Citizens of Earth, your destiny is in my hands.
Those of you who acquiesce to my demands
will be treated fairly.
Oppose me, and you face a dire fate indeed
as my slaves in the mines of Mercury.
You have one hour.
You'll never get away with this.
Oh, but l shall.
Your once-proud country will fall to its knees.
How ironic that l am using your rocket ship
to lead my space force into battle.
You're wrong, Chaotica.
Before you came on board,
someone pushed the self-destruct button.
ln three minutes, we'll all be dead.
No!
The jig is up, Your Majesty.
Captain Proton.
Spaceman First Class, Protector of Earth
Scourge of lntergalactic Evil... at your service.
But l saw you fall into the fiery mouth
of that volcano.
lt takes more than a little lava to stop Captain Proton.
Now, l want you to call off your invasion
and give me back my rocket ship.
There is one force in this universe
that even you cannot defeat.
The same to you.
Doc.
Mr. Paris.
l should have known
it was you monopolizing the holodeck.
Who is this insolent fool?
Uh, he's one of our men.
Computer, adjust the Doctor's spectral frequency.
l have no interest in your frivolous fantasy.
l'm here to rehearse a duet from Don Carlo
and you've already gone three minutes into my sched...
Enough!
Robot, attack.
Destroy them.
Start with him.
Computer, freeze program.
Doc, this is the final chapter—
"Satan's Robot Conquers the World."
We can't stop now.
Does the phrase "to be continued"
mean anything to you?
Your opera can wait.
This program is a waste of photonic energy.
Oh, really?
Take a look around you.
This is how the 20th century saw the future.
We are studying sociology.
Perhaps you can teach a course at Starfleet Academy—
"Satan's Robot: An historical overview."
Bridge to Holodeck 1.
What's going on down there?
Oh, nothing, Commander.
Just a little power surge.
Says here the hologrid just blew out.
We're fixing it now, sir.
Well, make it quick.
The last thing we need is a broken holodeck.
Seven, l want good news.
That's an order.
Then l must disobey.
l have no good news to report.
l've completed an astrometric scan of the entire region.
There are no star systems within 2,500 light-years.
Nothing?
Nothing.
Why can't we see any stars beyond that?
There are heavy concentrations of theta radiation.
lt has occluded our sensors.
Any other ships out there?
None. We are alone.
Every sailor's nightmare.
Commander?
lt's like being becalmed in the middle of the ocean.
lf it weren't for sensors,
we wouldn't even know we were at warp.
We've only been crossing this expanse for two months
and we're already feeling the strain.
How do we last another two years?
We will adapt.
Easier said than done.
Shall l inform the Captain of my findings?
No.
l'll tell her.
First Officer's Log, Stardate 52081.2.
lt's been 53 days since we entered this desolate region.
lf we want to continue our course toward home,
we have no choice but to cross it.
We won't have an opportunity to take on fresh supplies or fuel,
so l've ordered all departments to create an energy reserve.
We're using power cells to stockpile deuterium.
This won't be much of a briefing.
There's nothing new to report.
Humor me.
All right. Let's see.
Warp core's at peak efficiency,
just like last week and the week before that.
And my Engineering staff is going stir-crazy.
Thanks.
Ensign?
Nada.
Can you be more specific?
All systems are operating within normal parameters.
Anything new on sensors?
l detected a sudden increase of theta radiation
in the vicinity.
Source?
Unknown.
Could be worth a look.
Finally, some excitement—
radiation.
Next piece of business.
Crew morale.
Deteriorating...
obviously.
l have a few suggestions
that might boost people's spirits.
Please.
Rotate crew assignments.
Add variety to the daily routine.
l myself wouldn't mind squeezing in
a little tactical training.
Noted.
And the holodecks have been in high demand.
l was thinking... we could install a few emitters
in Cargo Bay 2—
turn it into a third holodeck.
Hear, hear.
See to it, Harry.
One other item, sir.
Point of, uh, concern among some of the crew.
lt's...
Well, it's the Captain.
She's been a bit elusive lately.
What's your point?
People take comfort in talking to her.
When they see that the Captain's happy, they're happy.
Rumor has it she never leaves her quarters.
Captain's privilege.
She'll come to the Bridge if and when she's needed.
Spare us the protocol, Chakotay.
lt's pretty odd, you've got to admit it.
lt's her choice.
She can run this ship
from wherever the hell she wants to.
Understood?
Yeah.
Sure.
We're all feeling the pressure, including me.
Listen, maybe we've got the wrong attitude.
Let's think of this as a two-year vacation.
Dismissed.
That's a great idea, Harry.
Wow, Harry.
You're a real genius.
How do you come up with these brilliant ideas?
You're such an optimistic guy.
Computer, lights— maximum level.
Bergamot tea, hot.
First thing in the morning, l replicate some curtains.
Predictable.
Hmm?
The Novokovich gambit— you always use that opening move.
That's because you always fall for it.
l feel like we've played this match a hundred times.
Derada is a game of subtlety.
Too subtle for me.
Hmm. l'll bet.
What's that supposed to mean?
Well, if it doesn't involve Klingon painsticks...
Good night.
There you go. Just when l'm winning.
Who's predictable?
You don't want to start a fight with me right now—
not at 3:00 A.M.
3:00 in the morning, 4:00 in the afternoon—
what's the difference?
You're angry 24 hours a day.
Everything is a joke to you.
Good evening... or should l say good morning?
l guess you couldn't sleep, either.
Why sleep when we're having so much fun?
He's joking, Neelix. We're all supposed to laugh.
l certainly am laughing
on the inside... smiling, anyway.
Let's start a new game. Cards?
A little snack?
No. l have a better idea.
Why don't we make a schedule— a fight rotation?
We can optimize our resources.
l can start one, then you can start one...
Please...
l am really tired of these games.
Well, then don't play them.
Stop!
You are senior officers!
You are supposed to be setting an example for the rest...
the rest of the crew.
Neelix?
l can't breathe.
Paris to Sick Bay.
Some morale officer l turned out to be.
l've given you a mild sedative.
lt should control the urge to hyperventilate
and alleviate some of your anxiety.
Anxiety? Anxiety's what l feel when l burn a pot roast.
This... this is more like...
Dizziness? Nausea? Unspeakable dread?
Yes.
Nihiliphobia— the fear of nothingness,
or in layman's terms, the fear of...
nothingness.
lf it's any consolation, l can relate to it.
l go into a void every time l'm deactivated—
emptiness, complete and utter oblivion.
l'll admit, it was unsettling at first—
the existential horror of it all...
You're not helping, Doctor.
Sorry.
My point is, you'll get used to it.
l hope so.
Commander...
am l disturbing you?
No.
ls the Astrometrics Lab designated for recreational use?
l come here to meditate.
Needless to say, the view from my quarters
has been less than stellar lately.
Astronomical phenomena help you to focus your mind.
Yes. l imagine that each star represents a single thought.
Meditation— it rejuvenates you?
lndeed it does.
l suggest you try Borg regeneration.
lt's much more efficient.
A simple cortical implant would be required.
Another time, perhaps.
What is it?
Long-range sensors
are detecting more theta radiation.
Dangerously high levels.
Source?
Unknown.
lt's probably nothing, just... background theta radiation.
But it could mean there's someone nearby.
Distance?
Approximately 25 light-years.
lt's a long shot but alter course.
Yes, ma'am.
lf that's all, Commander...
Actually, l'd like to make a request.
l've been saving up my holodeck rations
and l've got three full hours coming.
Any chance l might persuade you to join me
for a few rounds of Velocity?
lt'll help clear your mind.
My mind is perfectly clear.
Then what if l told you l'm not leaving until you join me?
l'd say, "Have a seat. lt'll be a while."
Then l'll be blunt.
You've picked a bad time
to isolate yourself from the crew.
This ship needs a Captain, especially now.
Would you be satisfied with
"l'm just catching up on some reading?"
l'm not sure l understand it myself.
lt started when we entered this...
What does the crew call it?
The Void.
Charming.
Oh, what l wouldn't give for a few Borg cubes about now—
anything for a little distraction.
Strange as it sounds...
l almost long for the days
when we were under constant attack.
No time to stop and think
about how we got stranded in the Delta Quadrant.
How did we end up here, Chakotay?
Answer me.
We were faced with a difficult choice.
We had the means to get home,
but using it would have put an innocent people at risk
so we decided to stay.
No... no, no.
l decided to stay.
l made that choice for everyone.
We're alive and well
and we've gathered enough data about this Quadrant
to keep Starfleet scientists busy for decades.
Our mission's been a success.
Very same words l've been telling myself
for the past four years.
But then we hit this Void,
and l started to realize how empty those words sound.
Kathryn...
l made an error in judgment, Chakotay.
lt was shortsighted and it was selfish
and now all of us are paying for my mistake.
So if you don't mind, Commander, l'll pass on that little game.
And l'll leave shipboard morale in your capable hands.
lf the crew asks for me,
tell them the Captain sends her regards.
Sir.
Relax, Ensign.
Anything to report?
Not even a stray electron,
but l did finish writing my concerto.
l call it Echoes of the Void.
Got a minute?
Too many, in fact.
Tell me what you think.
Now, when we last saw our heroes,
they had just retaken their rocket ship.
Dr. Chaotica had escaped,
but he left behind his trusty robot
to foil Captain Proton.
My designation?
Ah, right. You're Constance Goodheart.
You're... my secretary.
Secretary?
Yeah. You tag along on all the missions.
Now, l want you to keep the robot occupied
while l save Earth.
Computer, run program.
Citizen of Earth, surrender.
Do not resist.
l am Borg.
Surrender...
The robot has been neutralized.
May l leave now?
Come on, Seven.
Give it a chance.
The galaxy's at stake.
We've dropped out of warp.
We're losing power.
Switch to auxiliary.
No effect.
l was hoping for a change of pace,
but a blackout isn't exactly what l had in mind.
l'll try tapping into the energy reserves.
Double-check the radio relay.
Man the lock plate.
Yeah, l'll get on that right away.
Get inside those plasma injectors!
lnfuse them manually if you have to.
Lieutenant...
Just a second.
l'm not sure how to work this thing.
Captain Proton to the rescue.
lt's not exactly Starfleet issue.
Shipwide power loss?
Everything's off-line— main power, auxiliary...
lndependent subsystems are operational—
environmental controls, holodecks...
Reroute power from this holodeck to the emergency relays.
Yes, ma'am.
No luck.
The hologrid is frozen.
Neelix.
Don't mind me.
There's been a power loss.
Nothing to worry about.
Who's worried?
Come on.
Take deep breaths— nice and slow.
That's it.
Bingo!
We've got partial sensors.
l found the cause of our power drain.
lt's some kind of dampening field.
The source is off the port bow.
That's about all l can tell you.
On screen.
Do we have the power to launch a photon torpedo?
Maybe one. Why?
Perhaps we could shed some light
on our predicament.
l'm reconfiguring the torpedo
to emit a sustained polyluminous burst.
A "warp flare."
Precisely.
l need something to pry open this hatch.
Computer, disengage safety protocols!
l saw something!
Over there.
l'm telling you, l saw something.
l may be nihiliphobic, but my eyes work just fine.
l can hear breathing.
Follow me.
Yes, ma'am.
Torpedo reconfigured.
Away.
l can barely see the injector ports.
How about a little light over here?
We can do better than that.
This power cell should be enough
to get emergency power back on line.
Up here!
We'll hook it up directly to the EPS manifold.
Emergency power just came back.
We've got tactical.
Raising shields.
The warp core's on line.
Janeway to Bridge. Report.
The dampening field has been blocked, Captain.
We are surrounded by three alien vessels.
17 intruders are on board.
The ships aren't responding to hails.
We do have weapons on line.
Tuvok, target the ship off our port bow.
Fire a few warning shots.
Shields down to 64 percent.
Do we have propulsion?
Not yet.
He was attacked by an intruder.
These burns are severe.
l disabled the alien.
lt may still be alive.
Bring it to Sick Bay.
Shields are down.
They're reinitializing the dampening field.
We're losing power.
Not again.
They've stopped their attack.
They're beaming off the ship.
There's another vessel approaching.
We're being hailed.
On screen.
l'm Lieutenant Commander Tuvok of the Federation...
l had to fire 13 spatial charges to drive those ships off.
l expect to be compensated.
Of course.
Now...
tell me...
what are you doing in the middle of nowhere?
The bio-filters are detecting high levels of theta radiation.
Compensate.
Welcome aboard.
l'm afraid we'll have to talk here.
You appear to be leaking.
Yes, yes. My isolation suit.
Don't be alarmed.
We'd prefer to be on the safe side, Mister...?
Emck. Controller Emck,
Malon export vessel, eleventh gradient.
lt's a pleasure to meet you
and a relief...
l'd advise you to turn around immediately.
There are more of those creatures ahead—
thousands of vessels.
They are almost impossible to detect.
You won't survive another attack.
We can't go back.
We're crossing this expanse to reach our home.
Mmm.
Then, uh... it appears you'll be coming with me.
What do you mean?
There's a spatial vortex a few light-years from here.
lt leads directly to the other side
of the expanse.
We've been using it for years.
That would get us out of the Void
and cut two years off our journey home.
Well, thank you again.
l'm curious, Mr. Emck.
What are you doing here—
besides rescuing starships in distress?
Ah. l'm on a... transport mission.
My sensors tell me
that one of the creatures is still aboard your ship.
lt was injured during the attack.
Our Doctor's treating it.
Why?
Enough questions.
Give me the creature and l'll take you to the vortex.
Well, my apologies, Mr. Emck,
but l'd like to know what's going on here.
Are you at war with these beings?
None of your concern.
Your vessel seems to be leaking
large amounts of theta radiation.
What kind of transport mission are you on exactly?
My ship will depart in two hours.
Cooperate or stay behind.
l won't be coming to your rescue when the creatures return.
l'm finished here.
l think it's time we heard the other side of the story.
Watch your step.
l've had to lower the lights.
My patient is extremely photosensitive.
That could explain why they dampened our power.
My feelings exactly.
From what l can tell,
this life-form may be indigenous to the Void.
His physiology
has evolved to survive in complete darkness.
His condition?
Minor injuries—
phaser wounds to the chest and neck.
But that's the least of his problems.
He's dying, Captain.
Every organ is degrading at the cellular level.
Theta radiation poisoning.
The final stages.
My guess is he's been exposed to it over a long period.
There's nothing l can do.
l'd like a word with him.
l'm Kathryn Janeway, Captain of this vessel.
You are allies with the Malon.
No.
We're simply trying to cross this region.
We never met the Malon before today.
They will want me.
Well, l have no intention of giving you to them.
You're not a captive here.
Doctor.
Are you at war with the Malon?
Their ships are poison.
The theta radiation.
They're killing us.
Why? What do they want from you?
Nothing.
This will help alleviate the pain.
l don't understand.
We were ignorant.
We attacked you.
Forgive us.
Of course, but l need to understand.
You say the Malon are killing your people,
but there must be a reason.
They're poisoning our space.
We don't know why.
He's in respiratory distress.
We need to get him back to his people.
They might know how to treat him.
l will show you how.
l need a workstation.
Route it to the helm.
lf you enter the coordinates, my pilot will set a course.
l am grateful.
Take the Bridge.
l'll stay here.
We still don't have a defense against their dampening field.
lf they decide to attack again...
l'm confident they won't.
Finally something to put in my logbook.
Tuvok.
l need your advice.
A first.
Look, l realize we're not exactly best friends.
From day one, we've kept each other at arm's length,
but l've always respected your judgment,
and right now, l could use a little Vulcan clarity.
Proceed.
lt's the Captain.
As you may have noticed, she's isolated herself from the crew.
She believes that she made
an error in judgment four years ago—
that she's responsible for stranding Voyager
in the Delta Quadrant.
She told you?
No.
l've been observing her behavior for the past four years.
Guilt has been her constant companion.
You've known her longer than anyone.
Have you ever seen her like this?
Only once.
lt was during her first year
as a Commander on the USS Billings.
She sent an away team to survey a volcanic moon.
Their shuttle was damaged by a magma eruption
and three crew members were severely injured.
The next day, she returned to the moon, alone,
to complete the survey.
She wanted the crew to know
that their suffering had not been in vain.
She could have been killed.
Seeking redemption.
Precisely.
Captain Janeway's methods are unorthodox.
lt is her strength as a leader,
but, unfortunately, it is also her greatest weakness.
Stubborn as a Klingon.
To put it mildly.
lf she tries something like that again,
l want to be ready
and l'm going to need your support.
We're at the coordinates.
All stop. Shields up.
Tuvok.
Nothing on sensors.
Bridge to Captain.
We've arrived.
Stand by.
They're here, but l must tell them you are a friend.
Your communications system?
l'm picking up photonic surges.
They're all around us.
Captain, we've got company— eight ships.
12 more approaching.
Let's run a full bio-scan.
We have lived here
for millions of years undisturbed,
until the Malon came.
Captain, every one of them appears to be suffering
from theta radiation exposure.
We tell them they are killing us.
They won't listen.
We try to stop them.
They're too strong.
What about the vortex, can you close it?
Keep them out?
We don't know how.
Your ship is powerful.
Your people resourceful.
We need your help.
Bridge to Captain.
They're locking onto the alien in Sick Bay.
Lower the shields.
Will you help us?
Poison.
The vessel is ejecting massive quantities
of contaminated antimatter.
Their cargo holds are loaded with it—
over 90 million isotons.
Hail them.
Captain.
You've decided to join us.
Send the creature to...
That won't be possible.
We've returned him to his people.
You wanted the life-form because you were afraid
we'd uncover your... transport mission.
l said this was none of your concern.
Well, it is now.
You're using their space as a dumping ground
for your antimatter waste. Why?
My civilization produces over six billion isotons
of industrial byproduct every day.
This region is a perfect disposal site.
How convenient— for you.
A spatial vortex to the middle of nowhere,
far away from your own system.
Out of sight, out of mind.
The problem is, somebody lives here.
One species.
One's enough.
We didn't come here to debate the issue.
We came here to offer a peaceful solution.
What kind of solution?
My people use antimatter as well,
but we found ways to purify the reactant
so there's no toxic waste.
We'll show you.
Guide us through the vortex.
We can meet with your scientists
on the other side, exchange information.
Show me now.
Stand by for transport.
Commander, take our guest to Engineering
and give him a demonstration.
Let's turn our sensors on that vortex.
l want to know exactly how it works—
just in case diplomacy fails.
Do you intend to destroy it?
The residual antimatter's then processed
in a transkinetic chamber
where it's broken down on a subatomic level.
What about the theta radiation?
Oh, it's absorbed by a series of radiometric converters.
We recycle the energy—
use it to power everything
from life support to replicators.
We don't have this kind of conversion technology.
Our scans of your freighter
show that you have plasma manifolds.
The engineering principles are the same.
We're not saying this won't take some effort.
You're looking at several months of retrofitting,
depending on the size of your fleet.
All the schematics are here
and we'd be willing to work with you—
get you started.
We can even provide you with some converters.
lngenious design.
Our engineers would be pleased.
This would solve a lot of problems on my world.
Unfortunately, it would also put me out of business.
Sorry?
Your technology would throw the waste-export industry
into chaos.
Before long, l'd be obsolete.
Oh, l came here hoping your claims were exaggerated,
but l can see they're not.
You can keep your solution.
You lying...
B'Elanna.
We went through this whole song and dance,
and he never had any intention of working with us.
That's not important.
What matters is that we're talking now.
We're proposing changes, some of them difficult,
but progress can also bring new opportunities.
Given time, this could turn to your advantage.
l already have the advantage—
the vortex.
No one knows about it except me and my crew.
By ejecting my cargo here, l cut expenses in half.
l won't sacrifice that.
l guess mass murder
doesn't factor into your profit margin.
You care so much about these creatures, stay.
l'm sorry you won't listen to reason,
but don't expect us to walk away from this.
You've scanned my vessel.
You've seen my firepower.
You wouldn't survive ten seconds in a conflict with me.
Get him out of here.
Ah!
Options?
We fight our way past them—
navigate the vortex on our own.
Once we're on the other side,
we contact the Malon authorities and blow the whistle on Emck.
We give them the reclamation technology
and continue on our way home.
Exactly.
Even if we did get through the vortex,
there's no guarantee
the Malon will do the right thing—
if Mr. Emck is any indication.
As long as this vortex exists,
the inhabitants of this region are at risk.
Any chance we could destroy it?
l believe so,
but there's a catch.
We'll have to collapse it from this end
where it's dimensional radius is weakest.
We'd be closing our shortcut out of here.
Two more years in the Void.
l can live with that.
But l'm not sure l can.
Four years ago,
l destroyed the Caretaker's Array to protect the Ocampa.
That "act of compassion"
stranded this crew in the Delta Quadrant.
l'm not about to give that order again.
This situation is a little different.
Oh, it's close enough.
l'm asking this crew to make too big a sacrifice.
l won't make that same mistake.
lf you have another option, l'm listening.
Chakotay,
there's no one l trust more than you.
You're a fine First Officer.
Are you ready to Captain this ship?
Yes.
Assemble the crew.
Captain on the Bridge.
At ease.
Harry, how have you been?
Just fine, ma'am.
Good.
We've missed you, Captain.
Likewise.
l'll make this brief.
Your orders are to proceed to the vortex.
Use whatever means necessary
to fight your way past the Malon freighter.
l'll stay behind in a shuttlecraft
and destroy the vortex.
Tuvok, l'll need a class-2 shuttle
armed with photon torpedoes.
Tom, set a course for...
Forget it.
We're not going to let you die out here.
Have a little faith, B'Elanna.
l'll have a shuttle, plenty of rations. L'll survive.
Alone in the Delta Quadrant?
No offense, but...
l've made my decision.
What about us?
Don't we have a say?
He's right, Captain.
l'd be willing to brave this Void
if it meant keeping you with us.
Tom... set a course.
Lieutenant, l gave you an order.
l can't follow that order, ma'am.
Harry, take the helm.
l'm sorry, Captain.
l will not comply.
What's a hologram to do?
As you can see, you're not the only one
who's had time to evaluate the past.
Yes, l can see that.
You realize you could all be hanged for mutiny.
Looks like we need another option.
We fire torpedoes the instant we cross the threshold.
As the vortex begins to collapse,
we jump into high warp.
There'll be a massive shock wave on our tail.
l'll reinforce the aft shielding.
There's still one obstacle— the Malon.
Antimatter waste has weakened the bulkhead
surrounding their cargo hold.
A direct phaser strike should disable them.
Poetic justice.
lndeed.
You realize it will reduce
our chance of getting through.
Chance is irrelevant. We will succeed.
A vote of Borg confidence.
Who could argue with that?
All right.
Back to your stations.
Let's do it.
Red Alert. Set a course for the vortex.
All hands to battle stations.
You told them.
They knew coming in.
Let's just say l wouldn't be
a fine First Officer if l hadn't.
Return fire.
Hit them with everything we've got.
Their shields are holding.
Open a channel.
This is Voyager.
Stand down your weapons and fall back.
l'll take that as a "no."
The vortex?
Two million kilometers dead ahead.
Bridge to Engineering.
We're approaching the vortex.
Bring the aft shielding on line.
Acknowledged.
See you on the other side.
Status?
The port nacelle's been ruptured.
We're venting plasma.
Can you get us out of here on one engine, Tom?
l think so.
Torpedoes armed and ready.
On my order, Tuvok.
We'll only get one shot at this.
They're firing spatial charges.
Evade them.
Captain Proton to the rescue.
l'll explain later.
The vortex is in visual range.
Time to intercept?
47 seconds.
Steady as she goes.
Keep laying down fire.
Direct hit! Starboard nacelle!
Both engines are off-line!
We're riding on inertia.
One more hit and we're dead in the water.
Without warp drive, we'll never outrun the shock wave.
Tuvok, can you reinforce the aft shields
with our main deflector?
l believe so.
Do it.
We're going to ride that shock wave out of here—
let it push us to the other side.
Adjusting shield harmonics.
Captain.
They intend to block our path.
20 seconds.
Prepare to fire.
That may not be necessary.
The freighter is moving to combat the aliens.
They're trying to distract the Malon...
give us the upper hand.
Ten seconds.
The freighter's shields are weakening.
Target their cargo hold.
Time to take out the garbage.
We're crossing the threshold.
Torpedoes.
Shock wave approaching. 600 meters.
500...
400...
Aft shields at maximum.
All hands brace for impact.
Pressure is building on the outer hull.
Shields weakening.
We're clear.
The vortex has been destroyed.
Are we out of the Void?
Not yet.
That little maneuver brought us up a bit short.
We're still 200,000 kilometers from the boundary.
On screen.
Maintain course.
There.
What?
l saw something.
A star.
Remind me to check your eyesight.
Harry, what do you see out there?
l see a densely-packed region with thousands of star systems.
Looks pretty lively.
Full speed ahead.