Narrator: The Adventures of Captain Proton! Chapter Eighteen: Bride of Chaotica! The evil Doctor Chaotica kidnaps Constance Goodheart and plans to sacrifice her to Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People. Captain Proton travels millions of miles to Planet X where he will invade the Fortress of Doom. Chaotica fires his fiendish Death Ray. Certain death for Proton as his rocket ship bursts into flames.
Kim: We didn't burst into flames in the last chapter. Why are these recaps always so inaccurate?
Paris: Well, they brought people back to the theaters.
Kim: Cliff-hangers.
Paris: The lost art of hyperbole. You ready?
Kim: Aye, Captain.
Paris: Let's get this show on the road. Computer, begin Chapter Eighteen.
Kim: We're receiving a transmission. It's Chaotica.
Paris: Imagising.
Chaotica: Captain Proton. Surrender!
Paris: Not a chance. Release Miss Goodheart and we'll be on our way.
Chaotica: I'm afraid your secretary has already been promised to Queen Arachnia as a Supreme Sacrifice.
Kim: You'll never get away with this.
Chaotica: Oh, ho ho ho, but I shall. You escaped from my Death Ray once, but you won't survive this!
Kim: He's charging the weapon.
Paris: Brace for impact.
Kim: Direct hit. We lost both engines.
Paris: Steering jets are on the fritz.
Kim: We're going down!
Paris: The landing gear is jammed. Hang on!
Kim: Opening hatch.
Paris: Welcome to Planet X.
Kim: What's the plan?
Paris: This is the part where we defeat Chaotica's soldiers, steal their uniforms, and make our way through the underground caverns.
Kim: Hey, I thought you said there were slave girls in this chapter.
Paris: After we infiltrate the Fortress of Doom, we'll free Chaotica's harem. Let's go.
Kim: I'm right behind you.
Kim: Planet X looks kind of familiar. What was the last place we went to?
Paris: The Mines of Mercury.
Kim: They're identical.
Paris: Sets were expensive. At least there's no erupting volcano this time. Ah, behold the Fortress of Doom.
Kim: And how are we supposed to get up there?
Paris: I told you. The un
Both: Derground caverns.
Kim: Right.
Kim: I thought you said there was no volcano.
Paris: I did.
Kim: Er, Tom.
Paris: Definitely not Chaotica.
Kim: Computer, end program.
Computer: Unable to comply. Holodeck controls are offline.
Paris: Paris to bridge. Bridge, respond.
Kim: We need to find the manual overrides.
Paris: There's an access port in the rocket ship. Come on.
Janeway: Report.
Chakotay: We've dropped out of warp. We're at a dead stop.
Janeway: Cause?
Tuvok: Unknown. Engines are operational.
Chakotay: I'm reading gravimetric forces around the ship. They're disrupting our power flow.
Tuvok: Control systems are going offline. I no longer have access to communications, deflector, weapons.
Janeway: Scan for vessels, tractor beams, anything that might explain what's holding us here.
Lonzak: Halt in the name of Chaotica! Proton!
Kim: Buddy of yours?
Lonzak: Surprised? You thought I perished in the Den of Crocodiles.
Paris: We don't have time for this.
Lonzak: I survived clinging to the thought that I would one day
Tuvok: I believe I have an explanation. Sensors show that we've entered a layer of subspace. It's disrupting our warp field.
Janeway: Do we have impulse?
Chakotay: Yes
Janeway: Engage at full.
Tuvok: No change in our position.
Janeway: Route all available power to the engines.
Tuvok: We're not moving.
Chakotay: The impulse reactor's running hot. We're heading for an overload.
Janeway: Give it all she's got. Full thrusters.
Chakotay: No effect. Reactors are critical.
Janeway: Abort. Increase power to the structural integrity field. We may be here awhile.
Paris: It's no use. I can't disengage the program.
Kim: Well, you better think of something fast, Proton. A second distortion just appeared. Whatever they are, they're getting bigger.
Paris: Hold on. I've got access to the transporter. I'm going to try a site to site.
Kim: There's a third one.
Seven: I've run a trans-spectral analysis. The area between space and subspace is unstable throughout this region.
Torres: Basically, we've run aground on a subspace sandbar. I've tried realigning the warp field, reversing hull polarity.
Paris: Maybe we should just get out and push.
Seven: The gravimetric forces are disrupting our control systems.
Torres: As long as we're trapped here we won't have access to the computer core, tactical, holodecks, and all but six replicators.
Janeway: What about those distortions on the holodeck? What's the connection?
Seven: They appear to be random energy fluctuations. I don't believe they post a threat.
Janeway: Let's keep an eye on them anyway, and evacuate that deck just to be safe. A few years back, when I was a science officer on the Al-Batani, we tried to navigate a dense protonebula. It stopped us dead in our tracks. For three days we attempted to force our way out, until we realized we were trying too hard.
Torres: Captain?
Janeway: Every time we engaged the engines, we were increasing the resistance of the nebula's particle field. We may be facing a similar situation.
Seven: Our own warp field may be increasing the gravimetric forces. If we power down the core and use minimal thrusters, we might be able to break free.
Janeway: You took the words right out of my mouth.
Seven: Your plan could work.
Torres: Now that we have your blessing.
Janeway: Let's give it a try.
Lonzak: Halt, in the name of Chaotica!
Alien: We intend no harm.
Lonzak: Seize them! Lower the drawbridge. We are bringing prisoners.
Chaotica: Yes, yes, yes, Lonzak, what do you want?
Lonzak: Your Majesty.
Chaotica: Where's Proton?
Lonzak: He er, escaped.
Chaotica: Fool! You will pay for your incompetence. Seize him!
Robot: Surrender.
Lonzak: But Majesty, I have brought prisoners.
Chaotica: More Earthlings?
Lonzak: No. They claim they're from another Dimension.
Chaotica: The Fifth Dimension. Bring them to me.
Alien: Identify yourself.
Chaotica: You insult me. I am Chaotica, Ruler of the Cosmos.
Lonzak: Kneel before his Majesty. I said, kneel!
Chaotica: You have invaded my planet. Why?
Alien: To contact other photonic lifeforms. To learn from them.
Chaotica: Are you alone or are you the vanguard of an invading army?
Alien: We are explorers.
Chaotica: I am growing weary of this charade. Your armies will be no match for my space force. We'll crush you like insects.
Alien: They are hostile. This contact should be terminated.
Chaotica: Indeed. Lonzak, execute them.
Chaotica: Coward. He'll learn there's no escape from Chaotica. Gather my Space Force. Power the Death Ray.
Lonzak: At once, Majesty.
Chaotica: Take Miss Goodheart to Arachnia. Invite the Queen to join me in battle. Together, we will rain destruction on the Fifth Dimension!
Janeway: Captain's log, supplemental. We've been spinning our wheels for three days now, and still no progress in breaking free of the subspace layer.
Neelix: Look on the bright side. there's only three meals a day.
Janeway: Coffee, black.
Neelix: Sorry, Captain. We lost two more replicators this morning
Janeway: Listen to me very carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Coffee, black.
Neelix: Yes, ma'am. Coffee, black. While I've got your attention, there are
Janeway: Coffee first. Now, what's the problem?
Neelix: It's a, it's a delicate matter.
Janeway: I don't have time to play twenty questions, Neelix.
Neelix: Replicators aren't the only systems of convenience offline. We've only got four functioning lavatories for a ship of a hundred and fifty people.
Janeway: I see.
Neelix: Needless to say, lines are beginning to form. If we don't get unstuck soon we may have a serious problem on our hands. Especially with the Bolians. All but three sonic showers are offline, too. In another couple of days
Janeway: I get the idea.
Chakotay: Captain to the bridge.
Janeway: On my way. I'm going to leave these problems in your capable hands.
Neelix: Yes ma'am. I was thinking, if we drew up a schedule.
Janeway: Whatever it takes.
Janeway: Status.
Torres: The warp core has been powered down. The thrusters at standby.
Janeway: Okay. Let's give it a try. Take us out, Tom. Nice and slow.
Paris: We're moving. Two meters per second. Three meters.
Janeway: Steady.
Paris: Nine meters. Ten.
Janeway: Increase power to the thrusters by fifty percent.
Torres: We're approaching the subspace boundary.
Paris: Twenty five meters per second. Wait a minute, we're slowing down. Nineteen meters per second, eighteen.
Torres: Captain, I'm reading power surges.
Janeway: Source?
Torres: Unknown, but they look like weapon signatures.
Kim: I'm not reading any other ships in the area.
Paris: We've stopped.
Tuvok: I've localized the weapons fire. It's emanating from within the ship. Deck six, holodeck two.
Janeway: Who's still on that deck?
Tuvok: No one. No lifesigns.
Kim: There's a program running. It's Captain Proton.
Paris: Proton?
Chakotay: Can you shut it down?
Kim: Negative. Control systems still malfunctioning.
Janeway: Tuvok, get down there and find out what's happening. Well, join him.
Paris: Yes, ma'am.
Tuvok: It appears that a battle took place.
Paris: Believe me, it wasn't like this when I left. I must have missed a few chapters.
Tuvok: Holodeck programs don't normally run by themselves.
Paris: No kidding.
Paris: She's dead.
Tuvok: Who is she?
Paris: Constance Goodheart, my secretary. This doesn't make sense. She isn't supposed to die. She's one of the good guys.
Tuvok: I'm sure you two were very close, but she is a holodeck character.
Paris: A character from 1930s Hollywood. The good guys never get killed. Something's wrong here.
Robot: Invaders from the Fifth Dimension.
Paris: Satan's Robot.
Tuvok: Naturally.
Robot: Queen Arachnia is on her way. Invaders from the Fifth Dimension. Destroy Proton.
Paris: Give me a hand. If we can repair his vocalizer he might be able to tell us what's been going on. It looks like he burned out a resister.
Tuvok: A what?
Paris: That's a few centuries before duotronic circuitry.
Tuvok: I see. How do you propose we repair him?
Paris: Well, first of all, I've gotta remove this damaged tube. No problem. Just a few crossed wires.
Tuvok: Your knowledge of this technology is most impressive.
Paris: Oh, thanks. Got it.
Robot: Intruders. Intruders. Intruders. Intruder alert! Intruder alert!
Paris: Tell us what happened.
Robot: Invaders from the Fifth Dimension. Invaders from the Fifth Dimension
Paris: Hey, calm down.
Tuvok: How did these invaders get here?
Robot: A portal.
Paris: A Fifth Dimension? There's not supposed to be alien invaders in this story. That's in Captain Proton versus the Cosmic Creature.
Robot: Invaders from the Fifth Dimension.
Paris: Those subspace distortions. Take us to this portal.
Robot: There.
Tuvok: Photonic charges. The same signatures as the weapons fire we detected.
Robot: The Fifth Dimension.
Tuvok: We must report this to the Captain.
Paris: Wait. I want to check my rocket ship first.
Tuvok: Excuse me?
Paris: It's got sensors, sort of. Maybe they can tell us something Voyager's sensors can't.
Seven: I've established a visual link with the holodeck. The attack appears to be originating from subspace.
Kim: Can you tell where it's coming from?
Seven: No.
Seven: What was that?
Kim: Chaotica's Death Ray.
Seven: Excuse me?
Kim: Let's see if we can get a look inside his Fortress, find out what he's up to.
Chaotica: Full power to the Death Ray! Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People. You have not responded to my summons. Don't
Kim: I don't get it. Chaotica was supposed to be fighting Earth in this chapter.
Seven: Apparently he's found a new enemy.
Kim: The Fifth Dimension.
Seven: It seems your infantile scenario now poses a security risk.
Kim: It was just supposed to be a little harmless entertainment.
Seven: Entertainment. Another frivolous human endeavor.
Tuvok: These are your sensor readings?
Paris: Telegram. It's a message to Captain Proton from the President of Earth. Intercepted communications between Doctor Chaotica and Arachnia. Stop. Chaotica at war with aliens from Fifth Dimension. Stop. Must strike now to disable Death Ray.
Tuvok: Stop. Please summarize the message.
Paris: Well, it looks like Chaotica has captured a couple of aliens from the Fifth Dimension.
Tuvok: An alternate universe.
Paris: Could be. Maybe they wandered into the holodeck through one of those distortions.
Tuvok: To participate in a game?
Robot: Intruder!
Tuvok: I assume there's no locking mechanism on the hatch?
Paris: It was a simpler time.
Tuvok: Is he part of the program?
Paris: I don't recognize him.
Robot: Invaders!
Paris: Quiet! Look there's been a misunderstanding. I'm Ensign Paris from the Starship Voyager. This is Lieutenant Tuvok.
Alien: You have killed fifty three of my people.
Paris: We haven't killed anyone.
Tuvok: Ensign. Everything you see here is a simulation. None of it's real.
Alien: Simulation?
Tuvok: A photonically-based projection.
Alien: All life is photonic.
Tuvok: We are not. we are biochemical lifeforms.
Alien: I'm not familiar with biochemical.
Tuvok: We are carbon based. We live aboard a starship. I believe we have become trapped in a region of space that intersects your own.
Alien: We've detected no starship. Only this planet.
Tuvok: This planet isn't real. As I told you, it's part of a simulation.
Paris: Maybe we can help you adjust your sensors.
Alien: You don't register as a lifeform. You are the illusion.
Paris: We're as real as you are. Listen.
Robot: Citizen of the Fifth Dimension, you will be destroyed. You
Paris: Wait. Wait!
Robot: Damage. Damage. Require maintenance. Help. Help. Help.
Janeway: Let me get this straight. Transdimensional aliens have mistaken your Captain Proton simulation for reality.
Paris: Yes, ma'am.
Janeway: And now an armed conflict has broken out between these aliens and Chaotica's holographic army.
Paris: Yes, ma'am. His Army of Evil.
Janeway: And will someone please explain why we haven't simply shut down the holodeck?
Seven: We've tried. The controls are still offline.
Janeway: We're going to have to get through to these aliens somehow and explain that they're fighting shadows.
Paris: We've tried, but they don't believe us. They think that we're not real. They can't detect Voyager, so every time they scan us we seem as artificial to them as holographic characters do to us.
Chakotay: That explains why they haven't answered our hails.
Seven: The Doctor is photonic. He may be able to persuade them.
Janeway: It's worth a try. Brief him.
Paris: In the meantime, I think we should let the program play out.
Janeway: You're not suggesting we wait until this Chaotica defeats the aliens?
Paris: No, no, I'm suggesting that we help the aliens to defeat Chaotica. They think that he's leading some kind of hostile invasion force. Once that threat is gone, it's a good bet that they will leave and close up their portals.
Chakotay: How do you propose to defeat Chaotica?
Paris: Well, he's been attacking the aliens with his Death Ray.
Tuvok: It's a shame we don't have one.
Paris: Forget about what it's called, Tuvok. In the world of Captain Proton, it's the most powerful weapon that there is. And because it's photonic, it's lethal to these aliens. Now, in Chapter eighteen, Captain Proton disables this weapon just before Chaotica can use it to destroy Earth.
Janeway: And you think that Proton, namely you of course, could still do that?
Paris: Well, we'd have to knock out the Lightning Shield first.
Seven: A forcefield.
Paris: Yeah, now you're catching on. The Destructo Beam on my rocket ship can disable the Death Ray, but only if someone gets inside the Fortress of Doom and can shut down the Lightning Shield.
Chakotay: And who's supposed to do that?
Paris: Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People.
Janeway: Charming.
Paris: Chaotica thinks so. In the story, he's in love with her. He's been trying to form an alliance since Chapter Three. She's the only one that he trusts, the only one that can get close enough to disable the Lightning Shield. Somebody is going to have to take on her character.
Janeway: Who'd you have in mind? Oh, no!
Paris: It's the role of a lifetime.
Tuvok: Captain, need I remind you that we have exhausted all other possibilities of escaping this layer of subspace.
Chakotay: Until we can eliminate those distortions, we're trapped.
Seven: Think of it as Starfleet's first encounter with Planet X.
Janeway: Thanks.
Paris: Captain, it won't be so bad. I can explain to you what you can expect. I can tell you
Janeway: All right, all right. I'm a size four.
Torres: What's the emergency?
Emh: I've been enlisted. I'm supposed to make contact with our photonic friends from the Fifth Dimension and convince them to call off their attack.
Torres: Congratulations. Why do you need me?
Emh: It's an undercover mission. I'll need a bit of cosmetic surgery. These are the parameters for my new costume.
Torres: What are you going as, the Emperor of the Universe?
Emh: Well, I've been forced to scale back my role in the interest of credibility. I'll be President of Earth. I must say, the idea of an entire universe populated by photonic beings is rather appealing.
Torres: Well, if your mission fails, you could be taking up permanent residence.
Kim: Kim to Sickbay. Report to holodeck two, Doctor.
Torres: You're all set. The new parameters will activate as soon as you enter the holodeck.
Emh: Thank you.
Torres: Break a leg.
Janeway: So all I have to do is find the controls of this Death Ray and deactivate it.
Paris: It's not as simple as it sounds. Now, Chaotica might be a 1930s villain, but he's very clever. It'd help if you knew some of the rules.
Janeway: I'm listening.
Paris: All right. Well, first of all, he's a megalomaniac, so it's a good idea to appeal to his ego.
Janeway: Right.
Paris: And, er, use grandiose language. He likes to be called sire. And it helps to say things like the clever fiendishness of your evil plan is brilliant.
Janeway: Deck four.
Paris: Now remember, it's ray gun, not phaser. Imagiser, not viewscreen. Earthlings, not Terrans.
Janeway: Got it.
Paris: And another thing. These villains always have a trick up their sleeve. Trapdoors, secret weapons.
Janeway: It's the holodeck. I can't be hurt by weapons.
Paris: That doesn't mean you can't be restrained, or thrown into the Dungeon of Pain.
Janeway: Noted.
Paris: Now, as soon as you get the Death Ray shut down, call me in my rocket ship and give me the signal to fire.
Paris: You'll have to use Chaotica's broadcast microphone.
Janeway: This is how you've been spending your free time?
Paris: Well, I've been studying how past generations viewed the future.
Janeway: And?
Paris: Well, it didn't work out quite as black and white as they imagined. Now, specifications for Arachnia's costume. One more thing. if you have trouble with Chaotica, or you can't get to the Death Ray, you can always uncork the pheromones.
Janeway: I beg your pardon.
Paris: Chapter sixteen, Spell of the Spider. Arachnia sends Chaotica a vial of her irresistible potion. Now, whenever he gets a whiff, he's under her spell.
Janeway: I get the picture.
Paris: Yeah, well, my point is that these pheromones seem to throw Chaotica for a loop. Well, it works in Chapter sixteen, anyway. Now, the vial is sitting on a small pedestal next to the throne.
Janeway: I'll keep an eye out.
Paris: Okay.
Janeway: Thanks for the briefing.
Paris: I'll see you at the Fortress of Doom. And remember, you're the Queen.
Lonzak: Sire. Three more of our space ships have been destroyed.
Chaotica: Argh! Full power to the Death Ray.
Chaotica: Citizens of the Fifth Dimension. Your feeble attacks are nothing but pinpricks to me. Surrender now and I will be merciful.
Lonzak: We're receiving a transmission.
Chaotica: They are surrendering.
Lonzak: No. It's Queen Arachnia. She wishes to cross the drawbridge.
Chaotica: What are you waiting for? Show her in.
Lonzak: I present her Royal Highness, Arachnia!
Chaotica: Ahh. At last, at last. My Queen.
Chaotica: This is an historic occasion. Kindred souls meet at last.
Janeway: It's an honor to be in your presence, Majesty. I've always admired your clever fiendishness.
Chaotica: Ah, your taste is exceeded only by your beauty.
Janeway: This must be your Death Ray.
Chaotica: That, my dear, is the Cradle of Persuasion. It's fully equipped. Brain probe, pain modulator.
Janeway: Impressive. It's good you have the Lightning Shield to protect your equipment.
Chaotica: Yes. As long as it's electrified, I am invincible. But my greatest achievement is there. Behold, the Death Ray.
Janeway: Oh, it looks like a formidable weapon.
Chaotica: The most powerful in the cosmos. There is so much more I want to show you. My throne, for example. The seat of my Empire.
Janeway: Ah. I see you've kept my pheromones. I didn't realize you were the sentimental type.
Chaotica: Your perfume inspires me.
Janeway: Would you mind?
Chaotica: Oh, please.
Janeway: Somehow I feel comfortable here.
Chaotica: Join me and you will have your own chair. One adorned with the most precious jewels and the softest silk.
Janeway: Your Majesty seems overly concerned with romantic matters when there's a battle to be won. That is why you asked me here.
Chaotica: Of course, my dear. Forgive me. It's just that the air itself seems to vibrate in your presence.
Janeway: We can't be slaves to our passion. Not when your Empire is threatened. I have assembled my fleet of Spider ships. However, the Lightning Shield prevents them from approaching your fortress.
Chaotica: We'll send them directly into battle, alongside my space force.
Janeway: My soldiers wish to pay homage to you.
Chaotica: Gratifying. Of course, if I lower the shield my fortress will be defenseless. Even an ally might choose such a moment to seize my throne.
Janeway: You don't trust me.
Chaotica: There is a way you could convince me of your loyalty.
Janeway: Oh?
Chaotica: I'll lower my Lightning Shield but first, you must become my Queen! Gather my courtiers! Prepare for the ceremony!
Janeway: And don't forget to deactivate the Lightning Shield, so my subjects may witness the blessed event.
Chaotica: Very well. Do as she says, once her guests have arrived.
Lonzak: Yes, Sire.
Chaotica: And so, my dear, the day you have always dreamed of has arrived. The day you become Bride of Chaotica!
Emh: Welcome.
Alien: You are photonic.
Emh: Guilty as charged.
Alien: You signaled me across the threshold. How?
Emh: I believe you dropped your calling card. I return it to you as a sign of good faith.
Alien: Identify yourself.
Emh: I am the President of Earth.
Alien: Earth?
Emh: A planet some distance from here. I've come on a mission of peace.
Alien: Elaborate.
Emh: Your people and the people of Earth have a common enemy.
Alien: Chaotica.
Emh: The one and only.
Alien: He threatens to invade our realm, destroy our people.
Emh: Join the club. Chaotica has designs on Earth too. But we've withstood countless attacks, all thanks to one man. Captain Proton.
Alien: Captain Proton?
Emh: Defender of the universe, scourge of intergalactic evil, And a competent medic to boot, but don't say I said so. Even as we speak, he's preparing to destroy Chaotica's Death Ray, but he needs your help.
Alien: Explain.
Emh: Your weapons pose a threat to Proton's rocket ship. You must cease firing while he mounts his attack. Once Chaotica's Death Ray is destroyed, you can return to your realm confident that you'll never hear from him again.
Alien: Captain Proton may proceed.
Emh: On behalf of the citizens of Earth, I thank you.
Paris: Space drive.
Kim: Check.
Robot: Check.
Paris: Destructo beam.
Kim: Check.
Robot: Check.
Paris: If I could access holodeck controls, the first thing I'd do is delete this guy.
Robot: Delete this guy.
Paris: As a matter of fact, as soon as this is all over I think I'm going to delete the whole program.
Kim: What about your historical study?
Paris: Class dismissed. No more robots, no more mad scientists, no more Death Rays. I am retiring my rocket pack, Harry. Someone else can save the universe from now on.
Kim: The final chapter, huh?
Paris: The end.
Emh: Isn't anyone going to sing Hail to the Chief?
Kim: Mister President. How'd it go?
Emh: My performance was unimpeachable.
Kim: He agreed?
Emh: Let's just say I'm considering running for office when we get back to Earth.
Paris: All right, then. Let's get this thing in the air and hope Captain Janeway is giving a command performance.
Lonzak: Queen Arachnia.
Janeway: Don't tell me. My wedding ring.
Lonzak: Doctor Chaotica's wedding ring. You will present it to him at the end of the ceremony.
Janeway: Your Majesty, perhaps we should lower the Lightning Shield in anticipation of my guests.
Chaotica: Why this preoccupation with the Shield?
Janeway: Oh, forgive me. It's just that, as a fellow ruler of the cosmos I often have to do things myself.
Chaotica: Ah. Because of the incompetence of your inferiors, no doubt.
Janeway: Something like that.
Chaotica: Oh, Arachnia, my love, my life. how well you understand our plight. If it weren't beneath my dignity, I, I would weep. How I've longed for someone who would understand.
Janeway: We have a saying on Arachnia. It's lonely at the top.
Chaotica: No longer, my dear.
Lonzak: Majesty! Proton is preparing to attack.
Chaotica: Target his rocket ship.
Chaotica: You have betrayed me. You are in league with Proton. Impetuous harlot!
Janeway: Tell me how to deactivate the Lightning Shield, or I'll show you just how impetuous I can be.
Chaotica: What are you waiting for, you great lummox? Kill her!
Janeway: Ha! You're no match for Arachnia. Now, tell me how to shut down the Shield.
Chaotica: The confinement rings.
Chaotica: Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't kill my bride. Not until after our wedding night. Reactivate the Death Ray! Destroy Proton!
Paris: We've been hit.
Kim: Well, I guess the Captain ran into some trouble.
Paris: We're not going down without a fight. Doc, activate the Destructo Beam.
Emh: The what?
Paris: Big button in the middle of that panel.
Robot: Destructo Beam! KIM +
Paris: The other panel!
Emh: Destructo beam activated.
Kim: We just dropped out of range. We're losing altitude.
Chakotay: Report.
Torres: The alien weapons fire is increasing. It's causing the distortions to grow larger. We're being pulled deeper into subspace.
Robot: Invaders! Invaders!
Emh: Er, incoming.
Lonzak: Proton's ship is damaged, but still airborne.
Chaotica: Not for long. Fire at will.
Chaotica: Lonzak.
Chaotica: Man the Lightning Shield.
Lonzak: Arachnia?
Chaotica: Lonzak. Quickly, Lonzak. No time for dawdling.
Lonzak: Your beauty is maddening. Entangle me in your web.
Janeway: Let me out of here and I'll do all that, and more.
Lonzak: At once, my Queen.
Chaotica: Back to your station.
Chaotica: Idiot!
Janeway: Deactivate the shield. Now.
Chaotica: Such passion, such strength. Together we could conquer the universe. End this madness, and you may yet live to be my Bride.
Janeway: The shield.
Janeway: I don't know how to tell you this but the wedding's off. Arachnia to Proton. Arachnia to Proton. Do you read me?
Janeway: Arachnia to Proton.
Paris: I'm reading you.
Janeway: The Lightning Shield is down.
Paris: Acknowledged. Harry, target the Death Ray. Doc, fire the Destructo Beam on my mark. Ready? Now!
Tuvok: The distortions are closing.
Torres: We're realigning with normal space.
Chakotay: Helm, full impulse.
Chakotay: Bridge to Janeway.
Janeway: Go ahead.
Chakotay: The aliens have retreated
Chakotay: And they've closed the distortions. We've cleared the subspace layer.
Janeway: Secure all systems, and organize damage repair teams.
Chakotay: Understood. We're preparing to shut down the holodeck.
Janeway: Chakotay, give me a minute.
Paris: I was about to say, Captain Proton to the rescue, but I see you have everything under control.
Janeway: I'm the Queen, remember?
Chaotica: Arachnia, death as you know it has no hold on me. My defeat is but a temporary setback. I shall return to seek my revenge.
Janeway: He doesn't give up, does he?
Paris: They never do.
Chaotica: Our love was not meant to be, my Queen. But be warned. You have not seen the last of Chaotica.
Paris: The end of a twisted madman.
Janeway: And you're going to miss him.
Paris: A little.


Scene: October 19, 2032. Mars.
Kelly: Ares Four to Kumagawa. How was the sunrise from down there?
Kumagawa: Beautiful. There was a little green mixed in today. It was really quite spectacular.
Kelly: Sorry I missed it.
Kumagawa: Next time, Lieutenant.
Kelly: Any luck drilling through that lava plain?
Kumagawa: Roger that. We broke through the iron oxide barrier and we're down to eight meters.
Novakovich: We should have some samples by the end of the day if all goes well.
Kelly: On to more important matters. Received an uplink from Houston. The Yankees won game five of the World Series.
Kumagawa: You owe me twenty bucks.
Kelly: It's not over yet. There's still game six. We won't be the only ones making history today. Bokai just broke DiMaggio's record.
Novakovich: I don't believe it.
Kelly: If you ask me, Houston's been manipulating the stats.
Kumagawa: They do have a few too many Kings fans at mission control.
Kelly: Well, how else do you explain Bokai beating out the Yankee Clipper?
Kumagawa: Commander? We lost you for a second there.
Kelly: The ride got a little bumpy. Stand by. Picking up some turbulence.
Novakovich: At your altitude?
Kelly: Checking LIDAR. What the hell?
Kumagawa: John, what's going on?
Kelly: There's an object closing on my position, azimuth one twenty one point six. Whatever it is, it's huge. It's over a thousand meters across.
Novakovich: How could something that big appear out of nowhere?
Kelly: I don't know, but I'm getting out of its way. Firing thrusters.
Kumagawa: It's probably just a solar flare.
Kelly: Let's hope so.
Kelly: It's no solar flare. Stardate 53292.7.
Chakotay: Come in. Come in!
Chakotay: Chakotay to the bridge.
Crewman: This is transporter room two.
Chakotay: I'm trying to reach the bridge.
Crewman: Your comm. signal was routed here, sir.
Chakotay: Can you patch me through?
Neelix: Pardon me. Where? Patch you through where?
Chakotay: Neelix?
Neelix: Commander?
Crew: Check on the field generators.
Woman: Control seven, return to base at once.
Janeway: Computer, locate Neelix.
Man: I can't get through to Engineering.
Chakotay: I see you're making some changes to the computer core.
Seven: I have enhanced the command sequencers with Borg algorithms.
Chakotay: Well, your enhancements are wreaking havoc with our secondary systems.
Seven: Insignificant malfunctions. I will correct them.
Chakotay: I don't recall authorizing any modifications.
Seven: The computer core is inefficient. It needed to be improved.
Chakotay: I appreciate your initiative, but that's not up to you.
Seven: I've explained the value of these enhancements on several occasions, but Lieutenant Torres chose to ignore me. I thought a demonstration would be more persuasive.
Chakotay: Well, I doubt this one's going to change her mind.
Seven: Clearly Voyager is not yet ready for assimilation. A joke. The doctor suggested that I defuse tense situations with humor.
Chakotay: Good idea. Now how about getting these systems back up again so I can get back to my book.
Seven: We are experiencing a ship-wide power drain. This is unrelated to my modifications.
Kim: Senior officers to the bridge.
Janeway: It's two in the morning, Ensign. This better be more than a little turbulence.
Kim: You won't be disappointed. We've got level nine gravimetric distortions closing on our position.
Tuvok: They're emanating from subspace.
Janeway: On screen. Shields.
Paris: It's heading right toward us.
Janeway: Evasive maneuvers.
Chakotay: Captain.
Janeway: Say good morning to thirty million terajoules of subspace energy.
Paris: This thing is following us. I can't outrun it at impulse.
Janeway: Go to warp.
Paris: It's disrupting our warp field.
Kim: If it gets any closer the gravimetric stresses are going to rip the plating off our hull.
Seven: Captain, I recognize this phenomenon. It's Borg designation is spatial anomaly five two one. It's attracted to objects that emit electromagnetic energy. We have to cut power and reverse our shield polarity.
Janeway: Do it.
Paris: That was close.
Janeway: I recognize this anomaly too. It's called a graviton ellipse. According to the Federation Database it travels through subspace, emerging occasionally without warning. Ellipses have only been observed a handful of times.
Chakotay: Ares Four.
Tuvok: Commander?
Chakotay: One of the early Mars missions. The Command module and its pilot were engulfed by a similar phenomenon back in 2032.
Paris: I remember reading about that. Two astronauts were stranded on the surface for weeks before a rescue ship arrived.
Chakotay: No one's gotten this close to a graviton ellipse and lived to tell about it. This could be a remarkable opportunity.
Janeway: Go to yellow alert. Keep our power output at minimum levels. Match it's course and speed but maintain a safe distance.
Paris: Aye, Captain.
Chakotay: I suggest we launch a probe. See if we can find out what makes this thing tick.
Janeway: Make it fast. There's no telling when our visitor's going to burrow back into subspace.
Seven: I'm receiving telemetry from the probe. It appears to have entered a stable core within the anomaly. The gravimetric forces are negligible.
Tuvok: The eye of the storm.
Seven: An apt metaphor.
Tuvok: Computer, run a multispectral analysis of the anomaly's core.
Computer: Analysis in progress.
Seven: The Borg developed shields to get through the gravimetric currents. They intended to dissipate the anomaly from within. Perhaps we should continue their efforts.
Tuvok: It would be short-sighted to destroy it. We should study the phenomenon.
Seven: I didn't realize you shared this crew's penchant for exploration.
Tuvok: I am a Starfleet officer.
Seven: When the risks outweigh the potential gain, exploration is illogical.
Tuvok: We can't predict what we might find here, Seven. One must allow for the unexpected discovery.
Computer: Core analysis complete.
Seven: There are more that two point eight billion compounds in the core.
Tuvok: Fascinating.
Seven: The computer has isolated several synthetic compounds native to sector zero zero one.
Tuvok: Titanium and polymer composites. These materials date back to the twenty first century. They were used in the construction of Earth's early spacecraft.
Seven: Commander Chakotay mentioned a space capsule that was consumed by a graviton ellipse.
Tuvok: These alloys are consistent with the hull of that capsule. An unexpected discovery indeed.
Torres: She was forty six meters, ninety two metric tons, powered by a third generation ion drive, and equipped with a transpectral imager.
Chakotay: Ares Four was piloted by Lieutenant John Kelly. His ground team, astronauts Rose Kumagawa and Andrei Novakovich, were close to completing their survey mission when Kelly reported an object closing on his position. Then he and the command module disappeared off NASA's LIDAR scopes.
Paris: And into the history books. That incident almost derailed the Mars program.
Tuvok: Mankind's first encounter with a spatial anomaly.
Chakotay: Seven, you said the Borg were working on a way to get inside a graviton ellipse.
Seven: Shield enhancements.
Paris: Well, maybe we could apply the same enhancements to the Flyer.
Seven: Captain, do you intend to try to find the command module?
Janeway: Or what's left of it.
Tuvok: By my calculations, we have less than sixteen hours before the anomaly goes back into subspace.
Janeway: Then we have to work quickly. Harry, B'Elanna, help Seven modify the Flyer's shields. Tom, review the database from the Ares Four mission. It might tell us something about this anomaly we've missed. We're going to need a mission leader.
Chakotay: I volunteer.
Janeway: I thought you might. Let's do it.
Janeway: Something on your mind, Seven?
Seven: The anomaly is as dangerous and unpredictable now as it was three hundred years ago.
Janeway: But the Delta Flyer's a little more advanced than the Ares Four was. We'll be taking every precaution.
Seven: That may not be enough.
Janeway: I appreciate your concern but, this is my call.
Seven: Searching for the command module seems more sentimental than scientific.
Janeway: I can't argue with that. If scientific knowledge was all we were after, then the Federation would have built a fleet of probes, not starships. Exploration is about seeing things with your own eyes. In this case, we're exploring the past.
Seven: How will retrieving this artifact enhance your appreciation of history?
Janeway: By making us part of it. In the same way that excavating the obelisks of ancient Vulcan, or finding the shroud of Kahless made those explorers a part of their history. Here's the crux of it. As a Borg, you didn't study the past, you ingested it. You've never really developed an appreciation for humanity's history. Maybe this is an opportunity to do some exploring of your own.
Seven: Are you ordering me to join this mission?
Janeway: Let's just say I'm encouraging you to volunteer.
Kelly: It's no solar flare. Wow!
Kumagawa: John, can you describe it?
Kelly: It's at least a thousand meters wide. Bright.
Novakovich: Your transmission's breaking up.
Kelly: It's generating an electromagnetic radiation, interfering with primary systems. I can't get away from it. Activating the transpectral imager. I'll record as much data as I can. It's right on top of me. I'll transmit as much as I can.
Paris: That's all she wrote.
Chakotay: NASA received Kelly's last telemetry at oh nine twenty two hours, October 19th, 2032.
Paris: I thought I was the Mars buff. You seem to know more about the Ares Four than I do.
Chakotay: The Mars missions paved the way for the exploration of space. Kelly was one of my childhood heroes.
Paris: Mine too.
Chakotay: That's dedication. The man's life is about to end, but he won't stop taking readings.
Paris: Makes you wonder if those old-timers were made of sterner stuff than we are.
Chakotay: You think we have it easy?
Paris: You kidding? Warp drive, shields, transporters. We're traveling in the lap of luxury.
Chakotay: Kelly and Kumagawa, Armstrong and Glenn, they were the real pioneers.
Seven: Am I interrupting?
Paris: We were just admiring someone. Fellow explorer.
Seven: Hero worship. The glorification of an individual's accomplishment.
Chakotay: I guess you didn't have many role models growing up.
Seven: In the Collective, personal accomplishments are irrelevant. The shield modifications to the Flyer are complete. We're ready for launch.
Chakotay: We?
Seven: You'll need someone familiar with Borg technology to monitor the shields. I'm volunteering.
Paris: You don't sound too happy about it.
Seven: I'm not, but this mission can benefit from my expertise.
Chakotay: In that case, welcome aboard.
Emh: I'm preparing an inoculant to counter the effects of gravimetric radiation. Of course, if you were a hologram, you'd simply adjust your mobile emitter. That's what I did on Arakis Prime, one of my first away missions.
Seven: I don't recall that.
Emh: This was before you came aboard. Such an enchanting planet. Crystalline glaciers, magnesium vapor atmosphere. I had to stop my metallurgical scans just to admire the sheer beauty of it. To smell the roses, to coin a phrase.
Seven: An inefficient use of your time.
Emh: Perhaps. We're all finished here, except for one thing. Would you record some images when you're inside the ellipse, for those of us not lucky enough to make the trip?
Seven: You envy my participation in this mission?
Emh: There isn't a crewman aboard who doesn't.
Seven: Why?
Emh: I can only tell you how I felt that morning when I materialized on Arakis Prime. I left my footprints in the magnesite dust and thought, one small step for a hologram, one giant leap for mankind.
Seven: To coin a phrase.
Emh: Well, I know the sentiment isn't exactly original, but the fact is, I was exhilarated.
Chakotay: Chakotay to Seven of Nine. Report to Shuttlebay two.
Emh: Good luck.
Paris: We're approaching the perimeter in five, four, three, two, one.
Tuvok: We're within two thousand kilometers. Gravimetric interference is increasing.
Torres: It's nothing compared to what they're going through. They're really getting knocked around in there.
Kim: Their shields have weakened but they're still holding.
Janeway: Harry, keep your finger on that tractor beam in case we have to pull them out.
Torres: They're approaching the anomaly's core. We've lost sensor contact.
Janeway: Harry.
Kim: The comm. link is still active.
Paris: The gravimetric shear is increasing.
Seven: I'm reading diminished turbulence directly ahead.
Chakotay: Full thrusters, Tom. Punch us through. Chakotay to Voyager. We're in.
Chakotay: I wish you could see this, Captain, it's incredible.
Janeway: We're all ears.
Chakotay: It's very calm. No gravimetric distortions. The EM activity is creating a natural luminescence. Tom called it mood lighting.
Paris: Hey B'Elanna, it's the perfect romantic getaway.
Torres: I'll take your word for it.
Chakotay: We've detected asteroid fragments, pieces of vessels, matter from every quadrant of the galaxy. Next time I lose something I'll know where to look. Instead of a graviton ellipse we should call it the kitchen sink anomaly. The chemical interactions have even created a primitive atmosphere.
Paris: Nothing you'd want to breathe, of course.
Janeway: What do you make of it, Seven?
Seven: Well, I suppose it's intriguing. Some of the matter appears to be extra-dimensional in origin.
Kim: Sounds like this anomaly's gotten around.
Janeway: Any sign of the Ares command module?
Paris: We're picking up traces of the hull, but our sensor readings are being refracted by all the debris in here.
Tuvok: That was a gravimetric surge caused by the anomaly changing course by point zero zero six degrees.
Janeway: We just had a big jolt out here.
Chakotay: We didn't feel a thing.
Janeway: By our estimate you have five hours thirty six minutes before the anomaly returns to subspace.
Janeway: You'd better get a move on.
Chakotay: Understood.
Seven: I'm having difficulty isolating the debris from the command module.
Paris: I'll lay in a search pattern. It may take a couple of hours to cover an area this large.
Chakotay: Seven and I can use the time to take some samples, get a better idea of where this anomaly's been.
Seven: We should focus on achieving our objective and returning to Voyager.
Chakotay: We're not here just to find a module. We've got an opportunity to
Seven: Explore. I am familiar with our mission.
Chakotay: In that case, let's get started.
Seven: The fossilized microbes in this ore appear to have had metallic membranes.
Chakotay: We've speculated about the possibility of metallic lifeforms, but we've never discovered one.
Seven: You're excited by this discovery?
Chakotay: This piece of rock is billions of years older than Earth, from a time when the galaxy was still forming. Here.
Seven: Commander?
Chakotay: Take it. You're holding a piece of history. Maybe even the beginnings of life itself.
Seven: Unlikely.
Chakotay: It's more likely than you think. This anomaly is as old as anything we've ever encountered. I could spend a lifetime studying the things it's collected.
Seven: And leave Voyager without a First Officer?
Chakotay: They'd manage. Paleontology was always my first love. It's the reason I joined Starfleet.
Seven: Why didn't you pursue it?
Chakotay: My sense of responsibility got in the way. First the Maquis, then Voyager. What I wanted to be always seemed to take a back seat. Do you remember what you wanted to be before you were assimilated?
Seven: I was assimilated when I was a child.
Chakotay: I knew I wanted to be a paleontologist when I was six.
Seven: A ballerina.
Chakotay: Maybe it's not too late.
Seven: It was a juvenile fantasy.
Chakotay: Those are the ones that stick with you.
Paris: Heads up, folks. I think we're getting close.
Paris: I've isolated the module, bearing thirty nine mark one five. There.
Seven: It appears to be intact.
Chakotay: I'm reading hull breaches and corrosion, but all things considered it's pretty well preserved.
Paris: We weren't expecting to find a fragment this big. Can't just stow it in the aft section.
Chakotay: We'll use a tractor beam to tow it back to Voyager.
Kim: Captain, the anomaly just made another course change, point zero zero three degrees.
Janeway: That's the third one in an hour. Something has to be attracting it.
Torres: There's nothing on the sensors.
Janeway: I think it enjoys being unpredictable.
Kim: We know it has a taste for electromagnetic energy.
Janeway: So what could generate an EM field large enough to get it's attention, but still not show up on sensors?
Kim: An energy burst from a pulsar, a neutrino cloud.
Torres: Dark matter.
Janeway: Realign the sensor array to scan for EM fluctuations.
Torres: I've got a spatial disturbance three million kilometers away. It's a dark matter asteroid.
Janeway: Bingo.
Kim: The anomaly's heading right for it.
Janeway: Time to impact?
Tuvok: Four minutes. Captain, we can't predict how the impact will affect the anomaly.
Torres: But it's a safe bet it won't be a gentle nudge.
Janeway: Janeway to Delta Flyer, we've
Janeway: got a problem. The anomaly is on a collision course with a dark matter asteroid.
Chakotay: We've located the Mars orbiter. We're adapting a tractor beam.
Chakotay: Give us a minute.
Janeway: You don't have it. Get out of there.
Chakotay: Captain?
Janeway: Now.
Chakotay: Is the tractor beam ready?
Paris: Just about, sir.
Chakotay: Lock onto the module and take us out.
Seven: We don't have time.
Chakotay: I gave you an order.
Seven: Commander.
Chakotay: We're not leaving without that module. Tom!
Tuvok: Captain, both the anomaly and the asteroid are accelerating.
Janeway: They're attracting each other like a pair of magnets.
Torres: At this rate it'll impact in fifty six seconds.
Janeway: Chakotay, you've got less than a minute.
Chakotay: Acknowledged.
Paris: The module is slowing us down.
Chakotay: Maintain tractor lock. How long until we clear the anomaly?
Seven: At our current speed, forty seconds.
Chakotay: We can do it.
Torres: Thirty seconds to impact. They're still not clear.
Janeway: Chakotay, status.
Chakotay: We're on our way.
Torres: Twenty seconds.
Tuvok: Gravimetric distortions are increasing.
Janeway: The Flyer?
Kim: I've lost the signal.
Seven: How badly is he damaged?
Paris: He's got a severe concussion and internal injuries. We need to get him back to Voyager.
Seven: That may not be possible. Communications, shields and propulsion are still offline.
Paris: He's stable for now. I'll give you a hand.
Seven: We can repair the shields, but the engines are unsalvageable.
Paris: It can't be that bad.
Seven: It's worse. The ellipse showing signs of returning to subspace. We have less than two hours.
Paris: He's regaining consciousness. Easy, easy. Lie still.
Chakotay: It feels like I just went ten rounds with an Andorian.
Paris: More like twenty. You were hit with a plasma discharge. The gravimetric surge from the asteroid caught us at the edge of the anomaly and tossed us back inside.
Chakotay: The command module?
Paris: It's adrift, three hundred meters off our port bow.
Chakotay: Then we can still salvage it.
Paris: Not so fast. We can't get engines or shields back online, not to mention a tractor beam. We'll be lucky to get out of this in one piece.
Chakotay: I can help.
Paris: You're in worse shape than this ship. You want to help? Lie in the bed, doctor's orders.
Seven: Another gravimetric surge.
Paris: I'll see if I can reinforce the structural integrity field.
Chakotay: You might try drawing power from auxiliary life support.
Seven: That system was damaged as well.
Chakotay: What about the secondary relays?
Seven: They're offline.
Chakotay: That doesn't leave us many choices. Try rerouting the phaser couplings.
Seven: We explored that option while you were unconscious.
Chakotay: Then maybe you can bring me up to date.
Seven: There's no time. I suggest you recuperate. We have the situation under control.
Chakotay: It doesn't look that way from here. I'm still in command of this mission. I want to know what's going on.
Seven: Very well. We were ordered by the Captain to leave this anomaly, but you chose to disobey that command. As a result of your obsession with the module, we are now trapped along with it. In all probability we won't survive without
Chakotay: Point taken. Now why don't you continue, without the attitude.
Seven: An inventory of the damaged systems. Read it for yourself.
Chakotay: I made a mistake. I put the mission at risk.
Seven: You put our lives at risk.
Chakotay: Well, if we don't make it out, someone's bound to come looking for us in a few hundred years. Defusing a tense situation with humor, remember?
Janeway: Voyager to Delta Flyer.
Seven: They're using a probe as a transmission relay.
Janeway: Voyager to Chakotay, please respond. We can't detect you.
Chakotay: Captain, we can hear you.
Seven: I'm matching their frequency. Voyager, this is the Delta Flyer. Respond.
Janeway: Are you all right? What's your status?
Chakotay: We've sustained heavy damage, Captain, but we're alive. It's good to hear your voice.
Kim: We could installl the same shielding on a class two shuttle and take it in.
Paris: It took us hours to make the modifications
Paris: To the Flyer. We've only got eighty two minutes before this thing disappears into subspace.
Tuvok: It may be possible to modify a tractor beam to cut through the gravimetric interference.
Kim: You'll never be able to get it all the way through to the core.
Janeway: Start working on it anyway.
Torres: You said all the energy conduits are fused?
Seven: Correct.
Seven: We can't get power to any of the primary systems.
Paris: If the replicators were working we could whip up a new plasma manifold
Paris: And be on our way.
Torres: What if I could get you an old manifold?
Paris: Excuse me?
Torres: The command module may be three centuries old, but the power distribution system isn't that different from the Flyer's. Right here. This control panel in the main cockpit. It was called an ion distributor. With a few tweaks it could be modified to channel warp plasma.
Seven: Even if it were possible, we have to obtain the object
Seven: Before we can adapt it.
Janeway: Do you have enough
Janeway: Power to beam one of you to the module?
Paris: Yes, ma'am. I'll go.
Janeway: Not so fast, Tom. If another gravimetric surge hits, we'll need you at the helm. Seven.
Seven: Are you encouraging me to volunteer again, Captain?
Janeway: You read my mind.
Paris: Come on, just a little closer. That's it for thrusters
Paris: But I got us within transporter range. Ready?
Seven: Stand by.
Chakotay: Ironic. You're doing what I've always dreamt of. Remember, when you set foot in that module, you'll be stepping into history.
Seven: History is irrelevant.
Chakotay: Irrelevant? Do me a favor. When you're over there, download whatever you can from their database. And also take a minute to look around, so you can tell us what it was like.
Seven: There may not be time, but I'll try.
Chakotay: Good luck.
Paris: What's it like in there?
Seven: Dark. The ambient temperature is minus two hundred sixty degrees. There appear to be fractures in the aft bulkheads.
Paris: Is the cockpit intact?
Seven: Yes.
Seven: I've brought the main computer online.
Kelly: I've lost contact with the team on the surface, and I can't get a fix on my position.
Paris: What was that?
Seven: There's an active data file.
Seven: It appears to contain log entries.
Chakotay: Can you play them for us?
Seven: I believe so.
Chakotay: Consider it my last request.
Kelly: And I can't get a fix on my position. But I'm alive and the CM seems to be intact. I'm inside this
Kelly: Whatever it is.
Paris: Could you hear that, Chakotay?
Chakotay: It's amazing. Everyone assumed he was killed instantly.
Kelly: What I've gotten myself into. It's very calm, like I'm in the eye of a hurricane. It's a little spooky but the way I figure it.
Kelly: If there's a way in, there's got to be a way out. I'm gonna fire up the spectral imager before I initiate another engine burn, collect as much data as I can. Jeannie, I may not be bringing you back the Mars rock, but I promise you, I'm going to do everything I can to get home.
Kelly: Ares Four, mission record, October 23rd. I'm starting to feel like Jonah. How long was he in the belly of that whale? Three days? I got him beat by a day or two already. The EM interference is disrupting communications and LIDAR, and I can't see the stars. There's no way I can get a fix on my position. If this thing's moving as fast as it was when it pulled me in, I could be a long way from Mars by now. The imager's been working overtime cataloging all the matter in here, but a lot of it defies analysis. I think we're going to need to make room on the periodic table. Where the hell am I? Power levels have dropped another fifteen percent since my last systems check.
Kelly: I think I just saw another spacecraft. Either that, or all this dehydrated food has gone to my head. I've got it. The hull's made of some kind of alloy. I can't make heads or tails of it. I shouldn't have been so dismissive.
Kelly: I remember giving Kumagawa a hard time when she claimed she saw a UFO over the Gulf. I told her it was a meteor or another piece of MIR. I guess I owe you an apology, Rose. Ares Four, mission record, October 25th. It's been a nice place to visit
Kelly: But I'm ready to come home. I've prepped the ion drive, channeled all the thruster reserves into the main tank.
Kelly: I have enough fuel for one last engine burn. Wish me luck.
Kelly: Ignition sequence. Five, four, three, two. I'm losing pitch control. Gyros aren't responding. Power failure. I've got to abort. I'm not going to make it.
Kelly: All systems go. Watch me, Dad, I'm flying. Boom. Bad landing. Call the MedEvac team. Ha.
Paris: Paris to Seven. Status?
Seven: I've located the device, but it's fused to the hull. Stand by.
Paris: Make it quick. We've got less than fifteen minutes.
Seven: Understood.
Kelly: All systems go. Watch me Dad, I'm flying. Boom. Bad landing. Call the MedEvac team. Ha. John Kelly's first flight, not exactly A-OK. Remember that, Dad? I jumped off the roof with a parachute made of blankets. I guess I didn't calculate the aerodynamics. Of course, I was only six. I guess
Kelly: This is John Kelly's last flight. This time, I can't blame it on pilot error. This time, no regrets.
Kelly: Oh, what I've seen proves we were right to come out here.
Kelly: We're not alone, I know that now. The module's losing power. I'm taking life support offline.
Kelly: Rerouting whatever's left to the imager. Keep it running as long as possible. Mission Control, Dad, whoever finds this, do me a favor. Take all the data I've collected. Put it to good use. I hope you don't look at this as a failure. I don't.
Kelly: Actually, I do have one regret. I never found out who won the World Series. I'm tired, and I can't
Paris: Paris to Seven. how's it going over there?
Seven: I have the distributor. I'm downloading Lieutenant Kelly's database.
Paris: Hurry. we're running out of time.
Seven: Lock onto my bio-signature and my comm. badge.
Paris: Seven?
Seven: Energize.
Janeway: Delta Flyer, report.
Paris: We're trying to integrate the distributor. Stand by, Captain.
Janeway: How long do they have?
Tuvok: Four minutes.
Paris: Try bypassing the power couplings.
Seven: No effect.
Paris: Resequence the ion modulators, see if that does it.
Seven: Power conversion in process.
Paris: We have propulsion, shields.
Seven: The plasma flow is still fluctuating.
Paris: Stay on top of it. Paris to Voyager.
Janeway: Go ahead.
Paris: Open the shuttlebay doors. We're coming home.
Janeway: Acknowledged.
Paris: Laying in an escape trajectory.
Tuvok: The ellipse is returning to subspace.
Janeway: The Flyer?
Kim: They're approaching the perimeter. Two thousand meters, eighteen hundred.
Torres: The anomaly's submerging.
Janeway: Are we in tractor range?
Tuvok: Not yet.
Janeway: Take us closer.
Torres: Captain?
Janeway: Do it.
Tuvok: They're still out of reach. Another three hundred meters.
Janeway: Closer.
Torres: We'll be pulled right in with them.
Janeway: Just a few more meters.
Torres: We're too close.
Tuvok: I've got a lock.
Janeway: Reverse thrusters, full impulse.
Janeway: Captain's log, stardate 53301.2. The away team collected over sixty teraquads of data on the anomaly. Before we begin to analyze them, we've decided to pay our respects to an old colleague.
Janeway: Space. Literally it means nothing, a vacuum between stars and planets, but by the same token it means everything. It's what connects all our worlds, Vulcan, Kronos, Talax, Earth. Centuries ago, mankind sent its first wave of explorers into that void. Astronauts like Mister Kelly. They paved the way for the first colonies, the first starships, for those of us who've made space our home. We commend the spirit and the bravery of Lieutenant John Mark Kelly as we commit his body to space. He will not be forgotten.
Seven: Captain. I did not know this individual. Had I encountered him while I was a Borg I would have found his technology unworthy of assimilation. But we are more alike than one might think. In a sense, his desire to explore was not unlike a quest for perfection.
Seven: His contribution helped secure humanity's future, and in some ways, my own.
Seven: The Yankees, in six games.
Tuvok: All hands, attention. Honor guard.


Paris: What's the matter, Harry? You look a little pale.
Kim: I volunteered for a test flight, not a suicide mission.
Paris: How can we put the new Delta Flyer through her paces without taking a few risks?
Kim: Another risk like that and we'll have to rebuild her all over again. There's a vessel coming up fast off our starboard beam.
Paris: Shields.
Kim: Range fifty kilometers. Ten. It's pulling alongside.
Paris: Wow, nice ship.
Kim: It's scanning us.
Paris: This is Lieutenant Tom Paris. Please identify yourself.
Irina: Vectored exhaust ports, accelerated driver coils. Your vessel must be fast.
Paris: Gets us where we want to go.
Irina: Check your scanners. You'll see a comet on the other side of the asteroid field. I wonder which of our ships could get there first?
Paris: Sounds like a challenge.
Irina: Are you going to accept?
Kim: We are not going to race her.
Paris: This is a test flight, right?
Kim: Yeah, but
Paris: What better way to test the new ship than to see how it stands up to a little competition? We're ready over here. Shall I count to three?
Paris: Guess not. She's a lot more maneuverable than we are.
Kim: Not that I'm endorsing this misguided exercise, but maybe we can even the odds. New impulse thrusters.
Paris: Now that's the spirit, Harry.
Kim: We're catching up. A hundred meters, fifty.
Paris: Bring the backup generators online and reroute power to the thrusters.
Paris: And it's the Delta Flyer by a nose.
Kim: Something's wrong with her ship. The cabin's filling up with nyocene gas.
Paris: Stand by for emergency transport.
Kim: Are you all right?
Irina: I think so.
Kim: I told you this wasn't a good idea.
Irina: Does that mean you're afraid to try again?
Paris: Yeah, Harry, you afraid?
Kim: No, of course not. It's just that your ship is in no shape for a rematch.
Irina: My power transformer overloaded.
Kim: I bet we could find you a spare back on Voyager. We were about to head back anyway. Right, Tom?
Paris: Whatever you say, Ensign Eager.
Emh: I've been looking forward to my holodeck time all week. Why can't you borrow three hours from someone else?
Torres: Yours are the last piece to the puzzle. Tom and I have finally managed to get a weekend off together. I've been trading favors with members so that we could get the holodeck to ourselves.
Emh: A romantic getaway.
Torres: Well, that's the idea, yes.
Emh: Well, ordinarily I wouldn't hesitate to oblige but I've been looking forward to indulging myself in a new hobby. Something human doctors have been enjoying for centuries.
Emh: I've already booked a tee time.
Torres: Well, if your tee time is more important than our happiness. Our first chance to be alone in months.
Emh: Fine. Take my three hours.
Torres: Thank you.
Emh: So, what program are you planning to run?
Torres: Something new, called Gedi Prime.
Emh: I've heard of that. The vacation paradise that makes Risa look like a tourist trap. TORRES Endless kilometers of crystalline beaches, mood reefs, bioluminescent waterfalls.
Emh: And a championship golf course, if I'm not mistaken. Why don't I just join you?
Torres: Somehow I don't think that would add to the mood.
Emh: Don't be so sure. You haven't seen me in a bathing suit.
Irina: Could you hand me the veridium injector. KIM|: Veridium injector. Er, let's see.
Irina: The one with the long handle.
Kim: Of course.
Kim: Comfortable.
Irina: My co-pilot thinks so, too.
Kim: Co-pilot?
Irina: I was on my way to meet him when I ran into you.
Kim: So, tell me more about where you're from.
Irina: It's a small trinary system about half a parsec from here.
Kim: Three suns? Must make for some long days.
Irina: Are you always this inquisitive?
Kim: That depends on who I'm talking to.
Paris: Your new power transformer is installled and ready to go.
Irina: Thanks.
Paris: Your impulse drive is a real beauty.
Irina: I designed it myself.
Paris: But I couldn't help noticing your warp system seems so rudimentary.
Irina: Warp's fine if you like going fast in a straight line. But to me that's just physics, not flying.
Kim: I guess it's just a matter of taste.
Irina: Anyway, for the kind of flying I'm here for, warp is not a factor. The race course is only two billion kilometers long.
Paris: Race course?
Kim: What kind of race course?
Paris: The Antarian Trans-Stellar Rally. Three segments covering two point three billion kilometers.
Kim: With obstacles ranging from dwarf star clusters to K class anomalies.
Paris: Two man crews and most importantly, each ship is limited to sub-light speeds. It is the ultimate test of ship design and piloting skills
Tuvok: Not to mention a serious drain on Voyager's resources. You're suggesting we reassign fifteen crewmen to modify the Delta Flyer.
Paris: The race has very specific guidelines.
Chakotay: All the ships have to use enriched deuterium fuel. The Delta Flyer's not equipped for that.
Kim: Irina agreed to lend us a fuel converter.
Paris: Captain, this race is more than just a sporting event. Until recently this region was a war zone. Four different species fought for nearly a century to control it.
Kim: Now, for the first time, they're competing peacefully to commemorate the new treaty that ended the war.
Paris: This race embodies everything the Federation values. Peaceful coexistence, free exchange of ideas
Janeway: I think it's a great idea.
Paris: You do?
Tuvok: You do?
Janeway: Absolutely. This competition is just the sort of break we need. It would give us the chance to make some friends, and allow the crew a little R and R. Request granted.
Paris: Thank you, Captain.
Janeway: One thing, gentleman. Now that we're in this race, we're in it to win. After all, Starfleet's honor is at stake.
Paris: Don't worry, it's in good hands.
Paris: A little tip, Doc. This game was not meant to be played indoors.
Emh: Here to rub salt in the wound?
Paris: I beg your pardon?
Emh: I planned to be putting the greens at Saint Andrews. Instead I'm putting into beakers in Sickbay, thanks to you.
Paris: Me?
Emh: Oh, don't be coy. I've already approved your time off.
Paris: The Captain's told you about the race already?
Emh: What race? I was referring to your romantic getaway.
Paris: Oh, no.
Emh: Don't tell me you forgot.
Paris: Do me a favor Doc. Keep a lock on my biosigns.
Emh: What for?
Paris: Because in about five minutes there may be a medical emergency in Engineering.
Emh: Maybe I can get that tee time back.
Paris: Hi.
Torres: You're early.
Torres: You packed?
Paris: Not yet. Actually, there might be a little problem.
Torres: Problem?
Paris: I have the chance to pilot the Flyer in a race. A really unique race and the captain thinks it's a great idea, and I guess I got so excited I forgot about our plans. But I don't have to do it. The captain would understand.
Torres: It's all right.
Paris: No, no. I should have remembered. This just seemed like such an amazing opportunity. Pilots from all over
Torres: I said it's okay.
Paris: Really?
Torres: The holodeck will always be here. This race won't.
Paris: I do not deserve you.
Torres: You're right about that.
Paris: So, we'll plan this vacation for another time.
Torres: Sure.
Paris: I'm going to make this up to you, I promise.
Neelix: Late night? Can I get you anything?
Torres: No, thanks.
Neelix: Oh, ah, ow. oo.
Torres: Are you okay?
Neelix: Oh, my feet. Ow. I haven't had a chance to sit down all day.
Torres: If you're thinking of cheering me up, don't bother.
Neelix: Who, me? Never.
Torres: And by the way, you can have your holodeck time back.
Neelix: What about your weekend with Tom?
Torres: He just canceled it.
Neelix: Does he have any idea how much planning it took?
Torres: No. And you're not going to tell him, either. He just entered this big race, and he's really excited and, I don't want to spoil it for him.
Neelix: I'm sure if you tell him how important this weekend was to you, he'll reconsider.
Torres: Probably. But he should be able to do what makes him happy.
Neelix: What about what makes you happy?
Torres: It's time I faced facts, Neelix. Tom and I just don't belong together.
Neelix: Then you're not in love with him anymore?
Torres: I didn't say that.
Neelix: B'Elanna, if you still love each other
Torres: Maybe that isn't enough.
Neelix: Call me a hopeless romantic, but I still think it is.
Torres: There's a Klingon phrase my grandmother used to use. Mok'tah. It means bad match. That's what Tom and I are. I just hate that it's taken me three years to realize it.
Neelix: If you're really such a mok'tah, it must have been an awful three years.
Torres: No. Tom is a great guy. We've had a lot of fun together. And that seems to be enough for him. But not for me.
Neelix: Why aren't you saying all this to Tom?
Torres: I plan to. After the race.
Neelix: By which time, he'll have already disappointed you again. I may not know as much about Klingon tradition as your grandmother, but somehow, keeping Tom in the dark doesn't seem very honorable. My feet are feeling better. I should go back to work.
Janeway: Captain's log, stardate 54058.6. Our request to enter the Delta Flyer into the rally has been accepted. I'm meeting with the race coordinator, Ambassador O'Zaal, to work out the details.
O'Zaal: We have teams that have traveled quite a distance, Captain, but none from as far as the Alpha Quadrant.
Janeway: We're always willing to go that extra light year for a good cause.
O'Zaal: Well, your entrance petition seems to be in order. The Delta Flyer meets our guidelines. Now all you have to do is win.
Chakotay: Something tells me the other teams aren't going to make that too easy.
Tuvok: Bridge to the captain.
Janeway: Go ahead, Commander.
Tuvok: There is an incoming transmission for the Ambassador.
Janeway: Route it here.
O'Zaal: I asked not to be disturbed.
Assistant: I'm sorry, but the Aksani are threatening to withdraw unless they're allowed to host the post-race ceremony.
O'Zaal: Did you explain that we've already promised that to the Chessu.
Assistant: Yes. They said that was unacceptable.
O'Zaal: Arrange for another meeting. I'll have to find some way of appeasing them. Well, I hope the race you just entered doesn't end before it begins.
Janeway: It's that serious?
O'Zaal: The peace is still very fragile. Every decision I make, no matter how trivial, is looked upon as symbolic.
Janeway: So, every time you make a concession to one participant
O'Zaal: Another is offended, yes.
Janeway: Maybe we can help.
O'Zaal: That would be wonderful, but how?
Janeway: By providing neutral ground for the pre- and post-race activities. Since we've never taken sides in your conflict, you couldn't be accused of showing favoritism.
O'Zaal: If your racing skills are as sharp as your diplomatic instincts, the other teams won't have a chance.
Irina: There's someone to watch out for.
Paris: What's his story?
Irina: His name is Assan. He was a fighter pilot. One of the most ruthless.
Kim: Where you going?
Paris: A little personal reconnaissance. We are the hosts. Lieutenant Tom Paris. Welcome aboard.
Paris: Could I get you something? A drink? Something to eat? A tour of the ship?
Assan: Were you assigned to serve me?
Paris: Er, not exactly.
Assan: Are we friends?
Paris: I guess not.
Assan: Then you must be one of those pilots who believes in the fellowship of combat.
Paris: Correct me if I'm wrong but, I thought this was a friendly race, not a battle.
Assan: If that's what you believe, then you've already lost.
Paris: Well, nice chatting with you.
Kim: Learn anything?
Paris: Yeah. I should leave the hosting to Neelix.
Irina: Joxom!
Kim: Who?
Irina: My co-pilot.
Joxom: Irina. Hi.
Paris: Looks like they're good friends.
Kim: They're team-mates.
Paris: Close personal team-mates.
Kim: Oh, it was nice while it lasted.
Paris: Come on.
Torres: Seven, I need to run a diagnostic on the lateral sensor array.
Seven: As soon as I'm finished.
Torres: With what?
Seven: Plotting the most efficient course for the first segment of the rally.
Torres: Seems like the entire crew has come down with race fever.
Seven: Maybe you could persuade the Doctor to develop a vaccine.
Torres: I'm surprised you're putting time into this.
Seven: Initially I did find the activity irrelevant. But then I realized that it's important for the crew's morale, and for my relationship with Lieutenant Paris.
Torres: Your relationship with Lieutenant Paris.
Seven: I was speaking professionally. I often work with him on navigational problems. He can be an erratic individual, but he's also a very competent officer and clearly a skilled pilot.
Torres: It's the erratic individual that takes getting used to.
Seven: No doubt. But I've learned that if I embrace some of his interests, support him in his personal goals, we're able to function more efficiently as crewmates.
Paris: Harry, where have you been?
Torres: Say Q'apla!
Torres: It means success. I just wanted to capture the moment. Not to mention that cute bewildered expression.
Paris: What are you doing in that flight suit?
Torres: There's been a change of plans. I'm your new co-pilot.
Paris: Look, I don't have time for practical jokes.
Torres: Neither do I. Ready to bring that impulse drive online?
Paris: B'Elanna.
Torres: Okay. I was upset that you canceled our weekend. But then I realized, why should we spend this time apart when we can be together doing something you love?
Paris: What about Harry?
Torres: I assigned him to a level five diagnostic in Engineering.
Paris: Oh, that's terrible.
Torres: I'm just kidding. I told him how hard it was for us to get time together and he understood. Anyway, the way I see it, you're trading an Ensign for a Chief Engineer.
Paris: Well, you don't have to convince me. I couldn't ask for a better co-pilot. Now just remember, we're not on vacation. The point is to win.
Torres: And you know how much I hate to lose.
Paris: Thrusters online. Opening shuttlebay doors.
Tuvok: The racers are moving into position.
Janeway: Ambassador.
O'Zaal: Welcome to the first running of the Antarian Trans-Stellar Rally. This moment marks a hopeful point
O'Zaal: In our shared history. A chance to put aside old animosities and come together
O'Zaal: In a spirit of peace and friendly competition.
O'Zaal: Good luck to all of you. Prepare for the starting signal.
O'Zaal: Captain, the honor is yours.
Janeway: Mister Tuvok, fire.
Torres: We've passed two more ships. Three still ahead of us.
Paris: How's my impulse engine?
Torres: Hot but stable, thanks to the new fuel converter.
Torres: That was the number eight ship.
Paris: Assan.
Torres: Whoever it is just grazed our shields. Port thrusters are offline.
Paris: Compensating. That was an old trick. Back at the Academy we used to call that scraping.
Torres: Assan just almost scraped us out of the race.
Paris: How are we doing on time?
Torres: Twenty seconds to the third marker. Assan's already rounding it, thanks to his little tactic.
Paris: It's a long race. We'll catch him.
Neelix: How's our team doing?
Seven: I announced the Delta Flyer's progress over the comm. eleven minutes ago.
Neelix: In a race like this, eleven minutes can be an eternity.
Seven: The Delta Flyer is in fourth position, having completed sixty two percent of the course. The Aksani vessel is in third position, having completed sixty eight percent of the course.
Neelix: You don't make it sound very exciting.
Seven: I'm relaying the relevant information.
Neelix: It's all in the delivery. Do you mind? Attention, all hands. Stand by for a race update. With only fifty eight million kilometers left od the first segment, the Aksani, Imhotep and Terrellian ships are still battling for the lead. Wait, the number eight ship just cut off the number three in the Darla system. Now three's changing course using the gravity from a gas giant to boost its speed. It's making up for lost ground.
Janeway: Sounds like quite a race.
Seven: Apparently, it's all in the delivery.
Paris: So much for the Aksani. Now it's just down to Irina and Assan.
Torres: In a few minutes they'll just be echoes in our aft scanners.
Paris: Well, we've still got the Mobius Inversion coming up.
Torres: The what?
Paris: Tell me you read the course manual.
Torres: I skimmed it. More or less.
Paris: Oh, great.
Torres: So, what exactly is this Mobius whatever?
Paris: Take a look. It covers the entire last third of the course. Level six subspace distortions, gravimetric shears. Just think of it as a little wormhole with a big attitude.
Neelix: The Terrellian and Imhotep ships are still in the lead, the Delta Flyer trailing by a few seconds. Meanwhile, the two Chessu ships are continuing to advance, claiming fourth and fifth position.
Tuvok: My weekly security report.
Janeway: I'll read it later.
Tuvok: There are a few matters we should discuss.
Chakotay: She said later, Tuvok.
Neelix: Something's wrong. They're disappearing.
Seven: Radiation from the Mobius Inversion is blocking our sensors.
Tuvok: How will we track their progress?
Chakotay: We can't, not until they emerge from the other side of the anomaly.
Janeway: Want to talk about that report now, Tuvok?
Tuvok: Later, if that's permissible.
Torres: Fifty meters, forty. We can get through.
Paris: We're too close to each other.
Torres: I'm reversing our deflector polarity. It'll repel their shields. Why wait for an opening when you can make one?
Paris: No, it's too risky.
Torres: Too risky? That doesn't sound like the Tom Paris I know.
Paris: What are you doing?
Torres: Deploying auxiliary thrusters. We'll need the extra maneuvering power to get through the gap.
Paris: B'Elanna.
Torres: Just steer the ship.
Neelix: It's them. It's the Delta Flyer. They're in the lead. They're pulling away!
Torres: We did it.
Paris: You should have waited.
Torres: I saw a chance and I took it.
Paris: I'm the pilot. That means I do the flying.
O'Zaal: Attention all racers. There's been an accident. Stay in order and shut down your engines.
Janeway: Report.
Emh: His condition's stabilizing. I should be able to start dermal regeneration in a few hours.
Irina: This was Assan's fault.
O'Zaal: Why?
Irina: He collided with me so many times my shield generator overloaded. Joxom's console exploded. He's lucky he's alive.
Assan: If I'm guilty of anything, it's of coming in second. A situation I'll remedy in the next leg.
O'Zaal: You're doing a poor job of defending yourself.
Torres: We may have had something to do with this too. We grazed both of their shields while in the anomaly.
Janeway: Intentionally?
Paris: It was a tight course. Everyone was flying very aggressively.
Irina: Your team is not responsible, Captain. My generators were already overloading when they made contact.
Tuvok: Perhaps none of you is to blame. I found this interfaced with her ship's shield generator. I ran an analysis. It's a phase inverter, designed to cause a system overload.
Janeway: Oh, it's hard to believe someone would go this far just to knock a competitor out of the race?
O'Zaal: This may be more than a simple case of cheating, Captain. I think someone's trying to end the peace.
Janeway: Maybe I'm missing something, but we're talking about a single act of sabotage. How does that threaten your treaty?
O'Zaal: By itself it wouldn't. But we received several threats of a more serious nature.
Tuvok: From whom?
O'Zaal: Groups opposed to the alliance. Arms dealers, isolationists, political extremists. Up until now I wasn't sure how seriously to take them.
Tuvok: Clearly they pose a security threat.
O'Zaal: Yes, yes. We've done everything we could to protect the races, but that may not be enough. I don't want to risk any more lives. We should cancel the race, or at least postpone i,t until we can guarantee everyone's safety.
Irina: No. If we stop now we'll be letting these extremists win.
Assan: She's right.
O'Zaal: Very well, then. If that's the consensus, we'll resume tomorrow as scheduled. Of course, Captain, if you decide to withdraw, we'd understand.
Janeway: The last time I checked, I believe we were winning.
Kim: There you are. Congratulations on taking the lead.
Paris: Thanks.
Kim: Of course, you're not going to win.
Torres: Why is that?
Kim: Because we are. You're looking at your new co-pilot. I checked with one of the race officials. It's perfectly legal. And it's a chance for both of us to get back in the race.
Irina: I appreciate the gesture, but my ship's damaged.
Paris: You don't know our Harry. Once he sets his mind on something
Torres: He'll not only fix your ship, he'll polish the bulkheads.
Kim: How can you turn me down?
Irina: Apparently I can't.
Paris: Come on, you can say it.
Torres: It's embarrassing.
Paris: I just want to make sure we're clear on what we're doing.
Torres: Right at the light, then readjust my sight.
Paris: Meaning?
Torres: Come about eighty six degrees at the red giant then recalibrate sensors to compensate for photonic interference.
Paris: Right. Next?
Torres: Do I really have to spend my morning reciting nursery rhymes?
Paris: It got me through the Academy.
Torres: You were expelled.
Paris: Okay. Repeat after me. I am not the pilot. I will not attempt to fly this ship.
Torres: That one doesn't even rhyme.
Kim: Anyone home?
Paris: Well, if it isn't our competition.
Torres: Here to spy on us?
Kim: I just stopped by to borrow a hyperspanner.
Paris: Looks like you didn't get much sleep.
Kim: Irina and I were up all night.
Paris: Oh, really?
Kim: Making repairs. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. She's funny, smart. We get along without trying. I'm going to ask her if she wants to spend some time on Voyager after the race.
Paris: What about Joxom?
Kim: Turns out they're just team-mates. I know what you're going to say
Paris: No, no. Actually, I was just going to congratulate you. She's not a Borg, she's not a hologram, and she's not dead. Looks like you might have finally found yourself the perfect woman.
O'Zaal: All teams report to your ships. The race will resume in thirty minutes.
Kim: See you on the course.
Neelix: Attention, all hands. Stand by for another race update. After fighting off a formidable challenge from the Terrellian team, the Delta Flyer has managed to hold onto it's lead going into the third and final segment.
Paris: Approaching the pulsars.
Torres: Straight through the gate.
Paris: Then remodulate.
Torres: Harry sure had that glow, didn't he?
Paris: What glow?
Torres: You know, that look you get when you first meet someone.
Paris: Yeah, his cheeks were a little redder than usual.
Torres: We're through the pulsars. Harry and Irina are right behind us.
Paris: Ease up off the thrusters now. I want to conserve some fuel for the final leg.
Torres: If circumstances were right they might even have a future together.
Paris: What?
Torres: Harry and Irina.
Paris: They just met. It's a little early to be planning a wedding.
Torres: No, I just meant that some people just fit together without having to work at it. And other people, no matter how much they try
Paris: Are we talking about them or us?
Torres: What? No, I didn't mean.
Paris: If something's bothering you, let's talk about it.
Torres: We should concentrate on the race.
Paris: Maybe Harry and Irina aren't such a great team after all. They're falling behind.
Kim: I'm reading malfunctions in the EPS relays. But we double-checked all of them last night.
Irina: We must have missed something. At this rate, we're going to be out of the race in a couple of minutes.
Kim: I think I can reroute power through the impulse manifolds.
Irina: No!
Kim: Why not?
Irina: It could damage the reactor coils.
Kim: What do the reactor coils have to do with the impulse manifolds?
Irina: These systems are different than what you're used to.
Kim: You do want to win, don't you?
Irina: Of course I do.
Kim: It just seems like every time I make a suggestion, you find a reason to reject it.
Irina: I'm more familiar with my ship than you are.
Kim: Now what?
Irina: I think it's the injector ports.
Kim: No, it's an overload in my console!
Kim: That's the second time your co-pilot's console exploded. Quite a coincidence.
Irina: I'm sorry, Harry. I really am.
Kim: You sabotaged your own ship. Twice. Why are you trying so hard to get out of this race?
Kim: What the hell is going on? Sit down and hold still! All right, if you won't talk to me, maybe you'll talk to Antarian Security. You disabled the comm. system. We'll just wait. Someone'll come along eventually.
Torres: We're past the last marker. Time to deploy the thrusters?
Paris: Whatever you say.
Torres: What happened to I'm the pilot?
Paris: That really bothered you, didn't it? It's why you think we don't fit together as well as Harry and Irina?
Torres: Could we talk about this later? Assan is gaining on us.
Paris: Well then, I guess you'd better deploy the thrusters.
Torres: Thrusters deployed. This isn't about the race anymore, is it?
Paris: You tell me.
Irina: If we're going to just sit here, we might as well see who's winning.
Kim: You're not exactly in a position to be making requests.
Irina: Admit it, Harry. You're curious too.
Kim: The Delta Flyer is still in the lead.
Irina: Good for them.
Torres: I thought if we could do this one thing together, something you cared about, that it might help our relationship.
Paris: I didn't know it needed help.
Torres: That's part of the problem.
Paris: What's the rest?
Torres: You know the rest.
Paris: So we scrape shields occasionally. It keeps things interesting.
Torres: Maybe interesting isn't enough for me. What are you doing?
Kim: They're stopping. They're dead in the water.
Kim: Ah, ah, ah.
Irina: How far from the finish line?
Kim: Less than a million kilometers.
Torres: That was Assan. Why are we just sitting here?
Paris: If we've got a problem, we're going to resolve it right here, right now.
Kim: You done everything possible to take yourself out of the race, and now you seem worried that the Delta Flyer won't reach the finish line. I'm counting more than a dozen ships there. Spectators, officials.
Irina: All congregated in the name of peace. Touching, isn't it?
Kim: You've planned some sort of attack. There are hundreds of innocent people there. How can you do that?
Irina: Not everyone is as comfortable mixing with other species as you are, Harry. Some of us believe it was better when we were separate.
Torres: Hey, I never asked you to give up this race, or anything else that you care about. I never asked you to stop being yourself.
Paris: The only self that I want to be is the guy you're in love with.
Torres: Wow. I didn't know you felt that way.
Paris: How can you say that?
Torres: Well, you always seem to have other priorities.
Paris: I'm showing you my priorities right now.
Kim: The Delta Flyer wouldn't even be in this race if you hadn't told us about it. You gave us the fuel converter so we could qualify. The fuel converter. That's why you're so concerned about Tom and B'Elanna's crossing the finish line. What'd you do to it? Rig it to explode?
Torres: How come you never talked to me about this before?
Paris: Well, you've got that tough Klingon exterior. And er, I didn't think you liked the mushy stuff.
Torres: Do I look that tough right now?
Paris: Does that mean you're in the mood for some mushy stuff?
Torres: Maybe.
Paris: Exactly what kind of mush are we talking about?
Torres: You tell me.
Paris: Well, there's, um, kissy stuff.
Torres: That was nice.
Paris: And there's the you're the most important person in the world to me.
Torres: I like that one, too.
Paris: And there's the happily ever after.
Torres: How does that one work?
Paris: Well, traditionally it requires a proposal.
Torres: We're being scanned by some kind of modulating pulse. It's from Irina's ship.
Paris: They must be wondering why we stopped.
Torres: There's something odd about the amplitude.
Paris: Wait a minute. Dit dit dah. That's Morse code. Harry and I use it in the Captain Proton holoprogram.
Torres: What's it saying?
Paris: Fuel converter rigged. Eject. What does he mean by rigged?
Torres: The converter's leaking veridium isotopes.
Paris: Why didn't the computer warn us?
Torres: The online sensors have been tampered with.
Paris: Can you contain the leak?
Torres: Too late. The veridium is already reacting with the warp plasma.
Paris: That'll cause a warp core breach.
Torres: In less than a minute.
Paris: Then do what Harry said. Eject the converter.
Torres: It's too late. I have to eject the core.
Paris: Here? We'll never survive the blast. Neither will anyone else within a million kilometers.
Irina: They're moving again.
Kim: Away from the finish line.
Computer: Warp core breach in thirty seconds.
Torres: Where are we going?
Paris: A J Class nebula filled with ionized gas. Should contain the explosion.
Torres: I can't get the ejection subroutines online.
Computer: Warp core breach in twenty seconds.
Paris: So, what's your answer?
Torres: My answer?
Paris: Will you marry me?
Computer: Warp core breach in fifteen seconds.
Torres: You're proposing now?
Paris: It's as good a time as any.
Torres: Subroutines back online.
Computer: Warp core breach in ten seconds, nine, eight.
Torres: Clear!
Computer: Four.
Torres: Go!
Computer: Three.
Janeway: Damn.
O'Zaal: I'm sorry your team didn't win, Captain.
Janeway: Janeway to the bridge. Report.
Tuvok: That was a shock wave from an antimatter explosion approximately one point two million kilometers from here.
Janeway: Excuse me.
Paris: B'Elanna.
Torres: I guess we lost.
Paris: That depends.
Torres: On what?
Paris: On how you answer my question.
Torres: I thought you only asked it because we were about to explode.
Paris: Well, we're still alive and I'm still asking.
Torres: How come you never asked me before?
Paris: How come you're still avoiding the question?
Torres: I'm thinking.
Paris: Think faster.
Torres: Why? You going to withdraw the question?
Paris: No, but I might start to beg. It could get embarrassing.
Janeway: Captain's log, supplemental. The Antarians have invited us to participate in the post-race festivities, which has allowed me to give two of my senior officers time off for a well-deserved romantic getaway. The Delta Flyer still needs a new warp core, but I don't think they're in a hurry to get anywhere.
Paris: To the winners. B'Elanna Paris. That has a nice ring to it.
Torres: Thanks, but I already have a ring. Anyway, I kind of like the sound of Tom Torres.
Paris: I hope you're kidding.
Torres: Hey, it is the twenty fourth century.