- Murderous intrigue abounds for the Enterprise when one of the crew aboard a subspace station is believed dead, and suspected to have taken part in it until the Klingons show up with the young lieutenant, to Geordi's taste.
- Bringing supplies to a Federation subspace communications relay station near the Klingon border, the Enterprise finds it deserted by shuttle, only a dog remains. There is a residue Dr. Crusher guesses to be the remains of Lt. Aquiel Uhnari, the dog's owner, whose personal logs reveal to Geordi her childhood paranoia and theory the local Klingon commander made frequent visits to abuse her, while she also feared her only male colleague. When Picard hints at his influence with the Klingon leader since he arbitrated his succession, the planet governor Torak accepts to help himself - and produces Aquiel, alive - or not, and what about the DNA traces Worf found of one single Klingon? Dr. Crusher continues the DNA identification with spooky results...—KGF Vissers
- Bringing supplies to a Federation subspace communications relay station near the Klingon border, the Enterprise finds it deserted by shuttle, only a dog remains. There is a residue which Dr. Crusher guesses to be the remains of Lt. Aquiel Uhnari (Renée Jones), the dog's owner, whose personal logs reveal to Geordi her childhood paranoia and theory the local Klingon commander Morag (Reg E. Cathey) made frequent visits to abuse her.
For some reason Geordi can't access any of the video files of the station but can only hear audio. Geordi can't find any of Lt Rocha's log on the station's memory banks. Something is missing. Geordi gets the video files to work and finds that Aquiel was having nightmares was seeing the same scenario again and again.
One time Morag even locked his Disruptors on the station, while she also feared her only male colleague Lt Rocha, who joined the station only 2-3 days ago. The shuttle-craft of the station is gone. It is not clear if Rocha left the station before or after Aquiel was killed. The residue on the station has singe marks that are consistent with a Klingon Disruptor. But there hasn't been a Klingon raid against the Federation for the last 7 years.
At this point it sounds like Morag attacked the station, killed Aquiel, and Rocha escaped.
Beverly brings the DNA sample from the residue remains of Lt Aquiel on the station to her lab and performs test on it. Worf finds the DNA of a single Klingon on the station.
When Picard hints at his influence with the Klingon leader since he arbitrated his succession, the planet governor Torak (Wayne Grace) accepts to help himself - and produces Aquiel, alive. Aquiel testifies that while running a routine diagnostic, Lt Rocha attacked her. She managed to escape on the shuttle after trying to access the weapons locker, which she claims she couldn't open. She was found on the Klingon side of the border. She remembers nothing else. Torak allows Picard to speak with Morag.
Aquiel is angry that Geordi reviewed her personal logs. Geordi does says that he felt that Aquiel was deliberately trying to rile Lt Rocha. Riker finds that Rocha's record was spotless, while Aquiel was reported by her previous COs to be argumentative and quick to take offense. Also, he finds that a phaser was missing from the weapons locker. The missing phaser was found on Aquiel's shuttle, set to kill. Geordi finds Lt Rocha's personal logs and finds one entry for a specific date is deleted. Aquiel admits that she deleted it, as that was a letter from Rocha to Starfleet command saying that she had become belligerent and insubordinate.
Now Morag arrives. He says that his patrol takes him near the station every 6 days. 3 days ago, he hailed the station and found no answer. He boarded the station and found no one. He stole some messages to Starfleet command from the message console. But says he killed no one.
Dr. Crusher continues the DNA identification of the residue with spooky results... She finds that the DNA belongs to a coalescent micro-organism that mimics the DNA of the life form it comes in contact with. Prior to the current posting Rocha was on the Triona system and might have touched and absorbed by a coalescent life form. This life form entered the station. The life form needs to change bodies every few days and which is why it might have attacked Aquiel.
Aquiel and Morag are apprehended. That night Geordi is attacked, and it turns out that Aquiel's dog that Geordi rescued was the coalescent life form. Geordi kills it with a phaser, and this absolves Aquiel and Morag.
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