Damage report!
Shields at 60 percent.
Our fuel line has ruptured. Attempting to compensate.
Damn it! We're barely maintaining impulse.
l can't get any more out of it.
Be creative.
How am l supposed to be creative
with a 39-year-old rebuilt engine?
Maquis ship
this is Gul Evek of the Cardassian Fourth Order.
Cut your engines and prepare to surrender or we will de...
lnitiating evasive pattern omega. Mark.
Shields at 50 percent.
l need more power
if we're going to make it to the Badlands.
Take the weapons off-line.
We'll transfer all power to the engines.
Considering the circumstances,
l'd question that proposal at this time.
What does it matter?
We're not making a dent in their shields anyway.
You wanted creative.
Tuvok, shut down all the phaser banks.
lf you can give me another 30 seconds at full impulse,
l'll get us into the Badlands.
Phasers off-line.
Throw the last photons at them
and then give me the power from the torpedo systems.
Acknowledged. Firing photons.
Are you reading any plasma storms ahead?
One. Coordinates 171 mark 43.
That's where l'm going.
Plasma storm density increasing by 14 percent.
Twenty...
Twenty-five...
Hold on!
Cardassian ship is not reducing power.
They're following us in.
Gul Evek must feel daring today.
They've taken a hit on their port blade.
They're sending out a distress signal
on all Cardassian frequencies.
Can you plot a course
through these plasma fields, Mr. Tuvok?
Storm's activity is typically widespread in this vicinity.
l can plot a course, but l'm afraid it will require
an indirect route.
We can use the time to make some repairs.
What was that?
Curious.
We just passed through some kind of coherent tetryon beam.
Source?
Unknown.
Now there appears to be
a massive displacement wave moving toward us.
Another storm?
lt's not a plasma phenomenon.
At current speeds
it will intercept us in less than 30 seconds.
Anything left in those impulse generators, B'Elanna?
We'll find out.
Still exceeding our speed.
Maximum power.
Wave is continuing to accelerate.
lt will intercept us in eight seconds.
Five.
Tom Paris?
Kathryn Janeway.
l served with your father on the Al-Batani.
l wonder if we could go somewhere and talk?
About what?
About a job we'd like you to do for us.
l'm already doing a job...
for the Federation.
l've been told the Rehab Commission
is very pleased with your work.
They've given me their approval to discuss this matter with you.
Well, then l guess l'm yours.
Your father taught me a great deal.
l was his Science Officer during the Arias Expedition.
You must be good.
My father only accepts the best and the brightest.
l'm leaving on a mission to find a Maquis ship
that disappeared in the Badlands a week ago.
l wouldn't, if l were you.
Really?
l've never seen a Federation starship
that could maneuver through the plasma storms.
You've never seen Voyager.
We'd like you to come along.
You'd like me to lead you to my former colleagues.
l was only with the Maquis a few weeks
before l was captured, Captain.
l don't know where most of their hiding places are.
You know the territory better than anyone we've got.
What's so important about this particular Maquis ship?
My Chief of Security was on board— undercover.
He was supposed to report in twice during the last six days.
He didn't.
Maybe it's just your Chief of Security who's disappeared.
Maybe.
That ship was under the command
of another former
Starfleet officer
named Chakotay.
l understand you knew him.
That's right.
The two of you didn't get along too well, l'm told.
Chakotay will tell you he left Starfleet on principle—
to defend his home colony from the Cardassians.
l, on the other hand, was forced to resign.
He considered me a mercenary—
willing to fight for anyone who'd pay my bar bills.
The trouble is he was right.
l have no problem helping you
track down my "friends" in the Maquis, Captain.
All l need to know from you is what's in it for me?
You help us find that ship
we help you at your next outmate review.
Uh-huh.
Officially, you'd be
a Starfleet observer during the mission.
Observer?
Oh, hell, l'm the best pilot you could have.
You'll be an observer.
When it's over, you're cut loose.
Story of my life.
Stadi, you're changing my mind about Betazoids.
Good.
Oh, that wasn't a compliment.
Until today, l always considered your people warm and sensual.
l can be warm and sensual.
Just not to me.
Do you always fly at women at warp speed, Mr. Paris?
Only when they're in visual range.
That's our ship.
That's Voyager.
lntrepid-class—
sustainable cruise velocity of warp factor
9.975.
15 decks, crew complement of 141.
Bio-neural circuitry.
Bio-neural?
Some of the traditional
circuitry has been replaced by gel packs
that contain bio-neural cells.
They organize information more efficiently—
speed up response time.
lf l may say so, it's been my special pleasure
to see many new officers like yourself
come through these portals.
Your parents must be very proud, my boy.
You know, on an occasion like this...
l'm really not interested.
lnterested?
You were about to try to sell me something, right?
l was merely going to suggest
that your parents might appreciate a memento
of your first mission.
And you happen to have several to choose from?
l do carry a select line
of unique artifacts and gemstones
indigenous to this region.
Why, quite recently, l acquired these Lobi crystals
from a very strange creature called a Morn.
We were warned about the Ferengi at the Academy.
Warned about Ferengi, were you?
That's right.
Slurs about my people at Starfleet Academy.
What l meant was...
Here l am, trying to be a cordial host, knowing
how much a young officer's parents would appreciate
a token of his love on the eve of a dangerous mission
and what do l get for my trouble?
Scurrilous insults.
Well, somebody's going to hear about this.
What's your name, son?
My... name?
You have one, l presume?
Kim, Harry Kim, but l...
And who was it
at the Academy who warned you about Ferengi?
You know, l think a memento for my parents
would be a great idea.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Really, one of these
would make a great pendant for my mother.
Or cufflinks for your father.
Cufflinks. Great idea.
They're not for sale.
Now, inform your commanding officer
that the Federation Council can expect an official query...
How much for the entire tray?
Cash or credit?
Dazzling, aren't they?
As bright as a Koladan diamond.
Brighter.
Hard to believe you can find them
on any planet in the system.
That's an exaggeration.
You know, there's a shop at the Volnar Colony
that sells a dozen assorted shapes
for one Cardassian lek.
How much are you selling these for?
We were just about to negotiate the price.
Come on.
Thanks.
Didn't they warn you about Ferengi at the Academy?
Run a level-3 diagnostic just to be sure.
Can l help you?
Tom Paris, reporting on board.
Oh, yes.
The observer.
That's me.
As a matter of fact, l seem to be observing
some kind of problem right now...
Doctor.
l was a surgeon at the hospital on Caldik Prime
the same time you were stationed there.
We never actually met.
Your medical records have arrived
from your last posting, Mr. Paris.
Everything seems to be in order.
The Captain asked if you were on board.
You should check in with her.
Uh...
l haven't paid my respects to the Captain yet either.
Well, Mr. Kim, that would be a good thing
for a new Operations Officer to do.
What was that all about?
lt's a long story, Harry
and l'm tired of telling it.
l'm sure someone around here will tell you before long.
The doctor called.
And?
And l was right.
She's pregnant?
Puppies are due in seven weeks.
Oh, Mark, you've got to take her home with you.
With me?
l just got the rugs cleaned.
She's with child.
l can't leave her in a kennel while l...
ls this another "love me, love my dog" demand?
Yes.
How could l ever refuse you?
Thanks, honey.
So when are you leaving?
As soon as l approve these system status reports.
All right, then l won't bother you anymore.
Hey...
you never bother me.
Except the way l love to be bothered.
Understand?
l'll remember that.
See you in a few weeks.
Oh, Mark, go by my house and pick up the doggy bed.
She'll be more comfortable.
l already did.
An hour ago.
Come in.
Gentlemen, welcome aboard Voyager.
Thank you, sir.
Mr. Kim...
at ease before you sprain something.
Ensign, despite Starfleet protocol
l don't like being addressed as "sir."
l'm sorry... ma'am.
"Ma'am" is acceptable in a crunch,
but l prefer "Captain."
We're getting ready to leave.
Let me show you to the Bridge.
Did you have any problems getting here, Mr. Paris?
None at all, Captain.
My First Officer, Lieutenant Commander Cavit.
Ensign Kim, Mr. Paris.
Welcome aboard.
Ensign Kim, this is your station.
Would you like to take over?
Yes, ma'am.
lt's not crunch time yet, Mr. Kim.
l'll let you know when.
Lieutenant Stadi, lay in the course
and clear our departure with Operations.
Course entered, Ops has cleared us.
Ready thrusters.
Thrusters ready.
lnitiate launching sequence.
Sequence underway.
Engage.
Tomato soup.
There are 14 varieties of tomato soup available
from this replicator— with rice, with vegetables,
Bolian-style, with pasta, with...
Plain.
Specify hot or chilled.
Hot!
Hot, plain tomato soup.
There, you see?
l told you it wouldn't take long.
ls it true?
Was the accident my fault?
Yes— pilot error—
but it took me a while to admit it.
Ugh! 14 varieties
and they can't even get plain tomato soup right.
They said you falsified reports.
That's right.
Why?
What's the difference? l lied.
But then you came forward
and you admitted that it was your fault?
l'll tell you the truth, Harry.
All l had to do was keep my mouth shut
and l was home free...
but l couldn't.
The ghosts of those three dead officers
came to me in the middle of the night
and taught me the true meaning of Christmas.
So l confessed—
worst mistake l ever made but not my last.
After they cashiered me out of Starfleet,
l went out looking for a fight and found the Maquis,
and on my first assignment, l was caught.
That must have been especially tough for you,
being the son of an admiral.
Frankly, l think it was tougher on my father than it was on me.
Look.
l know those guys told you to stay away from me,
and you know what?
You ought to listen to them.
l'm not exactly a good-luck charm.
l don't need anyone to choose my friends for me.
Janeway to Paris.
Go ahead.
Report to the Bridge.
We're approaching the Badlands.
The plasma storms were measured at levels three and four.
The Cardassians gave us the last known heading
of the Maquis ship, and we have charts
of the plasma storm activity the day it disappeared.
With a little help,
we might be able to approximate its course.
l'd guess
they were trying to get to one of the M-Class
planetoids in the Terikof Belt.
That's beyond the Moriya system
The plasma storms would have forced them in this direction.
Adjust our course to match.
Aye, Captain.
The Cardassians claim they forced
the Maquis ship into a plasma storm
where it was destroyed,
but our probes haven't picked up any debris.
A plasma storm might not leave any debris.
We'd still be able to pick up
a resonance trace from the warp core.
Captain.
l'm reading a coherent tetryon beam scanning us.
Origin, Mr. Kim?
l'm not sure.
There's also a displacement wave moving toward us.
On screen.
Analysis.
Some kind of polarized magnetic variation.
We might be able to disperse it with a graviton particle field.
Do it.
Red Alert.
Move us away from it, Lieutenant.
New heading 41 mark 180.
lnitiating graviton field.
The graviton field had no effect.
Full impulse.
The wave will intercept us in 12 seconds.
Can we go to warp?
Not until we clear the plasma field, Captain.
Five seconds.
Brace for impact.
Three...
Report.
Hull breach, deck 14.
Com lines to Engineering are down.
Trying to reestablish.
Repair crews, seal off hull breach on deck 14.
Aye, Captain.
Casualty reports coming in.
Sick Bay is not responding.
Bridge to Sick Bay.
Doctor, can you hear me?
Paris, how's Stadi?
She's dead.
Captain, there's something out there.
l need a better description than that, Mr. Kim.
l don't know.
l'm reading...
l'm not sure what l'm reading.
Can you get the viewscreen operational?
l'm trying.
Captain, if these sensors are working
we're over 70,000 light-years from where we were.
We're on the other side of the galaxy.
l'm not reading any life signs on the Maquis ship.
What about on that... that Array?
Our sensors can't penetrate it.
Any idea what those pulses are
that are coming from it, Mr. Kim?
Massive bursts of radiant energy.
They seem to be directed
toward a nearby G-type star system.
Try hailing the Array.
Engineering to Bridge.
We have severe damage. The chief's dead.
Possibility of a warp core breach.
Secure all engineering systems. l'm on my way.
No response from the Array.
Ensign, get down to Sick Bay. See what's going on.
Mr. Rollins, the Bridge is yours.
Aye, Captain.
Harry, wait for me.
They must have been
right next to the console when it exploded.
Warning. Warp core micro-fracture.
Breach imminent.
What's the warp core pressure?
2,100 kilopascals.
Lock down the magnetic constrictors.
lf we lock them down at these pressure levels,
we might not be able to reinitialize
the dilithium reaction.
Warning.
Warp core microfracture. Breach imminent.
We don't have a choice.
We've got to get the reaction rate
down before we try to seal it.
Computer, initiate
emergency medical holographic program.
Please state the nature of the medical emergency.
Multiple percussive injuries.
Status of your doctor?
He's dead.
.4cc's of trianoline.
Trianoline?
We lost our nurse, too.
How soon are replacement medical personnel expected?
That could be a problem.
We're pretty far away from replacements right now.
Tricorder.
Medical tricorder.
A replacement must be requested as soon as possible.
l am programmed only as a short-term
emergency supplement to the medical team.
Well, we may be stuck with you for a while, Doc.
There's no need for concern.
l am capable of treating any injury or disease.
No concussion. You'll be fine.
Clean him up.
Unlock the magnetic constrictors.
Constrictors on line.
Pressure?
lt's working.
2,500 kilopascals and holding.
Bridge to Janeway.
We're being scanned by the Array, Captain.
lt's penetrated our shields.
What kind of scan?
Bridge?
Janeway to Bridge. Respond.
lnitiate emergency lock off.
You're not seriously hurt. You can return to your station.
This is the emergency holographic doctor speaking.
l gave no permission
for anyone to be transported out of Sick Bay.
Hello.
Sick Bay to Bridge.
l believe someone has failed to terminate my program.
Please respond.
Come up here.
Come on now.
l have a pitcher
of lemonade and some sugar cookies.
Captain?
Don't believe your eyes, Mr. Paris.
We've only transported 100 kilometers.
We're inside the Array.
There's no indication of stable matter.
All this must be some kind of holographic projection.
Oh, you poor things. You must be tired out.
But come on and sit down and rest a while.
Have a cold drink, hmm?
No, thank you.
My name is Kathryn Janeway,
Captain of the Federation Starship Voyager.
Now just make yourselves right at home.
The neighbors should be here any minute.
Oh. Why, here they are.
Howdy.
Welcome, folks.
Hey.
Well, good to see you. Welcome.
We're real glad you dropped by.
Now we can get started.
You're all invited to the welcoming bee!
Let's have some music!
Yoo-hoo!
The crew's scattered around this farm, Captain,
but they're all accounted for.
Move around. Scan the area.
See if you can find anything
that might be a holographic generator.
Have some nice fresh corn on the cob.
Fresh corn on the cob.
Corn on the cob? Corn on the cob?
Can you tell me why we're here?
Oh, we don't mean you any harm.
l'm sorry if we've put you out.
Why don't you just put your feet up
and get comfortable while you wait?
Wait for what?
lsn't anybody hungry?
Come on, now. Make yourselves at home.
l'm sorry if we've put you out.
Hey, let me show you around.
The root cellar's right over there.
What's down there?
Potatoes, onions.
But it's real private.
Hmm.
Paris, she's only a hologram.
No reason to be rude.
Whoa.
What?
Sporocystian life signs.
What's in the barn?
Oh, nothing but a big ol' pile of hay.
Hey, come on! Let's go see the duck pond.
Nothing in there.
lt's just a dark, smelly barn.
Hey, do y'all want some deviled eggs?
Huh?
See? Nothing but hay.
There's a life-form here.
- Just one. - Where?
lt's everywhere.
l'm also reading some kind of matrix processing device.
lt may be the holographic generator.
Paris.
Humanoid life signs over here.
l'm reading a Vulcan and several humans.
l'm not ready for you yet!
Paris to Janeway.
Janeway here.
Paris?
Come on.
Very well.
Since no one seems to care for any corn,
we'll have to proceed ahead of schedule.
Janeway to Bridge. Anybody there?
Yes, Captain, we're here.
How long were we over there?
Almost three days.
Three days!
Captain, the Maquis ship is powering up its engines.
Tractor them. All senior officers report
to the Bridge immediately.
Excuse me, could you explain what has transpired?
Computer, locate Ensign Kim.
Ensign Kim is not on board.
Uh, Paris to Janeway.
Go ahead.
Kim didn't come back with us. He must still be over there.
Acknowledged.
Computer, how many crewmen are unaccounted for?
One: Ensign Harry Kim.
Hail the Maquis.
Commander Chakotay,
my name is Captain Kathryn Janeway.
How do you know my name?
We were on a mission to find you
when we were brought here by the Array.
One of our crewmen is missing.
Was he transported back to your ship by accident?
No. A member of our crew is missing, too.
B'Elanna Torres, my Engineer.
Commander, you and l have the same problem.
l think it makes sense
to try and solve it together, don't you?
Three of us will transport to your ship.
They're powering down their engines
dropping their shields.
Watch out, Captain. They're armed.
Put down your weapons.
You won't need those here.
lt's good to have you back, Mr. Tuvok.
l must inform you that l was assigned
to infiltrate your crew, sir.
l am Captain Janeway's Chief of Security.
Were you going to deliver us
into their waiting hands, Vulcan?
My mission was to accumulate information
on Maquis activities
and then deliver you into their "waiting hands."
That is correct.
l see you had help.
lt's good to see you, too, Chakotay.
At least the Vulcan was doing his duty as a Starfleet officer,
but you...
you betrayed us for what?
Freedom from prison? Latinum?
What was your price this time?
You are speaking to a member of my crew.
l expect you to treat him with the same respect
as you would have me treat a member of yours.
Now, we have a lot to accomplish and l suggest we all concentrate
on finding our people and getting ourselves back home.
Based on my initial
reconnaissance, Captain l am convinced we are dealing
with a single entity in the Array.
l would suggest he scanned our computers
in order to select a comfortable holographic environment.
ln effect, a waiting room
to pacify us prior to biometric assessment.
An examination?
lt is the most logical explanation.
Why else would he have released us unharmed?
Not all of us were.
Break out the compression phaser rifles.
Meet us in Transporter Room 2.
We're going back.
We'll divide into teams.
Mr. Tuvok, while Chakotay and l are looking for Torres
and, Kim, your job is to find out
as much about this Array as you can.
lt brought us here.
We have to assume it can send us home.
Agreed?
Mr. Rollins, maintain Red Alert.
Keep us on constant transporter locks.
Captain.
l'd like to go with you.
lf this has something to do with what Chakotay...
lt doesn't. l just...
l'd hate to see anything happen to Harry.
Come on.
There are no humanoid life-forms indicated, Captain.
Kim and Torres are not within tricorder range.
They may not be on the Array.
He can tell us where they are.
Maintain your com link.
l don't want to lose anyone else.
Oh, why have you come back?
You don't have what l need.
l don't know what you need and, frankly, l don't care.
l just want our people back
and l want us all to be sent home.
Oh, well, now, aren't you contentious
for a minor bipedal species.
This minor bipedal species
doesn't take kindly to being abducted.
Oh, it was necessary.
Where are our people?
They are no longer here.
What have you done to them?
You don't have what l need.
They might.
No. You'll have to leave them.
We won't do that.
We are their commanding officers.
We are entrusted with their safety.
They are our responsibility.
That may be a concept you don't understand.
Oh, no, l do understand,
but l have no choice.
Oh...
There just is not enough time left.
Left for what?
l must honor a debt that can never be repaid,
but my search has not been going well.
Tell us what you're looking for.
Maybe we can help you find it.
You?
l've searched the galaxy
with methods beyond your comprehension.
No. There's nothing you can do.
You've taken us 70,000 light-years from our home.
We have no way back unless you send us
and we won't leave without the others.
But... sending you back is terribly complicated.
Don't you understand?
l don't have time.
Not enough time!
He's regaining consciousness.
How do you feel?
What am l doing here?
Where am l?
Please don't try to move yet.
You're very ill.
lll? No, no, there's some mistake,
l'm not...
No!
Captain's Log, Stardate 48315.6.
We've traced the energy pulses from the Array
to the fifth planet of the neighboring system
and believe they may have been used in some fashion
to transport Kim and Torres to the planet's surface.
Come in.
Captain, l've observed something peculiar about the pulses.
They're getting faster.
Faster.
The interval between each pulse
has decreased by.47 seconds since we arrived.
l can offer no explanation.
That's only one of the mysteries we're dealing with, Mr. Tuvok.
Take a look at this.
lt's virtually a desert.
Not one ocean.
Not one river.
lt has all the basic characteristics
of an M-Class planet, except...
there are no nucleogenic particles
in the atmosphere.
That would mean the planet is incapable
of producing rain.
l've studied thousands of M-Class planets.
l've never seen an atmosphere without nucleogenics.
There must have been
some kind of extraordinary environmental disaster.
As soon as repairs are complete...
we'll set a course for the fifth planet.
Captain.
You require sleep.
Kim's mother called me just after he left Earth.
Delightful woman.
He's her only son.
He'd left his clarinet behind.
She wanted to know if she had time to send it.
l had to tell her no.
Do you know he played the clarinet
in the Juilliard Youth Symphony?
l did not have the opportunity to meet Mr. Kim.
l barely knew him.
l never seem to have the chance to get to know any of them.
l have to, um...
l have to take more time to do that.
lt's a fine crew and l've got to get them home.
The crew will not benefit
from the leadership of an exhausted Captain.
You're right as usual.
l've missed your counsel, Tuvok.
l am gratified that you came after me
so l can offer it once again.
l spoke to your family before l left.
Are they well?
Well, but worried about you.
That would not be an accurate perception, Captain.
Vulcans do not worry.
They... miss you.
As l do them.
l'll get you back to them.
That's a promise, Tuvok.
Captain's Log, supplemental.
The Maquis ship and Voyager have encountered a debris field
where sensors have detected a small vessel.
One humanoid life-form is on board.
Hail them.
Whoever you are, l found this waste zone first.
We're not interested in this debris, Mister...?
Neelix.
And since you're not interested in my "debris"
well, l'm delighted to know you.
Captain Kathryn Janeway
of the Federation Starship Voyager.
A very impressive title.
l have no idea what it means,
but it sounds very impressive.
Do you know this area of space well, Mr. Neelix?
l am famous for knowing it well.
How may l be of service?
Do you know anything about the Array
that's sending energy pulses to the fifth planet?
l know enough to stay as far away from it as possible.
Wait, let me guess.
You were whisked away from somewhere else in the galaxy
and brought here against your will.
Sounds as though you've heard this story before.
Sadly, yes, thousands of times.
Well, hundreds of times.
Maybe 50 times.
But the Caretaker
has been bringing ships here for months now.
The Caretaker?
That's what the Ocampa call him.
They live on the fifth planet.
Did he... kidnap members of your crew?
As a matter of fact, he did.
lt's not the first time.
Do you know where he might have taken them?
Just that they're brought to the Ocampa.
Nothing more.
We'd appreciate any help you could give us
in finding these... Ocampa.
l-l-l really wish that l could help you, l do.
But as you can see,
there's just so much debris for me to investigate today.
You'd be surprised the things of value some people abandon.
Of course, we'd want to compensate you for your trouble.
Well, there's really very little that you could offer me.
Unless...
Yes?
Unless, of course,
you had...
water?
lf you help us find our missing crew members,
you can have all the water you want.
Well, tha-that sounds like a very reasonable arrangement.
Good. We'll beam you over
and tow your ship into our shuttlebay.
Mr. Tuvok, go to Transporter Room 2 and meet our guest.
Beam?
We have a technology
which can take you instantly from your ship to ours.
lt's quite harmless.
May we?
Energize.
Astonishing!
You Federations
are obviously an advanced culture.
The Federation is made up of many cultures.
l am Vulcan.
Neelix.
Good to meet you.
lnteresting.
What... what exactly...
What exactly does all this...
all this do?
l assure you that everything in this room
has a specific function.
However, it would take several hours to explain it all.
l suggest we proceed to your quarters.
Oh.
Perhaps you would care for a bath.
A what?
Hmm...
lt's okay. lt's okay.
Who are you?
My name is Kim— Harry Kim.
l'm an Ensign on the Starship Voyager.
l was kidnapped from the Array just like you were.
l don't know where we are.
What was Starfleet doing at that Array?
We were looking for you, actually.
One minute, we're, we're in the Badlands, the next...
You mean, you were trying to capture us.
Yeah... consider yourself captured.
Oh, l know l have a phaser here somewhere.
l don't find this at all amusing, Starfleet.
There's no point.
lt's locked.
Hey!
Hey, hey, hey what's that going to accomplish?
What are they doing to us?
What are these things growing on us?
Look, do you want them to sedate you again?
You're right, Starfleet.
lt's the Klingon half of me.
lt's just, it's hard to control it sometimes.
What's your name, Maquis?
B'Elanna.
B'Elanna Torres.
l hope you're feeling better.
l know how frightening all this must be for both of you.
l've brought some clothes if you care to change.
Why are you holding us here?
You are not prisoners.
ln fact, we consider you honored guests.
The Caretaker has sent you to us.
As long as you are not violent
you are free to leave your quarters.
What's wrong with us?
What are these things?
We really don't know.
You must be hungry.
Would you care to join me on the courtyard for a meal?
Our food dispensers are right this way.
We're underground.
Our society is subterranean.
We've lived here for over 500 generations.
But before that, you lived on the surface?
Until the warming began.
The warming?
When our surface turned into a desert
and the Caretaker came to protect us.
Our ancient journals tell us he opened
a deep chasm in the ground
and led our ancestors to this place.
Since then, he has provided for all our needs.
Oh, please forgive them.
They know you've come from the Caretaker.
None of us has ever seen him.
This way, please.
Does the Caretaker provide your meals, too?
ln fact, he does.
He designed
and built this entire city for us after the warming.
The food processors dispense nutritional supplements
every 4.1 intervals.
lt may not offer the exotic tastes
some of our younger people crave these days,
but it meets our needs.
ls this how the Caretaker communicates with you?
He never communicates directly.
We try to interpret his wishes as best we can.
l'm curious to know how you've interpreted
the Caretaker's reason for sending us here.
We believe he must have separated you
from your own species for their protection.
Their protection?
From your illness.
Perhaps he's trying to prevent a plague.
We weren't sick until we met your Caretaker.
From time to time, he asks us to care for people
with this disease.
lt's the least we can do.
There have been others— like us?
Yes.
Where are they?
Your condition is serious.
We don't know exactly how to treat it.
l'm afraid the others did not recover.
Sir...
Ah, Mr. Vulcan. Come in, come in.
Please, l can hardly see you.
l want to thank you for your hospitality.
l must admit, l haven't had access
to a food replor... uh, replicator before.
l'd never have guessed.
And to immerse myself in water...
oh, do you know what joy this is?
No one around here wastes water in this manner.
A good sand scrub—
that's the best that we can hope for.
l'm pleased you're enjoying yourself,
but we're in orbit of the fifth planet.
We need your assistance.
Oh, uh, could you hand me the, uh... towel?
lf you will scan the large southern continent,
you'll find a range of extinct volcanoes.
Follow the foothills north
until you discover a dry river bed.
You'll find an encampment there.
Do you believe our people might be at this location?
lt's not impossible... maybe...
Perhaps not, but we'll find them.
We'll need several containers of water to bring for barter.
Do these, uh, replicators make clothing, as well?
Yes.
Will it make me a uniform like yours?
No...
it most certainly will not.
Hmm.
Why would anyone want to live in a place like this?
The rich cormaline deposits are very much in demand.
The Ocampa use it for barter?
Not the Ocampa, the Kazon-Ogla.
The Kazon-Ogla? Who are the Kazon-Ogla?
They are.
Kazon sects control this part of the Quadrant.
Some have food, some have ore, some have water.
They all trade, and they all kill each other for it.
l thought you said the Ocampa had our people.
My friends! lt's good to see you again!
Whoo!
l must speak with your maje, the ever-wise Jabin.
Ah. Very amusing.
Very amusing.
l, uh...
l enjoy a joke as much as the next man.
Jabin!
My old friend!
Water... water, Jabin.
l have water... to replace all that l borrowed.
Show them, Mr. Paris.
Their ship has technology that makes water out of thin air!
You have more?
Janeway to Voyager. Energize.
Oh!
There's more where that came from if you can help us.
How can we help someone so powerful
they can create water out of thin air?
This man led us here
suggesting we might find a people called the Ocampa.
Do you know where they are?
Ocampa?
She is Ocampa.
Why would you be interested in such worthless creatures?
They live only nine years.
They make poor servants.
We caught her when she wandered to the surface.
To the surface?
You mean, they live underground?
The entity in space
that gives them food and power, also gives them
sole access to the only water on this world—
two miles below the surface.
This same entity has abducted two of our people.
We believe they might be with the Ocampa.
There's no way to get to them. We tried.
The entity has established
some kind of subterranean barrier
we cannot penetrate.
But she got out.
Occasionally, some of them do find their way to the surface—
we don't know how—
but the Ocampa seal the tunnels afterwards.
Maybe she can help these good people find a way down.
You'd be wasting your time.
l've used every method
of persuasion l know to get her to help us.
She won't!
Then she's worthless to you.
Let us trade you water for this scrawny little thing.
l'd be more interested in acquiring this technology
that allows you to create water from thin air.
That would be difficult.
lt's integrated into our ship's systems.
Tell them to drop their weapons!
Drop them, my friends, or he dies in an instant.
Do it! Do it!
Step aside.
Come on!
l strongly suggest you get us out of here.
Six to beam up.
My dearest, didn't l promise l'd save you?
Look, l'm sure Captain Janeway
is doing everything she can to find us.
What makes you think any of them are still alive?
Should l call for some help?
No.
Are you in pain?
Are you watching us?
l thought we weren't supposed to be your prisoners.
l wasn't watching you.
l was coming to give you something.
l don't know if it will help.
lt's a medicine.
There are people who have broken
from tradition and left the city.
Their colony grows fruits and vegetables.
They discovered quite by accident that the moss
that grows on certain fruit trees
has healing properties.
l'm sorry for what has happened to you.
We appreciate this,
but the only way we're going to survive
is if we can get to the surface and find our own people.
The elders would say that's against the Caretaker's wishes.
What do you say?
The Caretaker's been behaving strangely
for the past several months—
abducting people, increasing the power supply.
Power supply?
He's tripled the energy he sends us.
They say we have enough stored now
to run the city for five years.
And nobody knows why?
When we ask, we're told to trust the Caretaker's decisions.
One person l knew did get to the surface.
We never saw her again.
How?
The ancient tunnels
that brought us here still exist.
Over the years, small breaches in security barriers
have appeared, just large enough
for someone to get through, but it still requires
digging through meters of rock to get out.
Can you get us tools to dig with?
lt would take days, maybe even weeks to break through.
You have to rest.
Conserve your strength.
Please... it's our only chance.
lf you had told us what you had planned,
we might have anticipated your irrational behavior.
lrrational? We got out of there, didn't we?
Excuse me.
Don't blame Neelix...
That's enough.
This is a Sick Bay, not a conference room.
Visiting hours are over.
Everyone, except my patient, is to leave immediately.
Computer, end medical holographic program.
l never should have gone to the surface.
l'm too curious.
l'm told it's my worst failing.
No, no. lt's a wonderful quality—
your most endearing.
Would you be willing to take us underground
to look for our missing crew?
l'm afraid Jabin was right.
There's no way to get down.
The tunnel l came out has been sealed.
We don't need a tunnel.
We have the ability to transport there directly.
Captain, our sensors did not pick up any indication
of an underground civilization.
The subterranean barrier Jabin described
may be responsible.
lt might also block our transporter.
There are breaches
in the security barrier where it's begun to decay.
That's how l got out.
Have the transporter room begin a sweep
for any breaches we might be able to beam through.
Kes can tell you where to go,
but, now that she's free,
we're leaving this system together.
Neelix, these people rescued me.
l rescued you.
With their help.
lt would be wrong not to help them now.
Captain, the pulses from the Array
continue to accelerate.
The intervals between them have decreased
another.8 seconds.
Kes.
Hello, Daggin.
We thought we'd never see you again.
How did you get back?
These people rescued me from the Kazon.
l'm trying to help them find two of their crewmen.
Does anyone know where the aliens are kept— the ones
the Caretaker sends here?
l think they're at the Central Clinic.
Can you take us there?
No, she cannot.
They can't speak telepathically, Toscat.
Please talk aloud.
l didn't mean to be rude,
but you should not be here.
We'll be glad to leave once we find our crewmen.
That won't be possible.
We cannot interfere with the Caretaker's wishes.
Maybe you can't, but we can.
You don't understand.
That's right.
They don't understand.
They have no way of knowing
that the Ocampa have been dependent
on the Caretaker for so long
that we can't even think for ourselves anymore.
They don't understand we were once a people
who had full command of our minds' abilities.
The stories of our ancestors' cognitive abilities
are apocryphal—
at the very least exaggerated.
We lost those abilities because we stopped using them.
We should not dwell on what's been lost,
but on all that's been gained.
We've gained a talent for dependence,
for simply taking what we're given.
l'm going to help them, Toscat, whether you like it or not,
and l think my friends will join me.
You defied the Caretaker by going to the surface, Kes.
Learn from the experience.
Follow the path he has set for us.
l've learned very well, Toscat.
l saw the sunlight.
l can't believe that our Caretaker
would forbid us to open our eyes
and see the sky.
Come with me— we'll find your people.
Come on.
Don't let it beat you, Starfleet. Come on.
l'm sorry.
All right.
lt's all right. We'll rest a minute.
Maybe l'd do better if l had a little Klingon blood in me.
Trust me— it's more trouble than it's worth.
You know, l spent my whole life getting ready for Starfleet,
and on my very first mission,
l'm going to die.
We're not finished yet.
l know a few things that old Sneezy didn't teach
in his survival course.
Sneezy?
Commander Zakarian.
Remember?
He must have been allergic to everything.
You went to the Academy.
l actually made it into the second year before we, uh...
we mutually agreed that it wasn't the place for me.
You know
l never really liked Zakarian.
Shh. Listen.
They're getting faster.
Away team to Voyager.
Voyager here.
What's going on with the Array?
lt's no longer sending out pulses, Captain,
and it appears to be realigning its position.
Keep me informed. Janeway out.
They haven't been at the clinic for hours.
We can search the city. Ask if anyone's seen them.
lf they were trying to get to the surface, how would they go?
Probably the same way l did— up one of the ancient tunnels.
Mr. Paris, you and Neelix go with her
and start checking them out.
We need to talk to every doctor and nurse at this hospital
see what they can tell us about Torres and Kim.
Voyager to Janeway.
Go ahead.
Captain, the Array
is firing some kind of weapon at the surface.
lt seems to be trying to seal the energy conduits.
Understood. Keep a channel open.
lf the Array is the Ocampa's sole source of energy,
why would the Caretaker seal the conduits?
He would seal them
if he no longer intended to use them
to protect the Ocampa from their enemies.
Captain, there is now enough evidence
to form a reasonable hypothesis.
l believe that the Caretaker is dying.
Explain.
First, he increases the energy supply
to provide the city with a surplus
to last at least five years, then he seals the conduits.
The logical conclusion is that he does not intend
to continue his role as Caretaker.
That doesn't necessarily mean he's dying.
He could be leaving.
Doubtful.
Not after a millennium of providing for these people.
l believe that the Caretaker owes something to the Ocampa.
l believe the "debt that can never be repaid"
is very likely a debt to them.
ln addition, there were his frequent references
to "running out of time."
l think he knew his death was imminent.
lf he dies, how the hell are we supposed to get home?
They're in this one.
Harry?
Paris to Janeway.
Go ahead.
They're in one of the tunnels, Captain.
l can't see them, but they're up there.
We're going after them.
Call for transport when you have them, Paris.
We'll meet you on the ship.
Janeway to Voyager.
Voyager here.
Three to beam up.
Stand by.
Captain, l can't get a lock on you.
The weapons fire from the Array
has irradiated the planet's crust.
The transport sensors can't find the breaches
in the security barrier.
Come on, there's only one other way out of here.
Janeway to Paris.
Go ahead.
The transporters aren't working.
You're going to have to find a breach in the security barrier
when you get to the top.
Understood.
We're a few minutes behind you.
Janeway out.
l see them.
Took you long enough.
How could l let down the only friend l got?
Friend? What makes you think l'm your friend?
Paris to Janeway.
Go ahead.
We found them, Captain.
Don't wait for us.
Get them to safety.
Don't worry.
l know where we can get through the barrier.
Whatever you do, don't touch it.
We've been told it'll burn your skin off.
They're not far ahead of us.
Keep going.
l think we've reached the top.
Neelix, get out your phaser.
Voyager, can you get a lock on us now?
Affirmative, but l'm reading only five signals.
The others are...
Get down!
Paris to Janeway.
Chakotay, Tuvok, do you read?
Voyager, prepare to transport
everyone in this group except me.
Aye, sir.
You're not thinking of going back there.
Well...
the fool needs company.
Take care of them, dearest.
l'll see you later.
Voyager, make that three to beam up.
Lock in on the other combadge and energize.
My leg is broken.
l can't move.
- Hold on. - Here they are!
Neelix, help me with Tuvok.
l'll get Chakotay.
Get out of here, Paris,
before the whole thing comes down!
l intend to...
as soon as l get you up.
You get on those stairs, they'll collapse.
We'll both die.
Yeah...
but on the other hand,
if l save your butt, your life belongs to me.
lsn't that some kind of lndian custom?
Wrong tribe.
l don't believe you.
You'd rather die than let me be the one to rescue you.
Fine. Be a fool.
lf l have to die,
at least l'll have the pleasure of watching you go with me.
lsn't there some lndian trick
where you can turn yourself into a bird
and fly us out of here?
You're too heavy.
Bridge to Janeway.
Go ahead.
Captain, two Kazon ships are approaching the Array.
Set a course. l'm on my way.
We've got to get back to our ship.
l strongly advise you to rest.
l will not be held responsible for the consequences.
ls the crew always this difficult?
l don't know, Doc.
lt's my first mission.
Doesn't anyone know how to turn off the program
when they leave?
Bring the weapons systems on line.
Powering up phaser banks and photon systems.
Red Alert.
The lead Kazon ship is hailing us, Captain.
On screen.
Have you come to investigate
the Entity's strange behavior too, Captain?
All we care about is getting home, Jabin.
We're about to transport over to the Array
to see if we can arrange it.
l'm afraid l cannot permit that.
We have no dispute with you.
l have a dispute with anyone who would challenge us.
This is ridiculous.
We have no intention of challenging you.
And l have no intention of letting anyone
with your technological knowledge board the Array.
Jabin, can we discuss this like two civilized...?
They're powering up their weapons.
l guess we can't.
Shields are holding.
Fire phasers. Evasive pattern delta four.
Janeway to Chakotay.
Tuvok and l are beaming to the Array.
Can you hold off the Kazon?
l think so, Captain.
Good.
Mr. Paris, take the conn.
Yes, ma'am.
Maintain transporter locks, Ensign.
Emergency beam out status.
Aye, Captain.
The data processing system is behind this wall, Captain.
You know what to do.
Well... you're, you're nothing if not persistent.
We need you to send us back where we came from.
Oh... that isn't possible.
l have... barely enough strength to complete my work.
You're sealing the conduits before you die.
lf l don't, the Kazon will steal the water.
But, in a few years,
when the Ocampa's energy runs out, it won't matter.
They'll be forced to come to the surface
and they won't be able to survive.
Something you did turned their planet into a desert,
didn't it?
That was the debt that could never be repaid.
Well, we're explorers from another galaxy,
but we had no idea that our technology
would be so destructive to their atmosphere.
Two, two of us
were chosen to stay behind and care for them.
There's another like you here?
Not anymore.
No, no. She...
she went off to look for more interesting places.
Why were you bringing ships here—
infecting people with a fatal illness?
Oh, they...
they didn't die of an illness.
They died because they were incompatible.
"lncompatible"?
l've been searching the galaxy
for a compatible biomolecular pattern.
Now, in some individuals,
l found cellular structures that were similar, but l...
You've been trying to procreate?
l needed someone to replace me—
someone who'd understand
the enormous responsibility of... caring for the Ocampa.
Only my offspring could do that.
Did you ever consider allowing the Ocampa
to care for themselves?
They're children.
Children have to grow up.
We're explorers, too.
Most of the species we've encountered
have overcome all kinds of adversity
without a Caretaker.
lt's the challenge of surviving on their own
that helps them to evolve.
Maybe your... children will do better than you think.
Voyager to Janeway.
Go ahead.
We've got problems here.
Kazon just got some backup.
We need more time.
Can you hold them off for another few minutes?
We'll do our best. Kim out.
Their weapons array has been hit.
They're in trouble.
Neither of us has enough firepower to stop that ship.
l'm setting a collision course,
but the guidance system is disabled.
l'll have to pilot the ship manually.
Get the crew ready to beam to Voyager
and drop shields for transport.
Paris, my crew is coming over.
Tell one of your crackerjack Starfleet transporter chiefs
to keep a lock on me.
l'm going to try and take some heat off your tail.
Acknowledged.
But don't think for a second this makes us even, Chakotay.
Your life is still mine.
Paris out.
l'm holding a lock on him, sir,
but he's getting too close.
l'm getting you out of there, Chakotay.
Not yet!
You're breaking up!
Stand by to transport.
Wait!
Now!
Transporter Room 2, do you have him?
They've got me.
Captain, l can access the system
to send us back to Federation space,
but it will take several hours to activate.
Unless you help us.
Oh, l wish l could,
but l have very little time left.
So l have initiated a self-destruct program.
lf you destroy the Array, we'll have no way to get home.
The Ocampa's enemies cannot be allowed
to, to control this installation.
ln minutes, it will be destroyed.
You have to go.
Go now!
The Caretaker.
Voyager, report.
A Kazon vessel
just collided with the Array, Captain.
Are you all right?
Affirmative.
Stand by.
The self-destruct program has been damaged.
Now, this installation will not be destroyed.
But it must be.
The Kazon must not be allowed to gain control of it.
They will annihilate the Ocampa.
Shall l activate the program to get us back?
And what happens to the Ocampa after we're gone?
Captain, any action we take to protect the Ocampa
would affect the balance of power in this system.
The Prime Directive would seem to apply.
Would it?
We never asked to be involved, Tuvok...
but we are.
We are.
Mr. Tuvok, ready the tricobalt devices.
Aye, Captain.
Open a channel to the Kazon.
Channel open.
Be advised, Captain.
l have called for additional ships.
l'm calling to warn you to move your vessels to a safe distance.
l intend to destroy the Array.
You can't do that.
l can and l will.
End transmission.
They're increasing fire, Captain.
Shields are holding.
Move us 400 kilometers from the Array, Mr. Paris.
Yes, ma'am.
What do you think you're doing?
That Array is the only way we have to get back home.
l'm aware everyone has families and loved ones
at homes they want to get back to—
so do l— but l'm not willing to trade the lives
of the Ocampa for our convenience.
We'll have to find another way home.
What other way home is there?
Who is she to be making these decisions for all of us?
She's the Captain.
The tricobalt devices are ready.
We're in position.
Fire.
The lead Kazon ship is hailing us.
On screen.
You have made an enemy today.
They are withdrawing, Captain.
Come in.
You asked to see me, Captain?
Mr. Paris...
you have a problem.
l've invited Chakotay
and the other Maquis to become part of this crew.
lt seemed the only reasonable thing to do
under the circumstances.
Will you provide a bodyguard for me, Captain?
lt seems you already have one.
l do?
Mr. Chakotay said something about his life belonging to you.
He'll be taking responsibility for your safety.
l think l'm going to enjoy this.
Don't be so sure.
He'll also be my First Officer.
Everyone aboard this ship will report to him—
including the Lieutenant assigned to conn.
Me?
l've entered into the Ship's Log on this date
that l'm granting a field commission of Lieutenant
to Thomas Eugene Paris.
Congratulations.
Um, for the first time in my life,
l don't know what to say.
You've earned this, Tom.
l'm only sorry your father won't know.
Oh, he'll know...
when we get back.
Ah, Captain, we were just coming to see you.
We've supplied your ship with water, Neelix.
lt's ready to go.
Well, you see that's what we wanted to discuss.
We'd like to go with you.
l'm sorry. This isn't a passenger ship.
Of course not.
We won't be passengers.
We'd be valuable colleagues.
"Colleagues"?
Whatever you need is what l have to offer.
You need a guide, l'm your guide.
You need supplies, l know where to procure them.
l have friends among races you don't even know exist.
You need a cook?
Oh, you haven't lived
until you've tasted my angla'bosque.
lt will be my job to anticipate your needs
before you know you have them.
And l anticipate your first need
will be me.
Captain, we both want
very much to be a part of your journey.
We're alone in an uncharted part of the galaxy.
We've already made some friends here
and some enemies.
We have no idea of the dangers we're going to face,
but one thing is clear:
Both crews are going to have to work together
if we're to survive.
That's why Commander Chakotay and l have agreed
that this should be one crew—
a Starfleet crew.
And as the only Starfleet vessel assigned to the Delta Quadrant
we'll continue to follow our directive
to seek out new worlds and explore space.
But our primary goal is clear.
Even at maximum speeds
it would take 75 years to reach the Federation,
but l'm not willing to settle for that.
There's another entity like the Caretaker
out there somewhere
who has the ability to get us there a lot faster.
We'll be looking for her
and we'll be looking for wormholes, spatial rifts
or new technologies to help us.
Somewhere, along this journey,
we'll find a way back.
Mr. Paris, set a course...
for home.
Aye, Captain.