Liaisons

The Enterprise hosts two Iyaaran ambassadors, Loquel and Byleth, while Picard sets off for their homeworld with a third, Voval. On the ship, Loquel becomes fascinated by pleasure, especially desserts, while Byleth is rude and demanding, and insists on Worf as his guide. Worf's patience snaps during a poker game, which seems to delight Byleth. Meanwhile Picard's shuttle crashes on an unknown planet. He wakes in the care of Anna, who says she is the lone survivor of a wreck seven years earlier. Her affection for Picard grows into obsession, and he realises she has invented his injuries to keep him with her. Then Voval, apparently dead, returns, and the truth comes out: Anna is Voval, and the crash was staged. The Iyaarans were studying human emotions, love, pleasure and antagonism, by experiencing them. Picard accepts their methods with good grace, and the ambassadors depart.