Post by magicmuggle01 on Jun 11, 2019 9:31:45 GMT
As the Enterprise explores a nebula, a little girl's imaginary friend becomes terrifyingly real.
Summary
Clara, a young girl who just moved to the USS Enterprise-D with her father, Ensign Daniel Sutter, talks to Counselor Deanna Troi, discussing the nature of her imaginary friend named Isabella. Troi believes that Clara imagined Isabella as she moves from ship to ship often due to her father's career, and hasn't had the opportunity to sustain a friendship.
"Captain's log, Stardate 45852.1. The Enterprise has arrived at FGC 47, a nebula which has formed around a neutron star. We are eager to investigate this unique formation."
While the Enterprise explores the nebula, a small sphere of energy enters the Enterprise and roams about the corridors, sickbay, and finally the arboretum, where Clara is assisting Keiko O'Brien in planting nasturtium seeds. While there talking to the invisible Isabella, to her surprise, the imaginary friend appears to Clara in the arboretum seemingly in the flesh.
Act One
Isabella suggests to Clara that they explore the Enterprise together, despite the fact that Clara thinks she should inform her father. But Isabella insists that they go anyway and they leave the arboretum. The two spend all their time together. Increasingly, Isabella gets Clara into trouble by having her do things she knows are wrong, and leading her into off-limit places, including main engineering, where Data, Geordi La Forge, and her father Daniel were discussing potential names for the nebula. After his superior officer La Forge expresses his annoyance at Clara's presence in engineering, Daniel orders that Clara return to their quarters. When Clara leaves, Isabella reappears. She says she needs to disappear around the adults.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is experiencing unexplained drops in velocity. La Forge thinks the ship is experiencing drag, as the engines are producing the same output. The rate of change in velocity decreases faster, but then Isabella tells Clara to wait and disappears. She returns, and the ship's velocity is back to expected.
Act Two
Generally others on the ship cannot see Isabella although Worf sees her when Clara and Isabella run into him in a corridor when they aren't paying attention. Worf too orders the young Sutter back to her quarters but after he enters a turbolift, Clara and Isabella return to running down the corridor. While talking to La Forge in engineering, Ensign Sutter asks him if he had parents serving in Starfleet when he was a child. La Forge says yes, his father was an exozoologist and his mother served on an outpost near the Neutral Zone. Ensign Sutter remarks that the experience must have been unpleasant for him, having to always be on the move. La Forge says that children are pretty resilient and as long as they know their parents love them, they can usually handle anything life throws at them.
Later on, Clara enters Ten Forward. Children on the Enterprise are usually prohibited from entering Ten Forward without an adult but Guinan allows it, taking on Clara as her personal guest. She has Clara sit up on the bar and serves her and Isabella papalla juice. Isabella is invisible during this time, but Guinan pretends, thinking Clara is pretending, too. She tells Clara that when she was her age, her best imaginary friend was a Tarcassian razor beast that put her to sleep every night. Counselor Troi then enters and escorts Clara out of Ten Forward.
Eventually, Troi sees that Isabella is getting Clara into enough trouble that Clara has to be with other children her age. Troi insists that Clara leave her friend alone to go play with others. She comes to invite Clara to a ceramics class, without Isabella. They leave and she reappears, now angry.
Act Three
The Enterprise is shaken again by the drag on the ship slowing it down. It stabilizes, but still unexplained. In engineering, La Forge and Sutter have determined there is a highly-charged form of plasma creating resonances on impact with the ship. They don't know how many there are, but they can modify the deflector dish to illuminate them for counting. They find, remarkably, an irregular lattice of about 47 million of the strands.
Meanwhile, Troi takes Clara to meet Worf's son Alexander at the class, and they create some clay sculptures together. Isabella, however, is causing trouble, first, by annoying Troi, knocking down her cup in her quarters, twice. Then, she ruins a Klingon-style clay cup Alexander was creating for his father when he isn't looking. He believes Clara caused it and complains to her. An upset Clara goes to the arboretum, crying. When Isabella returns, she is very angry that she left her. Saying she liked her and wanted to protect her earlier, now she doesn't care and says, "When the others come, you can die along with everyone else."
Act Four
The strands are impeding the Enterprise's ability to leave the nebula. They can't go to warp, and are forced to muddle through.
Meanwhile, Troi is concerned about her approach with Clara in Ten Forward. Guinan sits down and admits to her imaginary friend, and says a child shouldn't need to give that up. Then, Troi is called to the Sutters' quarters by Ensign Sutter when Clara is having trouble going to sleep because Isabella has been threatening her. Clara now tells Troi that Isabella isn't imaginary anymore, and that others like her will kill everyone aboard. Troi guides her to her room to search for Isabella, and she suddenly appears and attacks Troi, who is knocked unconscious.
Act Five
Afterwards, while Troi is being treated in sickbay by Dr. Crusher, Clara is brought in by Nurse Ogawa. Clara talks to her father and then talks to Captain Picard. The ship then shakes again and Picard orders the ship to stop. An energy being comes toward the Enterprise and starts to drain the shields. Then, more come. Picard decides to try to talk to Isabella in the arboretum.
Picard appeals to Isabella to show herself in the arboretum. Suddenly, Isabella makes herself visible to everyone. The crew learns that Isabella is actually an energy-based lifeform whose home is the nebula outside the ship. He begins to talk to her about Human parenting. Isabella argues that the adults were cruel to Clara, and Picard explains that rules are for her protection, and even Clara will make some rules for her children when she eventually grows up. Isabella is convinced, and allows the ship to pass safely through the nebula. Isabella appears one last time to Clara in her bedroom and apologizes for frightening her. She tells Clara she never had a friend before and hopes she will return to the nebula someday. The Enterprise departs FGC 47 for open space.
Memorable quotes
"So, what are we gonna call this nebula? FGC 47 just doesn't have the proper ring to it."
"Why don't we call it Sutter's Cloud?"
"No, I was thinking about something more along the lines of the La Forge Nebula. It has sort of a majestic sound, don't you think?"
"Given the selections, I prefer FGC 47."
- Geordi La Forge, Daniel Sutter, and Data, debating potential names for the nebula
"It's just, I've never seen you before, not for real."
"Well, now you can see me for real. Doesn't that make you happy?"
- Clara Sutter sees her imaginary friend Isabella appear in the flesh
"It is interesting that people try to find meaningful patterns in things that are essentially random. I have noticed that the images they perceive can sometimes suggest what they are thinking about at that particular moment. Besides, it is clearly a bunny rabbit."
- Data, to Guinan as they stare at the nebula clouds
"I was going to protect you, Clara. I liked you. Now, I don't care. Now, when the others come, you can die along with everyone else!"
- Isabella
"Sounds scary!"
"Oh it was! Especially when he smiled."
- Clara and Guinan, talking about Guinan's imaginary Tarcassian razor beast
"Can you only communicate by threatening a small child?"
- Picard, appealing to Isabella to show herself
Summary
Clara, a young girl who just moved to the USS Enterprise-D with her father, Ensign Daniel Sutter, talks to Counselor Deanna Troi, discussing the nature of her imaginary friend named Isabella. Troi believes that Clara imagined Isabella as she moves from ship to ship often due to her father's career, and hasn't had the opportunity to sustain a friendship.
"Captain's log, Stardate 45852.1. The Enterprise has arrived at FGC 47, a nebula which has formed around a neutron star. We are eager to investigate this unique formation."
While the Enterprise explores the nebula, a small sphere of energy enters the Enterprise and roams about the corridors, sickbay, and finally the arboretum, where Clara is assisting Keiko O'Brien in planting nasturtium seeds. While there talking to the invisible Isabella, to her surprise, the imaginary friend appears to Clara in the arboretum seemingly in the flesh.
Act One
Isabella suggests to Clara that they explore the Enterprise together, despite the fact that Clara thinks she should inform her father. But Isabella insists that they go anyway and they leave the arboretum. The two spend all their time together. Increasingly, Isabella gets Clara into trouble by having her do things she knows are wrong, and leading her into off-limit places, including main engineering, where Data, Geordi La Forge, and her father Daniel were discussing potential names for the nebula. After his superior officer La Forge expresses his annoyance at Clara's presence in engineering, Daniel orders that Clara return to their quarters. When Clara leaves, Isabella reappears. She says she needs to disappear around the adults.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is experiencing unexplained drops in velocity. La Forge thinks the ship is experiencing drag, as the engines are producing the same output. The rate of change in velocity decreases faster, but then Isabella tells Clara to wait and disappears. She returns, and the ship's velocity is back to expected.
Act Two
Generally others on the ship cannot see Isabella although Worf sees her when Clara and Isabella run into him in a corridor when they aren't paying attention. Worf too orders the young Sutter back to her quarters but after he enters a turbolift, Clara and Isabella return to running down the corridor. While talking to La Forge in engineering, Ensign Sutter asks him if he had parents serving in Starfleet when he was a child. La Forge says yes, his father was an exozoologist and his mother served on an outpost near the Neutral Zone. Ensign Sutter remarks that the experience must have been unpleasant for him, having to always be on the move. La Forge says that children are pretty resilient and as long as they know their parents love them, they can usually handle anything life throws at them.
Later on, Clara enters Ten Forward. Children on the Enterprise are usually prohibited from entering Ten Forward without an adult but Guinan allows it, taking on Clara as her personal guest. She has Clara sit up on the bar and serves her and Isabella papalla juice. Isabella is invisible during this time, but Guinan pretends, thinking Clara is pretending, too. She tells Clara that when she was her age, her best imaginary friend was a Tarcassian razor beast that put her to sleep every night. Counselor Troi then enters and escorts Clara out of Ten Forward.
Eventually, Troi sees that Isabella is getting Clara into enough trouble that Clara has to be with other children her age. Troi insists that Clara leave her friend alone to go play with others. She comes to invite Clara to a ceramics class, without Isabella. They leave and she reappears, now angry.
Act Three
The Enterprise is shaken again by the drag on the ship slowing it down. It stabilizes, but still unexplained. In engineering, La Forge and Sutter have determined there is a highly-charged form of plasma creating resonances on impact with the ship. They don't know how many there are, but they can modify the deflector dish to illuminate them for counting. They find, remarkably, an irregular lattice of about 47 million of the strands.
Meanwhile, Troi takes Clara to meet Worf's son Alexander at the class, and they create some clay sculptures together. Isabella, however, is causing trouble, first, by annoying Troi, knocking down her cup in her quarters, twice. Then, she ruins a Klingon-style clay cup Alexander was creating for his father when he isn't looking. He believes Clara caused it and complains to her. An upset Clara goes to the arboretum, crying. When Isabella returns, she is very angry that she left her. Saying she liked her and wanted to protect her earlier, now she doesn't care and says, "When the others come, you can die along with everyone else."
Act Four
The strands are impeding the Enterprise's ability to leave the nebula. They can't go to warp, and are forced to muddle through.
Meanwhile, Troi is concerned about her approach with Clara in Ten Forward. Guinan sits down and admits to her imaginary friend, and says a child shouldn't need to give that up. Then, Troi is called to the Sutters' quarters by Ensign Sutter when Clara is having trouble going to sleep because Isabella has been threatening her. Clara now tells Troi that Isabella isn't imaginary anymore, and that others like her will kill everyone aboard. Troi guides her to her room to search for Isabella, and she suddenly appears and attacks Troi, who is knocked unconscious.
Act Five
Afterwards, while Troi is being treated in sickbay by Dr. Crusher, Clara is brought in by Nurse Ogawa. Clara talks to her father and then talks to Captain Picard. The ship then shakes again and Picard orders the ship to stop. An energy being comes toward the Enterprise and starts to drain the shields. Then, more come. Picard decides to try to talk to Isabella in the arboretum.
Picard appeals to Isabella to show herself in the arboretum. Suddenly, Isabella makes herself visible to everyone. The crew learns that Isabella is actually an energy-based lifeform whose home is the nebula outside the ship. He begins to talk to her about Human parenting. Isabella argues that the adults were cruel to Clara, and Picard explains that rules are for her protection, and even Clara will make some rules for her children when she eventually grows up. Isabella is convinced, and allows the ship to pass safely through the nebula. Isabella appears one last time to Clara in her bedroom and apologizes for frightening her. She tells Clara she never had a friend before and hopes she will return to the nebula someday. The Enterprise departs FGC 47 for open space.
Memorable quotes
"So, what are we gonna call this nebula? FGC 47 just doesn't have the proper ring to it."
"Why don't we call it Sutter's Cloud?"
"No, I was thinking about something more along the lines of the La Forge Nebula. It has sort of a majestic sound, don't you think?"
"Given the selections, I prefer FGC 47."
- Geordi La Forge, Daniel Sutter, and Data, debating potential names for the nebula
"It's just, I've never seen you before, not for real."
"Well, now you can see me for real. Doesn't that make you happy?"
- Clara Sutter sees her imaginary friend Isabella appear in the flesh
"It is interesting that people try to find meaningful patterns in things that are essentially random. I have noticed that the images they perceive can sometimes suggest what they are thinking about at that particular moment. Besides, it is clearly a bunny rabbit."
- Data, to Guinan as they stare at the nebula clouds
"I was going to protect you, Clara. I liked you. Now, I don't care. Now, when the others come, you can die along with everyone else!"
- Isabella
"Sounds scary!"
"Oh it was! Especially when he smiled."
- Clara and Guinan, talking about Guinan's imaginary Tarcassian razor beast
"Can you only communicate by threatening a small child?"
- Picard, appealing to Isabella to show herself
