Stardate 47135.2/47160.1: It seems Picard was vaporized by a weapon in a bar weeks ago. Riker is determined to find out who killed the captain, and he follows the trace of the possible murderers to Barradas III. Suddenly the away team is ambushed by a group of mercenaries. They kidnap Riker, who is surprised to find Picard alive - as one of them. Taking a cue from Picard, who plays the archeologist "Galen", Riker assumes the role of a renegade Starfleet officer eager to join the mercenaries. The Enterprise follows the mercenary ship to Calder II. Like Barradas III, this was once the home to a Romulan offshoot civilization. Picard and Riker play their parts by firing a low-level phaser burst that leaves the Enterprise unharmed but impresses the mercenary leader, Baran. Tallera, an alleged Romulan, recognizes that "Galen" is not who he pretends to be, and she reveals to him that she is actually Vulcan and that the mercenaries are seeking to complete an ancient psionic Vulcan weapon. During a raid of the Enterprise in order to obtain another piece of the weapon, "Galen" pretends to kill Riker, and upon his return assumes command of the mercenary ship. When the mercenaries finally reach Vulcan to deliver the psionic resonator to an isolationist movement, Tallera turns out to be the one who wanted the weapon. With the power of thoughts she kills two of the mercenaries, only to see that the weapon is useless against those who don't share the hatred.

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