"The Tool"

[Version 1.00]

By Steven Hanov (smhanov@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca)

LEGAL STUFF: I claim no responsibility for the creation of the characters of SIMBA, SCAR, NALA, ZAZU, RAFIKI, TIMON, or PUMBAA. These characters and the Lion King universe are the property of the Walt Disney company. Star Trek and the Star Trek Universe are the property of Paramount Pictures.

Blame them, not me. I grant you permission to distribute this story by any means, as long as it is in its entirety. (The appendix section is optional.)

PREREQUISITES: In order to fully appreciate this story, you should have seen or read the following:

1. The Lion King movie (or at least the script)

2. A couple of episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

This story was written before it was officially decided that the lion cub at the end of the movie was a female.

Captain's Log, Stardate 92411.3: The Enterprise is on a routine mission to confirm the suitability of the planet Disney IV for colonization. The nearby Altair II is suffering from overpopulation and their political situation is declining. By authorizing the colonization of Disney IV, the Federation hopes to stabilize the situation.

Behind Captain Picard, a control panel bleeped and Worf said, "We are within range of the planet, Captain."

"On screen," said the Captain. The main screen blinked, and the starfield was replaced by a planet. It seemed to emit a blue glow, sharply contrasting the blackness of space.

"It's beautiful," remarked Deanna Troi, who was sitting next to him.

Lieutenant Commander Data completed his scans and reported, "It is a planet that is much like Earth. Except for the polar ice caps, the temperature ranges from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. There is no evidence of civilization or intelligent life."

Picard glanced around the bridge, and noticed that Troi's brow was furrowed in deep concentration. "Counselor, is something wrong?" he asked.

Her eyes snapped open. "For a moment -- no, it's nothing. Never mind." She smiled.

Picard knew that she had discovered something, and she would tell them we she was ready. Often, the Betazoid's empathic powers had proven vital to the completion of a mission. He turned to William Riker, his first officer. "Number One," he said. "Prepare an away team. We should do a scan from close range, just to be sure there's nobody already there."

"Aye, sir." Riker replied. "Data, Worf, come with me."

Troi spoke up, "I'd like to go too."

Riker stopped in mid-stride. He turned to her and said, "It could be dangerous. We don't know what's down there..." He trailed off, realizing his mistake too late.

"Will!" exclaimed Troi in surprise.

It was up to Picard to diffuse this delicate situation. He looked to Riker and said, "On the contrary, I'd like to have her down there as well."

Riker nodded curtly. "Understood."

At the top of Pride Rock, Scar grappled with Simba. They stood on their hind legs and slashed at each other with sharp claws. Scar was thrown over the edge, but he grabbed hold of a jutting rock with one paw. Below, the treacherous hyenas were shouting for his blood. Lightning streaked across the sky, and Scar felt a surge of anger. It gave him the strength to leap back onto the ledge and push Simba to the ground. He plunged his claws into Simba's soft throat, and hot blood soaked his smooth coat of fur. He relished Simba's last terrified expression and cackled in delight. The air cracked with thunder, and it sounded like Mufasa's dying roar as he fell into the stampede. As he watched, the lion's face changed to that of Mufasa.

Suddenly, Scar woke up panting. It was the same dream that he had every night now. He opened his eyes and saw the night sky. The stars seemed to jeer at him. They were laughing at his disgrace, and his inability to be king. In the months since he had been left for dead by the hyenas, he had wandered through the desert. He was a lion without a pride, alone in the world. He couldn't hunt with his injuries. He had a broken leg and scars all over his body where the hyenas had bitten him. He once had a beautiful dark mane, but even that had been torn out by those awful creatures, leaving him with a few scrawny tufts around his head. He was living in disgrace, eating any insects that he could find under rocks and logs.

He closed his eyes so the stars could no longer ridicule him and dreamt of the revenge that he could never have.

Later that day, Scar dragged himself over the cracked, dry ground of the desert. The heavy rays of heat beat down on his back, and he could hear the strident calls of the buzzards above him. Suddenly, four shimmering figures appeared some distance away. Instinct took over. Scar crouched low to the ground, but grimaced in pain when he put his weight on his twisted leg. The figures were now fully formed. They stood on two legs, like apes, but wore strange, coloured skins over their bodies. They were almost devoid of hair except for patches of black on the tops of their heads. Scar had never in his life seen any animal like them. He must be delirious, he thought. The heat and meager diet must have twisted his mind so that he saw things that weren't really there. The smallest of the creatures pointed, and they came towards him. It would not be much longer now. He was unable to succeed in life. Maybe in death he would fare better.

As soon as the transporter field released him, Riker was hit by a wave of heat. He looked around at the stark desert landscape, and was surprised to see what looked like a lion crouching on the parched ground some distance away. "Phasers on stun," he ordered, and took aim.

"No! Wait," shouted Troi. She was staring at the lion with interest. "I think it might be intelligent."

Riker looked from her to the beast in confusion. Was she mad? "It's a lion!" he exclaimed, keeping his phaser steady.

Data fearlessly walked toward the creature with his tricorder. "Readings indicate that the commander is correct in his assumption. However, phasers will not be necessary. The animal is suffering from multiple injuries, including a broken leg, minor fractures, and several flesh wounds."

Reluctantly, Riker put his phaser away. "Any more around?" he asked.

"Not for some distance," the android replied, still scanning. "Although I am receiving some interference from mineral deposits."

Troi spoke up, "I'm sensing higher-level emotions from it."

Riker rolled his eyes and said, "Great. What am I supposed to do, walk up and introduce myself?"

Data looked up from his scanning. "That is the standard procedure, sir."

Riker couldn't believe this was happening. "Cover me," he told Worf, and walked towards the lion. It still crouched there, watching him. Feeling stupid, he took a deep breath and said, "I'm Commander William T. Riker of the starship Enterprise. We mean you no harm." He held his hands open in front of him in the universal gesture of peace.

The lion raised its head and spoke.

Scar crouched on the ground, not sure what to do. He couldn't fight, and he couldn't even outrun a wart-hog in his condition. The strange animal with fur on its face stood right in front of him and spoke. It used some words he didn't know. Soon it finished talking and seemed to be waiting for a response.

Scar raised his head and growled, "What do you want?"

The creature jumped back in surprise. It said something about a federation and planets, and asked him who his leader was.

Scar knew the answer to that. "I am Taka," he declared, using his childhood name. "I am the true King here." He tried to sound dignified, but he was sure his appearance failed him. If only he had his mane!

It asked him about his injuries. Did he need medical attention?

He saw a possible future suddenly open up ahead of him. These animals knew the art of healing! Already a plan was forming in his mind. He arose and said, "You may heal me."

The animals discussed something amongst themselves. Scar thought of all his hopes and dreams that he had abandoned. They might now be possible! Abruptly, he felt a tingling sensation as the desert disappeared from around him.

And then he was somewhere else.

Zazu soared high above the ground, gathering the evening news. It had been weeks since the presentation of Chaka, and time had restored the Pride lands to their former splendor. The bleak grayness that Scar's rule had caused was now replaced by vivid shades of green and yellow. The sun was low in the sky. Soon, the creatures that lived for the day would rest, and the night would bring its own mosaic of life to inhabit the land.

On a rocky outcropping far below, Simba sat contemplating his kingdom. He remembered a time when he just couldn't wait to be king, but now it seemed like a heap of extra responsibilities. And now with Sarabi gone, there was no-one experienced in leadership to council him.

Zazu swooped down and landed beside the lion with a respectful bow. "Good evening, sire! I have today's report ready for you."

"Zazu! So, what's the latest news? Any sign of trouble?" asked Simba. You couldn't be too careful, especially in a plentiful area like the Pride Lands. Rival lions were constantly looking for a way to take the land away from Simba's pride.

"Not thus far. But I have the giraffes on the lookout for any signs of an attack. The monkeys are so worried, it's driving the elephants bananas. And the zebras -- they always did have a stubborn stripe -- just seem to gallop around the issue. The snakes prefer to simply lay low for a while. The baboons are so lazy they won't do a thing to help. They just sit in the trees, flat on their AAAAAAAAAAAA! Oh dear..."

Chaka had crept up to him from behind and pounced. The hornbill easily sidestepped the young lion, but was nonetheless rattled. "Sire!" Zazu scolded, "You really _should_ teach him some discipline. As your majordomo, I shouldn't be subjected to--"

Simba laughed heartily as he watched his cub getting ready to pounce again. "You have to tense up a bit more," he told Chaka. "Focus on your prey and where it might go."

Zazu looked worried. He quickly said, "That concludes my report. I really _must_ be going." He jumped into the air. But before he could get far, Chaka leaped up and grabbed the tip of his tail in his mouth. With a squawk, Zazu slipped away and flapped off into the night.

"Awwww. The major dodo got away," said Chaka in disappointment.

"Come here, son," said Simba. Chaka went over to him and Simba placed a large paw on his head. "You've got a lot to learn, and it's up to me to teach you." The slim, silvery crescent of the sun had long since slid under the horizon. Above them, the heavens were as black as a beetle's shell. Innumerable stars cast their pristine glow down at the two lions. Simba gazed at them, looking for a sign. What would his father say now?

"Dad," said Chaka, muffled under the weight of the huge paw. "What are those lights?"

"They're called stars," Simba replied.

"I know that. But what are they? Timon say's they're fireflies that got stuck."

"My father once told me that the stars are all of the kings of the past watching over us."

Chaka climbed up Simba's thick mane and onto his head to get a better view of them. "I still think they look like fireflies."

One star seemed to shine brighter than the rest.

Captain Picard looked down at the planet through the observation window in the conference room. He sipped some of the steaming Earl Grey tea that he held and contemplated the vast realm of space. Life in the galaxy was almost as ubiquitous as the stars, but most of the intelligent lifeforms he had encountered were humanoid. It was unusual, though not impossible, to find a four-legged creature with intelligence. It was all very hard to believe. Lions were found only in fairy tales; they had been hunted to extinction on Earth hundreds of years ago. But even more odd was the fact that the ship's sensors had not detected any signs of technology. Radio waves, radioactivity, or pollution would have made this mission a lot easier, because the Federation's entire scale for judging civilization was based on technology levels. He couldn't deny colonization rights because they had found one talking lion. He needed more information.

In the Enterprise's medical centre, deep within the core of the ship, Doctor Beverly Crusher was healing Taka's last fracture. The lion was lying on his side in a stasis field, unconscious. She expertly directed the laser scalpel around the edges of the plastiderm patch, sealing the edges permanently in place. As a final touch, she injected him with a hair replacement supplement.

Just then, Troi, Riker, and the captain walked into sickbay. She looked up, flipping her fiery red hair over her shoulders. "I'm glad you're here," she said. "I'm just about the wake the patient."

"Shouldn't we use some restraints?" asked Riker.

"I've set up a force field around the table," said the Doctor. "We shouldn't have any problems. At a nod from Picard, she activated the field and turned off the stasis device.

The lion blinked his eyes and sat up on the flat table. His eyes darted around suspiciously.

Picard moved to the edge of the force field. He looked into Taka's eyes and said, "I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise.

Taka stared back, calm and calculating. "I see," he said. "And just what _is_ a starship?"

"You might find this hard to believe, but we are at this moment in a vehicle moving high about the ground," explained Picard. How could he put this so that the lion would understand? "It's a machine that's capable of traveling between the stars."

Taka's eyes narrowed as he absorbed this information. "Are you the leader here?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Picard replied with a glance towards Riker. "My colleagues tell me that you are the ruler of the world below us. Is that correct?"

"YES! I am King," the lion declared.

"Then you can speak for all those on the planet below."

As Taka considered this, Troi's eyes narrowed. "I assure you, I can," he said finally.

"Do your people have any ... tools or machines? Things to help you catch prey, for example," asked the Captain.

"Our teeth and claws help us catch our food. Of course, a superior intellect helps quite a bit, too. What's a 'machine'?"

"It's a tool that helps one do a task more effectively," answered Picard. He picked up a laser scalpel and flicked it on. A thin beam of red light shot out in front of it for a few centimetres. "This one can either heal, or used incorrectly, cut deep into one's skin." He flicked it off.

Taka stared at the device hungrily. "Would you be willing to _share_ any of these 'tools' with my people?" he asked hopefully. "I would, of course, make _any_ payment I could later."

Picard shook his head. "We have a fundamental law in our society. It prevents us from sharing our technology with races that haven't already developed it themselves."

"But aren't you the leader?" Taka asked incredulously. "Surely _you_ have some say in this."

"Even if I could, I wouldn't help you. The law is there for a reason. In the wrong hands, advanced technology has proven to be devastating."

The lion looked angry. "Oh, I understand perfectly," he growled. Sharp claws bared, he tried to strike Picard, but his paw was stopped by the shimmering force field. Taka brought his forepaw back down and rapidly composed himself. "I'm so _terribly_ sorry. I don't know _what_ got into me," he apologized. "And after _all_ you've done."

Picard turned away in disgust. "Escort our guest down to the planet," he told two nearby security guards. He walked out of sickbay, followed by Troi and Riker.

"He's definitely hiding something," said Troi as soon as they were in the corridor. "He might not be all that he claims to be."

"I'd gathered as much," said the Captain as they walked. "But unfortunately, he still counts as intelligent life."

"I hope all of them aren't like that," said Riker.

"You can't judge an entire species just from one specimen," the counselor advised. "Look at Q, for an example."

"I agree completely," said Riker, nodding. "Do you want to discuss this over some Rigellian brandy and a chocolate sundae?"

"Mmmm, sounds tempting," Troi replied.

"I don't know about you, but I've got a ship to run," said Picard. He stepped into a turbolift and left them.

Three figures shimmered into existence in the middle of a savanna, frightening a flock of birds. Scar looked around in confusion. This was all very disconcerting. One moment, he was on a table in an invisible cage, and in the next he was standing on green grass. He looked up at the two men on either side of him.

"So, I'm free to go now?" he asked.

"Yeah," one replied. "Go crazy." Suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise and his hand clapped to the back of his neck. Through gritted teeth, he managed to blurt out, "YEOW! I think something bit me."

The other man rushed to his aid. "Mike, are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"No! I think ... poison--" He dropped the shiny thing he was holding and fell to the ground, coughing.

Scar instantly moved to where the thing lay in the tall grass and sat on it. "Well, well, it looks like your friend's in trouble. You'd better go back to your starship. Quickly, before it's too late!"

The man who was still well tapped his chest and spoke something into the air.

Scar continued, "Oh, and tell Captain Picard thanks ... for EVERYTHING." He watched as they disappeared from the world.

Simba was dreaming. He was standing on hard ground. He couldn't move. All around him were fiery red coals, and they blasted him with scalding heat. A lion stood on a rock high above, looking down at him. He couldn't tell if it was Kisasian or Scar in the darkness. It might have been them both combined, for it was much larger than life and its eyes glowed a devilish green.

"Simba! Son of Mufasa," its voice boomed. "You are charged with the spilling of royal blood! For this you must DIE!"

"No!" Simba pleaded. "It wasn't my fault! It was Scar! I didn't know there was going to be a stampede!"

The giant lion roared and jumped. It plunged towards him with claws outstretched and growled, "Dad, Wake up! Dad!"

Simba rolled over in confusion. He opening his eyes and the sunlight dazzled him. Blinking sleepily, he called out, "Chaka?"

A brown, limp lizard dropped to the ground in front of his face with a thud. Chaka stood behind it and excitedly explained, "I caught a lizard! It was standing there, and I pounced it good!"

Simba yawned and sat up. All around him, the lionesses were sleeping, tired from last night's hunt. "That's very good," he told his son. "But we don't eat lizards."

"But it was fun," Chaka replied. "I snuck up on it, just like you told me too, and--"

Simba sighed and stood up. "Son, it's time I explained something very important to you."

The pair stood on the tip of Pride Rock, looking out over the colourful landscape. The sun was high in the sapphire sky, and a herd of antelope grazed in the distance. Simba remembered a day like this one, a lifetime ago, when he was a young cub and Mufasa was explaining the ways of the world to him. How should he begin so that it wouldn't be too much to take in?

"Chaka," he started, "Everything you see exists in a delicate balance, called the Circle of Life."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"Every creature has a role in the world, from the smallest ant to the largest elephant. If you took away a type of creature, it wouldn't be able to do its job, and all of the others would suffer."

Chaka was rapidly loosing interest. He looked around for something to do. A grasshopper caught his eye as it flew past, and he went after it. Simba noticed and gave a low, angry rumble. The cub immediately came back and nodded. "Uh huh," he said.

Simba kept a stern eye on him. "Do you understand?" he asked. Chaka looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shook his head. Simba searched for the words to explain. A cool breeze whispered through the green fields below. With sudden inspiration, he pointed to a herd miles away. "Look at those antelope, for example," he said. "If I ordered everyone to pull out all of the grass, what would happen to them?"

Chaka looked down at the savanna. The wind seemed to make patterns in the grass, like a path unwinding. "There's too much everywhere," he said.

"Yeah, but what if? What would they eat?" he asked.

"I dunno."

"They'd all either starve or go somewhere else. And the zebras too. And then what would we eat?"

The cub looked down at his forepaws and thought. "We wouldn't?" he guessed.

"Right! Everything's connected in the Circle. That's why you shouldn't hunt for fun. We never take more than we need. Got it?"

"Got it!" Chaka repeated enthusiastically.

"Now let's go see if your mother's awake yet," said Simba as he started back down the rock.

Scar couldn't believe his luck! In one day, he'd been completely healed of all his wounds, and now he had a Tool. It looked like a shiny gray stone lying in the grass. But how did it work? He tapped it cautiously with his paw, and then examined it more closely.

Its shape vaguely resembled that of a serpent's head. It was mostly grey with some darker squares on the side. Where the mouth would be was a black opening. Scar carefully picked it up in his jaws. He felt its smooth curviness against his lips. Suddenly, it vibrated and he saw a red flash to his left. He dropped it in surprise and spun to see what was there.

In a small grove of trees, a bush burned. He left the Tool and padded over to it in amazement.

The Tool had made fire.

Scar had made fire!

The bush seemed to call out to him. He was mesmerized by the dancing yellow flames, and the thick curls of white smoke. The crackle and hiss of leaves was like a voice whispering devious thoughts to him. Scar listened until the fire and the bush were a pile of warm, white ash.

Scar ran back to the Tool and picked it up again, but nothing happened. He moved his tongue against the squares on the side. Again, it vibrated warmly against his teeth. He dropped it as before.

This time a tree was on fire. Its red fruits fell to the ground and sizzled. The fire soon spread until the entire grove was engulfed in flames and thick white smoke. A family of birds squawked and flew out. Some small animals scampered away across the field, coughing. Scar capered around the inferno in devious delight. With the Tool, he would claim his place as King!

Sparks drifted out of the roaring fire and a light breeze carried them away.

Rafiki walked expertly along a tree branch collecting fruits for his meal. A warm breeze made the large green leaves around him quiver and he smelled something vaguely familiar. The ancient mandrill sniffed the air, trying to recall what it was. It had not been long since he had last smelled something like it. Then it hit him: Fire! His thoughts flashed back to the final confrontation with Scar, when there had been a terrible fire. I must warn the others, he thought. Without thinking, he dropped the two round fruits he was carrying. He gasped as they sailed downwards, bouncing through the branches. He scampered down after them and saw that they had split open on some sharp rocks. The thick juice they contained oozed down the rough stone, and a swarm of flies flocked to the feast. Rafiki shook his head sadly. He fetched his stick and started towards Pride Rock.

The sun was low in the sky, and Simba's shadow was a huge, warped caricature. He stood before the lionesses and announced, "It's almost time for the hunt."

Chaka sat beside Nala. "When will I be able to go on hunts, mom?" he asked her.

"Not for a long time yet," she told him. "Be patient."

Chaka looked around in boredom for something to do. He saw Rafiki walking towards the pride. "Look, there's that crazy old monkey," he said, pointing with his paw.

"He's a mandrill," she corrected him. "And you should be more respectful to him. He's very wise."

Rafiki walked up to Simba. "Squash banana! Busa le lizwe," he said.

Chaka gave his mother an I-told-you-so look. He saw his father embrace the mandrill. They exchanged a few words, but Chaka could hardly understand anything Rafiki said. A long discussion followed, with Rafiki making lots of gestures and sniffing the air a lot. Chaka smelled the air and detected only the same strange smell that had been in the savanna all afternoon. That must be what they were talking about, he guessed.

In the end, Simba looked serious. "There is a fire somewhere close by," he said to the pride. A collective gasp went up through the crowd.

"What's a fire?" Chaka whispered to Nala.

"It's something very dangerous," she told him. "Stay away from it if you ever see one."

"ZAZU!" shouted Simba. His voice echoed off the rocks so loud that Chaka was sure it could be heard throughout the whole world.

The hornbill flew down from a nearby tree. He'd obviously just been sleeping. "You called, sire?" he asked.

"Yes," said the King. "Tell my subjects to be on the lookout for a fire."

Zazu instantly snapped to full alertness. "A fire? Oh no! Oh dear... I'll begin immediately, sire!" He hopped into the air and flew away.

"As for us, the hunt's still on," declared Simba.

The Enterprise reluctantly drifted out of orbit. Deep within the bowels of the ship, the engine's pulse quickened, preparing for the journey ahead. The bridge, its nerve centre, was alive with activity. Picard sat in the central chair where he could see everything around him.

"Data," he said. "What is the next planet on our itinerary?"

The android replied without checking his console. "The closest unpopulated world is Kimba III, in the Tezuka system.. Starfleet's preliminary scans show that its conditions are startlingly similar to the planet below us."

Riker commented, "I hope those scans are better than these ones were."

"Indeed," nodded Picard. They were leaving this world, perhaps forever. Though he would never admit it, Picard would have liked to beam down to the surface for a few hours. Although the holodecks could come close, they only mocked the real thing. It would have been refreshing to walk on real soil and breath naturally recycled air. But more important matters rested on his shoulders. The Altairians needed a planet. He raised his arm, ready to signal the navigator to engage the warp drive.

Suddenly the comm unit beeped, and Dr. Crusher's voice came out of nowhere, "Crusher to bridge. We have a problem."

"Yes, what is it, Doctor?"

"I have an injured Ensign here who thinks he may have left a phaser on the planet." Her words hung in the silence that followed.

"A phaser?" Picard repeated. If there was phaser on the planet, it could spell disaster for any inhabitants.

"That should NOT have happened!" said Worf, a little too loudly. Picard heard a thump, as if the klingon had slammed his fist on the console.

"Calm down, Mr. Worf," he said without turning around. This was indeed a serious matter. "Turn this ship around," he told the navigator. "We have to go back."

On the screen, the iridescent world turned blissfully in its orbit. The dark shadow of night was slowly creeping over the sphere and swallowing up the daylight.

"Well, kid, I guess it's just you and us for the night," said Timon as he walked through the tall grasses.

"Yup," said Pumbaa, trotting after them, "So what do you want to do?"

Timon glared back at the warthog. "Pumbaa and I," he said, "were planning on catching some sleep."

Chaka looked at his surroundings. It all looked so different at night. Not scary, but unfamiliar. The shining orb of the moon cast a pale blue veil over everything. He could hear the distant roars of the grownups as they ambushed a herd of antelope. He wanted to be hunting, not baby-sat like a kid! "Be patient," his mother had said. She didn't think he could hunt. And that huge lizard he caught wasn't even good enough for his father.

"I wanna see the fire. It'd be so cool," said Chaka.

"Oh, no you don't," said Timon. "That stuff's dangerous!"

"Yeah, it sure is! And HOT," said the warthog. "I almost got turned into roast pork last time I saw one!"

Chaka started, "But--"

"It's dark now, and its time to sleep," said Timon, yawning. "And your dad says you have to stick with us."

"Awww," the cub whined.

The tiny meerkat suddenly jumped in front of Chaka and pointed sternly at his chin. The cub looked down in surprise. "Look," said Timon, "We've had a long day, and the last thing we need is for you to go running off on us."

Pumbaa grunted, "Yup, and we need you to protect us."

"Yeah, to protect us," said Timon. "Don't disappear. Got it?"

"Got it," echoed Chaka.

Timon and Pumbaa snored peacefully under some shrubs. Chaka lay near them, waiting. When he was sure they were sound asleep, he quietly arose and crept away. He would find the fire, whatever it was. The bright moonlight lit the way for him.

He padded through the tall grasses, heading to where the fading burnt scent was strongest. It was farther than he expected. Soon, the stars began to disappear and a faint pink tinge appeared the horizon. Chaka was starting to feel awfully tired. I'll just go on a bit more, he thought. Maybe the fire was beyond the next patch of trees. He walked to the edge of the grove and stopped.

Beyond the trees were five weird creatures. They stood on two legs like monkeys and wore shiny, scaly skins that shimmered in the moonlight. They had no hair at all except for a smooth black cap on top of their heads. But funniest of all were their ears; the tips were pointed straight up in the air. Chaka crinkled his nose. A tall, smooth, tree-thing with no branches stuck out of the ground in the middle of the clearing and belched out pungent black smoke.

They were standing around, pointing strange stone-things everywhere. The stone-things squawked at them, as if they wanted to escape the creatures' grasp. Chaka laughed out loud at this, then regretted it. One of the animals had heard him and was walking towards him!

Without thinking, the cub turned and ran as fast as he could. He blindly crashed through bushes and bounded over rocks, trying to get far away from that thing. Suddenly, he bumped into something soft and furry and fell to the ground. Heart pounding, he looked up and saw a large lion. It was dark, and tears blurred his vision. "Dad?" Chaka called hopefully.

The lion turned in surprise and brought his claw up, ready to slash whatever had disturbed him to bits. He had a short dark mane, and a tuft of fur on his chin. Chaka felt like his heart would pound right through his chest as the seconds passed by.

Then, the lion gave a small smile of recognition. "Well, what have we here? This is no time for little cubs to be about. What's your name?" asked the lion.

All fear washed away from the cub. This was a stranger, but he seemed nice. "I'm Chaka," he said. "What's your's?"

"My name is Taka," said the lion. "It's dangerous to be out at this time of night. Who's your father?"

"My father's Simba," Chaka announced with pride, "He's a king."

Taka's eyes flashed as he whispered the name under his breath.

"Do you know him?" asked Chaka.

The adult regained a snake-like smile. "Oh, yes, we're . . . OLD friends. In fact, I was just going to pay him a little visit. Would you like to come along?"

The cub started to back away. "My mom said never to talk to strangers--"

"But I'm not a stranger," Taka said pleasantly, "Your mother knows me VERY well. I know she'd be terrified to think that you're out here, all alone. She'd WANT you to come with me."

Maybe he's right, Chaka thought. If he met any of those creatures again, it would be good to have a grownup around. And Taka was awfully nice. "Okay, I'll come with you," he said.

"Good!" exclaimed the lion. He picked up a smooth gray stone-thing from the ground and started walking on the path.

"What's that thing you've got?" asked Chaka, following.

Taka placed the thing on the ground and said, "It's a SURPRISE."

Chief Engineer Geordi Laforge gingerly settled into the soft central chair on the bridge. It was not very often that the chain of command fell to him, and he didn't look forward to it when it did. But the Captain had beamed down with Riker, Data, Worf, and Troi, leaving him with the awesome responsibility of commanding the starship. All around him, people were busy doing things, while he had to sit down uselessly. He put his fingers on his temples and grimaced. Now that he was unoccupied, the constant throbbing pain of the visor was getting to him.

On the main screen, the planet slowly turned, bombarding his enhanced vision with many types of radiation. Geordi reflexively closed his eyes to block it out, but the throbbing continued.

Then he noticed something very faint in the corner of the screen. He mentally adjusted the visor's settings and tried to interpret what he was seeing. It was the glow of alpha rays, given off by a thin trail of ions in space.

"Ensign Nye," he called to the science station, "Magnify quadrant two of the screen and enhance the ultra-high frequencies."

"Yes, sir," said the young ensign, manipulating the controls. The screen blinked, and suddenly displayed a faint blue outline of something big.

"It looks like a cloaked ship," Geordi remarked. He did not like this at all. He would have to make all the decisions. He would have liked to be in the technical sanctuary of the engine room. Now that there was the potential for trouble, anything he did now would go on the record. "How many gas rings are there in orbit?" he asked.

"Four distinct ones, according to sensors."

Four rings. Four days in a geosynchronous orbit. At least that eliminated the immediate danger. The cloaked ship had been here before they had arrived, and it obviously didn't want to be discovered. He spoke into the air, "Enterprise to Captain Picard."

After a moment, the Captain's reassuring voice came out of nowhere. "Picard here. What is it, Commander?"

"We've detected a cloaked ship. It's been here for a while," said Geordi. He waited anxiously for Picard's words of guidance.

There was no reply. Abruptly, the air filled with the piercing whine of subspace static. Geordi winced until the sound was cut off.

"They're jamming us," said the replacement tactical officer, a young, brunette woman. On the screen, a patch of space wavered, revealing the starship. It was like a green, menacing bird staring down at them all.

"Romulans." said the science officer, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Transporter room! Beam up the away team," Geordi shouted frantically. There was still a chance--

The reply that came back shattered his hopes. "There's too much interference. I can't get a lock on them."

Geordi stared at the foreboding form on the screen. What would Captain Picard do now? In the worst case, all of the lives of the people on the Enterprise are more important than the away team. He could warp away, leave this place forever...

No, it wouldn't come to that, he resolved. He'd deal with the problem, and soon everything would be all right. He'd be in engineering, where he belonged, reconfiguring the warp coils. Picard would be on the bridge, and they'd be happily on their way to the next destination. The other ship leered at him, wrenching his frantic thoughts back to the present. It seemed to be daring him to make a decision. In his mind, he screamed at it, "What do you want?"

"They're raising shields," stated the steady female voice from behind him.

"Raise shields," he said, "and--" He struggled to put a confidence he didn't feel into his voice. "And hail them. Maximum strength." He stood up and took a few steps forward, as he had once seen Picard do.

"Communications established," she said.

Damn, how did she manage to sound so calm? "This is um, Captain Geordi Laforge of the Federation Starship Enterprise," he began. The screen didn't change. "We demand to know what you are doing here." He almost added that they were in violation of a treaty, but he just wasn't sure. He'd been immersed in the technical journals lately, and hadn't kept up with the news briefs. He should not even be here now!

The seconds ticked by, and he felt the eyes of the bridge crew on him. What would he say next?

Luckily, the screen blinked and the sharp features of a Romulan appeared. The alien smiled at him deceptively through the jamming-field static. "This is the starship Polkah Hahntass. I am Tomas. We have as much right to be here as you. This IS, after all, the neutral zone. Or perhaps you made a navigational error?" he added sarcastically.

Geordi felt his face grow warm.

Tomas continued, "I would expect as much from a blind captain. If you ARE the captain..."

The romulan was quickly getting on Geordi's nerves. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."

"If you must know, we are on a routine mining mission. I can tell you no more."

"You can't mine this planet," said Geordi. "Our studies show there's intelligent life here." He was more sure of himself this time. It was definitely against some law to mine inhabited worlds without consent of the population.

The romulan threw back his head and laughed. "You'll have to do better than that! According to OUR sensors, there's nothing down there but plants. And maybe a few monkeys. I know what monkeys mean to you humans..."

"But we have proof. If you'll just stop jamming us--"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said, his eyes smoldering. "I strongly suggest that you leave this world. Preferably within the next 36 hours, or I'll be forced to... take action."

The screen blinked and the smiling Romulan was replaced by a starfield. Geordi flopped back down into the chair. He had some serious thinking to do.

Simba whimpered in his sleep, while a disturbed Nala watched him silently. Suddenly, he growled and opened his eyes. "Oh, Nala, it's you," he said.

"Was it another nightmare?" she asked.

He arose and nodded. "It's just the ghosts of the past, I guess." He looked up at the sky as he often did when he needed guidance. Sometimes, he would see the stars, or the blazing sun. But now, there was only the gray clouds that smothered everything above and below in a bleak dullness.

"Why can't you learn to put the past behind you?" she asked. "It's been years! You're the king. You have to stop punishing yourself for something you didn't do."

He listened to her in silence. She was absolutely right. Why did his mind keep dredging up things that didn't matter any more? Scar was dead. He had his pride, and a promising son. What more could he ask for?

"There's something else," she continued in a softer tone, "I'm not sure yet..."

"What is it?" he asked.

"It could be nothing. Maybe something I ate..."

"Go on," he told her anxiously. He had an idea what it might be.

"Oh, never mind. It's not important." She smiled at him ruefully.

He could tell she was enjoying this. "Nala," he playfully growled, "WHAT IS IT?"

"Well, there could be another cub," she said matter-of-factly.

Even though he had been half expecting the news, he stared at her dumbly.

She continued, "Actually, a few more."

He broke out of his daze and shouted, "Nala, that's fantastic news!"

Unable to contain her excitement any longer, she smiled broadly and exclaimed, "It is, isn't it! It'll be so wonderful!"

Simba nipped her lovingly on the neck. "We have to tell everyone!" The other members of the pride were lounging on the other side of Pride Rock, out of view.

Her voice became quieter. "No, let's not for a while. I want it to be a surprise," she said.

"Okay, if that's what you want," he said. He was still overjoyed. He hadn't quite been prepared for this sensational news. And there might be more than one! It was especially important to be a good teacher, when dealing with kings and successions. Chaka always had so many questions, some that Simba didn't know how to answer. He would have to do a lot of thinking; he didn't want to be caught unawares.

Suddenly, he heard the voice of his son. He turned happily toward it, ready to scoop Chaka up onto his back, when he saw something that made his blood turn cold.

Chaka walked out from behind a rocky wall. He looked around to make sure that Taka was still following. He wondered if his father would be angry with him for running off on them. Fortunately, Simba seemed to be in a good mood. "Dad!" Chaka called. His father looked at Chaka and a strange expression crossed his face. "Dad, what's wrong?" asked the cub, puzzled.

Suddenly, something big and heavy was on his back, pushing him with crushing force. His legs bent uncomfortably under him, and he felt some sharp things poking into his fur. Taka had stepped on him with his forepaw, and was effortlessly keeping the cub from moving. Chaka gasped for breath, desperately trying to suck some air into his lungs. His heart pounded in his ears, and confused thoughts rushed through his head. Why would Taka do this? And why wasn't his father helping him?

Simba just stood there as if he were seeing a ghost. "Scar--No, it can't be. No, no. You're dead!" he exclaimed.

The lion cackled evilly. "I've come back, Simba," he said, "Back from the stars. I'm going to reclaim what's mine." It suddenly grew darker as thick layers of cloud strangled the sun. Chaka realized the chilling truth: This was Scar! The horrible tales his mother had told him about his great-uncle flooded back to him.

Nala bared her teeth and growled, "Let my son go." Her voice dripped with a hatred that Chaka would have never thought possible.

Scar just smiled at her in mock surprise. "My dear Nala, I thought you'd be glad to see me," he said. His eyes flashed as he addressed the startled Simba, "Didn't she ever tell you how close we once were?"

Enraged, Nala leaped into the air toward him, and Scar touched something on the ground. The stone spat out an angry red tongue of light that met her in mid-air. With a cry, she was flung back towards the rocky wall, her head hitting the surface with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the ground and lay still. A crack of thunder resounded in the distance.

"Mom!" shouted Chaka, the sound merging with Simba's cry of "Nala!"

"A pity," said Scar, "But it had to be done. I'm afraid the sun is setting on your time here." He moved the stone-thing so that it pointed at Simba. The crushing force on Chaka's back was slowly weakening.

Simba took a step in Scar's direction. His voice distorted with emotion, he said, "I'm going to kill you for that, Scar."

Chaka squeezed out from under the paw and backed away. Scar took no notice. "Not this time," he said, "You see, I have a Tool. Adieu." He reached toward it with cold intent in his eyes.

Chaka looked at the scene in horror. In slow motion, he saw his father preparing to leap, and Scar still reaching for the Tool. He imagined the hot flash of fire lashing out at his father, and Simba falling to the ground beside his mother. In his mind, he saw Scar cackling in delight -- laughing at the world that could not, or would not, stop him. With a throbbing sorrow deep in his throat, Chaka tensed his aching legs and pounced with all his strength. He landed on Scar's back and dug in with his small white claws. Tears welling up in his eyes, he tried to sink his teeth into the fur.

"You little hyena!" Scar howled in pain just as Simba flew toward him. Chaka clung on still harder, weighing the lion down. But Scar was strong, and soon the cub was painfully thrown off. He looked on helplessly as the other two lions fought. Simba roared, his eyes red with rage. He raised a mighty claw and slashed at Scar's face. Scar dodged the blow, and took a step backwards. Simba leaped at him, and the lion rose to meet him. The two stood on their hind legs, each trying to topple the other to the ground. Scar bared his teeth and bit into Simba's shoulder. Chaka gasped as he saw his father's blood staining the lion's teeth. Simba jerked back and they both fell. Simba struggled to stand, but Scar flew into his side. They continued to fight until Scar was standing on Simba, looking down into his wild eyes.

Breathing hard, Scar said, "You have NO IDEA how long I've waited for this moment. " He dragged a single sharp nail lightly across Simba's neck, drawing blood. "Now you will DIE!" He growled menacingly.

Chaka flung himself at Scar. The black-maned lion turned in annoyance and swiped the cub with his massive paw. Chaka was thrown backwards and fell on his back. His head hit the ground and he whimpered as a thundering pain exploded between his ears.

Simba sprang up instantly. His chest heaved up and down in intense anger. "Scar." he said raggedly.

Scar didn't take any chances. He pounced again, and they were rolling on the rock. Chaka watched with wild eyes. He wanted to do something--anything to help, but he was too small.

Then, he felt the rock thing near his paw. Scar had called it the Tool. An idea came to him in his throbbing head. He dared not touch the Tool now, because it may bite his father. But he kept his paw near it.

Simba and were grappling with each other, neither one winning, but both fighting furiously. Finally, Simba managed to throw Scar off. The older lion landed on all four paws and stopped for an instant to catch his breath.

"STOP!" shouted Chaka as loudly as he could. He fumbled with the Tool thing.

When Scar looked at him, his eyes widened. "No--you don't know what you're doing--"

The Tool hummed for a second, and Scar disappeared in a flash of red fire. A moment later he was gone, leaving only a pile of white dust and a strong scent of burnt meat.

Simba stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down. For a long time, nothing moved. The wind played with the white ash, picking it up and moving it in little whirl-winds.

Chaka ran over to where his mother lay. "Mom," he sobbed, "Mom, you have to get up. It's over!" He nudged her legs, but she didn't stir.

Simba came to her, and stood silently.

"Is she... dead?" asked Chaka, dreading the reply. He felt strange, as if he'd eaten some butterflies and they were all flying around in his tummy. He didn't like this feeling.

His father lifted his head up to the sky and roared. The sound's echoes were carried far away by the wind.

"Oh, mom," cried Chaka. He buried his face in her warm fur. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. All the happy times they'd had flooded back to him, but he was seeing them through a thick, blurry waterfall of sorrow. Nala showing him what the animals were called, telling him about the way of things, and the stories! She'd told him so many stories-- how many more were there to tell? Now he'd never hear the rest. Something deep inside of him ached more than his head, more than anything else in the world.

The tear-filled darkness was spinning, and Chaka was at the center of it all. He wanted to run away from the cold place outside. He was so tired, and it was warm inside. He let his mind drift off into the distance. The tears melted into a peaceful pond, and the waters surrounded him. He was floating listlessly through a pleasant redness. It was so nice and safe to be here! And at the base of it all was a steady, reassuring beat. He let the tempo permeate his entire being, let the rhythm push him from side to side and back again. He drifted a little more through a deep, dream-filled sleep, remembering a time not so long ago when nothing mattered.

A cold, damp wind brushed against his back, pulling him away from this wonderful place. He tried to reach back for it, and it was gone. But he was still drifting -- up and down. A pause. Then up and down again. Over and over, and he heard a faint thumping sound. It only an echo of what it had been before, but it was there.

He opened his eyes and looked around. His father was still in the same place, and some of the other lionesses were starting to gather around. The air smelled damp, and the golden glow of the morning sun was just peeking through the clouds. Then he remembered.

His mother was still lying there. The fur on her chest where he had rested his head was ruffled and a little damp. He saw her tummy move a little. Outwards, then inwards. He swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "She's breathing."

Simba moved in for a closer look. He put his ear to her chest and his face brightened a shade. "Nala," he whispered. Then, louder: "Nala, wake up."

Chaka spoke into her ear, "Mom! It's me. Wake up!" Then he saw the ugly, brown patch of blood that soaked the back of her head. It was horrible to look at. "She's hurt bad," he said.

Rafiki, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, sauntered over to Nala. He knelt, put his stick carefully on the ground, and placed his hands on her head. He poked and prodded until he found the spot he was looking for. He closed his eyes and muttered something at the sky. For a long time, he stood perfectly still, basking in the sun's golden rays. "She is hurt bad, yes," he said. He seemed on the verge of saying something else, but the words didn't come.

"Can anything be done?" Simba asked.

A small, silvery tear etched a winding path from the mandrill's eye. He dabbed it away with the back of his wrinkled hand. "We wait," he said.

"How long?" asked Simba.

Rafiki picked up his stick and rose to his feet. "I must go and prepare," he said, and started walking away.

"Prepare for what?" Simba shouted after him. But the mandrill only shook his head and continued on his way.

Deanna Troi bent down and tipped up a rock. She gasped at the sight of what was under it -- hundreds of slimy white insects, all clamoring over each other. There were so many of them in such a small space. It was amazing how creatures could live like that, she thought to herself. She quickly let the rock fall back down on top of them.

Picard was watching her with an amused expression. "Have you found anything, Counselor?" he asked.

"No, not yet," she said, brushing her hands on her uniform. They'd been searching for the phaser for hours, and it showed. She couldn't wait to get back to the ship and out of the soiled clothes she was wearing.

The captain tapped his communicator. "Picard to Enterprise," he said. But there was nothing but static.

Troi sighed. As soon as she got back, she'd take a nice, long sud bath, and then go down to Ten Forward and order a huge chocolate sundae. No, why wait? She'd take it into the bath with her!

Worf called out, "I don't see the point of all of this. Even if the weapon is found by the lions, they will not be able to work it. They don't have hands."

Data was ahead of the group. He called back, "In my experience, the dexterity of felines is remarkable. My cat, Spot, once held a mouse in her paws by the tail."

"All the same, we can't be too careful," said Picard. "Advanced technology in the hands, or paws, of a developing society could be devastating."

Riker used the tricorder to scan under a pile of stones. "I'm beginning to wonder if it's even down here," he said. "Maybe it's on the ship somewhere, and the sensors somehow missed it."

"If it were here, it should have been near the beam-down site," said Troi. In the empathic part of her mind, she felt the familiar presence of her friends. But at the edges of her perception, a confusing array of impressions swirled. There was obviously a lot of intelligent life around them. But something still nagged at her. She felt like she was overlooking something, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

They caught up to Data, who was standing motionless with his tricorder pointing west. "Captain," he said, "I have just detected a phaser discharge about 900 meters to the south."

Worry etched two deep burrows on Picard's brow. "Data, are you sure?" he asked.

"I am quite certain," said the android. "I am also picking up some strange energy emissions from the same direction."

"What kind of emissions?" asked the captain.

"They do not appear to be natural."

Troi leaned against a tree. "What could be causing them?" she asked.

Data looked up. "It is impossible to tell because of interference from mineral formations in the area.

Riker started walking south. "There's only one way to find out," he said.

Troi followed the rest through the thick, unyielding grasses until her feet began to ache. She stopped a moment to catch her breath, and wiped some wetness from the corner of her eye. She'd been feeling a growing sorrow for the past few minutes. She looked around for the source of the emotion, and she was a little taken aback at what she saw.

Ahead was an immense rock formation. It rose high into the sky. Another huge rock jutted almost horizontally out from the side, like a colossal limb pointing towards the rising sun. And someone there had just experienced a deep loss.

"Something's definitely there," she said.

Data stopped and looked at his tricorder. "You are correct, counselor. Some residual radiation still exists in the vicinity of the rock formation," he said.

"It looks like a hard climb," Riker commented.

Picard used his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he took a better look. "Not necessarily," he countered. "Look, there's a path."

They ascended the steep, rocky pathway. The stones were murder on Deanna's already aching feet. Luckily, their journey was short. They were almost at the top.

Data checked his scanner and stopped them. "We must proceed cautiously," he warned. "I am detecting a group of leonine life-forms just five meters ahead."

A few steps away, the path was blocked by a rock wall that extended out of the ground to a point just above Troi's head. Its jagged face made it easily climbable. Deanna put her foot in a crevice and hoisted herself so she could peek over the top.

A set of brown eyes stared back at her, centimetres from her own. Behind them was a mind that had been shattered twice, and had still managed strive onward and heal. It was the source of the sorrow.

The lion started to growl at her, but was stopped abruptly as a tiny cub peeked out from beside its foreleg. It stared at her curiously and asked, "Dad, what is that thing?"

"Counselor, are you in danger?" Worf called from behind.

Troi was afraid to move. Instead, she mouthed a meek, "Hello."

The large, brown eyes before her immediately looked at her more curiously, and slightly less threateningly. The cub's face registered undisguised surprise as it exclaimed, "It can talk!"

The larger lion pushed the cub back behind him and turned again towards Troi. "Who are you?" it growled softly.

"My name is Troi," she answered. And then, "We're here to help you."

The lion stared back at her, unyielding. The wind tussled its reddish- brown mane. "We don't need your help. Leave."

"Counselor..." Picard called from behind her. She stepped back down onto solid ground and took a few steps backwards.

Picard addressed the lion in his cultured voice. "We are looking for a device. A phaser, like this one." He held out his own weapon by its business end.

Troi sensed an emotional maelstrom well up. Sensations of fear and protectiveness were associated with the sight of the phaser. The lion backed away and growled.

"We aren't going to harm you," she said softly, hoping to calm the animal. "You've seen one of these things before, haven't you?"

The lion backed up another few steps. "It's caused enough damage already. Now leave this place."

And then Troi became aware of another mind. It had always been there, like a whisper accompanied by the constant drumming of ocean waves. It was very weak, and only a determined will to survive kept it from falling over the edge into the chasm of death.

"One of your kind was injured by a device like that one," she said, hoping her guess was correct. "We can heal her, and make sure she lives." She glanced sidelong at Picard. He nodded and she continued, "Just let us go to her."

The lion regarded their party. The tension in the air was almost tangible. Finally, it looked at her and said, "You can go to her, but the others will stay here."

"Counselor, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Picard quietly.

"It may be the only way to build trust," she answered back, just as softly.

Worf whispered to them irritably, "Captain, this is extremely unwise."

"Leaving a phaser behind was unwise. This might be our only option," said Picard. His tone was final. "Go ahead."

She retrieved a first aid kit and medical tricorder from Data, strapped them onto her waist, and pulled herself onto the rock plateau. She followed the lion to a gathering of nearly a dozen female lions up ahead. The smell in the air reminded her of a zoo. At first, nothing seemed to be wrong.

But them she saw her-- a lioness was lying on her side, barely breathing. Troi could see some bone showing through the huge gash on her skull. She didn't have much time left. Troi opened the medikit and got to work.

Picard watched Troi follow the lion out of view. It was a grave risk. Troi was a valuable member of his crew, and it wouldn't do to lose her.

Suddenly something hot whizzed by his ear. He saw a green-tinged flash to the right, and a small section of the rocky wall exploded in front of him, scattering sharp stones and shrapnel.

Worf had already pulled out his phaser and was searching for their attacker. Several romulans jumped out from nowhere and were firing at them. Worf managed to stun one of them, but then he screamed in pain as his arm was singed by disrupter fire. His phaser fell to the ground.

Riker had his weapon out and at the ready, but four other romulans had their guns trained on him.

"Surrender. You're out numbered," said the leader of the romulan party.

Picard's mind whirled for several seconds. Geordi had said something about a cloaked ship before they were cut off. This planet was near the Federation's side of the neutral zone, so any romulan presence would have to be concealed. But why would they go through the trouble? The four romulans held their disrupters steady. Worf clenched his arm; a violet stain was quickly spreading across his uniform. There was murder in his eyes. Riker still had his phaser pointed at the first romulan, and he gave a quick questioning glance at Picard. Picard slowly raised his arms and said, "We surrender. What do you want?" He nodded at Riker, who lowered his weapon.

Three of the romulans circled around behind them, one of them picking up Worf's fallen phaser. "Move," ordered the leader, and Picard felt the muzzle of a disrupter push against his spine. He marched forward, back down the way they'd come.

On the bridge, Laforge was hard at work on a communications console, trying to break through the jamming. He wasn't having much luck. The romulans were using a pseudo-random scrambled encryption algorithm that blocked out all transmissions but their own. It was nearly impossible to figure out their code. It was times like this that he wished Data were here.

"Sir! Sensors detect three starships entering this sector," said Lieutenant Belle, the woman on tactical.

Laforge looked up from his work. "Federation?" he asked hopefully.

Belle paused as she double-checked her readings. "No. They're all Romulan warbirds."

Three uncloaked romulan warbirds this close to the Federation side of the neutral zone meant trouble. It meant they were prepared to fight. "What's the ETA?" he asked.

"They'll be here in less than 12 hours," she said calmly.

"Are they trying to start a war?" Ensign Nye exclaimed.

"It sure looks like it," said Laforge, "or else their trying to protect something on this planet."

"But what could be that valuable?" asked Nye.

"It confuses the heck out of me," said Laforge. "Are you getting anything from the away team?"

Nye glanced at his readout. "Nothing," he said, "There's too much natural interference. We don't even know whether they're alive or dead."

Laforge looked down at his own console. He was trying not to think about that. Obviously, the Romulans were trying to prevent them from communicating with the away team or Starfleet. If he could just break through the jamming encryption algorithm...

"Sir, we should break orbit," Nye was saying, "We have to inform Starfleet."

"Not yet," said Laforge.

Nye stepped away from his station. "But don't you see what they're planning? With three warbirds..." His voice grew louder. "They're going to destroy us to stop us from going to Starfleet!"

Laforge turned toward his science officer, annoyed. "Ensign Nye, the only people who know anything about what's going on down there are the away team. And I don't intend to leave them there!"

The rest of the bridge crew had stopped what they were doing and were now staring at the two of them. "But sir," Nye continued, "Every second we waste here means we're that much closer to whatever they're planning for us!"

Laforge knew he had to put a stop to this now, before it turned into real insubordination. He mustered up all of his authority and said, "Mr. Nye, I've made my decision. Right now, my first priority is to establish contact with the away team. If you have any other ideas, I'd be glad to hear them. But right now, you can either perform your duties or spend the rest of this mission in your quarters."

Nye's shoulders slumped. "Yes, sir," he said meekly.

"Besides," Laforge reassured himself, "A lot can happen in twelve hours."

Troi's first concern was to stop the bleeding. A large pool of dried blood had dripped from the lioness's head wound, and she could see a section of skull through a break in the matted fur. She found a package of plastiderm in the medikit and applied it to the wound. The lion who had led her here eyed her suspiciously. "What's her name?" she asked as she worked.

"Nala," the large lion replied.

"She's my mom," chimed the cub beside him. He leaped up to a rock so he could better see what she was doing. "What's that pink stuff?" he asked.

"It's artificial skin," she replied, as the sealed it on with the laser scalpel. It looked horribly out of place, a pink bare patch surrounded by fur. "It'll eventually disappear. I think." That was the best it was going to get for now. She glanced up from her work to see the large lion watching her every move. The medical tricorder's readings told her that the next step should be to stabilize blood pressure. Thankfully, it also recommended which drug to use. She pulled a hypospray out of the medikit and loaded it with the correct vial. "How did this happen?" she asked the lion.

"A lion came here and attacked us. He had a Tool... one of your phasers," he said. Hatred welled up inside of him. "He made it... bite her and she hit her head."

Troi pressed the hypospray against the her patient's neck until she heard a gentle hiss. It would take a few minutes for the drug to take effect, so she checked the tricorder again. The neural scans showed possible brain damage, and called for a neural regenerator. Which, of course, was not part of the medikit. She would have to get one from sickbay. Somehow.

"Is she going to be okay?" the cub asked.

Troi closed her eyes and opened her mind. She searched in the darkness for the faint glimmer of light was Nala, stumbling around blindly until she found it.

She woke up in a dream. The blinding sun shone directly into her eyes, and she was lying on hard, cracked earth. She quickly put her arm over her face to block out the light. As she got to her feet, she saw that she was in a desert. She tried to think back.

She'd been running from something -- someone -- and was searching for... what? Anything was better than the place she'd come from. She needed to get away.

Troi shook her head and realized with a start that she was inside Nala's mind. But it couldn't be! She was only half betazoid, and even full Betazeds could only rarely penetrate another's thoughts so completely. She'd done it once before to help her mother out of a coma. How was it possible it was happening now?

Nevertheless, she had to help Nala reconstruct her mind's pathways -- to bring her back to the present. That was her job, wasn't it? Troi concentrated harder.

She was thirsty, and the desert was hot and dry. The flat, featureless ground extended to the horizon in all directions. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, "Nala!" There was no answer. She walked onward, searching, calling the name.

A low growling came from behind her. She turned around slowly and saw Nala, her teeth bared and glistening. "Go away!" growled the lioness, readying herself to pounce.

Troi took half a step backward. "I'm here to help," she said, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Help?" exclaimed Nala. "No one can help. There's nothing for me." Then she was gone, and there was nothing but the parched earth where she stood.

"Come back!" Troi shouted. Something nagged at her. She looked up to see a name written in the clouds. "Simba," she read.

Nala reappeared, this time to her left. She didn't look menacing. "What did you say?" she asked.

Troi turned to her. "Simba's waiting for you," she said.

Nala snorted. "Simba's dead. Scar took over the whole pride." She kicked a pebble angrily and added, "He always just takes whatever he wants."

"He took something from you that was very precious," Troi guessed, and saw what she was thinking. She glimpsed sadness at the loss of a childhood friend, and intense hate and shame at what followed years later. She shuddered in realization.

Nala turned and searched the horizon. She saw something and started walking toward it.

Troi followed. "What are you looking for?" she asked.

"I'm looking for--" the lioness started. "I'm looking for a..." her voice trailed off as she stopped moving and sat. "I used to know," she said sadly.

"I can help you find him," said Troi.

"Can you?" asked Nala. A cloud covered part of the sun, providing some welcome shade. "Oh, how can I trust you?" she cried.

"What have you got to lose?" Troi asked.

Nala nodded. She took one last look around.

"Follow me," said Troi.

The counselor opened her eyes once more. Simba and the cub were looking at her curiously. Nala still lay there. She scanned the lioness with the medical tricorder, which registered increased neural activity. But Nala didn't stir. "Talk to her," Troi told Simba.

"Nala," Simba said. Nothing happened. He gave her a lick.

Troi sensed it before the tricorder did: The lioness was coming back to consciousness!

"Simba," Nala rasped. She licked him and weakly tried to stand.

"Mom, are you all right?" asked the cub.

She nodded at her son and smiled.

"Oh, mom! I was scared you were gonna be gone," he cried, and clung to her leg with all his might.

Then Nala noticed Troi standing there. "You!" she gasped in surprise. "Who are you?"

"I've come from a place far away from here," Troi said, glancing at her medicorder. The device indicated that the lioness was on her way to a full recovery. "I'm looking for something that was lost. It's the weapon that was used against you."

Simba nodded. "It's around here somewhere," he said. He turned to some of the other members of the pride, who had gathered to watch. "We have to find the Tool," he announced, and described it to them. The lions scattered, carefully searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Troi decided to take this opportunity to report to the Captain. She gathered up her things and walked the short distance around the bend to where her shipmates were waiting.

But they weren't there.

She climbed down the rock wall, which was about her height, and looked around. Maybe they went for a walk, she thought.

Then her heart skipped a beat as she noticed the small magenta stain the ground. Klingon blood! She examined it closely. It was soaked into the dust on the ground. She also saw unfamiliar boot prints mixed in with the Starfleet issued ones. With dread, she realized what must have happened.

From her high vantage point on the rock, she could see for a few miles, but there was nothing to indicate where they'd been taken.

Simba spoke from above. "Your Tool isn't here. We've searched everywhere."

"Even in the old cave. I looked there," his cub announced proudly. "Hey, where'd your friends go?"

"I- I don't know," said Troi. "I think they've been kidnapped." She fumbled with the tricorder, trying to get it to give her some indication of their direction. But when she pressed the 'Analyze' button it kept reporting her body temperature. The tricorder was configured for medical use, and Data had her scientific sensor attachment.

The lion cub had leapt to the ground by her feet and was sniffing around. He stopped suddenly and wrinkled his nose. "Ewww," he said.

"What is it?" asked Simba, concerned.

"It's that same smell that was there when I…" he trailed off.

"What?" Simba said sternly.

Chaka sat and looked down at the ground. "Well," he began, "I sort of… went for a walk last night."

Simba gave his son a look that even Troi recognized as disapproving. "Where did you go?" he asked.

Chaka took a deep breath. "There was this place… and monkey-things all around-- like her-- only not so nice!" Troi smiled as he continued, "They started chasing me, and then…"

Troi looked down at the cub. He was so innocent and afraid. Could he know where the captain was? She knelt down to his level. "Can you show me where it is?" she asked.

Chaka gave a questioning glance upwards at his father, and Simba nodded slowly. "I guess so," said the cub.

Riker sat on a rock. They were being held outdoors in a portable force-field containment module. A moment later, he got up again and resumed pacing like a caged animal. Every once in a while, he fired a hateful glare at the romulan guard standing a few meters away.

Worf stood near the wall, steady as an oak tree. "Do not worry, sir," he told Riker. "Before we die, I will personally tear FIVE of them apart."

"Very reassuring," Riker commented. He kicked a pebble across the ground and it bounced off Picard's shin.

Picard sat on a rock near the corner and thought. So far, their captors had done nothing to help or harm them. He'd long since given up trying to talk to the guard. Obviously, this guard had been instructed not to say anything to the prisoners. The romulans probably didn't know what to do with them. They hadn't meant to be discovered.

At least they'd found the energy source, Picard thought. "Mr. Data," he began, "Have you figured out what this place is yet?"
Data strode up to him. "It appears to be the beginning of a well-camouflaged mining operation. Those large devices over there are the plasma drills. The dust on their casing suggests that they have been in operation for a long time, and have almost finished preparing this area for orbital extraction."

Worf spoke up, "But what are they mining? The ships sensors did not detect any dilithium deposits on this planet."

"I do not know," Data admitted. "But certain rock minerals were causing interference, which is probably why we did not detect this site."

Riker stopped pacing for a moment. "Wait a minute," he said. "Doesn't orbital extraction destroy a large portion of the surface?"

"The first stage requires approximately 500 square kilometers of the planet's crust to be removed before the mining can begin."

"Which means…" Riker didn't need to finish his sentence.

Picard motioned for the three to come closer. "We have to get out of here," he whispered. "I suspect that they're haven't figured out what they're going to do with us."

Data nodded. "I am equipped with internal grounding systems for power rerouting. It is possible that I could short out the force field without damage to my neural pathways. There would, however, be a 30 percent chance of permanent damage."

Picard shook his head. "I want to avoid that if we can. We need a plan to get through the force field and get past the guard at the same time."

"It won't be easy. He has a disrupter," said Riker. He kicked another pebble. It skittered across the ground, and then did something completely unexpected. "Sir," he said, "I think I've found something." The others watched as he picked up a pebble and threw it towards the force field. Instead of ricocheting off, it effortlessly sailed through the curtain of energy.

"Intriguing," said Data, "The minerals in the rock sediments have the property of being able to dissipate coherent energy beams."

Worf picked up a moderately sized rock and tested its weight. "Captain. I could knock out the guard with this from here."

Picard considered this. "I've no doubt you could, but we would still be in here."

Riker paced a couple of times. "Data, if we moved these two rocks into the path of the force field, could we create a hole between them?"

"I am not sure of the exact properties of the mineral, but if the rocks contain it, we should be able to do as you suggested."

Picard nodded. "Good thinking, Number One. Make it so."

But then the guard turned around to face them, suspicious of the noise, and nothing could be done.

Troi watched Simba and Chaka leave, and now she was alone. They had led her to an encampment of some kind. In the middle of a clearing stood a tall, gray column. Thick, black smoke spewed out of the top. As she got closer, she heard a constant, low rumble. Pungent sulphur fumes assaulted her nostrils.

Romulans! She dropped to the ground in the tall grass. She looked up and counted five of them in the camp. They seemed to be packing up equipment into large cargo boxes. Beside the camp was the thickest tree Troi had ever seen. She crawled along the ground toward it.

Her hair stood on end as she heard a rustling in the grass behind her. She whipped out her phaser as she spun, but there was nothing there. She knelt in the grass for several minutes before continuing. It must have been a bird or a small animal, she thought.

From her new vantage point behind the tree, she could see the whole encampment. The smoking column she had seen earlier was held above the ground on three spider-like legs. It spat a green ray of energy straight down through a hole in the ground. The romulans had finished packing one cargo box with equipment. One of them spoke into a communications console on the other side of the clearing, and the cargo box was transported away.

To the east of the clearing, she saw her comrades. Riker was pacing back and forth inside a force field prison. Data, Worf, and the captain were there, and they appeared to be unharmed. By chance, Riker looked in her direction for a second, then glanced toward their guard.

Troi saw the guard. She knew what she had to do. She made sure her phaser was on stun, and her hands took aim. Her finger pulled the trigger. The guard crumpled to the ground. The other Romulans were engrossed in packing up their equipment, so they didn't notice when their comrade fell. Troi knew she had to act quickly, before one of them turned around. She prepared to dash toward the force field cage and deactivate it.

"Not so fast, human." The voice behind her stopped her cold. "Put your weapon on the ground."

Troi did as she was told. Her discoverer was aiming a disrupter at her. So much for that, she thought.

Picard's features seemed carved in stone as he watched the confrontation. The romulan was saying something to Troi, pushing his disrupter into her spine. At any moment, she could become nothing more than a patch of ionized gases. Picard's gaze was steady, as if he could prevent that from happening by shear willpower. His companions all watched wordlessly.

The Romulan pushed Troi into the encampment at gun point. The other Romulans glanced at them, but they were engrossed in their task of packing up the equipment. Picard had his own suspicions on what they were mining here. And if he was correct, Starfleet would have to be notified at all costs.

As Troi was pushed toward the containment field, her foot hit a rock and she stumbled. Her captor angrily brought the handle of his weapon down on her skull, and she collapsed. Picard drew a breath sharply.

There was a sudden cry of pain as a brown blur knocked the Romulan to the ground. The other Romulans dashed toward it, drawing their weapons. The lion tried to bound toward them. One of them fired and missed, leaving a small crater in the ground. The lion spun and ran in utter terror, leaping this way and that, dodging the blasts. Some of the Romulans followed.

"Captain," said Data. "I have used the distraction to implement our escape plan."

Picard saw the rocks set up in the path of the force field, creating a clear space low to the ground. Worf was already wiggling his way out. "Very good, Data," said Picard. Riker was next, and then Data. Finally, Picard lied down and pushed himself through.

The remaining Romulans had seen them, and were running towards them. Worf picked off two with the fallen guard's disrupter. Riker ran to Troi and grabbed the weapon the guard used. He looked up just in time to see a romulan aiming at him. He vaporized the romulan, and threw Troi's phaser back to Picard. He maintained this position as he tried to revive Troi.

"I believe that control panel is a communications post," said Data. He pointed toward a boxy apparatus on the other side of the clearing.

"I'll cover you," Picard offered. He watched the android run with superhuman speed over the trampled grass. A romulan ran to intercept him, but fell under Picard's phaser. Data reached the control panel and began hitting buttons.

"Captain! Behind you!" He heard Riker's shout and spun around. Five more romulans were being transported down. He managed to stun one before he had to duck behind the still-operating force field. Riker vaporized another, but the remaining three immediately went for Data. They would upon him in mere seconds.

Picard didn't have time to think. He left the security of the force field and ran after them, firing wildly. One shot glanced off a Romulan's arm, and this one stopped and turned around to face him. The romulan raised his weapon to fire, but Picard fired first and he fell. But the other two were still going for Data.

Then Worf jumped out from somewhere off to the side. He swung his fist at one Romulan's face with a loud crack. The romulan staggered a little, then countered with a karate chop to Worf's neck. Worf stumbled back, making gasping noises. Then, choking up a string of guttural klingon expletives, he gripped the Romulan's head and twisted. The romulan fell to the ground.

The last romulan had reached the control module. He smiled and fired the disrupter at Data from only a few feet away. Blue energy crackled around Data's entire body, and his arms shook in electric spasms. The romulan stared in surprise. Still shaking, Data grabbed the romulan by the shirt and threw him into the air. He landed twenty meters away and lay still. After a few seconds, the spasms subsided and Data resumed working.

Picard groaned as he saw another transporter beam. He didn't know how long he could keep this up. But then he realized that it was him that was being transported. Soon, he saw the familiar transporter room around him. Lieutenant Eisner was manning the controls, locking on to the other members of the away team. Riker looked unusually disheveled as he ordered the technician to beam Troi directly to sickbay. Picard looked down at himself and realized that he was pretty dirty himself. The front of this uniform was caked with chalky brown dust, and his forehead was drenched in sweat. It would be great to finally have a cool shower again, and steaming cup of Earl Gray.

But then Geordi's voice came over the intercom, sounding urgent: "Captain, I think you'd better get up here!"

As Picard walked onto the bridge, he could immediately see something terribly amiss. On the screen was a Romulan warbird, as large as life. A ship like that was an even match for the Enterprise's defense systems.

The relief on Geordi's face was plain as he gave up the command chair. "They powered up their weapons systems about five minutes ago, and they aren't responding to hails," he told him.

"Go to red alert. Status report," Picard ordered, going into combat mode.

"They were here, cloaked, about four days before we got here. They say they're on a mining mission. Three more vessels - another Warbird and two cargo ships - will be here in ten minutes." Geordi moved to the engineering console.

"I see," said Picard as Riker and Worf came in. "Let's see if we can get their attention. Hail them again. Tell them we know about the energy dissipating mineral and what they're up to."

"I'm getting a response," said Belle.

"On screen."

The face of a romulan appeared. His features were twisted in anger. "I demand to know why you attacked my base, in clear violation of the treaty!" He was practically screaming.

"It is not in the treaty to keep Starfleet officers prisoner or mine inhabited planets."

"This planet is not inhabited! The sensors clearly show NO industrial development, NO pollution, and NO technology at all! We are perfectly within our rights, and I assure you, this incident will not go unreported!"

"May I ask what you're mining?" Picard asked. His voice was calm, in stark contrast to that of the Romulan captain.

"That is beside the point," said the Romulan. He was calming down too.

Picard straightened his uniform. He seemed to be in complete control of the situation. "I assure you, it's the very heart of the matter. This planet contains a certain mineral that dissipates coherent energy beams. If it were incorporated into shields, it would give quite a tactical advantage. Developing of planets in the neutral zone for creating of weapons is prohibited by the treaty."

The romulan's face flushed green with anger. "Captain, you are making my job very difficult." His fist pounded a control off-screen, and the face was suddenly replaced by the image of the warbird turning around to face them.

"They are maneuvering to attack the Enterprise," said Worf from his station.

"Shields up," said Picard automatically.

Riker stepped down to the lower part of the bridge. "Do you think they'd start a war over this?"

"I think they'll do whatever is necessary to get that mineral. If destroying the Enterprise will buy them time, they'll do it."

Nye looked around from his science station. "Sir, we should break orbit. We have to inform Starfleet of this!" The young ensign looked terrified. He evidently hadn't been on many dangerous missions before.

"Your opinions are duly noted, ensign," said Picard. "But the other ships will be here in a few minutes. We can't let them destroy whatever civilization exists on this planet, no matter how primitive it is."

"How about a probe?" Riker suggested. "We could send it past the jamming field and set it to transmit a distress signal."

Picard shook his head. He had already considered that option. "If the Romulans are determined, they'd destroy it before it got very far."

"Sir," said Geordi from the engineering station, "I have an idea. Data transmitted the jamming encryption code from the surface, which allowed us to beam you up through the jamming. They haven't altered the signal yet, so if I cross-link the storage unit on the CAPS system and compensate with a new frame buffer, we should still be able to break through the jamming. They'll only realize it if they're looking very carefully."

Picard knew they would have to act quickly. "Make it so," he commanded. "Transmit everything we know so far about this planet, the mineral, and the Romulans' intentions to any Starfleet vessels in range, and request backup as soon as possible."

"Yes, Captain," said the engineer, moments before the ship lurched out from under him.

"They are firing on us," Worf announced.

"Evasive manuevers!" Picard shouted over the din of warning beeps as the ship was struck again.

"Shall I return fire?" Worf asked.

Picard was pensive. "We don't want to start a war," he said.

Riker looked at the view screen. "With all due respect, sir, I think we already have."

Picard considered the situation. They were deep in the neutral zone, above a planet with a unique mineral that, with further study, could give a ship unlimited defenses. The Romulans were about to extract the mineral, and in the process, destroy most of the life on the planet. Picard didn't know how many more intelligent lifeforms existed on the planet, and he could not let the Romulans destroy them. He could not let them get the mineral under any circumstances. If they did, they would undoubtedly start a war.

One that would destroy the Federation.

Rafiki was puzzled. Nala had been near death - her spirit would have been loosed upon the winds before nightfall. And yet, she had been there, walking around, perfectly happy. When he'd come to pick up her body, he thought she was a ghost at first. But the others could see her too. Rafiki was happy for her, of course. But still, he'd scratched his head. He had rarely been wrong before.

But the winds told him he was needed elsewhere. For what, he could not discern. After checking on Nala, Rafiki didn't return to his tree. Instead, he set off toward a destination away from the Pridelands. This time, the winds did not fail him. It led him to a clearing that had some very strange characteristics indeed.

In the centre of the clearing was an elephant-sized creature, perched on thick, bent spider legs over a hole in the ground. It was evidently sleeping, as it made no sound. Rafiki walked over to it with caution. It looked out of place. It looked evil.

He took the gourd that he'd been carrying and pierced its top with his finger. He raised it above his head toward the sinking sun and muttered the sacred incantations, which would endow its juice with special powers of purification. He was just about to pour it over the sleeping beast when he stopped. The creature would have to drink the juice. He carefully examined it, but could find no mouth at all. There was only the hard, gray skin that covered its every surface. Rafiki stroked his chin and thought. Somehow he would have to get this vile creature to drink the sacred, cleansing mixture.

A gust of wind jiggled the adornments tied to the top of his staff. Yes, that was it! Rafiki had learned long ago that many of life's problems could be solved with a solid whack with a big stick. He used the top of his staff to gently tap the thick skin of the creature. He heard a hollow, metallic sound, but nothing happened. The evil in the creature required a little more force.

"Hee--YAH!" Rafiki shouted as he swung the stick at the creature with all of his might. He heard a deafening clang, and a piece of its skin flew off. The inside of it was dark. He could barely make out the shapes of the organs. Without wasting any time, he dumped the sticky contents of the gourd though the hole he'd made. Soon, whatever evil it contained would be vanquished, and it would be made pure.

The creature's reaction was immediate. Green fingers of lightening reached out of the darkness and slid around the sides of the opening. Without thinking, Rafiki threw the remains of the gourd at them, and ran before they could claim him. He'd only run a short distance when he felt the wave of heat push at his back. It picked him up and threw him several meters into the air. He flailed his arms around in a panic, desperately searching for something to grab on to, but the ground came up at him with fantastic speed. At the last moment, he twisted himself around and landed on all four limbs.

When he finally returned, the sun was sinking below the horizon. The ground was blackened, and the grasses were withered and singed. There was no evidence of the creature itself. The loose soil around it had filled the hole over which it had stood guard, and now only a shallow crater remained. Rafiki searched the clearing until he found what he was looking for. He picked it up and held it out before him reverently.

It was his staff, unscorched and perfectly intact.

"Forward shields down to seventy percent," said Worf. "Sir, we MUST return fire."

There was no time to rationalize. Picard stood up and pulled the wrinkles out of his uniform. He stared icily at the ship on the screen. "Prepare to fire on my command," he said. He raised his hand in the air, poised to give the command that would make two years of cease-fire treaty negotiations meaningless. He wondered how people would treat him in his later years, if he survived this battle. Would he be forever branded as the arrogant captain who had plunged the Federation into full-scale war? He thought of Ambassador Spock, who was working in secret to unify the Romulan and Vulcan people. The fragile group of sympathizers that he had gathered would turn against him. But Picard knew that he must give that order. He only regretted that circumstances had brought him to this point.

"Sir," said Geordi in a surprised voice. "The three vessels that were approaching us have changed course. They're heading back into Romulan space."

"It could be a trick!" said Worf suspiciously.

"The Warbird is backing off," said Belle.

"What are they up to?" Picard wondered out loud.

"They are hailing us," said Worf.

Commander Tomak appeared on the screen again. He face had a dark green pallor. "You've won this time, Picard," he said, spitting out the name as if it was acid on his tongue. "I don't know how you did it, but don't gloat too long, because we WILL be back!" His picture dissolved and Picard saw the warbird turning around. A moment later it went to warp.

Picard stared at the blank screen for a few moments, trying to discern any evidence of a cloaking device. He would not put it past the Romulans to resort to such trickery. "Mr. Worf, are they still here?" he inquired.

Worf checked his sensors. When he answered, the surprise in his voice was evident. "They have left the system."

Picard looked behind him questioningly. If it wasn't a trick, why did they leave? And what did he do to make them leave?

Geordi checked his readings. "The USS Quasimondo is approaching at warp 8. Maybe that frightened them away," he ventured.

Picard chuckled, "The sight of that ship would frighten anyone away." The dreadnaught, brimming with armaments, would be quite intimidating to the Romulans. Whatever had happened, he was glad the crisis was over. It was like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "They may be gone," he said, "but this planet will be attracting a lot of attention very soon."

He slumped down in the command chair, and he realized that it had been nearly 30 hours since he'd slept. He was starting to get a headache. "Although I think it can wait until tomorrow."

It had rained during the night. It had been a gentle rain, and now fragile white wisps wafted up from the rock as the wind drank the morning dew. Nala was still too weak to go hunting with the others, so she had stayed in the cave, where it was dry. Simba had stayed with her.

Chaka woke up with the sunrise, as usual. Instead of immediately scampering outside, he wanted to hear a story.

"You're mother's tired right now," Simba told him gently.

"No, it's all right," said Nala, sitting up. "Let me think of one." A moment passed before she began.

"Once upon a time," said Nala, "There was a lion cub named Mufati, who thought himself very brave. But he didn't think his parents loved him enough. One day, Mufati ran away from the Pride. While he was walking along many days later, he spotted a baby zebra.

"'Please don't kill me,' said the zebra. 'If you let me go, I'll be your friend.' He chased it and killed it, even though he had already eaten earlier in the day. He was proud, but he didn't think it would be enough for his parents.

"A few days later, he came across a lame wildebeest who was lost from the herd. 'Please don't kill me, Mr. Lion,' said the wildebeest. 'I am weak and scrawny. If you let me go, I'll lead you to some better food.' But Mufati bit the wildebeest's throat and dragged him to the place with the zebra. Looking over his kills, he was proud. But he did not eat them, because he wanted to show them to his parents.

"He walked and walked, looking for something bigger and better to impress his parents. Finally, he came across a wise old elephant. Mufati decided that he would kill the elephant, and so his parents would be proud of him. But when he pounced on the elephant, it stepped on his tail and would not move. 'Let go of me!' he cried.

"'You are just a silly little lion,' said the elephant. 'How could you think you could catch me? I'm going to teach you the lesson.' And the elephant stood there and would not budge, no matter how Mufati cried. As the days went by, Mufati grew weak and hungry. So you know what he did?"

"What?" asked Chaka, wondering how he beat that big bad old elephant.

"He had to gnaw off his own tail," Nala told him.

"Ewww!" exclaimed Chaka, crinkling his nose.

Nala continued, "The two kills he'd made had been eaten by vultures, so he had to go back to his worried parents weak and without a tail. But you know what? His parents still loved him, even though he'd made them worry about him every day for half a moon."

"Oh." said Chaka, looking down at some ants. "I think I'll go outside now." He ran off into the sunlight outside the cave.

"Good story," commented Simba.

"Thanks," said Nala. "It came to me in a dream."

Suddenly, Chaka came scampering in again. "There's more of those strangers outside!" he exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement. He ran outside again, before Simba could stop him.

Outside the cave were five monkey creatures. Simba recognized Troi. He addressed her when he spoke. "Thank-you for healing Nala," he said. "For that, I am very grateful."

"I'd like you to listen to what our leader has to say," said Troi. She motioned toward one of the others, the bald one.

"Greetings. I am Captain Picard," said the bald one, taking a few steps toward him.

"I am Simba. What do you want?"

"We've come to offer you our protection," said Picard. "Nala was hurt by a phaser blast. Others, like us, may soon be here with many more phasers. We can prevent that."

There had to be a catch. Simba wondered what they could possibly want. He definitely didn't want any more of these 'phasers' around.

Picard continued, "All we ask is that you join what we call the Federation. Once you gain membership in the Federation, we can prevent other races from coming here, and possibly causing more damage."

"What would we have to do for your protection?" Simba asked. He could spare a few zebra carcasses for them, if necessary.

"We merely need you to say that you accept our offer of membership into the Federation," Picard said. "We can only offer our services if you specifically ask for them."

He heard Nala's voice from behind him. "Then we accept," she said. "You saved my life, and we'd do anything to repay you."

"Believe me, you already have," said Picard, looking at Simba's singed mane.

Nala walked over to Troi and looked up at her. Troi politely knelt down to meet her eyes. "I feel like I know you very well for some reason. I don't know why."

Troi smiled at her.

"I just want to thank you," said Nala, and licked her hand.

When they had gone, Chaka came up to Nala. "Mom," he asked, "Are they ever gonna come back?"

"I don't know, Chaka," Nala said. "I hope so."

It was nightfall. Rafiki hopped down from his tree and tested the wind. It was a clear night, and he was grateful for the starlight and full moon. It would make his task easier.

He made his way to the Elephant's Graveyard carefully. The hyenas had vacated the area in search of food months ago, during the dry spell. Even without them, it was still an intimidating place, with hulking skulls leering out of the darkness. Once, he nearly jumped a meter in the air when he saw a dark mole scuttle in front of him. It scuttled into a crevice. He walked on until he found what he was looking for.

Before him was a deep hole. He believed that it led all the way through the earth. He could feel the damp warmth steaming up from it. It was perfect for his purpose.

He looked at the Tool for the last time. It glinted in the moonlight. It was clearly evil. It had been used by Scar, and it had nearly killed Nala. He knew that he was doing the right thing.

Rafiki unceremoniously tossed the Tool into the pit and left.

APPENDIX - OUT TAKES & CUT MATERIAL

Have you ever seen a movie or a TV show where they show the blooper real during the end credits? Have you ever wished that novels had something like that too?

The following scenes, for one reason or another, didn't make it into the final version of the story. Some of them were unnecessary for the story - they fit in, but they were just dead weight. Some of them went in a direction I didn't feel the story should go in. Some of them are too hilarious, and would spoil the seriousness of the story. Some of them are just plain crazy, the products of a frustrated writer late at night. Here they are:

Dr. Crusher heard a groan from a bed in the rear of sickbay. Ensign Satonaka was stirring from his drug-induced sleep.

She went to him. "Feeling better?" she asked.

He tried to raise himself on his elbows, but only slumped back on the bed. He groaned again.

"You'll be like this for a few more minutes."

He put his arm on his forehead. "Ugh. What hit me?" he croaked.

The doctor smiled briefly. "You, sir, were bitten by a little bug with a big bite." She checked his pulse on the monitor. It was almost normal.

Her patient sipped the cup of water she gave him and looked around. "Hey, where'd you put my phaser?" he asked.

"You didn't have one when you came in," she answered.

"I need to know where it is, or Commander Worf gets VERY upset..."

"I know what you mean," she said, smiling. "I'll just check with your partner." She tapped her communicator and spoke into the air, "Dr. Crusher to Ensign Valnut."

Satonaka tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a laugh and ended up spilling his water all over the bed sheets.

Crusher looked at him in disdain and wondered what he found so funny. She was about to ask when Valnut answered, "What's up, doc? How's Mike?"

"He's fine. Do you know where his phaser is?"

There was a long pause at the other end of the link. "Oh, God... It must be back down on the planet."

Crusher didn't wait another second. She closed the link and called the bridge.

=======================================================================

"You little hyena!" Scar howled in pain just as Simba flew toward him. Chaka clung on still harder, weighing the lion down. But Scar was strong, and soon the cub was painfully thrown off. He looked on helplessly as the other two lions fought. Simba roared, his eyes red with rage. He raised a mighty claw and slashed at Scar's face. Scar dodged the blow, and took a step backwards. Simba leaped at him, and the lion rose to meet him. The two stood on their hind legs, each trying to topple the other to the ground. Scar bared his teeth and bit into Simba's shoulder. Chaka gasped as he saw his father's blood staining the lion's teeth. Simba jerked back and they both fell. Simba struggled to stand, but Scar flew into his side. They continued to fight until Scar was standing on Simba, looking down into his wild eyes.

Breathing hard, Scar said, "You have NO IDEA how long I've waited for this moment. The desert can be harsh. Its a wonder that you survived to be here." He dragged a single sharp nail lightly across Simba's neck, drawing blood. "Now you will DIE!" He growled menacingly.

Chaka flung himself at Scar. The black-maned lion turned in annoyance and swiped the cub with his massive paw. Chaka was thrown backwards and fell on his back. His head hit the ground and he whimpered as a thundering pain exploded between his ears.

Simba sprang up instantly. His chest heaved up and down in intense anger. "Scar." he said raggedly.

Scar was starting to look frightened. He glanced behind him and saw where the rocky floor ended in a sharp drop. His nerve seemed to leave him. "Simba, nephew," he pleaded, "Wait... maybe we can work this out."

Simba deliberately stepped closer, forcing Scar to move backwards, closer to the edge. "You took away everything that ever mattered."

"But--" Scar started, then was pushed over the edge as Simba flew into him. For few infinite moments, he was falling through the air. He scrambled frantically for something to hang on to, and found it. He dangled there, high above the ground. Lightning streaked across the sky, highlighting the cold hatred in Simba's eyes. The lion stood above him, and the angry wind tussled his red mane. Scar panicked and said, "Simba, help me!"

After an eternity, Simba bent down and extended a paw towards him. Scar latched onto it, eagerly holding on to this unexpected lifeline. "I want to watch you die," said the Lion King, "But I'm not like you." He pulled and Scar climbed up onto the rock.

"But why? You should have let me fall," said Scar, flabbergasted.

Simba only looked at him. "Run," he growled. "Run away and never return."

Scar started to turn away, but suddenly leaped towards Simba. The other lion ducked at the last second. Horrified, Scar careened past the edge and into empty space. He tried to stop himself, but there was nothing to hold onto this time. "Why won't you die?" he screamed as he fell to his doom.

Simba stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down. For a long time, nothing moved. Only the wind howled through the fields below.

They caught up to Data, who was standing motionless with his tricorder pointing west. "Captain," he said, "I have just detected a phaser discharge about 900 meters to the south."

Worry etched two deep burrows on Picard's brow. "Data, are you sure?" he asked.

"I am quite certain," said the android. "I am also picking up some strange energy emissions from the same direction."

"What kind of emissions?" asked the captain.

"They do not appear to be natural."

Troi leaned against a tree. "What could be causing them?" she asked.

Data looked up. "It is impossible to tell because of interference from mineral formations in the area.

Riker started walking south. "There's only one way to find out for sure," he said.

Troi followed the others through the thick, unyielding grasses until her feet began to ache. The fiery orange ball of the sun was quickly rising and becoming brighter. She yawned. That was the trouble with planets; they were never in sync with the ship's sleep cycles.

The horizon seemed to stretch on forever with golden grasses, broken only by the occasional grove of trees. There were mountains in the distance, giant, green-covered bumps in the landscape that pointed to the blue sky. But directly ahead, a thin column of black smoke rose slowly into the air from somewhere inside a patch of trees.

"Is that the source of the anomaly?" Picard asked.

"Yes," replied Data, adjusting his tricorder. "It appears to have a Romulan energy signature."

"It would be Romulans," said Worf, nearly growling.

Riker glared at the site. "What are they doing here? What could they possibly want?"

"Can we just find out and go back to the ship already?" Troi whined. "We've been on this F***ing away team since what, March Break? It's, like, Christmas already and this story's still not finished."

"Counselor, please be careful," Picard warned. "You don't want to rush the author."

Troi suddenly stopped walking and threw her tricorder on the ground. "I just don't CARE ANYMORE!" she burst out. "We've been on this one scene for FIVE MONTHS, and my FEET ARE F***ING TIRED, and what's more, I don't think I watered my plants in my quarters before we left!"

Riker started toward her. His eyes showed concern. "Deanna--"

"You SHUT the H*LL UP!" she screamed at him, her brown eyes flashing in fury. "I am just SICK OF THIS! I mean, it's LION KING, for God's sake! A STUPID KID's movie! Couldn't he be a little more creative?!"

Suddenly, the azure sky turned completely gray, as if some celestial hand had suddenly thrown a vast, cosmic veil over the entire universe. Thunder cracked through the air, making everyone jump. Troi looked frightened and started to say something, but the banshee shriek of the cold wind drowned out her words. Lightning cracked again and a fiery chasm opened up in the ground behind her. She felt icy fingers pushing at her, and screamed. The wind ate whatever words escaped her lips. And it howled thoughts in her ears -- demonic thoughts. Thoughts that made her want to run and run and be anywhere but here and now and Oh, God please help me! her mind cried out but she was drowning, falling downwards into a confusing array of insane imagery and dancing sounds and dissonant shapes -- tumbling downward -- down into loving hatred, cold fire, white blackness.

Oblivion.

Minutes passed. The wind quieted and the sun came out again. Riker was the first to speak.

"I tried to tell her," he rasped.

"There, there, Number One," Picard tried to comfort him. "It happens to the best of us."

"Intriguing," said Data, pointing his tricorder at the preceding paragraph. "By abandoning the traditional rules of grammar, and including run-on sentences and oxymorons, the author detailed the Counselor's descent both physically and metaphorically."

Picard straightened his uniform. "That's all fine and good, but I think we should get back to the story. KAZOO!"

"Bless you, sir." said Worf.

"No, I'm calling for the Great KaZoo. He can help us."

Riker scratched his head. "Don't you mean 'Q'?"

"Suit yourself," Picard shrugged and continued calling.

There was a popping sound, and a little green man appeared floating in the air. "You called, Dum-Dums?"

Picard straightened his uniform. "Yes. We've lost continuity in this story. Can you repair it?"

Kazoo sighed. "I'll see what I can do." He looked up into the sky and shouted, "as long as the author promises not to do this again!"

There was a long pause, and the wind whispered through the grasses. It grew louder and seemed to be saying, "Yes."

"And quit with that wind personification stuff already!" Kazoo exclaimed. He snapped his fingers....

"Is that the source of the anomaly?" Picard asked.

"Yes," replied Data, adjusting his tricorder. "It appears to have a Romulan energy signature."

"It would be Romulans," said Worf, nearly growling.

Riker glared at the site. "What are they doing here? What could they possibly want?"

Data trudged fearlessly toward the area. "We should get closer to the anomaly to obtain an accurate reading," he said.

Soon they arrived at the patch of trees surrounding a clearing. In the center of the clearing was some kind of machine. It crouched on the ground with three legs and projected a blue energy beam into the earth. A thick tube extended from its top surface. It spewed a thick, black smoke into the air, which was the source of a horrid stench.

Data scanned the control panel. "It seems to be a mining device," he announced. "It's set to filter minerals from the soil."

Picard came up to him. "What sort of minerals?" he asked.

"I do not know," Data admitted, "I would have to deactivate the apparatus to find out."

Riker's voice came from behind them. "Look here," he said. He was examining another instrument box to the side of the clearing. It had a control panel on the front, and a rotating antenna on the top. "Its some sort of comm center."

Troi looked at its bewildering array of lighted buttons labeled in Romulan script. "Can we use it to contact the ship?" she asked.

"Possibly," said Data. He walked over and tapped a few controls. "This terminal is tuned to an exact coded scrambling frequency. With some reconfiguration, we could break through the jamming and contact--"

"Step away from the control panel." Troi's heart jumped. A romulan was standing at the entrance to the clearing, aiming a disrupter at them. ===================================================================

"Sir," Riker said, pointing in another direction.

Picard looked. In the distance a plume of black smoke rising upwards into the clear blue sky. "Is that a natural occurrence?" he asked Data.

"No, it is not," said the android. "It is operating on a dilithium power source."

Riker kicked a stone off the edge of the rock they were standing on. It bounced for a few seconds and shattered on the way down. "We should investigate," he said.

"Yes, Number One," Picard agreed. "You and Data will come with me. Worf, stay here and wait for the Counselor." In the worst case, he was sure the klingon could fend off a few lions.

Simba walked on through the savanna with his strange convoy. Nala wanted him help the woman, so he had gathered most of the Pride for the trip. From what Troi had said, there could be trouble. He wished there was some way he could stay with Nala - she was too weak to come - but she had insisted she was well enough to be on her own. Even so, he'd left M'gwala behind to protect her.

Chaka led the group, and he seemed determined to show that he was perfectly capable of handling that rare responsibility. He constantly scanned the horizon for any signs of danger.

Troi tagged along, somewhere off to the side. Simba still didn't know what to make of her. She seemed out of place, and she grew tired really fast. Several times, as she stopped to catch her breath, she looked upwards into the sky, as if she were searching for something just beyond the clouds. Simba could sense the other lions' suspicion at the stranger. He still didn't completely trust her himself. But for some reason, Nala had complete faith in her, and that was enough for him.

As they trekked on, Troi told them a few things about life in places far away from here - so far that if you ran as fast as you could without stopping, you would never get there. Simba asked questions, but she seemed to be guarding her answers, careful not to tell them too much. Her people lived strange lives, cramped together in "ships" where they could never go outside. They were obsessed with their tools; it seemed like they had a tool for everything! They had tools for cleaning, sleeping, even eating. They never even had to hunt for their food. Simba couldn't imagine what life would be like if he didn't have to hunt. It would probably be unbelievably dull. Tools seemed to take the fun out of everything.

Picard stared at the blank screen for a few moments, trying to discern any evidence of a cloaking device. He would not put it past the Romulans to resort to such trickery. "Mr. Worf, are they still here?" he inquired.

Worf checked his sensors. When he answered, the surprise in his voice was evident. "They have left the system."

Picard paused for a moment, while the author tried to think of something to write to break up the dialogue. He'd already pulled his uniform straight about three times. He'd heard of static cling, but this was ridiculous. He really should get the ship's valet unit looked at.

Thankfully, Geordi broke in: "The USS Quasimondo is approaching at warp 8. Maybe that frightened them away."

Picard chuckled, "The sight of that ship would frighten anyone away."

"That was the worst excuse for a laugh line I've ever heard in my life," said Riker. "Let's leave it in!"

"We merely need you to say that you accept our offer of membership into the Federation," Picard said. "We can only offer our services if you specifically ask for them."

He heard Nala's voice from behind him. "Then we accept," she said. "You saved my life, and we'd do anything to repay you."

"Believe me, you already have," said Picard, looking at Simba's singed mane.

Nala walked over to Troi and looked up at her. Troi politely knelt down to meet her eyes. "I feel like I know you very well for some reason. I don't know why."

Troi smiled at her.

"I just want to thank you," said Nala, and licked her hand.

"Yuck!" said Troi. She grimaced and wiped her hand on Riker's pant leg.

"Hey!" exclaimed Riker.

"I'm sorry," said Troi. "But I don't know where that mouth's been!"

Nala growled at the insult and ate her. Then Worf ate Nala, so Simba had to eat Worf. Then a big boot came down and squashed them all, making a flatulent sound. Then an old man with wild gray hair came running out of a cave and said, "Its."

And then God said, 'Let this scene end, and happiness return to the land." And there was much tearing of clothes and gnashing of teeth, as the Edomites had defiled the sanctuary. There was much weeping among the younger priests as they carried the defiled stones of the alter to an unclean place, but the elders smiled knowingly and were glad that they didn't have to lug those big things. Then, a new altar was made using uncut stones, as prescribed by the law of Moses. Then, Jerusalem was invaded again. But the Israelites managed to reclaim it. Then, Jerusalem was invaded again. But the Israelites managed to reclaim it. Then, Jerusalem was invaded again. But the Israelites managed to reclaim it. Then, Jerusalem was invaded again. But the Israelites managed to reclaim it. Then, Jerusalem was invaded again. But the Israelites managed to reclaim it. It remains there to this very day. (Chronicles, 1: 1-6, 'Websters Super-Condensed Holy Bible for People Without A Lot of Time')

Did you spot the:

1. Song Lyrics? (2 points each)

2. A reference to a certain children's science show personality? (5 points)

3. References to the dispute between Disney and a certain Japanese animation studio? (10 points each)

4. Reference to the missing frame in the fire scene of the movie? ( 10 Points)