kleber:  Fire torpedoes, Thokk!

	[Two more torpedoes streak towards the Slubber-yuck ship.
There is another satisfying explosion.]

Ensign:  Sir, we're approaching the power source which is
attracting us.  However, sensors do not show any kind of tractor beam
trained on the Heisenberg.

Kleber:  Can we evade?  Try to turn about, Ensign.

Ensign:  Negative, sir.  The helm will not respond to
commands directing the Heisenberg away from the power source.

Thokk:  There are two more Slubber-yuck vessels approaching.  They
will be within phaser range in five minutes.  Sensors also show seven
more vessels within thirty minutes' range, including three vessels
substantially larger and more powerful than those we have encountered so far.

Kleber:  How are the shields?

Thokk:  Holding at seventy percent.  But I wouldn't put much hope in
their being able to withstand an attack from seven Slubber-yuck vessels
at once.

Kleber:  Hmm.  So what am I going to do now?

	[Enter Kabeta from the turbolift.]

Kabeta:  Mr. Thokk, Commander Furd has been apprehended and confined
to quarters.  He attempted some sabotage in engineering, but
fortunately we were able to forestall him.  You may call off the
search for him.

Thokk:  Aye, Captain.

Kabeta:  Mr. Kleber, report.

Kleber:  Ma'am, the Slubber-yucks are attacking in force.  We are also
almost within visual range of the power source which was attracting us.

Kabeta:  Excellent.  Mr. Kleber, feed into the computer log that we
are about to attack the power source in an attempt to free the
Heisenberg.  Set us on a course for the power source, keeping us as far
away from the Slubber-yucks as is feasible.

Kleber:  Aye, ma'am.

Kabeta:  Oh, and Mr. Kleber, I want all non-essential personnel
evacuated from the Heisenberg.  Use the Timescoop to send them all
back to Starfleet Headquarters -- I understand that the transporter
chief has figured out how to use it.  I want only a skeleton crew in
engineering and on the bridge.

Kleber:  Yes, Captain.

				*******

	[Cut to engineering.  The Doctor is fiddling around with the
insides of a box-like electronic device, as Q.T. and Yaz look on with
interest.  Aoki is working at a computer console.] 

Doctor:  Mr. Aoki, have you managed to repair the computer interface?

Aoki:  Yep, pretty much.  Just one or two more connections to make.  I
didn't really understand at first what you meant about the Polito synapse
fields, but I think I've got it figured out.

Doctor:  Excellent.  But remember, don't project until we've got the
stabiliser in place.

Aoki:  Yes, yes, I know.  I don't really relish the idea of being
atomised.

Yaz:  So this thing here, Doctor -- this is sort of a portable
holoprojector?

Doctor:  Yes, that's right.  A bit clumsy, but it should block out the
Graath for a radius of a couple of metres or so.

Q.T.:  A 4-D umbrella, eh?

Doctor:  [grinning] Yes, you could call it that.  It's something we're
going to need, I think -- once the Graath twigs what we're up to,
it won't be very pleasant walking around in magenta-coloured hallways.
Right, have you got the warp coil damper?

Yaz:  Er, yeah, right here.  [He holds up a small, electronic device
about the size of a breadbox.]

Doctor:  Good.  All right, we're off to the TARDIS, then.  Remember,
wait for the word, then switch on the big projector.

Q.T.:  Right, Doctor.

	[The Doctor flicks a switch on the portable holoprojector, and
picks it up.  It is a little awkward to carry, but he and Yaz stride
out of the room together, the Doctor carrying the holoprojector and
Yaz carrying the warp coil damper.]

				*******

	[Cut to Furd's quarters.  Furd is slumped at his desk, his
head in his hands.  There is a guard standing at the door, armed with
a phaser.  Furd looks up.]

Furd:  Listen, is it all right if I just take a little walk round the
deck?  I'll be really quick, I promise.

	[The guard does not reply.]

Furd:  No, I didn't really think so.

	[Furd stands up and stretches.  He ambles slowly over to the
guard, who eyes him suspiciously, and reaches for his phaser.]

Furd:  [reassuringly] Oh, don't worry, I'm not armed.  [He raises his
empty hands to demonstrate this.]

Furd:  Have you ever heard of a mathematician named Michael Kleber?
He lived in the late twentieth century.  Apparently he was a fantastic
guy, lots of enthusiasm.  One of his major accomplishments was
enumerating all finite groups by hand one night while his personal
computer was being repaired.  He built little string-and-toothpick
models of all their Cayley graphs, too, and painted them carefully
with little --

	[By this time Furd is standing right beside the guard, and
suddenly brings both his arms crashing down upon the guard's phaser
arm.  The phaser falls to the floor, and Furd grabs the guard's arm,
flipping him over onto the ground.  Furd delivers a hard chop to the
back of the guard's neck, knocking him out cold.]

Furd:  [to guard] Kirdan didn't just know how to relax, you know.
Pleasant dreams! 

	[Furd scoops up the guard's phaser, and rushes through the open door.]

				*******

	[Cut to the bridge.  Kabeta is in the command chair, while
Thokk and Mr. Kleber are at their usual posts.]

Kabeta:  How long until we reach the power source, Mr. Kleber?

Kleber:  Five minutes until we are within phaser range, ma'am.

Kabeta:  [anxiously, under her breath] Come on, Doctor, we haven't got
much time.  [out loud] And how is the evacuation proceeding?

Kleber:  It's nearly finished, ma'am.  We assigned Ensign Metag to a
complete gravity check of the entire vessel, and that speeded up the
evacuation immensely.  There are still a few sickbay personnel to be
evacuated, as well as a few of the transporter crew.  Ensign Metag
himself was forcibly evacuated just before his tour reached the
bridge. 

Kabeta:  Excellent work, Mr. Kleber.

Thokk:  Captain, the Slubber-yucks are still following just out of
torpedo range.  The larger force has changed direction, and are now
occupying a position directly between us and the power source.  If we
wish to proceed, we must engage them directly.

Kabeta:  I see.  How many torpedoes do we have left?

Thokk:  Five, ma'am.

Kabeta:  Hmm.  This could be a problem.

				*******

	[Cut to the corridor near the TARDIS.  The Doctor and Yaz
appear and walk towards the TARDIS, and the magenta colour in the
walls disappears as they pass by, only to reappear once they have
passed.  They stop in front of the TARDIS, and the Doctor switches off
the holoprojector.] 

Doctor:  We'll need to conserve the energy in this thing.

	[He sets it down, and rummages in his pockets for the TARDIS
key.  He finds it, and open the door.]

Yaz:  [incredulously] This is your spaceship?

Doctor:  Well, more or less, yes.  Why don't you keep an eye on things
out here, while I make those modifications to the warp coil damper,
eh?

	[The Doctor takes the damper from Yaz, and strides into the
TARDIS, closing the door firmly behind him as he enters.  Yaz takes
out his phaser, and sits down on the floor next to the TARDIS.  We cut
to the inside of the TARDIS.  The Doctor sets the damper on the
central control panel, and takes a toolbox out of the closet.  He
begins to take apart the damper.]

Doctor:  Right, we'll just separate the gravitational component of the
damper here.  It won't be necessary for the damping of the anti-matter
core, but it makes a splendid substitute for a gravitational
anomaliser.

				*******

	[Cut to the bridge of a Slubber-yuck vessel.  There are
several Slubber-yuck officers on the bridge.  They are roughly
humanoid, but their skin has a bluish tinge to it, and their eyes are
very large and moist.]

Captain:  Is the boarding party ready, Narg?

Narg:  Yes, Captain.  The alien shields are easily penetrated.  We
have only to worry about interference from the Graath.

Captain:  Excellent.  Make sure the party is properly equipped, and
attack.

Narg:  [saluting] Yes, Captain.

				*******

	[Cut to the bridge of the Heisenberg.  The only crew members
present are Kabeta, Kleber, Thokk, and two ensigns at the helm.]

Kabeta:  Helm, will the com respond to a full stop?  If so, stop us
dead, right here.  We can't afford to get any closer to those seven
Slubber-yuck ships.

Ensign:  Aye, Captain.  [he presses a control] The helm is responding, ma'am.

Kleber:  Captain, I'm reading an unauthorised entry on deck seven.
Eight humanoid aliens have just transported onto the Heisenberg.

Kabeta:  Good grief!  I suppose all security crews have been
evacuated?

Thokk:  Almost, ma'am.  There is only me, and the security guard in
Commander Furd's quarters.

Kabeta:  Two against eight isn't very good odds, though, Lieutenant.
We'll have to up it to three against eight.  Thokk, we're going to
investigate these instrusions.  Mr. Kleber, you have the bridge.  Keep
us informed about any more unauthorised entries.

Kleber:  Yes, Captain.

	[Kabeta and Thokk stride off the bridge, phaser in hand.]

				*******

	[Cut to the corridor near the TARDIS.  The Doctor emerges from
the TARDIS, holding the warp coil damper, but it is connected via a
number of strange wires to another rectangular electronic device with
lots of impressive-looking flashing lights on it.]

Yaz:  Finished, Doctor?

Doctor:  Yes, I think so.  Right, let's get the holoprojector
activated and be on our way, shall we?

	[As they do this, four Slubber-yucks appear at the end of the
hallway.  One of them seems to be in charge, sort of a sergeant perhaps.]

Yaz:  Look out! 

	[He abandons his attempt to pick up the holoprojector, and
fires at the approaching Slubber-yucks.  He hits one of them, but
his shot seems to dissipate into some sort of shield.  The Doctor tugs
at him impatiently.]

Doctor:  Come on!

	[Yaz scoops up the holoprojector, and the two or them take off
down the corridor.  The Slubber-yucks take out what look like phasers,
but before they can fire, the Doctor and Yaz have disappeared round a
corner.]

Slubber-yuck Sergeant:  After them!

	[The Slubber-yucks run in pursuit.  As they round the corner,
though, Yaz and the Doctor are nowhere in sight, despite the fact the
they were weighed down by all the electronic equipment they were
carrying.  There are a number of doors off the corridor.]

Slubber-yuck Sergeant:  Split up!  Search every door!

	[The Slubber-yucks do just that, and each of them picks a
different door to enter.  The Slubber-yuck sergeant enters the first
door on the right.  He walks in cautiously, his phaser at the ready.
The room is some crew member's quarters, obviously a plant lover,
because there are potted plants of all shapes and sizes all over the
room.]

Doctor:  [hiding behind one of the larger plants]  Coo-ee!

	[The Slubber-yuck swings to face him and fires his phaser as
the Doctor dives out of the way.  The plant is incinerated.  At the
same time, Yaz jumps the Slubber-yuck from behind, slamming the
alien's head into the door frame.  The Slubber-yuck slumps to the
floor, unconscious, and Yaz scoops up the Slubber-yuck's phaser.  At
the sound of this commotion, the other Slubber-yucks come running, and
Yaz shoots one of them down with the newly-acquired phaser.  Yaz closes
the door.]

Yaz:  Hey, this thing really packs a wallop, eh Doc?

Doctor:  Yes it does, but they have twice as many as we do, and they
don't have the disadvantage of being loaded down with all sorts of
electronic equipment.

Yaz:  Hah!  Just you wait and see what I've got up my sleeve.

	[Yaz takes out his old phaser and bangs it violently against
the wall.  It begins to beep in a very alarming way.  He opens
the door briefly, and tosses it out.]

Yaz:  [yelling] Take cover!

	[There is a tremendous explosion from outside in the corridor,
blowing out the door.  Yaz is thrown across the room, landing neatly
on top of a plant.]

Doctor:  Yaz, are you all right?

Yaz:  [picking himself and dusting himself off.] Sure.  That's one
thing about Starfleet not being a military organisation -- they can't
make phasers worth spit any more. 

	[He peers out of the remnants of the door into the corridor.]

Yaz:  The coast is clear, Doctor.  Come on, let's go.

	[The Doctor is crouched near the body of the Slubber-yuck
sergeant.  He holds up a small yellow device about the size of an egg
which had been clipped to the alien's belt.]

Doctor:  Wait a moment, Yaz.  These fellows have a rather more elegant
version of the portable holoprojector than we do.

Yaz:  Good on you, Doc.

	[The Doctor clips one of the egg-like things to his belt, and
Yaz find one from the belt of the one he had shot down.  The two
disappear down the corridor, the Doctor still carrying the damper.]

				*******

	[Cut to a corridor.  Furd is moving stealthily down the
corridor, trying to stay out of sight, when he sees a pair of
Slubber-yucks walking past a corridor junction ahead of him.]

Furd:  Oh no, they're after the Timescoop!

	[He turns and runs off down the corridor.]

				*******

	[Cut to Furd's quarters.  Kabeta and Thokk are standing beside
the security guard, who has just regained consciousness.]

Kabeta:  What happened?

Guard:  [sheepishly] Commander Furd jumped me and knocked me out, ma'am.

Kabeta:  I see.  Well, Ensign, come with us.  There are some
intruders on the Heisenberg, and we three are the only ones in a
position to fight them off.

Guard:  Aye, ma'am.

	[Kabeta's communicator bleeps.]

Kleber:  [over the communicator] Captain, we've lost control of the
helm!  The impulse engines are going to maximum, and we're headed
straight for the Slubber-yucks!

Kabeta:  [quickly considering] Um ... right, Mr. Kleber.  Evacuate
yourself and the two ensigns at the helm, and order everyone in
engineering except Mr. McDonough to evacuate as well.  Be careful; we
don't know how well armed the alien intruders are.

Kleber:  But Captain --

Kabeta:  Abandon ship, Mr. Kleber!  That's an order!

Kleber:  Yes, Captain.

Thokk:  Captain, what's going on?

Kabeta:  Unless I'm very mistaken, the Graath is going to try to ram
the Heisenberg into the power source.  You two are going to evacuate
as well.

Thokk:  Captain, I --

Kabeta:  [firmly] Thokk, that's an order!  If the ship is going down,
there's no point in engaging the Slubber-yuck intruders, and I won't
let you get killed senselessly here.

Thokk:  And what are you going to do, Captain?

Kabeta:  [determinedly] I'm going to find Furd.

				*******

	[Cut to Yaz and the Doctor.  They are standing in a corridor
at the end of which is a steel bulkhead labelled "Anti-Matter Core.
Authorised Personnel Only."  The walls are glowing magenta here, more
brightly than in other places of the ship.]

Doctor:  Right, here we are.

	[Yaz moves to enter the core area, but is restrained by the
Doctor.]

Doctor:  Hold on a moment, Yaz.  If we go in there, these things [he
taps the egg-like thing on his belt] will block out the Graath from
damping the core, and we'll be blown sky-high.  That would rather
defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?

Yaz:  Oh yeah, right.  So what are we going to do then?

Doctor:  Turn it off, of course.  Here, hold this.

	[The Doctor gives him the warp coil damper, and opens the
bulkhead leading into the core area.  He unclips the egg from his
belt.]

Doctor:  If anything really unpleasant happens to me when I throw this
to you, please throw it back, all right?

Yaz:  No worries, Doc.  Hey, wait, what if the Graath tampers with the
warp coil damper?

Doctor:  I think it can't.  It has so far only shown the ability to
manipulate electrical impulses in computer networks and human brains.
I suspect it hasn't got enough power to affect anything larger, like
a Polito damping field.

Yaz:  You _suspect_?

Doctor:  [confidently] Trust me.  When have I ever been wrong about anything?
Right, catch!

	[The Doctor throws the device to Yaz, who fields it neatly.
The Doctor immediately glows magenta, and his body arcs in pain.
Slowly, though, he fights his way upright.]

Doctor:  [painstakingly, with every word an effort] Yaz, ... the
damper ...

	[Yaz hands him the damper, and the Doctor staggers into the core
area, still glowing magenta.  Just beyond the bulkhead is a large,
semispherical dome, fiercely glowing magenta.  The Doctor staggers over to it,
and slumps to a sitting position on the floor beside it.  He sets down
the damper next to the dome, and switches it on.  He motions to Yaz.]

Yaz:  [into communicator] Now, Q.T.!  Switch on the projector!

	[In engineering, Q.T. is poised at the controls, and moves a
few switches.  In the corridor near the core area, the magenta glow
abruptly disappears, as if someone switched off a light switch.]

Yaz:  Yeehah!  We did it!

	[The Doctor leaps up instantly, and runs out of the core area.]

Doctor:  Remember, the battle's not over yet, not by a long chalk.
We're still surrounded by a bunch of Slubber-yuck ships with the power
to blow us to bits!  Quickly, to the Timescoop!

				*******

	[Cut to engineering.  Q.T. is the only one present.  He moves
over to one of the bits of electronics strewn around the room, and
disconnects one part of it.  He then opens the door, and looks
outside.  The walls are not magenta.]

Q.T.:  [enthusiastically]  Success!

	[He starts to run out of the door, then pauses.]

Q.T.:  Wait, that's strange.

	[He runs back to the console, and checks something.  He
activates the intercom.]

Q.T.:  Engineering to bridge!  [There is no response.] Damn!  The
controls are still locked into full forward towards the power source!
We've got about ten minutes before the biggest bang in history!

	[He runs away down the corridor, clutching the piece of
electronic equipment.]

				*******

	[Cut to the Timescoop room.  Mr. Kleber and the two ensigns
are standing on the transporter pad, and the transporter chief
activates the Timescoop.  Mr. Kleber and the two ensigns disappear in
a black triangle.  Thokk and the security guard enter.]

Thokk:  Lieutenant, we are to be evacuated to Starfleet.

Transporter Chief:  Aye, sir.  Just stand on the pad, please.

	[Thokk and the security guard stand on the transporter pad,
and disappear in a black triangle.  The door swishes open, and Furd
walks in.]

Transporter Chief:  Sir!  You are supposed to be confined to quarters.

Furd:  Actually, Lieutenant, I'm supposed to be evacuated to
Starfleet, so I can be court-martialled.  [glancing at the
Timescoop/transporter console] Good Lord, look at the Heisenberg
scrambler!  It's overloading!

	[The transporter chief turns to look at the console, and Furd
whips out a phaser and shoots him down.]

Furd:  You're so easy to bamboozle, George.  Why did you bother
looking?  You wouldn't know a Heisenberg scrambler if it bit you in
the ankle.

	[Furd drags the unconscious transporter chief onto the
transporter pad.  He walks back to the console.]

Furd:  See ya!

	[Furd activates the Timescoop, and the transporter chief
disappears in a black triangle.  Furd then bends over the innards of
the Timescoop and begins to fiddle around with them.]

Furd:  Right, now for some minor modifications.

				*******

	[Cut to the Heisenberg bridge.  There are two Slubber-yucks
standing there.  One of them is communicating with his captain on
board the Slubber-yuck ship.] 

Slubber-yuck officer:  Captain, the Graath has disappeared from the
alien vessel.  I recommend we transport off the ship and destroy it.
We have not yet located the alien time device, but this ship is on a
collision course with the power source and must be destroyed.

Captain:  Agreed.  Prepare to be evacuated.

	[There is a brief pause, and the Slubber-yucks disappear in a
shimmer of transporter fields.]

				*******

	[Cut to a corridor in the Heisenberg.  Q.T. is running in one
direction, and Kabeta meets him, running in the opposite direction.]

Q.T.:  Captain!

Kabeta:  Congratulations, Q.T., the Graath seems to have disappeared.
But Furd has escaped -- I thought he would have gone to engineering.

Q.T.:  Captain, the controls are still locked on a collision course
with the power source!  I can't shift them!

Kabeta:  How much time do we have?

Q.T.:  Eight minutes now.

Kabeta:  Well, if Furd's not in engineering, he's probably at the
Timescoop.  Come on!

	[The two tear off down the corridor.]

				*******

	[Cut to the corridor just outside the Timescoop room.  The
Doctor and Yaz are shouting through the door at Furd.]

Yaz:  Furd!  Open the door, for God's sake!  We need to evacuate!

Furd:  The Doctor has his own time ship -- you'll have to use it to
escape.  The Timescoop can make only one more Scoop, and that will be
used to save this ship.

Doctor:  What do you mean, Furd?

Furd:  I have modified the Timescoop to do a self-scoop.

Doctor:  But you can't do that!  The Timescoop will self-destruct when
it intersects its own field.  Besides, you'll have no directional
control -- the ship could end up anywhere!

Furd:  Yes, Doctor, but anywhere in phase space is better than on a
five minute collision course with a fleet of Slubber-yuck ships.
You'd better hurry -- the Slubber-yucks will be firing any minute now,
and we no longer have the Graath to protect us from their phasers. 

	[Kabeta and Q.T. come running down the corridor.]

Kabeta:  What's going on?

Yaz:  Furd has locked himself in the Timescoop room and won't let
anyone in.

Kabeta:  What?!?

Doctor:  Listen, there's no time to argue.  We've got to go to the
TARDIS.

Yaz:  [incredulous] What, that thing?  There's no room for four in there!

Doctor:  [grinning] It's surprisingly roomy.  Come on!

	[Q.T., Yaz, and the Doctor run off down the corridor.  Kabeta
bangs on the door of the Timescoop room.]

Kabeta:  Furd, you traitor!

Furd:  Captain, it's the only way to save the ship and prevent
Timescoop technology from falling into the hands of the Slubber-yucks.
[pleading] Please, Captain, save yourself with the Doctor -- it's your
only hope.

	[Kabeta looks despairingly at the door, then turns and runs
off after the others.]

				*******

	[Cut to the bridge of a Slubber-yuck vessel.]

Captain:  Are all the boarding parties back on board, Narg?

Narg:  Negative, Captain.  The second party has not yet reported back.

Captain:  Scan the alien vessel for their traces.  Try to hail them.
Tell the other captains to hold their fire on the alien vessel until
we have located them.

Narg:  Yes, Captain.

				*******

	[Cut to the corridor outside the TARDIS.  The Doctor, Yaz,
Q.T., and Kabeta skid to a halt at its door.  The Doctor fishes out
his key, and opens the door.]

Kabeta:  Doctor, there's no way we'll all fit in there.

Doctor:  [impatiently] Get in!

	[He pushes her inside, and the other two follow hastily.  The
Doctor enters last, and closes the door behind him.  Cut to the
impossibly large interior of the control room.  They are all suitably
astonished, but Kabeta is the first to regain her composure.]

Kabeta:  I see what you mean about it being, uh, surprisingly roomy.

	[The Doctor opens a small panel in the side of the central
console, and slides in the dimensional stabiliser.  He stands up
and frantically flicks switches all over the console.]

Doctor:  Hold on, we're getting out of here!

				*******

	[Cut to the Slubber-yuck bridge.]

Narg:  Captain, we have located the other boarding party.  They are dead.

Captain:  Very well then, give the word to fire away.  Fire!

	[One of the Slubber-yuck ships fires its phasers, and scores a
direct hit on the Heisenberg.  There is a violent explosion, and a
gaping hole appears in the hull of the Heisenberg.]

				*******

	[Cut to the Timescoop room.  The room is rocked by the force
of a colossal explosion, and Furd is thrown to the floor.  The lights
g out, and the room is plunged into semi-darkness, illuminated only by
the lights on the Timescoop console.  Furd gets up, and slides forward
a lever.]

Furd:  I hope you managed to get away, Kabeta ...

				*******

	[Cut to the interior of the TARDIS.  The Doctor, Yaz, Q.T.,
and Kabeta are standing watching the viewscreen of the TARDIS, which
shows the Heisenberg.  After the first hit from the Slubber-yuck
phasers, the ship is engulfed by a huge patch of black, and then
disappears.]

Kabeta:  [quietly] Was my ship ... destroyed, Doctor?

Doctor:  [solemnly] I don't know, Kabeta.  It survived the first hit,
but as for how it survived the self-scoop ... [He pauses gravely.]
Anyway, let's get you lot back to Starfleet.  

	[The Doctor moves a switch on the console, and the central
column begins to move up and down.]

				*******

	[Cut to a corridor in Starfleet.  The TARDIS materialises
against one wall, and the door opens.  The Doctor, Yaz, Q.T., and
Kabeta step out.]

Doctor:  Well, here you are, home sweet home.

Kabeta:  I must thank you for all your help, Doctor.

Doctor:  [modestly] Oh, it's nothing -- all in a day's work, you know.
Now off you go -- I've important things to attend to. 

	[Kabeta solemnly shakes his hand, then turns to go.  Q.T. does
the same.  Yaz approaches the Doctor, but waits for a moment until the
other two are out of earshot.] 

Yaz:  Oh, Doctor, there's just one more thing I've been meaning to ask
you.  Why haven't you proposed marriage to Kabeta?  Everyone else does.

Doctor:  [grinning mischievously] Yaz, I've spent months at a time
cooped up in there alone with beautiful young girls, and nothing EVER
happens.  I like to think that I have rather good self-control in these
matters.  Besides, Kabeta's human!  You don't think I'd stoop that
low, do you?

	[Yaz grins, and steps back.  The Doctor gives a brief wave,
then enters the TARDIS.  A moment later, the TARDIS dematerialises.
Cut to the credits and start the theme music.] 

---------------------------------