(Worf is struggling with his dress uniform sash when the doorbell rings)
WORF: Enter. Enter.
RIKER: Worf, they're going to be here any minute.
WORF: I am having problems.
RIKER: If I didn't know you better, I'd say that you were procrastinating.
WORF: Klingons do not procrastinate. It is a tactical delay.
RIKER: You have spend about five minutes greeting the Iyaarans maybe an hour making small talk at this reception. I'm the one who has to escort them around the ship for the next three days.
WORF: I do not enjoy these diplomatic situations.
RIKER: It's all part of being in Starfleet. There.
WORF: I do not see why it is necessary to wear these ridiculous uniforms.
RIKER: Protocol.
WORF: They look like dresses.
RIKER: That is an incredibly outmoded and sexist attitude. I'm surprised at you. Besides, you look good in a dress.

[Shuttlebay]

PICARD: What's keeping them?
(Worf and Riker enter)
PICARD: Ah, you're just in time. They're about to disembark.
(three males in very plain jumpsuits get out of the shuttle)
PICARD: Ambassador Loquel, Ambassador Byleth. I'm Captain Picard. Welcome on board the Enterprise.
LOQUEL: It is our pleasure to be here, Captain.
PICARD: It is an honour to be the site of the first cultural exchange between the Iyaaran people and the Federation.
BYLETH: (the tall one) The next seven days should prove most illuminating.
LOQUEL: Allow me to introduce Voval. He will be taking you back to our homeworld.
PICARD: How do you do. I'm looking forward very much to meeting with the Premier of Iyar. There will be a reception held in your honour when you will meet the rest of my senior staff. I, of course, shall be on my way to your home world, but I shall be leaving you in the safe hands of my most experienced officers. Lieutenant Worf, of the Klingon Empire, is my head of Security. He will be in charge of your safety while you're on board. Counsellor Deanna Troi of the planet Betazed will be your personal liaison office, Ambassador Loquel.
TROI: Ambassador, it's an honour to meet you. Would you like to see your quarters before we attend the reception?
LOQUEL: Please.
(Troi and Loquel leave)
PICARD: Ambassador Byleth, this is Commander William Riker, my First Office, from the planet Earth. He has been assigned to you.
BYLETH: (walks up to Worf) I want this one.
PICARD: Well, Commander Riker is a skilled diplomat, with wide experience in inter-species contact.
BYLETH: I'm sure, I'm sure. But I have decided. I want this Lieutenant Worf.
PICARD: Well, that will be just fine. Mister Worf?
WORF: Yes. Yes Ambassador, it would be my pleasure to
BYLETH: Yes, yes. Enough of that. Show me to my quarters.
WORF: This way.
(Worf and Byleth leave)
PICARD: Good luck.

[Ten Forward]

RIKER: Do you think there's enough food here, Data? (to woman) Good evening.
WOMAN: Good evening.
(at the buffet table)
TROI: So first thing tomorrow, I thought I'd take you on a tour of the operational centres and the residential decks of the ship. Then we could spend some time discussing the cultural underpinnings of your society.
LOQUEL: Are you going to eat?
TROI: Excuse me?
LOQUEL: You have no food on your plate. Are you going to eat?
TROI: Oh, well, actually, I was waiting until we got to the desserts.
LOQUEL: Desserts? What is this?
TROI: It's something we eat after the main course. It's usually very sweet, it's usually very bad for you. We eat it purely for pleasure. If you ask me, it's the best part of any meal.
LOQUEL: My people eat only for nourishment.
TROI: Oh, well, let me introduce you to some of my favourites. This is peach cobbler with whipped cream. Tarvokian powder cake. And this is my favourite. Ktarian chocolate puff. I don't know exactly what's inside, but I think it's made with seventeen varieties of chocolate.
(Troi gives Loquel a sample)
LOQUEL: That is, that is
TROI: Delicious?
LOQUEL: Delicious.
TROI: Ambassador, I think we're going to get along very well. Shall we?
(Loquel takes his loaded plate and a tray of small desserts with him to a table)
(meanwhile, at another table, Worf and Crusher eat with Byleth)
BYLETH: This is unacceptable.
WORF: I am sorry you do not care for our
BYLETH: Bring me new food. I require a higher protein and enzymatic content.
CRUSHER: Ambassador
BYLETH: Yes.
CRUSHER: It's the custom usually in a situation like this, for us to serve ourselves. It's called a buffet, and
BYLETH: Bring me new food.
CRUSHER: Ambassador
WORF: Doctor, it is all right. I am happy to bring more food.
(Worf slices a meat joint as if he wishes it were Byleth)
DATA: How is your diplomatic assignment progressing?
WORF: Fine.
DATA: I have heard that in moments of diplomatic tension, it is often helpful to find elements of commonality.
WORF: Ambassador Byleth is demanding, temperamental and rude.
DATA: You share all of those qualities in abundance. Perhaps you should try to build on your similarities.
(Worf tenses, then gazes at the sharp knife in his hand)

[Iyaaran Shuttlecraft]

PICARD: So, I understand that your homeworld has some of the most spectacular crystal formations in this sector. Is there any place in particular that you would recommend I visit while I'm there?
VOVAL: No.
PICARD: Well, I, er, what's our ETA?
VOVAL: Seventeen hours, thirty two minutes.
PICARD: I think I'll go update my itinerary.
(a jolt, an alarm goes off )
PICARD: What happened?
VOVAL: There's been a system-wide power failure.
PICARD: What's the cause?
VOVAL: We have entered an energy disruption field. I do not recognise the configuration. Attitude controls failing.
PICARD: There is an M-class planet in this system. Can we reach it?
VOVAL: I will try.
PICARD: Inertial dampeners are offline. Life support is failing.
VOVAL: Entering the planet's atmosphere.
PICARD: Velocity dropping. Thermal shields at full power.
VOVAL: Prepare for impact.
(they crash on a rocky planet with a penchant for horizontal lightning and are knocked out. Picard wakes first.)
PICARD: Voval. Voval, try not to move. You may have a concussion. Picard to Enterprise. Picard to Enterprise, do you read me? Too much interference.
(Picard gets a tricorder from his overnight bag)
PICARD: There is a structure of some kind. Some energy readings about two kilometres south of here. Voval, I'm going to try to find help. Do you understand? Now, try to stay conscious and don't leave the shuttle. There's some kind of plasma energy out on the surface. I'll be back as soon as I can.

[Planet surface]

(Picard heads out onto planet hell, gets hit by an energy strike and knocked out. A figure easily carries him away.)

[Engineering]

WORF: The Engineering sections encompass twelve decks of the secondary hull. Deck forty two contains the antimatter storage facility.
BYLETH: What is the mass flow rate of the antimatter replenishment stream to the containment pods?
WORF: Excuse me?
BYLETH: The antimatter replenishment rate. What is it?
WORF: I am not certain of the exact rate.
BYLETH: Perhaps there is someone here who does know the answer. You. Are you smarter than this one?
LAFORGE: Why do you ask?
BYLETH: Never mind.
BYLETH: I wish to see the Bussard collectors. Take me to them.
WORF: This way.

[Corridor]

TROI: This deck is devoted mainly to stellar cartography, biological research, and astrophysics. We have over a thousand people on board
LOQUEL: Are you sure you don't want some of this, this papalla juice?
TROI: No, thank you. I'm still recovering from all those desserts last night.
LOQUEL: Are you sure? It is very delicious.
TROI: I'm sure.
LOQUEL: Please, please. You've been so kind. Please.
(Troi takes the smallest possible sip)
TROI: Yum. Next we're going to go to deck eight, which is interesting because it's not really finished. It's sort of a multi-purpose deck. Sometimes when we need an extra lab or. Ambassador?
(Troi discovers Loquel is not with her, and goes back to find him examining a young boy)
LOQUEL: What is this?
TROI: It's a child.
LOQUEL: Child?
TROI: Children are our offspring. They're our young. They grow into adults over a period of many years. They grow into beings like us.
LOQUEL: Offspring.
TROI: Ambassador, I'm curious. Now does your species procreate?
LOQUEL: Post-cellular compounding. We emerge from the natal pod fully grown.
TROI: I see.
LOQUEL: Do you have a name?
BOY: Eric
LOQUEL: Eric. Do you like dessert?
(Eric nods, so Loquel addresses his mother)
LOQUEL: May I give Eric some dessert?
TROI: That sounds like a wonderful idea. Come on, Eric.

[Freighter]

(Picard wakes on a pile of cushions near a blazing fire. There is a device on his abdomen and he is in pain)
PICARD: Is someone there? Who's there?
(there is a woman on the other side of the fire. She comes over.)
PICARD: What do you want? Who are you? Who are you?
ANNA: Shh.
PICARD: No, wait. Stop. There was someone else in the shuttlecraft with me. The pilot, he's injured. He needs your help.
ANNA: He's dead.
(Anna leaves)
(later, Anna has returned and is sitting by the fire. She is wearing a pendant with a similar design to a device Voval was wearing)
PICARD: Hello. (sees a bowl by his elbow) Smells good. Thank you. This is a Terellian cargo freighter, isn't it? Is this your ship? Are you one of the crew?
ANNA: No. I was a passenger. We crashed.
PICARD: How many people survived? Were you the only one? Well, you're certainly not a Terellian, unless you've lost two of your arms. What's your name? I'm Jean-Luc Picard. I'm a Starfleet officer.
ANNA: Anna.
PICARD: Anna, are there other people on this planet? How long have you been here?
ANNA: I don't know. You can't see the sun from here. I've lost track of all time.
PICARD: What was the date when you crashed?
ANNA: Stardate 40812.
PICARD: Seven years!
ANNA: Years?
PICARD: Anna, Anna. wait a minute.
ANNA: Seven years? I thought one, maybe two. How could it be seven?
PICARD: Anna, Anna, listen to me. Listen. On the shuttle, there is a lot of equipment that will have survived the crash. We can use it to contact Starfleet. They'll send a ship for us. We can leave.
ANNA: Leave?
PICARD: Yes. Both of us. Now, if you will help me to get to the shuttle. Ow.
ANNA: Don't move. it's bad.
PICARD: Don't worry, I won't move.
ANNA: You have three broken ribs. The restrictor device will hold the bones in place, let them
PICARD: Let them knit?
ANNA: It's been so long since I talked to anyone. I used to talk to myself, but then I thought it might mean that I was crazy, so I stopped talking. It'll be a while before you can walk.
PICARD: Perhaps you could go to the shuttle bring the equipment back here.
ANNA: I can do that.
PICARD: Good. Go into the cockpit, and look for a small comm. panel in the instrument array. See if you can remove it. Bring it back here.
ANNA: Don't move. I'll be back.

[Observation lounge]

WORF: I am going to kill him! With my bare hands, I will take him by the throat and I will rip out his oesophagus
RIKER: Worf.
WORF: I have failed in my mission, Commander. I am clearly a bad diplomat. For the sake of the ship and the Federation, I request reassignment.
RIKER: Denied.
WORF: Commander, these Iyaarans are arrogant, irritating. They cannot be reasoned with!
TROI: Ambassador Loquel's quite pleasant. I will admit though, he's a little unusual.
RIKER: What have you been able to find out about him so far?
TROI: He seems preoccupied with recreation. I've spent more time in Ten Forward in the last two days than I have in the past two months. And he's obsessed with food. Especially chocolate.
RIKER: You must be in heaven.
TROI: To be honest, he's testing even my limits.
WORF: You see? You see? They are insane!
TROI: Worf, you've been very patient with Ambassador Byleth, and that's good. But maybe it's time to let him know that some behaviour is unacceptable to us. I think it's all right to suggest limits for the Ambassador.
WORF: Bah.
RIKER: Maybe we should loosen things up a little bit, meet in a less official capacity. How about a friendly game of poker?

[Freighter]

(Picard is walking around in some discomfort)
ANNA: What are you doing? You should be in bed.
PICARD: Anna, why was this door locked from the outside?
ANNA: For your protection.
PICARD: From what?
ANNA: There are dangerous animals here. Come sit down. Look, I have the comm. panel.
PICARD: Good.
ANNA: It wasn't easy. I had to force it out of the equipment bay.
PICARD: If we can boost the output field, I might be able to send a distress signal. Something seems to be wrong with it.
ANNA: What's the matter?
PICARD: This transmitter module has been totally destroyed. How could that happen? It looks as though it's been hit by a phaser blast.
ANNA: I used a phaser to cut it free. Maybe I accidentally damaged it. You can fix it, can't you?
PICARD: No.
ANNA: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
PICARD: Anna, we will get out of here. It's not going to be easy, but we need to work together.
ANNA: I can't believe I did that. That I damaged our only chance. I've waited for so long. At first, I had hoped that I'd be rescued. I kept setting up microfusion flares and looking up at the sky and waiting for someone to come and take me away. But it never happened. There's a precipice near here. I used to go there and stare down at the gorge and I'd think, I can just step over the edge and end it all. And then I realised it was the hope that was driving me crazy, that I had to accept that I would never get out of here.
PICARD: Anna, no matter how long it takes, we will get out of here.
ANNA: I knew from the moment I saw you that you were here to save me. I'll do anything you want. Just don't leave me. I don't ever want to be alone again.
(Anna kisses Picard)
ANNA: I love you.
(later, Picard is working on some equipment when Anna comes in)
ANNA: I found some coltayin roots. They're not much to look at but they taste good. What are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself.
PICARD: No, no, no, it's all right. I'm just trying to dislodge this power cell. Nearly got it. There. No, no, it's all right. The energy relays are corroded but I think it should be able to hold one more charge. If I can regenerate this, then I may be able to reactivate the shuttlecraft's engines.
ANNA: Well, I'd say this is cause for celebration. I may still have some Terellian spices around here, and I'll boil these roots and make us a nice broth.
PICARD: That sounds delightful.
ANNA: If we ever do get out of here, will you promise to show me this starship of yours? This Enterprise?
PICARD: Of course. Anna, would you pass me that tricorder, I'm going to try to repair these energy relays.
ANNA: I meant what I said before. I do love you.
PICARD: Anna, I'm grateful to you for saving my life, and I think that you are a warm and compassionate person, and I feel a great sympathy for what you've been through alone here on this planet, but I don't think that you can really be in love with me.
ANNA: How can you say that? Of course I love you.
PICARD: No, I'm the first person you've seen in seven years. I'm bringing you the hope of leaving this place. Don't you think that you could possibly be just a little confused right now?
ANNA: So you're not attracted to me.
PICARD: I think that's a little premature. We hardly know anything about each other.
ANNA: I understand, and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable.
PICARD: No harm done. It's going to take at least a couple of hours to charge this cell. Then as soon as it's done, we should get it over to the shuttle immediately. This cell casing is already beginning to break down. Anna, we are going to get out of here.

[Riker's quarters]

(Loquel is eating chocolates and the game is five card draw)
RIKER: The bet is ten. That's to you, Ambassador.
LOQUEL: I will see the bet, and raise ten.
TROI: I'm in for twenty.
WORF: (rearranging his cards) I'm in. And I raise twenty.
BYLETH: You are (thinks) bluffing.
(Byleth takes some chips from Worf's pile and throws them into the pot)
WORF: Excuse me, Ambassador. Those are my chips.
BYLETH: You are in error. Those chips are mine.
WORF: I saw you take two chips from my pile.
BYLETH: You would dare to accuse me of stealing?
WORF: Yes.
BYLETH: You are lying because you are losing the game.
WORF: I am losing because you've been cheating all along!
RIKER: Wait a minute. Calm down.
BYLETH: (standing) Even if I were cheating, how would a plodding animal like you know it?
WORF: You are an insulting, pompous fool, and if you were not an Ambassador, I would disembowel you right here!
BYLETH: Do not let my title inhibit you, Klingon!
(Byleth prods Worf in the chest, so Worf grabs his arm and throws him across the room)
BYLETH: Yes. Good.
(Byleth kicks Worf in the chest and they get into a proper fight. Loquel keeps eating, unconcerned. Worf head-butts Byleth and Riker grabs him)
RIKER: Stop, Mister Worf! That is an order!
BYLETH: Wonderful. Very good! Thank you. Lieutenant Worf. I think I understand now. That was a very effective demonstration.
WORF: What?
BYLETH: If you'll excuse me, I would like to document this experience.

[Freighter]

PICARD: The power cell is ready. We should take it over to the shuttle.
ANNA: No. We can't leave right now.
PICARD: Why not?
ANNA: The plasma storms are too strong. It's dangerous. Wait a few hours, then we can go.
PICARD: We don't have a few hours. I told you, this cell is already beginning to degenerate.
ANNA: Jean-Luc, it's a difficult journey. The restriction field will make it very hard for you to walk.
PICARD: I'm feeling very much better. in fact, I don't intend to go on using this any longer.
ANNA: No! You can't remove it yet. No!
(Picard pulls the device off his side)
PICARD: There's no pain. It would appear I don't have any broken ribs after all.
ANNA: Jean-Luc.
PICARD: What's going on? Why are you trying to keep me here?
ANNA: Please, I love you.
PICARD: Why are you keeping me locked in this freighter? You say that there are wild animals out there but I haven't heard or seen a single one of them.
ANNA: Jean-Luc.
PICARD: What about that comm. panel? You said you damaged it when you were cutting it out of the shuttle. Did you? You see, I find it hard to believe that you would destroy the one piece of equipment that could get you out of here after seven years. And what was this really for? To keep me immobilised?
ANNA: I was afraid. I didn't want you to leave me.
PICARD: So it was necessary to keep me captive?
ANNA: I was scared. I wanted you to stay, to love me.
PICARD: I'm going to go look for the shuttle myself.
ANNA: No.
(she kisses him)
PICARD: Anna!
ANNA: Don't fight me.
PICARD: Anna, no!
(she throws him onto the floor and straddles him)
ANNA: You should love me now. We're together. We depend on each other. I know more about you. Love me.
PICARD: Anna, stop!
ANNA: I've failed. You don't love me. It's over.
PICARD: Anna. (picks up the pendant) Anna! Anna, where are you going?
(Anna leaves, locking the door. Picard finds a crowbar and tries to force it when)
VOICE [OC]: Hello! Is anyone in there?
PICARD: Yes! Inside here!
VOICE [OC]: Hello!
PICARD: Inside the freighter! The door is on the opposite side! (bangs on the door) Over here! The door's over here!
(the door opens and Voval enters without his decoration)
PICARD: Voval! I thought you were dead.
VOVAL: Dead?
PICARD: Yes. There's a woman living here. She told me that she'd been to the shuttle. She said that she saw you dead.
VOVAL: Yes. That is understandable. When my species is injured, our metabolic rate slows until our body can heal itself. This state could easily be mistaken for death.
PICARD: I see.
VOVAL: When you did not return to the shuttle I intended to track you. Surface conditions made it very difficult. So cold. I saw someone running away from here. Was it the woman?
PICARD: Yes.
VOVAL: Why did she leave the shelter?
PICARD: She was upset.
VOVAL: Do you think she may harm herself? There's a dangerous precipice near here. She was headed in that direction
PICARD: It's possible.
VOVAL: Then we should go find her.
PICARD: You stay here. Keep warm. I'll go and look for her.
VOVAL: We will go together.

[Precipice]

(clouds drift just below the edge of the drop)
PICARD: Anna! Anna!
VOVAL: Captain, this ridge extends for a kilometre in either direction.
PICARD: We can search it twice as fast if we separate.
(so they head off in opposite directions)
PICARD: Anna! Anna!
(Picard sees Anna standing by the edge in the other direction)
PICARD: Anna, Anna.
ANNA: Stay away from me.
PICARD: You don't have to do this. I found Voval, the shuttle pilot, he's still alive. He can help us get away from here.
ANNA: I don't care. I'll jump unless you promise to love me.
PICARD: No. No, I won't promise. You have been manipulating me, haven't you?
ANNA: Jean-Luc, what are you saying?
PICARD: The necklace. It broke. I saw it in the cargo freighter, on the floor by the fire. I left it there. Now it's around your neck. It's whole. How?
ANNA: Tell me you love me. I must know.
PICARD: Where's Voval? Isn't it convenient that he arrived moments after you left? That he insisted that I come here to look for you? That I find you, here on the ledge, ready to jump? That's very good timing, don't you think?
ANNA: Jean-Luc.
PICARD: Are you and Voval working together? He's the only one who could have brought you the necklace.
ANNA: Tell me about your love or I'll jump!
PICARD: Go ahead. Why don't you do it? It's a long way down. Must be two hundred metres. You'd die instantly, if that's what you want. But I don't think that it really is.
(Anna touches her pendent and turns into Voval)
VOVAL: I have failed.
PICARD: Failed? Voval, what is going on?
VOVAL: My name is Ambassador Voval.
PICARD: Ambassador?
VOVAL: My mission was to study human intimacy, specifically the concept you call love. In our study of your culture, we did not understand certain concepts. So we sent three representatives to study them, to experience them.
PICARD: But why did you believe that bringing me here would give you a better understanding of love?
VOVAL: Several years ago, we discovered the remains of the Terellian freighter on this planet. The ship contained logs made by a single survivor, a human woman. That was our first contact with human culture. The woman lived alone here for seven years until another human crashed on this planet. A human male.
PICARD: And the man was injured and she nursed him back to health, and they fell in love.
VOVAL: In the logs, she described many concepts we found difficult to understand. Pleasure, antagonism, love. These were alien to us. We wished to experience them for ourselves. Ambassador Loquel was sent to experience pleasure. Byleth was sent to experience antagonism. And I was sent to experience love. Was this wrong?
PICARD: Let me just say that we would not take such a direct approach. Ambassador, I have tell you that in my culture, what you have done would be considered a crime.
VOVAL: Crime?
PICARD: Well, we'll can talk about it later. For now, I think we should get off this planet. Am I in assuming the damage the shuttle is not as bad as it seems?
VOVAL: That is correct. We can leave at any time.
PICARD: I think that now would be quite nice.

[Shuttlebay]

RIKER: You look a little sore.
BYLETH: Lieutenant Worf was kind enough to engage me in eleven hours of holodeck battle exercises.
RIKER: Eleven hours.
BYLETH: Yes, I learned a great deal about the concept of antagonism.
WORF: (happily) It was excruciating.
LOQUEL: Counsellor, these are bio-enzymatic supplements my people consume for food. I'm afraid you will find they are not as delicious as your chocolate.
TROI: After the past few days, I could use something a little bland. Goodbye, Ambassador.
LOQUEL: (to Byleth) Fascinating species.
BYLETH: Indeed.
(Voval and Picard come out of the shuttle)
VOVAL: Thank you, Captain. This has been an enlightening experience.
PICARD: For me as well, Ambassador.
VOVAL: I am sorry if our diplomatic methods offended you.
PICARD: No, on the contrary, I found your approach intriguing. We humans tend to take a rather balanced approach towards life. Never too much, never too little, and it's very nice to find a culture that is willing to take an experience to its furthest extreme.
VOVAL: Goodbye, Captain.
PICARD: Ambassador.