Last time on Star Trek: Voyager...
My god.
We don't know exactly how many vessels are out there,
but their space appears to be vast.
It includes thousands of solar systems—
all Borg.
We are, no doubt, entering the heart of their territory.
Captain, I'm detecting
two residual weapon signatures in the debris.
One is Borg.
The other is of unknown origin.
I'd like to know what kind of weapon could destroy the Borg.
They refer to these new aliens as'Species 8472."
Captain, it's not the Borg that we should be worried about.
It's them.
The alien cells are consuming his body from the inside out.
In developing a treatment for Harry,
the Doctor has found a way to attack the aliens
at a microscopic level.
An alliance with the Borg?
More like... an exchange.
We offer them a way to defeat their new enemy
and, in return, we get safe passage
through their space.
State your demands.
Can you get a lock on the Captain?
Not yet.
And now, the conclusion.
Report.
The Borg shields are off-line.
I've got a lock on Captain Janeway.
Get her out of there and break us free of the cube.
Stand by all weapons.
I'm trying to energize.
The Borg are scattering the beam.
Compensate.
No effect.
We're being hailed.
On screen.
Commander, cut the transporter beam.
Captain?
Do it.
I have reached an agreement with the collective.
We're going to help them design a weapon against Species 8472.
In exchange, they've granted us
safe passage through their space.
Cube is altering course.
They're heading toward the Alpha Quadrant.
That's part of the plan.
We'll work on the weapon en route.
Once we're across their territory,
we'll give them the nanoprobes.
They appear to be holding up their end of the bargain.
I suggest we do the same.
How do you propose we begin this "collaboration"?
I'm going to work here on the cube.
They have technology that'll make the job go faster.
I want to take advantage of it.
It's not necessary for you to stay there.
We can set up a com-link with the Borg...
It's part of the deal.
I work here.
All right.
As long as we're cooperating...
maybe the Borg would be willing to disengage their tractor beam.
We can match their course without a leash.
I'll propose it.
Mr. Tuvok, transport to my coordinates.
Understood.
We're going to make this work, Commander.
Janeway out.
You heard the Captain.
I've replicated nearly ten million Borg nanoprobes,
each of them reprogrammed to my specifications,
each capable of targeting the alien tissue.
Assimilating it?
Just momentarily.
The Borg technology will denaturate within seconds
taking the alien tissue along with it.
Mr. Kim, I'm about to inject your carotid artery.
You'll feel a tingling sensation.
Don't be alarmed.
Nice to see you again, Ensign.
It's working.
Prepare another dose of nanoprobes.
Yes, Doctor.
Good work.
Let me know when he's back on his feet.
Commander, I must tell you,
I have my doubts about this alliance.
You may have convinced the Borg
the nanoprobes can defeat their enemy,
but a medical treatment
is a long way from a weapon of war.
We'll leave that to the Captain.
This situation is unpredictable,
so we're going to stay at full Red Alert.
Keep all information about the nanoprobes
stored in your holo-matrix.
Don't worry. I'll delete myself
at the first sign of trouble.
Well... maybe not the first sign.
We've just received word.
Tuvok beamed to the cube.
He's joined the Captain.
Keep a transporter lock on both of them.
I'll try, but the Borg
are already regenerating their shields.
Try matching their shield frequencies.
It won't work.
They'll be able to adapt too quickly.
I don't want to hear what we can't do, Lieutenant!
Just find a way to get our people
out of there if we have to.
Aye, sir.
They've released their tractor beam.
Match their course and speed.
I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but...
looks like the Borg are cooperating.
Kes, Kes!
Kes!
What's wrong?
They're watching us.
May I ask where we're being taken?
Grid nine-two of subjunction 12—
our very own workspace.
It's near the center of the cube.
These are my tricorder readings of the bioship we examined.
I believe you will find them most revealing.
Have you compared this to the Doctor's analysis
of the alien tissue?
Yes. Many of the cellular structures are identical.
The aliens and their ships are made of the same
organic material.
Apparently so.
You have entered grid nine-two of subjunction 12.
Proceed.
All right.
We've analyzed one of the alien vessels
and it appears to be constructed of organic material
vulnerable to the modified nanoprobes.
I suggest we begin thinking
about a large-scale delivery system—
a way to infect their ships
and destroy them at the microsc...
We will begin.
What are you doing?
A neuro-transceiver is required for maximum communication.
We will work as one mind.
No, that wasn't the agreement.
The neural link is temporary.
You will not be damaged.
I don't care.
I prefer to communicate verbally, thank you.
Your primitive communication is inefficient.
On the contrary...
we work better with our individuality intact.
Surely, we've proven that to you by now.
lrrelevant. You must comply.
We'must" do nothing.
Tell your drone to remove the transceiver.
What about choosing a representative—
a single Borg we can work with and talk to directly?
Elaborate.
You've done it before
when you transformed Jean-Luc Picard into Locutus.
We will not be assimilated.
Choose a representative, or the deal's off!
I speak for the Borg.
I'm Captain Janeway.
This is Lieutenant Tuvok.
We are aware of your designations.
What's your designation?
Seven of Nine,
Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One.
But you may call me Seven of Nine.
You are proposing a large-scale weapon.
We concur.
I thought you might.
We could encase the nanoprobes in some of our photon torpedoes
in essence, turn them into biomolecular warheads.
Your torpedoes are inadequate.
They lack the necessary range and dispersive force.
Do you have a better idea?
We are Borg.
I take that as a'yes."
A multikinetic neutronic mine—
five million isoton yield.
An explosion that size
could affect an entire star system.
Correct.
The shock wave will disperse the nanoprobes over a radius
of five light-years.
That's somewhat larger than I had in mind.
You're proposing a weapon of mass destruction.
We are.
Well, I'm not.
You'd be endangering innocent worlds.
It would be efficient.
We would need approximately 50 trillion nanoprobes
to arm this mine.
It would take the Doctor
several weeks to replicate that amount.
You are losing this conflict.
Are you willing to risk further delay?
Right now, your enemy believes it is invulnerable.
If we create smaller weapons using our torpedoes,
and destroy a few of their bioships
it may deter them,
convince them to give up this war.
You are individuals.
You are small and you think in small terms.
But the present situation requires
that we consider your plan.
Voyager's weapons inventory.
Photon torpedo complement—32, class-6 warhead.
Explosive yield—200 isotons.
How did you obtain this information?
We are Borg.
Naturally.
Commander, we have some disturbing news.
At this point, I'm getting used to it.
Her telepathic visions are increasing,
both in frequency and intensity.
It feels different this time.
It's almost like... they're right here in the room.
There it is again.
I'm trying to block them out...
but I can't.
Every time she has a vision, specific regions
of her cerebral cortex
go into a state of hyper-stimulation—
memory engrams, perceptual centers.
I can't be sure, but I think there's more going on here
than just a simple'hello."
Enhance this grid.
I want to take a closer look at the detonator.
We must analyze the bioship.
Your data.
You're human, aren't you?
This body was assimilated 18 years ago.
It ceased to be human at that time.
I'm curious. What was your name before...?
Do not engage us in further irrelevant discourse.
We are being hailed by your vessel.
Commander, what is it?
It's Kes.
The Doctor believes
that the aliens are accessing her memory.
If that's true,
they may already know what we're planning.
I've ordered long-range scans for bioships.
Nothing so far.
We should alter course, try to throw them off.
Agreed.
Our course and heading have been changed.
Match them and keep me apprised of any changes in Kes.
Chakotay out.
We now require one of your photon torpedoes
and the nanoprobes.
One step at a time.
We're not safely across your territory yet.
We must construct and test a prototype now.
The risk of attack has increased.
lrrelevant.
We have an agreement.
You're asking me to give up my only guarantee
that you won't assimilate us.
I won't risk it.
Are you willing to risk a direct confrontation with us?
If we transport 500 drones onto your vessel,
do you believe you could offer sufficient resistance?
We'd die trying.
That won't be necessary.
We must construct a launching system
to accommodate this design.
Glad you could join us, Mr. Kim.
Harry, welcome back.
Thanks. Reporting for duty, sir.
The Doctor gave me a clean bill of health.
Did I miss anything?
Not too much.
Take your station, Ensign.
You've still got a tendril up your nose.
Commander, I'm picking up gravimetric distortions.
12, 000 kilometers aft.
It's a singularity.
We are under attack.
They're charging weapons.
Shields.
Keep a lock on the away team.
Direct hit to our secondary hull.
Transporters are off-line.
Shields and weapons are down.
Voyager has taken heavy damage.
We cannot let the nanoprobes be destroyed.
We're being targeted.
Brace for impact.
The cube?
Destroyed... and it took the bioship with it.
Tuvok to Chakotay.
Go ahead, Tuvok. Where are you?
I'm in Cargo Bay 2...
along with the Captain...
and a number of Borg.
We were beamed over just before impact.
We require assistance.
Tuvok? Tuvok?
Secure that deck.
Security team to Cargo Bay 2.
Paris, you have the Bridge.
Lower your weapons.
We are here with your Captain's consent.
It was necessary to sacrifice our vessel to protect yours.
We have an alliance, do we not?
For now, they're contained.
They've assimilated Cargo Bay 2
and are drawing energy from the secondary power couplings.
But they've gone no further?
Not yet. I've sealed off Decks 9
through 13 and posted security details at every access point.
I suggest we increase security around Sick Bay as well.
Already done.
How far did you get on the weapon?
We are ready to construct a prototype.
You're fit to return back to duty, Lieutenant.
And you, Kes?
Oh, I'm all right.
The visions have stopped for now.
The plasma burns to her thoracic region I can treat
and I've already stopped the internal bleeding,
but her neural injuries are going to require some...
creative thinking.
Before we beamed out,
an alien energy discharge struck very near the Captain.
Well, it appears to have disrupted
all her neuroelectrical pathways.
I'll have to induce a coma
to protect her higher brain functions,
but I must tell you, unless I can repair the damage...
she may never regain consciousness.
Make sure those Borg stay put.
I want tactical updates every 20 minutes.
Aye, sir.
Shall I resume working with them?
Stand by for now.
The Captain wishes to speak with you.
Please keep it brief.
The Doctor...
explained my condition.
You are in command.
I understand.
They'll push you...
they'll threaten you,
but they need you.
They need this alliance.
You have to make this work.
I want you to make this work.
Get this crew home.
I must begin.
Where is your Captain?
I must speak with her.
In our medical bay, recovering.
You'll be dealing with me now.
Circumstances have changed.
I'd say so.
The loss of our vessel requires that we modify our agreement.
I've been giving that some thought.
I'm willing to let you stay on board.
We'll continue to work with you on the weapon.
Once we're safely out of Borg territory,
we'll give you the nanoprobes, shake hands and part company.
Insufficient.
Our latest tactical projections indicate
that the war will be lost by then.
The nearest Borg vessel is 40 light-years away.
You will reverse course and take us to it.
Even at maximum warp, that's a five-day journey—
in the wrong direction.
We're supposed to be heading out of Borg space
not deeper into it.
There is no alternative.
Look...
I'll honor the original agreement,
but I'm not turning this ship around.
It's too dangerous.
Denying our request is also dangerous.
I'll think about it.
Think quickly.
A five-day trip back into the heart of Borg territory—
it's too risky.
With those drones and the nanoprobes on board,
we might as well have a bull's-eye painted on our hull.
We're a prime target for Species 8472.
We'd never survive another attack.
What is the alternative?
I'm going to end this alliance, here and now.
We're going to drop the Borg off on the next uninhabited planet,
give them the nanoprobes and take our chances alone.
They can wait for a Borg ship to pick them up
and finish the weapon.
I'm in command now and I
have to do what I think is best for this crew.
Tom, I want you to scan
for the nearest uninhabited planet and set a course.
Aye, sir.
I must caution you, Commander.
The Borg may not go quietly.
We'll see.
Bring that female drone to the ready room.
Dismissed.
Once we've beamed you to the surface,
we'll send down the nanoprobes and all our research.
Unacceptable.
We don't have time...
This isn't open for discussion.
I'm not turning this ship around.
You're getting what you wanted.
I suggest we part ways amicably.
There is another option.
We could assimilate your vessel.
If a single drone
steps one millimeter out of that cargo bay,
I'll decompress the entire deck.
You won't pose much of a threat floating in space.
When your Captain first approached us,
we suspected that an agreement with humans would prove
impossible to maintain.
You are erratic, conflicted, disorganized.
Every decision is debated, every action questioned,
every individual entitled to their own small opinion.
You lack harmony, cohesion...
greatness.
It will be your undoing.
Escort our guest back to the cargo bay.
Well, I've made my decision.
If it were only a matter
of going against the orders of my superior officer...
You're more than just my Captain.
You're my friend.
I hope you'll understand.
Species 8472 has penetrated matrix 010, grid 19.
Eight planets destroyed.
312 vessels disabled.
4,000,621 Borg eliminated.
We must seize control of the Alpha Quadrant vessel
and take it into the alien realm.
We understand.
Class-H moon, oxygen-argon atmosphere.
It'll do.
Take us out of warp, and enter orbit.
Aye, sir.
Tuvok... stand by to transport the Borg
directly from the cargo bay.
After they're on the surface, have security run a sweep of...
I'm reading power fluctuations in the deflector array.
Cause?
It looks like the Borg have accessed deflector control.
They're trying to realign the emitters.
Shut them out.
They've bypassed security protocols.
They're emitting a resonant graviton beam.
It's creating another singularity!
Reverse course.
We're fighting intense gravimetric distortion.
I can't break free!
Bridge to Cargo Bay 2.
Stop what you're doing,
or I'll depressurize that deck and blow you out into space.
This is your final warning.
Do it.
Decompression cycle complete.
I still don't have deflector control.
Commander, a single Borg has survived.
We're being pulled in!
Report.
We appear to have crossed an interdimensional rift.
We've definitely left our galaxy.
No stars, no planets.
Let's see.
I'm recalibrating sensors.
The entire region is filled with...
with some kind of organic fluid.
This isn't space.
It's matter.
Commander Chakotay.
We have entered the domain of Species 8472.
Report to the cargo bay.
Paris, repressurize Cargo Bay 2.
Tuvok.
Our entry into fluidic space has created a compression wave.
They know we're here.
A fleet of bioships is already converging on our position.
Time to intercept: three hours, 17 minutes.
You've been here before.
How else could you know about fluidic space?
We must prepare this vessel for the altercation.
We will construct a complement of biomolecular war...
Why? Why were you here?
You started this war... didn't you?
What's the matter?
Our galaxy wasn't big enough for you?
You had to conquer new territory?
But this race fought back—
a species as malevolent as your own.
Species 8472 was more resistant than we anticipated.
Their technology is biogenically engineered.
It is superior to that of all other species
we have previously encountered.
Which is precisely what you wanted.
They are the apex of biological evolution.
Their assimilation would have greatly added
to our own perfection.
So, instead of assimilating these aliens,
you opened a door for them to our galaxy.
There is only one course of action.
Destroy them first.
My subspace link to the collective
has been weakened by the interdimensional rift.
We cannot signal for help.
We are alone.
We must construct a complement of biomolecular warheads
and modify your weapons to launch them.
I've got a better idea.
Why don't you open up that rift again
and take us back?
If I do that, you will no longer cooperate.
Doctor to Chakotay.
Go ahead.
Report to Sick Bay at once.
On my way.
Captain?
Ah, as you can see,
I've repaired her neural damage.
Ensign Kim, the Captain— I'm two for two.
Doctor, if you'll excuse us for a moment.
Hmm?
Eh?
Oh. Gladly.
Computer, deactivate EMH program.
The Doctor brought me up to speed,
but he couldn't tell me what I really wanted to know.
Why?
The collective ordered me to reverse course,
travel 40 light-years back the way we came.
What would you have done?
I probably would have reversed course—
maintained the alliance as long as possible.
In my mind, the alliance was already over.
You never trusted me.
You never believed this would work.
You were just waiting for an opportunity
to circumvent my orders.
Trust had nothing to do with it.
I made a tactical decision.
And so did I.
They've been taking advantage of us from day one.
We made concessions, so did they.
They lied.
The Borg started the war with Species 8472.
We've only got one Borg left to worry about.
We should try to disable her
and get back to the Delta Quadrant.
We might be able to duplicate the deflector protocols
they used to open a singularity.
No.
I won't be caught tinkering with the deflector
when those aliens attack.
There is no other way out of this, Chakotay.
It's too late for opinions.
It's too late for discussion.
It's time to make the call, and I'm making it.
We fight the aliens, in full cooperation with the Borg.
I was linked to a collective once, remember?
I had a neuro-transceiver embedded in my spine.
I know who we're dealing with.
We've got to get rid of that last Borg
and take our chances alone.
It won't work.
This isn't working, either.
There are two wars going on—
the one out there
and the one in here, and... we're losing both of them.
"It will be your undoing."
What?
Our conflicted nature, our individuality.
Seven of Nine said that we lacked
the cohesion of a collective mind.
That one day, it would divide us
and destroy us.
And here we are, proving her point.
I'll tell you when we lost control of this situation,
when we made our mistake.
It was the moment we turned away from each other.
We don't have to stop being individuals to get through this.
We just have to stop fighting each other.
Captain Janeway.
I've relieved Mr. Chakotay of his duties
and confined him to the brig.
I'm back in command.
And you understand the situation?
Completely.
Tuvok, give her the nanoprobes.
Work with her.
Build as many warheads as you can
and start modifying our weapon systems.
I suggest we think about enhancing our defenses as well.
If we're going to fight this battle,
I intend to win it.
We are in agreement.
Good.
This is the plan.
We engage the enemy here, in their space.
We show them what they're up against.
If they have any sense of self-preservation,
they'll back off,
pull their ships out of the Delta Quadrant.
That's provided the weapons are effective.
If they aren't...
it's been nice working with you.
We've got to get this ship armed and ready
in under two hours.
We're going to war.
Borg modifications are complete.
Bring them on line.
Torpedo launch tubes active.
Hull armor engaged.
Shield enhancements stable.
Biomolecular weapons are ready.
13 standard photon torpedoes and one class-10 armed
with a high-yield warhead.
All hands, this is the Captain.
Ready your stations,
seal all emergency bulkheads, and prepare
to engage the enemy.
Stand by for my orders.
Four bioships have just entered sensor range.
Battle stations.
I've got a visual.
On screen.
I can hear them.
They want to talk through me.
They say we've contaminated their realm.
Tell them we had no choice.
We were only trying to defend ourselves.
They say our galaxy is impure.
Its proximity is a threat to their... genetic integrity.
Tell them we have a weapon, a devastating weapon
that can destroy them at the cellular level.
If they don't stop their attacks on the Delta Quadrant,
we'll be forced to use it.
They said,"Your galaxy will be purged."
Shields and weapons are off-line!
Rerouting emergency power to the launchers.
They're coming around for another assault!
I've lost thrusters!
Biomolecular warheads are charged and ready.
Fire.
Direct hit on all four vessels.
No effect.
They're charging weapons.
The nanoprobes were successful, if not prompt.
All four ships have been destroyed.
I think we've made our point.
Now open a singularity and get us out of here.
Captain.
Kes, are you still in contact?
Yes.
Tell them if they continue their attack,
we'll use the weapon again.
They're not responding.
Evasive maneuvers.
Aye, Captain.
They're in pursuit.
Prepare to fire the high-yield warhead.
Aft torpedo bay.
Ready, Captain.
Do it.
13 bioships have been destroyed.
The others are in retreat.
I have regained full contact with the collective.
What are they saying?
All remaining bioships in the Delta Quadrant
are returning to their realm.
The Borg have prevailed.
With a little help from us.
Now, it's time you fulfilled your end of the agreement.
Tell the collective we expect safe passage from here on out.
We'll give you a shuttlecraft.
You can head for the nearest Borg ship.
Unacceptable.
This alliance is terminated.
Your ship and its crew will adapt to service us.
Resistance is futile.
Captain, she's tapping into helm control.
She's trying to access our coordinates.
Shut her out.
I can't.
Bridge to Chakotay.
Scorpion.
Seven of Nine, stop what you're doing.
You're human, a human individual.
Our minds are linked. We are one.
I can hear your thoughts.
His link is stable, but it won't be for long.
You must hurry.
Just a few more seconds.
I can see your memories.
You remember being human.
We are Borg.
I see a young girl.
A family.
lrrelevant.
Your appeal to my humanity is pointless.
Almost there, Chakotay.
You've got to keep her distracted
if we're going to make this work.
Listen to your human side...
to yourself...
the little girl.
Seven of Nine... Annika.
He's losing the link!
Initiating power surge...
now!
Her connection to the collective is severed.
Get her to Sick Bay.
Bridge to Doctor.
Report.
Commander Chakotay's going to be all right,
although he may wake up with a bit of a headache.
Tom, plot a course out of Borg space—
maximum warp.
Yes, ma'am.
Captain's Log, Stardate 51003. 7.
Three days, and no sign of Borg or bioships.
We appear to be out of danger,
but the entire crew is on edge
and so am I.
Not even the calm of Master da Vinci's workshop
is enough to ease my mind.
Am I interrupting?
Not at all.
I'm just finishing up my log.
The old-fashioned way.
I wanted to get as far away
from bio-implants and fluidic space and...
and this feels more human somehow.
I hate to spoil the mood,
but you might want to take a look
at this Engineering report.
It'll take at least two weeks
to remove the Borg technology from our systems.
B'Elanna did note
that the power couplings on Deck 8 work better
with the Borg improvements.
Leave them.
How is our passenger?
The Doctor says she's stabilizing.
Her human cells are starting to regenerate.
I wonder what's left under all that Borg technology...
if she can ever become human again.
You plan to keep her on board?
We pulled the plug.
We're responsible for what happens to her now.
She was assimilated at a very young age.
The collective's all she knows.
She might not want to stay.
I think she might.
We have something the Borg could never offer.
Friendship.
I want you to know that disobeying your orders
was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.
I understand.
And I respect the decision you made,
even though I disagree with it.
What's important is that, in the end,
we got through this, together.
I don't ever want that to change.
Agreed.
Good.
Well...
I think it's time we get back to our Bridge.
No argument there.