Janeway: Captain's log, stardate 50203.1. We're three days away from Enara Prime, home of the passengers we picked up from a colony in the Fima system. Our high warp capability has greatly reduced the time it normally takes them to make the journey home. In return, the Enarans have shared their energy conservation technology with us and, perhaps more importantly, their friendship.
Torres: You've never been there?
Jessen: Well, the trip back to the homeland usually takes so long. I don't to see it that badly. I've spent my whole life in the Fima colony, and I've always considered it my home.
Mirell: You'll change your mind when you see the Danius cliffs at dawn.
Jessen: Yes, I've heard they're beautiful.
Mirell: You'll know what beautiful truly means when you stand on the cliffs on a rainy morning and watch the raindrops turn to mist when they hit the molten sea.
Torres: That sounds wonderful.
Jessen: It looks like our new components are still slightly out of sync with your EPS system.
Torres: I can't isolate it. We'll have to check through all of them.
Jessen: Maybe Harry could give us a hand?
Torres: Well, I'm sure he would if you asked him. Harry, you got a minute?
Kim: Sure.
Jessen: Could you help us check the modified power relays? There's a minor flow problem.
Kim: I'd be happy to help.
Torres: Good. Then we'll get started first thing in the morning.
Kim: Well, if we're done for the night, maybe we could go get something to eat.
Mirell: Thank you, but I'll be headed back to bed. I'm sure you young people will manage without me. Goodnight.
Jessen: Goodnight.
Kim: So, I guess it'll just be the three of us.
Torres: Actually, getting some rest sounded like a pretty good idea. Why don't you go on without me.
Torres: No, really, I insist.
Torres: What took you so long?
Dathan: Korenna.
Torres: Shush.
Chakotay: B'Elanna. B'Elanna, wake up.
Torres: What.
Chakotay: Your duty shift started twenty minutes ago. I tried to reach you on the comm. but you didn't answer.
Torres: I guess, I guess I must have slept right through it. Sorry.
Chakotay: Are you feeling all right?
Torres: Yes, of course. I'll be there in a minute.
Chakotay: This is the second morning you've been late.
Torres: I'll make up the time. It won't happen again.
Chakotay: I'm not concerned about the duty schedule, B'Elanna. If there's something wrong
Torres: I'm fine.
Chakotay: Ah, you mean fine like when you insisted on finishing the hoverball championship with a broken ankle?
Torres: I mean there's nothing wrong. I was only late because I've been having these dreams. They're very intense, that's all.
Chakotay: Intensely bad?
Torres: No, just the opposite.
Chakotay: So they're enjoyable. Stimulating.
Torres: They are the most sensual dreams I've ever had in my life. And they feel absolutely real.
Chakotay: I don't suppose you've been dreaming about anyone in particular?
Torres: Nobody you know. Actually, he's nobody I know, either. He's Enaran.
Chakotay: One of our passengers?
Torres: No. No. In the dreams, I know him. More than that, I'm in love with him. Oh, but it's not really me in the dream, it's somebody else entirely. In a way, it's liberating.
Chakotay: I'm sure. So I assume I won't have to write up a report on your chronic oversleeping?
Torres: If you say a word about this to anyone
Chakotay: I know. You'll rip my heart out and eat it raw. Your secret's safe with me.
Kim: So what exactly is this big surprise?
Paris: All I know is that Neelix has been working on it all afternoon. He wouldn't even let me in there to get a snack.
Neelix: Welcome to Enara!
Paris: It's very colorful.
Neelix: Specifically the colors of the Enaran flag. The decor, the menu, the music, all authentically Enaran.
Kim: What happened to the tables and chairs?
Neelix: Enarans don't use them. After a big meal, you can just lie back and take a nap. Very practical.
Paris: It's a little cold in here, isn't it?
Neelix: Perhaps a bit chilier than you're used to, but just about perfect for
Paris: The Enarans. I got it.
Neelix: You must try some of these delightful algae puffs. They're fresh from the oven.
Jessen: Harry.
Kim: Maybe later.
Janeway: That was wonderful. What a lovely piece of music.
Brel: You should thank Jora Mirell. She composed it.
Mirell: I still think you're rushing the harmonics in the second movement.
Janeway: I love music. I've always regretted that I never learnt to play an instrument.
Brel: I'd be glad to help you if you like.
Janeway: I'd like it very much. I'm sure I could find time for a few lessons.
Tuvok: Captain!
Janeway: I'm all right.
Brel: I did understand you correctly, that you wanted to share my knowledge of music?
Janeway: I didn't realize you were offering to share it so directly. The sensation was a little overwhelming.
Brel: I am terribly sorry, Captain. I assumed since you knew about our telepathic abilities, I. I never would have dreamed of making a connection without your consent.
Janeway: You intended to give me a gift, and it was wonderful.
Tuvok: Your abilities allow you to transfer knowledge from your own mind to another's?
Brel: Not precisely. We're able to share our experiences through a telepathic link.
Janeway: I remembered lessons, and hours of practice. Were those all your experiences?
Tuvok: Intriguing.
Janeway: Remarkable.
Neelix: You take a couple of these, roll them around like this, and voila! Your hands are clean and disinfected. The Enarans are very hygienic. I haven't seen Lieutenant Torres around here tonight. I suppose she's putting in another late night in Engineering.
Chakotay: Actually, I think she might have gone to bed early tonight.
Jareth: I'm not one to dictate who your friends are, but I'm sure you can see as clearly as I can that some friends are less suitable than others.
Torres: Like Dathan?
Jareth: Yes. You promised you wouldn't see him anymore and then I heard you were talking to him again the other day.
Torres: He came up to me on the street. I couldn't help it.
Jareth: Korenna, don't you see I am thinking of him as well as you? Now you only encourage him this way and that isn't very fair, is it?
Torres: What isn't fair is that you treat him like everybody else. He's different. If you'd just talk to him you'd understand that.
Jareth: You know, one of the things I love about you most is your compassion for others. But you're still young, and you don't realize that there are some people who might take advantage of that compassion. Now, I want you to promise me if he comes up to you again you'll just walk away. That should be clear enough.
Torres: I'm sure.
Jareth: And finish your tarin juice. It's good for you.
Torres: He's gone.
Dathan: I should go.
Torres: He's leaving for work soon. It's safer to wait.
Dathan: You know, this will only encourage me.
Torres: I hope so!
Torres: We've completed the modifications on the primary EPS conduits. I have a crew starting on the backup systems.
Chakotay: Can you get it done before we drop off the Enarans?
Torres: Yes. We'll have to pull some longer shifts, but two more days should do it.
Chakotay: Is there something else on your mind?
Torres: Those dreams I've been having, they're getting kind of strange.
Chakotay: In what way?
Torres: Last night, in the middle of the dream, I was kissing him, my lover, and suddenly he was dead, burned.
Chakotay: B'Elanna
Torres: But there's more going on than just a love affair. I'm having a relationship with this man, but my father doesn't approve, so we have to sneak around. It's like each new dream advances the story.
Chakotay: It sounds like a holonovel.
Torres: It feels like it's actually happening! Physically, emotionally, it's no different from real life. I've never had dreams like this before.
Chakotay: It can't be a coincidence that this is going on while we have a group of telepaths on board.
Torres: Exactly. I want to find out more about what these Enarans can do.
Chakotay: Why don't you ask your friend in Engineering.
Torres: I'm going to.
Chakotay: I'll talk to the Captain. She should know anything that might involve our guests.
Torres: Right.
Jareth: Once I stood where you are during the early days of interstellar exploration. It was an important leap forward for our people and I was proud to be part of it. Today, with the advent of terraforming, we stand ready to take another leap forward into an era of expansion and colonization. You will show us the way. There are some who resist progress. Do not let the voices of fear and ignorance discourage you. Claim your rightful place as leaders of a new era. The future of Enara is in your hands. Now today we honor a group of young people who represent our best hope for that future. It is a great pleasure to give this first award to my own daughter, Korenna.
Jareth: I'm so very proud of you.
Dathan: It looks good on you.
Torres: What are you doing here?
Dathan: Today's important for you and I wanted to be here.
Torres: I'm glad you came. I know this award will help me get into the District Education Center. I could be a junior instructor in less than a year.
Dathan: I'm really happy for you.
Torres: Maybe you could take the entrance examination too.
Dathan: It's impossible. I can't go to the Center.
Torres: Nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough. I want us to be together.
Dathan: I love you, Korenna. It's just so frustrating. I can't stand being away from you all the time.
Torres: Oh, I know.
Dathan: Oh, I wish I could hold you right now.
Torres: What would you do if you could?
Dathan: I'll show you.
Dathan: I'll see you tonight.
Torres: No, no. There's going to be a big dinner with my father's friends.
Dathan: Tomorrow night then.
Torres: Tomorrow.
Guard: Have your identification ready.
Guard 2: Come on, this way, this way.
Guard: All the way out. Let's move.
Kes: B'Elanna, can you hear me? Kes to Sickbay. Medical emergency.
Emh: Good to see you're awake, Lieutenant.
Torres: What happened?
Kes: I found you unconscious in the corridor near Engineering.
Torres: I was dreaming again.
Emh: Not according to your cortical theta wave readings. The pattern clearly indicated that you were experiencing memories. Specifically, implanted memories.
Torres: Implanted? By the Enarans?
Emh: There's strong evidence of telepathic activity in your frontal lobe.
Janeway: My experience with the Enaran's telepathy seems to be very different from yours. Jor Brel was standing near me when I received his memories. Where there any Enarans near you when you had your dreams?
Torres: No, I was alone every time.
Janeway: You've also been asleep or unconscious every time. The shared memories feel like vivid dreams to you.
Emh: In the Lieutenant's case, the memories seem to have been placed in her unconscious. They're only emerging when her conscious mind is inactive.
Kes: Why did she pass out?
Emh: The synaptic patterns of the implanted memories are not quite compatible with her neural pathways. There's been some minor cortical damage which I've corrected.
Janeway: Can you prevent further damage?
Emh: This inhibitor will control her theta wave activity. That should suppress the memories.
Torres: I won't have any more of the dreams?
Emh: That's the idea.
Kes: What's wrong?
Torres: If the dreams stop, I'll never know what happens to these people. This woman, Korenna, I feel what she feels, and right now she is torn and confused about her loyalties and I don't know what I'm, she's going to do.
Emh: I don't think satisfying your curiosity is worth risking brain damage, Lieutenant.
Janeway: I'm giving you the next two days off duty. Use them to rest. I'll speak with Brel and find out what's happening to you.
Torres: I'd like to come with you, Captain. I'd rest a lot better if I had some answers.
Brel: I find it impossible that any of us could be doing this purposely.
Tuvok: You do possess the ability to share your experiences without mutual consent.
Brel: Yes, but it just isn't done. I know that we had a misunderstanding before, Captain, but I assure you we have strict ethics.
Janeway: We're not suggesting otherwise. We're only trying to find out how this is happening.
Brel: Well, I have heard of instances where members of some alien races have been affected by the slight telepathic field we generate, but nothing as intense as what your Lieutenant has described.
Janeway: And according to our doctor, they're memories.
Brel: That's possible. She may be picking up stray thoughts and memories from every Enaran on the ship. Must be terribly confusing. Perhaps that's why her mind has organized it into a kind of narrative.
Torres: Are you saying that I'm making this all up?
Brel: No, no, no. Some elements may very well have come from our actual experiences. I confess I may have crawled into a bedroom window or two in my youth. You mentioned a citizenship award. There are several past recipients in our group. We may be each contributing some small details to your story.
Torres: Nothing really happened the way I remember it?
Brel: It's highly unlikely.
Janeway: We appreciate your help, Jor Brel.
Brel: I wish there was something more that I could do. I truly regret any ill effects that our presence here has caused you.
Janeway: Well fortunately those effects are under control now. The doctor was able to suppress the memories.
Brel: I'm very glad to hear that.
Tuvok: His explanation is plausible.
Janeway: B'Elanna.
Torres: I don't know. Those dreams are so real. Maybe he's right.
Janeway: The Enarans haven't shown any hint of subterfuge, any hidden agenda. They've been nothing but straight forward and honest. You're in no immediate danger, and they'll be gone in another day. The situation will resolve itself.
Tuvok: And yet you fully intend to continue investigating.
Janeway: I wonder how long it's been since I did anything that surprised you?
Tuvok: I share your concern, Captain. We haven't ruled out the possibility that this may be a deliberate act.
Janeway: I want to talk to more of the Enarans, see what they have to say.
Torres: I'll talk to Jessen and Mirell. They've been working with me in Engineering.
Janeway: You've done enough already, B'Elanna. I want you to get some rest.
Torres: But
Janeway: You need to get away from this. We'll take it from here.
Janeway: Captain's log, stardate 50211.4. We're approaching Enara and preparing to host a farewell party for our guests. They've made every effort to help us understand their telepathic abilities, but it's still a mystery why they've affected Lieutenant Torres so strongly.
Jareth: Korenna, are you ready? You'll do well. I'll be there with you.
Torres: This is all voluntary, isn't it? They want to be resettled.
Jareth: Of course. Although it's impossible to understand what these Regressives want. They simply don't think like we do. How do we relate to people who refuse all but the most primitive technology? Who live their lives without a communications interlink or microfusion generators?
Torres: If that's the way they want to live, why can't they?
Jareth: Well, they can. That's why we're helping them to resettle. So that they can be completely comfortable practicing a way of life that they've chosen.
Torres: They could do that here, in their village.
Jareth: Well, you wouldn't say that if you'd ever been inside that place. Do you realize they won't even use radioseptics to sterilize their homes or their hands before they eat? It's a miracle they haven't started a plague by now.
Torres: Then it's dangerous to have them living here.
Jareth: Yes, it is, and we've been tolerant for a very long time, but I think by now even they realize that they'd be better off living somewhere else.
Torres: But some of them want to stay here.
Jareth: Well, there are always some people who resist change even if they know it's best for them, and once they see their friends and family happily settled in a new colony, they'll want to go as well.
Guard: Demelos!
Guard 2: Demelos, move along.
Guard: Sanric. Farran.
Farran: What's going to happen to us?
Torres: You'll have a new place to live with your own kind. You'll be much happier there.
Farren: Please, can you tell me
Guard: Move along
Farren: I only want to know where we're going!
Guard: Lishan. Alaris. Dathan Alaris!
Jareth: Where is he?
Torres: He couldn't be leaving today.
Jareth: Did you warn him? Did you tell him he was on the list?
Torres: I didn't even know that he was. You put his name there, didn't you. To keep him away from me?
Woman: Don't! No!
Torres: Computer, locate Jora Mirell.
Computer: Jora Mirell is in her quarters.
Torres: I'll get you to Sickbay.
Mirell: No. I have to give you the rest of it.
Torres: You are Korenna? These are your memories.
Mirell: Yes.
Torres: Why give them to me?
Mirell: You won't deny the truth. We've been hiding it. I couldn't anymore. When they found out I was sharing it with you
Torres: Who did?
Mirell: Don't let the memories die. Promise me!
Torres: I don't understand.
Torres: My father's home. If he hears you
Dathan: What happened?
Torres: One of your friends made some trouble on the resettlement line today. You were on the list, too. Where were you?
Dathan: Some of us got away. We're leaving tonight. Come with me. Korenna, it's the only way we can be together now.
Torres: You're asking me to abandon my family, my career.
Dathan: Yes, I am! Leave it all behind. What's happening here is wrong, Korenna. Don't be a part of it any more.
Torres: It's just a resettlement.
Dathan: It's more than that. My uncle and his family were resettled two months ago and we haven't heard from them since. Nobody I know has had any contact with this new colony we're supposed to be going to.
Torres: There could be a perfectly good reason for that.
Dathan: There are stories. I've heard that the transports don't really go anywhere, that the passengers just get vaporized in some kind of thermal sweep. Korenna, thousands of us have gone already. We're being slaughtered.
Torres: It's ridiculous! No one is being killed. My father told me about
Dathan: Your father is lying to you. I'm sorry, but you have got to make a choice. You can't go on trying to believe in both of us anymore. Either he is right and you should never see me again, or I'm right and he is part of a terrible crime.
Torres: No, my father is a good man.
Dathan: I can show you how we're rounded up for these voluntary resettlements, how the soldiers treat Regressives who won't go quietly. I know it is hard to face, but you have to. It is too important. Now, let me show you.
Torres: No, I
Jareth: Korenna!
Torres: Come in. I was just practicing.
Jareth: I've always said you have the talent to play professionally. How are you feeling?
Torres: I've been better.
Jareth: Well, don't think about it any more. That Regressive was completely irrational. He attacked you for no reason.
Torres: Maybe he thought he had a reason. Maybe he was afraid.
Jareth: I know there are some very disturbing rumors coming from these people. You may have heard them from that boy. You know, the thing that is so insidious about these Regressives is that they pretend to be passive, not harming anyone, and all the while they're spreading their lies, trying to make you believe these awful things.
Torres: Why would they do that?
Jareth: They have some twisted ideas about resisting progress, which they think gives them the right to hold us back in any way that they can. They're trying to undermine us, to cause dissent and doubt. Just look at how they've affected you.
Torres: But, what they're saying is so horrible.
Jareth: Yes, but it isn't very plausible. Korenna, think. A secret conspiracy against their people? Organized murder on such an enormous scale? Do you really believe that your family and friends are capable of that?
Torres: No.
Jareth: Of course not. Now I know how hard it is for you to accept that anyone, even Regressives, could lie about something like that, but it is all part of their manipulation. These people have no conscience. They'll say anything to get what they want. Like that boy Dathan. Has he told you he's in love with you? He's not. It's his way of gaining your sympathy. And not only yours. I've seen him talking to quite a number of young women. Has he been asking you to trust him? He's poisoning you against your own people, even your own family. That's very cruel. No wonder you've been confused. But now you understand what these people are really like.
Jareth: You!
Dathan: No! No! No!
Jareth: These criminals represent a growing threat to Enaran society. As responsible citizens we must fight back. With their punishment we send a clear signal to all Regressives. We will protect ourselves and our ideals from their destructive influence by whatever means necessary.
Torres: Yes! Yes! Yes!
Child: Why did they all move away?
Torres: Because they didn't want to live with the rest of us anymore.
Child: Why?
Torres: The Regressive people had very strange ideas about how to live. They didn't want to learn new things or use any of the new technology that we tried to share with them. They decided to live somewhere else on their own and we let them go. But they couldn't take very good care of themselves. They fought with each other, they spread all kinds of diseases.
Child: And they all died?
Torres: They destroyed themselves. It was very sad. But we can learn from their mistakes. That's why we keep this gate here, to remind us never to be stubborn and backward like they were.
Child: We'll remember.
Torres: I know you will.
Brel: I'd like to indulge in a new custom I've learnt. It's called making a toast. Captain Janeway and her gracious crew. We are very grateful to you for bringing us home. You will always have friends here.
Torres: Murderers!
Janeway: Lieutenant.
Torres: You tried to hide what you did, but I know. I saw everything. The Regressives, the executions, wiping out an entire population and then blaming them for it.
Brel: This is most uncomfortable, Captain. Perhaps a more private discussion would be
Torres: No, that's what you've been doing all along. Hiding the truth. Hoping it would just die away quietly. Please, this has to come out.
Janeway: I think it's time we all understood what's been happening here.
Torres: My dreams. They are real memories from Jora Mirell. When she, when all of them were younger, there was a group of people they called Regressives. They just wanted to lead a different kind of life. But, but they don't exist anymore, do they? You exterminated them.
Brel: These accusations are completely untrue.
Torres: You've spent you whole life covering it up, but then you realized that someone was passing the memories on to me, so you, you used me to figure out who it was and then you killed her. But you know, you were too late. Because Korenna gave me the last of her memories before she died.
Brel: Korenna Mirell is dead?
Chakotay: And you have evidence that she was murdered?
Torres: No. They made it look like it was natural causes.
Tuvok: You should know, Lieutenant, that I spoke with Jora Mirell yesterday. I asked her specifically about the memories you had experienced. She claimed not to know anything about them.
Torres: Of course she would say that. She was afraid for her life.
Jessen: No, you lying. The Enarans would never do anything like what you're saying. It's unthinkable.
Torres: It is the truth. I know that you don't want to believe it. In fact, they're counting on that. They always have.
Kim: I know B'Elanna and I trust her. It can't hurt to listen.
Brel: Nobody thinks you're lying, Lieutenant. The poor woman has been ill for a long time. Her memories may be distorted or perhaps your perception of them was colored by elements from your culture.
Torres: No. I know that it's easier for you to believe that I'm crazy or hallucinating, but this woman shared her life, her whole identity with me. I was with her every step of the way as she convinced herself that what she did, betraying the man she loved, playing her part in a massacre, that it was all somehow for the good of Enaran society. She showed me everything. No apologies, no request for forgiveness, just the truth. At least she had the conscience to stand up and realize what she'd done wrong, which is more than I can say for you.
Brel: I think it best that we now prepare for our departure, Captain. If you don't mind, I'd like to go to your sickbay to attend Jora Mirell.
Janeway: I'm going to talk to the Doctor. I want to see you in my Ready room in one hour.
Torres: I know that I could have found a better way to handle the situation than just charging into the mess hall like that. I was just too angry to think straight. Not the first time that's happened, I know, but if you had seen what I saw
Janeway: I might have done exactly the same thing.
Torres: You believe me.
Janeway: I believe that the memories you experienced were real.
Torres: Then we've got to do something about it. We have to make this public.
Janeway: You tried that today, They didn't want to listen.
Torres: Then we have to find proof. Let me go down to the planet. There must be some evidence left of what really happened. Maybe there are other people like Korenna who might be willing to tell the truth.
Janeway: Whatever the Enarans have done, it's not our place to bring them to justice. If they've chosen to conceal part of their history from their own descendants, that's their decision, whether we approve of it or not.
Torres: It's not just a matter of history. This could happen again if no one knows it happened before.
Janeway: We simply have no right to get involved.
Torres: Jora Mirell was murdered on board this ship, which gives us a reason to investigate. Maybe, if we can expose the reason why she was killed, the Enarans will start to ask questions.
Janeway: I've gotten a full report from the Doctor. He specifically looked for evidence to support your accusations. He didn't find any.
Torres: They could have used their telepathy somehow, in some way that the Doctor couldn't detect.
Janeway: We have no basis for a murder investigation. I've released her body to the Enarans.
Torres: So that's it? We just go on our merry way and nobody ever has to take any kind of responsibility?
Janeway: I've canceled our trade negotiations as well as shore leave. We'll leave orbit as soon as the Enarans are off the ship. B'Elanna, I believe the Enaran engineers are collecting the last of their equipment right now. If there's anything more you'd like to say to any of them?
Torres: Thank you. Thank you, Captain.
Torres: I'm relieving you. Can we talk for a minute?
Jessen: I have nothing to say to you.
Torres: Then just listen. Like Harry said, it couldn't hurt to do that.
Jessen: I'm leaving soon.
Torres: I know you have no reason to believe what I've said about your people. All you have is my word against everything you've ever been taught.
Jessen: That's right.
Torres: So prove me wrong. Go down to Enara and find the colony where the Regressives were supposed to live. Talk to people. Ask questions. Learn the truth for yourself. Let me tell you about my experiences, maybe that will give you some place to start. I wish I had your abilities. I could just show you.
Jessen: You would do that? Share your experiences openly?
Torres: Of course. Then you'd know I'm telling you the truth.
Jessen: I can make the connection between us.
Jessen: What took you so long?


Janeway: Captain's log, stardate 50063.2. We've accepted an invitation from the Nechani to take a few days shore leave on their world. We're enjoying the opportunity to learn about their culture.
Magistrate: This sanctuary honors our Ancestral Spirits. Their presence is very strong here.
Magistrate: Those are brothers of the Nechisti Order. They've devoted their lives to serving the spirits. Here's something you might find interesting.
Kes: What do you think this means?
Neelix: Hard to tell. A fertility symbol, maybe.
Kes: Or a blessing for good luck, or wisdom.
Neelix: Or happiness and love.
Kes: Do you hear something?
Neelix: What?
Kes: Look at that. It's beautiful.
Neelix: It looks like a shrine. Come on, sweeting, we don't want to be left behind.
Kes: I just want to take a quick look.
Neelix: Kes! Kes, can you hear me? Help! Somebody! We need help!
Torres: What happened?
Magistrate: You mustn't be here. This shrine is protected.
Neelix: She didn't touch anything. She went as far as that archway and then an energy field knocked her down.
Torres: Torres to Voyager. We have a medical emergency. Beam Kes and Neelix directly to sickbay.
Crewman: Yes, Lieutenant.
Magistrate: This is most unfortunate. Please, I must ask you to leave as well.
Torres: We aren't going anywhere until we find out what happened to her. What kind of energy was she exposed to?
Magistrate: I have no idea. This is a sacred place. Only the monks truly understand what happens here.
Kim: Then we'll bring scanning equipment down and investigate for ourselves.
Magistrate: That's out of the question. It would show disrespect to the spirits.
Torres: One of our crew has been critically injured. We aren't going to stand by and do nothing.
Magistrate: There's nothing you can do. She's been punished by the spirits. She's going to die.
Torres: If you prevent us from helping Kes, we will hold you directly responsible for anything that happens to her.
Kim: I will make a full report to our Captain. I'm sure you'll be hearing from her.
Magistrate: I'll be happy to talk to her and do whatever I can to help, but your presence here only makes a delicate situation worse. Please, leave now.
Emh: Her lifesigns are very weak but stable. It appears that her synaptic pathways have undergone severe neuraleptic shock which is disrupting all cortical functions. It is similar to a comatose state, but with none of the usual biochemical markers.
Neelix: You can cure her, can't you?
Emh: I can't even speculate on a treatment until I know more about what caused her condition.
Janeway: We're working on that. We aren't allowed near the area where the accident occurred, but Kim and Torres are scanning the sanctuary from Voyager. They'll report their findings to you. And I have an appointment to talk to the magistrate. I'm hoping he'll be able to cut through some of the restrictions the monks have set up.
Neelix: Excuse me, Captain. I'd like to do something to help.
Janeway: The Nechani must have records, some kind of scientific data on this energy field. Go down to the planet and see what you can find.
Neelix: I'll be back soon.
Magistrate: Please understand, Captain, I'm caught in a most difficult situation. I'm an official of the government, not a spiritual leader. I don't pretend to understand why the spirits do what they do.
Janeway: Then perhaps I could talk with the brothers.
Magistrate: I've asked the Nechisti Council to give you an audience, but I'm afraid they consider the matter closed. They've asked me to express their sympathies for your loss.
Janeway: There is no loss at this point. Kes is still alive. Surely there's some way to treat her? Can't you insist that the monks meet with me?
Magistrate: We have an agreement with Council. They don't involve themselves with government and we don't interfere in their spiritual matters. It's been that way for centuries and it's always worked well for us.
Janeway: Then can you tell me what you do know about the sanctuary and what happens there?
Magistrate: I'll try. That particular shrine is where the monks go to receive the gift of purification, cleansing of the soul. It is one of our most holy places.
Janeway: You mean the monks can enter it without being harmed.
Magistrate: They prepare themselves with a sacred ritual during which they speak directly with the Ancestral Spirits. After that they are able to enter the shrine safely.
Janeway: What happens in that ritual? How does it offer protection against the energy field?
Magistrate: Captain, you seem to want explanations for everything. I don't have them. Only the brothers who've gone through the ritual know what happens there, and they're sworn to secrecy.
Janeway: The energy field that Kes encountered, is there anyone who could give me scientific information that would help us analyze it.
Magistrate: All we know is that it is a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Janeway: If you're telling me that there's nothing you can do to help Kes, I simply won't accept that.
Magistrate: If I could help you, I would. I swear it. I blame myself. If I'd watched more carefully, seen that she was approaching the shrine. There's nothing more to be done now. You have our sympathy.
Janeway: Have Kim and Torres given you a report?
Emh: Yes. I received a fascinating lesson in the challenges of getting clear scanner readings through solid rock. We were eventually able to distinguish an intense biogenic field at the site of Kes's accident. That would certainly explain the neuraleptic shock. She was lucky not to have been killed instantly.
Janeway: As I understand it, the Nechani monks are able to enter the field without being harmed at all.
Emh: Really? I don't expect they'd care to tell us how.
Janeway: No, they wouldn't.
Emh: She's not responding to conventional treatments, and frankly I'm running out of unconventional ideas as well. The level of activity in her brain is so low I can't rule out the possibility of permanent damage, even if I can revive her. The longer she stays in this condition, the less likely it is she'll ever recover.
Neelix: How is she?
Emh: I'm afraid there's been no change.
Neelix: I've researched everything I could find about the sacred shrine. I didn't uncover much scientific evidence, but there was one story, it was in a very old text, I'm not sure how reliable, about a boy who recovered from a condition like Kes's. He was a young prince. He wandered into the shrine accidentally and he went into a death sleep. Everyone said it was the will of the spirits. His father, King Nevad, refused to accept that, so he went through the ritual to seek an audience with the spirits and he pleaded for his son's life. The spirits in their infinite mercy granted his request. That was the only trace of hope that I could find.
Janeway: Maybe it's enough.
Magistrate: Well, you've certainly done your research, Captain. I'm familiar with the story. I heard it as a child.
Janeway: It suggests that there's still a chance for Kes.
Magistrate: You're talking about a very specific case. Nevad was able to claim responsibility for the prince as a father and as a king. That's why the spirits were willing to listen to him.
Janeway: The Captain of a starship is fully responsible for every member of her crew.
Magistrate: So she is.
Janeway: And on that basis, I'd like to go through the ritual myself.
Janeway: I haven't heard from the Magistrate yet, but he seemed to think there was a strong possibility the monks would let me go through the ritual.
Chakotay: Captain, forgive me, but you've never been one to put much trust in religious ceremonies. Exactly what is it you hope to accomplish?
Janeway: If you're asking if I expect to speak to the Ancestral Spirits, no, of course not. But something happens to the monks when they go through the ritual. Something that allows them to withstand the effects of the biogenic field. I want to find out what that is. It might provide clues to a treatment.
Chakotay: Some kind of physiological change, maybe.
Janeway: That's what I'm guessing. The shamans of the Karis tribe on Delios Seven practice a ritual that increases the electrical resistance of their skin. It protects them from plasma discharges in their sacred caves. Something similar must happen during this ritual.
Chakotay: We'll have to find a way to allow the Doctor to monitor your physical condition, and you should have a way to call for an emergency beam out if you need it. As a precaution. We don't have any idea what the ritual entails.
Janeway: I've been reviewing the Federation's cultural database. Most traditional spirit quest ceremonies involve some kind of physical challenge or test of endurance to prove the mastery of spirit over body. My instinct tells me this one will be similar. A series of ordeals that will result in biochemical changes.
Chakotay: Of course there's always the possibility that the Ancestral Spirits really do control what happens in the shrine.
Janeway: To each his own, Commander, but I imagine if we scratch deep enough we'd find a scientific basis for most religious doctrines.
Chakotay: I remember when my mother taught me the science underlying the vision quest. In a way I felt disappointed. Some of the mystery was gone. Maybe the Nechani have chosen not to lose the mystery.
Janeway: Under other circumstances I'd be more than happy to go along with their choice. Right now, it's killing one of my crew.
Kim: Bridge to the Captain.
Janeway: Janeway here.
Kim: You have an incoming message from the Magistrate.
Janeway: Put it through to Chakotay's office.
Kim: Aye, Captain.
Magistrate: I must congratulate you, Captain. Your creative approach to this problem has fascinated the Nechisti Council.
Janeway: Then they've approved my request.
Magistrate: Eagerly. They consider it an honor that you want to seek the spirits. The ritual traditionally begins at sunset. A guide will meet you at the entrance to the sanctuary.
Janeway: Thank you. I appreciate your efforts.
Magistrate: I have been greatly troubled by your misfortune, Captain. If you are able to convince the spirits to spare your friend, no one would be happier than I.
Emh: Everything seems to be working. The sub-dermal bioprobe will transmit any changes in your biochemistry.
Kim: And Captain, the implant also contains a homing beacon which we'll be able to pick up no matter how far into the sanctuary you go. Just tap it like a comm. badge and we'll transport you immediately.
Janeway: Thank you both.
Janeway: I don't think that will be necessary.
Tuvok: It is standard procedure to carry arms on an away mission, particularly when you don't know what to expect.
Janeway: This is strictly an information gathering mission. I don't want to appear hostile. Energize.
Guide: I don't suppose you know anything about chromodynamic lights?
Janeway: No, not really. I suppose I could look at it.
Guide: They're as fussy as tarchee cats. You tune them too high, they burn out. You tune them too low, they sputter. I've told the monks to replace them all with neodyne lights, it would save hours of repair work. That device you've got, what is that?
Janeway: It's called a tricorder.
Guide: A tricorder. What exactly does a tricorder do?
Janeway: It's a scanning device.
Guide: Interesting. May I? Ah, atmospheric reading, energy field analysis, full technical database. This is certainly a convenient thing to have.
Janeway: Oh, I'd didn't mean for you to keep it. I'll need that back.
Guide: Oh no, you won't.
Janeway: You're my guide.
Guide: Guide, advisor, spiritual companion. Whatever term you prefer is fine with me.
Janeway: Why didn't you say something earlier?
Guide: Shall we get started?
Guide: It's all right, Kathryn.
Janeway: Would it be breaking any vows of secrecy now to tell me what this ritual will involve?
Guide: why do you think I know?
Janeway: Haven't you been through this before?
Guide: Don't worry, I'll help you find your way. Tell me, have you completely committed yourself to this journey?
Janeway: Yes.
Guide: You're willing to go through what the monks have been doing for centuries to help them find the spirits?
Janeway: Yes.
Guide: So you can send biochemical data back to you ship. No, it wasn't magic. Our bioscanners detected the microprobe under your skin.
Janeway: I hope that won't be a problem.
Guide: Makes no difference at all. You are fond of your little devices, aren't you.
Janeway: They've always served me well.
Guide: I'm sure they have. Please, come this way.
Old Man 1: Who are you?
Janeway: I'm Kathryn Janeway. Is this where the ritual begins?
Old Man 2: Oh, the ritual. Yes.
Old Woman: We're waiting. Come, join us.
Janeway: What exactly are you waiting for?
Old Man 2: Just waiting.
Janeway: How long have you been sitting here?
Old Man 2: How long has it been?
Old Man 1: Why are your asking me? I've lost track.
Old Man 2: It's been a while. I know that.
Old Woman: Oh, it's been as long as we can remember.
Janeway: Are you telling me I have to wait a lifetime before I can go through the ritual?
Old Man 1: I didn't hear anyone say that, did you?
Old Man 2: Certainly not. All we said was that we're waiting.
Janeway: I'm just trying to understand how this works. The monks I saw in the sanctuary were young. They couldn't have waited such a long time to go through their rituals.
Old Woman: She's right about that, you know.
Old Man 2: She's a smart one.
Old Man 1: She thinks she is, at any rate.
Janeway: This is a test of some kind, isn't it. To prove my determination.
Old Woman: A test? She thinks we're a test. What is she talking about?
Old Man 2: She must like tests. I suppose tests make sense to her.
Janeway: Has anyone ever tried to open this door?
Old Man 1: How many times do we have to tell you that we are waiting?
Old Woman: My dear, why don't you just sit down and relax? You're much too tense.
Old Man 2: You're welcome to wait with us.
Janeway: I don't want to wait. I have a friend who's depending on me. I have to go through the ritual.
Old Man 1: I wonder if she's always this impatient.
Old Man 2: Oh, she's just determined. She wants to get on with it.
Old Woman: Seems to me she could be friendly and sit for a few minutes.
Old Man 2: Oh no, she knows what she wants to do. She's not the kind to sit around when she has a mission to accomplish.
Old Man 1: I told you. I told you it was locked.
Guide: Yes?
Janeway: I mean no disrespect, but unless there's something I'm supposed to accomplish here, I'd like to continue with the ritual.
Guide: By all means.
Janeway: I'm not sure how to begin.
Guide: Do you want me to give you orders, Captain?
Janeway: I'll do whatever you ask of me.
Guide: I see. So you think this is just a matter of doing what you're told.
Janeway: No. I'm sure there's spiritual significance behind the challenges involved.
Guide: Challenges. That's what you expect?
Janeway: I don't have any idea what to expect. I've studied a number of ritualistic societies and many of the rites have commonalities. This one may be completely different. I'm willing to do whatever is necessary.
Guide: I don't doubt that. But do you realize that all of this is meaningless. That the only thing that matters is finding your connection to the spirits.
Janeway: I'm going to make every effort to do that. But I didn't come here for personal enlightenment. I'm trying to save a member of my crew.
Guide: That's a worthy cause. I hope the spirits listen to you. Then let's begin. The first challenge. Stand like this.
Guide: Hold that. Now, what do you see in your hands?
Janeway: I see a stone.
Guide: Keep looking.
Emh: Her respiration and pulse have remained steady, but there's been a gradual build up of lactic acid in her extensor muscles over the last hour.
Chakotay: What does that mean? Is she in danger?
Emh: Not at all. She's probably experiencing light strain. What you'd expect in an endurance ritual.
Chakotay: Then there's nothing so far that would suggest a treatment for Kes.
Emh: It's too early to tell. I'm downloading every iota of information from the bioprobe sensors into a physiometric program which is analyzing the data. Even the smallest physiological change may prove significant. We can't discount anything.
Guide: What do you see now?
Janeway: I still see a stone.
Janeway: I guess you're not going to tell me what I'm supposed to draw.
Guide: That would be too easy, wouldn't it? It's up to you. Draw whatever feels right.
Janeway: I've never been able to draw. My sister was the artist in the family.
Guide: And you were the scientist.
Janeway: It's true. When other children were outside playing games I was doing mathematics problems.
Guide: Mathematics. I can see why you enjoyed it. Solve a problem, get an answer. The answer's either right or wrong. It's very absolute.
Janeway: I've always found that satisfying.
Guide: I'm sure you did.
Guide: What did you see?
Janeway: I'm not sure.
Guide: Describe it.
Emh: Ah ha!
Neelix: What? What is it? What have you found?
Emh: There have been significant increases in the Captain's respiration, neuropeptides and adenosine triphosphate levels.
Neelix: Is that bad?
Emh: It certainly suggests she's going through a grueling experience. But it's the neuropeptides that are interesting. The saturations have risen to quite an abnormal level.
Neelix: Is that good or bad?
Emh: I can't say it's either so far as the Captain's concerned, but it certainly seems a substantial piece of information. Neuropeptide levels this high could well create a natural barrier to biogenic energy.
Neelix: So you have something that will help Kes.
Emh: Not yet, but it's the first piece of data that allows me even to formulate a hypothesis.
Neelix: It should be me going through all that! I was the one who let Kes get hurt in the first place.
Emh: Mister Neelix, you're wallowing.
Neelix: I'm wallowing?
Emh: In useless remorse. I'll have to ask you to stop, it's bad for the patient.
Neelix: It's just frustrating to be so helpless.
Emh: If it's any consolation, Mister Neelix, I do understand.
Janeway: I'm exhausted. Oh, thank you.
Guide: Your microprobe should be transmitting all kinds of interesting information back to the ship.
Janeway: What is that?
Guide: It's a nesset. They're able to travel from this world into the spirit realm. They serve as gatekeepers.
Janeway: Gatekeepers? Then I'm ready to enter the spirit realm?
Guide: Do you think you're ready?
Janeway: Yes, I do.
Guide: Then you are. Go ahead, put your hand in.
Guide: We can stop right now if you like.
Janeway: No, I'm not quitting.
Guide: Don't be afraid.
Janeway: Oh, it's burning. Oh, my chest, very tight.
Kes: Captain. Captain.
Guide: Kathryn.
Janeway: I'm dying.
Guide: Everyone dies eventually.
Chakotay: It's been three days since she had any sleep. How long are we going to let her go through this?
Emh: I understand your concern, Commander, but I must point out that her vital signs are stable. She seems to be in no immediate danger.
Chakotay: She's been poisoned by some unknown toxin. It may be having an effect we can't gage. It could lie dormant for a few days and then suddenly fluctuate and kill her in minutes.
Emh: You seem to be implying that I'm not paying attention. I assure you I am monitoring her constantly. If I thought she were in jeopardy I would act.
Tuvok: Doctor, is there anything that might be preventing her from using the homing signal in her implant?
Emh: Not that I'm aware of. She's fully conscious and has complete motor control. If she wanted to transport she could signal us.
Chakotay: Are you getting enough meaningful information to justify her continuing this ordeal?
Emh: I am getting some remarkable data. Her entire biochemistry is undergoing a series of unique interactions. Look. This amino acid has been formed as a result of the breakdown of the toxin in her blood stream. It's affecting the normal flow of neurotransmitters and very likely having an hallucinogenic effect.
Tuvok: Is she delusional?
Emh: I think she's experiencing the Nechani version of a psychoactive drug.
Chakotay: Then is it possible she's in no condition to activate the homing signal?
Emh: I don't believe that's the case, and I strongly suspect this biochemical change is going to give us the answers we need. The toxin in her bloodstream may very well be the key to getting a treatment for Kes.
Tuvok: Commander, the decision is ultimately yours, of course. However, I believe it would be the Captain's desire to complete the ritual.
Chakotay: All right, we'll leave her there for now, but I'm not moving from this monitor until she gets back.
Janeway: What is this? An hallucination?
Guide: I'm only here to serve as a voice, an interpreter for the Ancestral Spirits.
Janeway: I see. If there are other beings here, could I see them myself?
Guide: You mean you want proof that we exist.
Janeway: That would be helpful.
Guide: It's irrelevant.
Janeway: I don't want to be disrespectful. I've gone through every part of the ritual that I've been asked to.
Guide: Everything you've gone through is meaningless. You've been told that.
Janeway: I know. I just want to bring this to completion, to make my request.
Guide: Then by all means do so.
Janeway: I cite the story of King Nevad as precedent. In the same way he pleaded for his son, I ask that Kes be restored to health.
Guide: Your request is inconsequential. You have what you need to save her yourself.
Guide: Welcome back.
Janeway: How long?
Guide: Does that matter?
Janeway: I'd like to know.
Guide: Thirty nine hours. You must take care of yourself. Your body's weak.
Janeway: I guess the physical conditioning programs on the holodeck didn't quite prepare me for this.
Guide: Has it been worthwhile?
Janeway: I think so. I was told that I had what I needed to save Kes.
Guide: Then it must be true. The spirits would not deceive you.
Guide: Whenever you're ready.
Janeway: Thank you.
Emh: You could use a good night's sleep and a solid meal, but otherwise you're in good shape.
Janeway: When can you begin treating Kes?
Emh: Right away. The ritual may have been arduous for you, Captain, but it was certainly worthwhile. As I suspected, the toxin was the key. That's what produces the natural immunity the Nechani monks acquire before they enter the biogenic field.
Chakotay: How does that translate into a cure for Kes?
Emh: I've created a physiometric program to analyze the immune mechanism and develop a treatment regimen.
Janeway: Then let's get started.
Chakotay: Captain, if you'll excuse me, I'm probably more useful on the bridge right now.
Emh: I'll carry out the treatment in stages to reduce the physical stress from the metabolic changes.
Neelix: What's that? Is something wrong?
Emh: I don't believe so. Hmm, her electrolyte balance is deviating, but that's not entirely unexpected.
Neelix: It isn't.
Emh: Hmm.
Neelix: What does that mean? Hmm? What?
Emh: Mister Neelix, if you keep on pestering me with questions I won't be able to concentrate on what I'm doing.
Neelix: Something is wrong!
Janeway: What is it, Doctor?
Emh: Her cardiac functions are being disrupted. I don't understand it. Lectrazine should counteract the disruptions. This is baffling. Her biochemical levels are exactly what they need to be to correct the damage. She should be awake and alert.
Neelix: Why isn't she?
Emh: I can't explain it. Her vital signs are unstable. I have to discontinue treatment. I don't understand it.
Neelix: Can't we try again?
Emh: It's too dangerous.
Janeway: Do you have any other options?
Emh: No. I'm sorry, Captain, but it appears that everything you went through was meaningless.
Janeway: You meant what you said, didn't you? Everything I went through was meaningless.
Guide: Yes.
Janeway: I did everything you asked of me. You led me to believe that would allow me to help Kes.
Guide: I haven't led you anywhere, Kathryn. You've taken me along wherever you wanted to go. This was your ritual. You set these challenges for yourself.
Janeway: It's true that I came here with certain expectations. Are you saying that you simply fulfillled my expectations?
Guide: You'd have settled for nothing else.
Janeway: I'm not ready to give up. If there's still a way to save Kes I want to try.
Guide: You've come back to seek the spirits.
Janeway: I don't know what I'm seeking.
Guide: Then I believe you are ready to begin.
Old Man 1: Well, look who's come back. So, your little adventure didn't quite work out the way you'd planned it. You put yourself through a lot of trouble and for nothing, didn't you.
Old Man 2: Oh, don't feel bad. You wouldn't believe some of the things people have done to themselves on their way to seek the spirits.
Janeway: There is no real ritual after all.
Old Man 2: Real is such a relative term. Most of the challenges in life are the ones we create for ourselves.
Old Woman: And you are particularly hard on yourself, aren't you.
Janeway: I've always been driven to succeed.
Old Man 1: Stubborn, I'd say. You didn't really consider sitting and waiting with us, did you?
Janeway: Well, I'm here now and I'm asking for your help. I want to understand the purpose of waiting in this room.
Old Woman: But isn't it enough to sit and be sociable? We're good company.
Janeway: That's what I'm supposed to do. Talk to the Ancestral Spirits.
Old Woman: First we were a test, and now we're the Ancestral Spirits.
Janeway: Are you?
Old Man 1: That would be nice and quantifiable for you, wouldn't it. If the spirits were something you could see and touch and scan with your little devices.
Old Man 2: If you can explain everything, what's left to believe in?
Janeway: I know it's an important part of your religion to trust the spirits without question, but I wasn't brought up that way. It's hard for me to accept.
Old Man 1: So much for your tolerant open-minded Starfleet ideals.
Janeway: There's a difference between respecting the spiritual beliefs of other cultures and embracing them myself.
Old Man 1: Fine. Don't embrace a thing. It's all the same to us. Go on back to your ship and play with your molecular microscanner.
Old Woman: You've tried all that already, but it didn't work, did it. Kes didn't get better.
Janeway: No, she didn't.
Old Woman: Why not?
Janeway: The Doctor couldn't explain it.
Old Woman: So it's inexplicable. A miraculous non-recovery.
Janeway: We haven't found the reason yet.
Old Woman: But of course you will. You'll find all the answers eventually, with enough time and study, and the right sort of tools. That's what you believe isn't it as a scientist?
Old Man 1: Be honest.
Janeway: Yes, that's what I've always believed.
Old Man 2: Even when her science fails right before her eyes she still has full confidence in it. Now there's a leap of faith.
Old Woman: Unconditional trust. Now that's promising.
Janeway: All right. If you're saying that science won't help Kes, what will?
Old Man 1: You won't like it.
Janeway: I'm willing to do whatever's necessary.
Old Man 1: Kill her. She's as good as dead already, finish the job! Give her another jolt of that what do you call it, biogenic field.
Old Woman: That would do it.
Janeway: It would do what, exactly.
Old Man 1: There you go again, always looking for a rational explanation. Well there isn't one. Your orbital scans and medical research have given you the facts, and they tell you the biogenic field is lethal.
Old Woman: If you believe the facts.
Old Man 2: Let all of that go, Kathryn. Take Kes back into the shrine and trust the spirits to return her soul.
Janeway: The ritual I went through is meaningless, and Kes has done nothing to prepare herself. How could either of us be ready to go through the field?
Old Man 2: If you believe you're ready, then you are. There's no more to it than that.
Old Man 1: But if you go in with any doubt, with any hesitation, then you're both dead. So, what are you going to do, Captain?
Janeway: You know I won't stand by and watch Kes die if there's anything I can do to save her. I want to believe it's possible. I'm going to try.
Janeway: Janeway to Chakotay.
Chakotay: Captain, we've been worried about you.
Janeway: I'm all right. I want you to beam Kes down here to the sanctuary.
Chakotay: Acknowledged. I'll bring her down myself. Chakotay to sickbay. Doctor, prepare Kes for transport.
Emh: Understood.
Chakotay: The Doctor says her life signs are deteriorating. He almost wouldn't let us take her out of sickbay.
Neelix: Have you found a way to help her?
Janeway: Yes, I have. I'm taking her back into the biogenic field.
Neelix: I hate to question you, Captain, but why?
Janeway: I believe it will save her life.
Chakotay: You have some new information on the effects of the field?
Janeway: I can't explain it to you.
Chakotay: Captain, you've been through a lot in the past few days.
Janeway: I know what I'm doing.
Chakotay: Are you sure of that? There are eight hundred megajoules of biogenic energy running through that shrine. The thoron radiation levels are off the scale. That's what you'd be taking yourself and her into. Why don't you take some time to think about this and let us run a few more scans.
Janeway: No.
Chakotay: Captain, this isn't like you.
Neelix: You know you'll always have my gratitude for everything you've done to save Kes, but I couldn't and I know she couldn't ask you to risk your own life like this. There are too many other people who need you.
Chakotay: He's right. It's my responsibility to keep you safe, for the crew's sake if not for your own. I'd rather not have to relieve you of duty, but if your judgment's been impaired in any way.
Guide: He can't really do that, can he?
Janeway: Yes, he can.
Guide: I suppose it might be necessary if the Captain of a ship were really mentally impaired, but you're not crazy, Kathryn, you know that.
Neelix: These are the same people who were willing to let Kes die just for disturbing their shrine. Can you take their word for it that you'll be safe in there?
Guide: I can't give you my word on that. Nobody knows what will happen to them in the shrine until they go in. I don't know the answers. But you do.
Chakotay: Captain, I don't understand this.
Janeway: Neither do I. That's the challenge.
Janeway: Kes.
Emh: The tricorder readings Commander Chakotay took at the shrine revealed traces of iridium ions, which we could have known about sooner if we'd been permitted to take those readings in the first place.
Kes: And iridium ions are significant?
Emh: They caused a temporary dielectric effect in the outer epidermal layers which neutralized some of the biogenic energy. Not much, but enough to make the Captain's altered biochemistry an effective defense.
Kes: Then how was I cured?
Emh: The metabolic treatment I administered protected you against the full impact of exposure to the field when the Captain took you through. That exposure functioned like a natural cortical stimulator and reactivated your synaptic pathways.
Kes: That's fascinating, Doctor.
Emh: Captain? If there's something about my analysis you disagree with.
Janeway: It's a perfectly sound explanation, Doctor. Very scientific.