Borg: We are the Borg. Existence as you know it is over. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is
Da Vinci: The Cardinal is a thief. I delivered two portraits of his mindless nephew more than three months ago, to be depicted in the heroic mode of an Hercules or an Achilles, so specified our contract. I complied, making that young fool of a nephew look far more heroic than nature ever intended. An act on my part far greater than anything accomplished by Hercules or Achilles! And what have I, the divine Leonardo Da Vinci received in payment?
Janeway: The Cardinal's eternal gratitude?
Da Vinci: Essatto! In other words, Signorina, less than nothing.
Janeway: All the more reason why you should accept my proposal.
Da Vinci: Money is beside the point, Signorina. Catarina, is it?
Janeway: Yes. I'm only asking for a corner, one bench, a place to work on my own projects, paintings, sculptures. Just being here in your company is inspiring to me.
Da Vinci: Flattery, Catarina, is also beside the point. Besides, I prefer my solitude. Scusi.
Da Vinci: Meraviglioso.
Janeway: What will you call it?
Da Vinci: The Arm of Hephaestos.
Janeway: The god of the forge.
Da Vinci: Every blacksmith who has ever swung a hammer will thank me for this creation.
Janeway: Someone once said all invention is but an extension of the body of man.
Da Vinci: Do not think that just because I have enjoyed your visit today, that I am prepared to turn my workshop into a traveler's inn.
Da Vinci: Che cazzo.
Janeway: Here, let me help you.
Da Vinci: You will get your hands covered with goose grease.
Janeway: It's good for the skin.
Da Vinci: Let us see if we can find his big brother. Hopefully he will be stronger.
Janeway: This looks like a flying machine.
Da Vinci: I though that because my imagination took flight so easily, my body could do the same. I was wrong.
Janeway: It's this flapping approach. You designed your machine to mimic the way a bat or a sparrow flies.
Da Vinci: Yes, yes. So?
Janeway: So what if you based it on the hawk, instead?
Da Vinci: The hawk. A creature that glides through the air.
Janeway: Essatto.
Da Vinci: We will design a new machine, and you, Catarina, will help me fly it.
Janeway: I'll need someplace to work.
Da Vinci: A corner? One workbench?
Janeway: That will be fine.
Da Vinci: Ten scudi per week and you provide your own materials.
Janeway: Seven. And I might need to borrow a few things, on occasion.
Da Vinci: Then we have an agreement.
Chakotay: Chakotay to Janeway.
Janeway: Go ahead.
Chakotay: Captain, we need you in Engineering. There's something here you should see.
Janeway: On my way. Computer, end program.
Janeway: What have you got?
Chakotay: Some bad news. The long range probe we sent out two months ago has stopped transmitting.
Torres: At first I thought it was a problem with the communications grid, then I cleared up the last few seconds of telemetry. Take a look at this.
Chakotay: This could be it, Captain. Borg space.
Janeway: We don't know exactly how many vessels are out there. but their space appears to be vast. It includes thousands of solar systems, all Borg. We are no doubt entering the heart of their territory. There's no going around it, but there may be a way through it.
Chakotay: Before the probe was disabled, it picked up a narrow corridor of space devoid of Borg activity. We've nicknamed it the Northwest Passage.
Torres: Unfortunately, the passage is filled with intense gravimetric distortions. probably caused by a string of quantum singularities.
Paris: Better to ride the rapids than face the hive.
Chakotay: Exactly. We're going to set a course for that corridor. and go into full Tactical Alert. Where do we stand with weapons?
Tuvok: I have reprogrammed the phaser banks to a rotating modulation, but I suspect a Borg vessel will adapt quickly.
Chakotay: We can use every edge. Ensign?
Kim: I've already configured the long range sensors to scan for transwarp signatures. An early warning system.
Chakotay: Good work. Doctor, how are you coming on the medical front?
Emh: I've analyzed every square millimeter of the Borg corpse we recovered three months ago. I'm closer to understanding how their assimilation technology works, and I might be able to create some sort of medical defense.
Chakotay: Redouble your efforts. This is your top priority. Neelix, I doubt we can resupply the ship any time soon.
Neelix: No problem, sir. I'm working on a plan to extend our food and replicator rations.
Janeway: We have to act fast. The Borg have captured one of our probes. They know we're out here. We'll do everything in our power to avoid a direct confrontation. but if and when we do engage the Borg, I'm confident that we'll be ready. I have faith in each and every one of you. Let's do it.
Crewman: Ensign, on the double.
Ensign: Coming through. Open!
Chakotay: I want to cut down on the time it takes to seal off the decks.
Kim: In case we take on some uninvited guests?
Chakotay: Exactly. And I want to increase the magnitude of the forcefields.
Emh: These injection tubules are the first step in the Borg assimilation process. Once inside the skin, they release a series of nanoprobes into the bloodstream.
Kes: Maybe we can develop some kind of protective shielding against them.
Emh: Unlikely. The tubules are capable of penetrating any known alloy or energy field. Which means our battle must be waged inside the body itself. The first tissue to be attacked by the nanoprobes is the victim's blood. Assimilation is almost instantaneous.
Kes: They take over the blood cell functions like a virus.
Emh: Which suggests to me that we should try to enhance the immune system. Create an assimilation antibody, as it were. I doubt we can actually destroy the nanoprobes, but we might be able to slow them down. Let's try a submicron dissection on the probes we've collected so far, see if we can discover the assimilation mechanism.
Emh: Kes, is something wrong? Kes?
Kes: I saw Borg.
Emh: You've had a telepathic experience?
Kes: There were bodies. Dozens of them, dead.
Janeway: How's Kes?
Tuvok: Unsettled. and uncertain. Over the past two hours, she has experienced several telepathic visions about the death of Borg and the destruction of Voyager.
Chakotay: Some sort of premonitions?
Tuvok: Possibly.
Janeway: We can't just ignore her intuition, but I see no reason to alter our plan. Tuvok, I want you to keep an eye on her.
Kim: Captain, long range sensors are picking up transwarp signatures. Five point eight light years distant, closing from behind.
Chakotay: Red Alert.
Janeway: Evasive maneuvers.
Chakotay: What's happening?
Paris: We've dropped out of warp.
Janeway: Bridge to Engineering What's going on down there?
Torres: I'm not sure, Captain. Some kind of subspace turbulence is preventing us from creating a stable warp field.
Tuvok: Turbulence is increasing.
Kim: I'm reading two Borg vessels. Make that three. Four. No, five. Fifteen Borg vessels. Distance two point one light years and closing.
Janeway: Shields to maximum. Stand by all weapons.
Tuvok: They're in visual range.
Janeway: On screen.
Chakotay: My God.
Chakotay: Captain.
Kim: I'm picking up a polaron beam. We're being scanned.
Janeway: Think good thoughts.
Tuvok: The last Cube has rejoined the others.
Janeway: Did we sustain any damage?
Kim: No. Shields held. Warp engines are coming back online. All primary systems are stable.
Janeway: Stand down Red Alert. Harry. maintain a long range sensor lock on that Borg armada. They seemed to be in quite a hurry, didn't they? I'd like to know what they're up to.
Kim: Yes, ma'am.
Janeway: I'll take this near-miss as a good omen. Resume our course, Mister Paris.
Chakotay: If we needed any more evidence that we've entered Borg space, I think we just got it.
Janeway: I'll be in my Ready room.
Janeway: Yes. come in.
Chakotay: We've just completed the latest sensor sweep. So far, so good. The Northwest Passage is still clear of Borg activity.
Janeway: I'd like to see a tactical update.
Chakotay: According to my calculations, neither of us has eaten since last night. Join me for dinner?
Janeway: No thanks, I'm not hungry. And I've got a lot of work to do.
Chakotay: I see.
Janeway: I've been looking through the personal log entries of all the Starfleet Captains who encountered the Borg. I've gone over every engagement, from the moment Q flung the Enterprise into the path of that first Cube to the massacre at Wolf 359. Every battle, every skirmish. anything that might give me an insight into the mind of the Collective.
Chakotay: And?
Janeway: In the words of Jean-Luc Picard. 'In their Collective state, the Borg are utterly without mercy, driven by one will alone: the will to conquer. They are beyond redemption, beyond reason.' And then there's Captain Amasov of the Endeavor. 'It is my opinion that the Borg are as close to pure evil as any race we've ever encountered.' What's so funny?
Chakotay: Nothing.
Janeway: You're smiling. Obviously, I've said something amusing.
Chakotay: You sounded just like Amasov.
Janeway: What?
Chakotay: Just now, while you were reading his log. You were using his inflections.
Janeway: I did not.
Chakotay: Yes, you were. And before that, you were doing a pretty good Picard.
Janeway: Was I?
Chakotay: It's nothing to be ashamed about. Echoing the Greats. Ensign Hickman in Astrophysics does a passable Janeway.
Janeway: If we manage to survive the next few days, I'm going to have a little chat with Ensign Hickman. Imitating the Captain, huh? Surely that violates some kind of Starfleet protocol. This day was inevitable. We all knew it. And we've all tried to prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead. But at what point is the risk too great? At what point do we come about and retreat to friendly territory? Could the crew accept living out the rest of their lives in the Delta Quadrant? I keep looking to all these Captains, my comrades in arms. But the truth is, I'm alone.
Chakotay: If that moment comes. we'll face it together. And we'll make the right decision. You're not alone, Kathryn.
Janeway: Three years ago, I didn't even know your name. Today I can't imagine a day without you.
Tuvok: Captain Janeway to the bridge.
Janeway: Gentlemen.
Kim: Something strange is going on.
Tuvok: The power signatures of those Borg vessels have terminated.
Chakotay: All of them?
Kim: They're dead in the water, about five point two light years from here.
Janeway: Cause?
Tuvok: Unknown.
Janeway: Mister Paris.
Paris: Captain.
Janeway: Set a course for their position. Warp two.
Kim: We're approaching the ships.
Janeway: Slow to impulse. On screen.
Chakotay: Lifesigns?
Kim: A few, but they're erratic.
Tuvok: Captain, I'm detecting two residual weapons signatures in the debris. One is Borg, the other is of unknown origin.
Paris: Who could do this to the Borg?
Janeway: Someone more powerful than the Borg? It's hard to imagine.
Kim: But they did it. Fifteen Cubes! We might've just found our ticket through Borg space. An ally.
Chakotay: Let's not jump to conclusions. Scan the vicinity for other vessels.
Tuvok: There are none.
Kim: Hold on. I'm picking up some sort of bio-readings. They're coming from the outer hull of one of the Borg ships.
Janeway: Let's see it. Magnify, Mister Kim.
Kim: It's definitely organic, but our sensors can't penetrate its surface.
Janeway: Send a standard greeting.
Tuvok: No response.
Chakotay: This could be a space-dwelling organism or a biological weapon.
Janeway: I'd like to know what kind of weapon could destroy the Borg. Can we beam it away from the ship?
Kim: I can't get a lock on it.
Chakotay: Tractor beam?
Tuvok: No effect.
Kim: Whatever that thing is, it's impervious to our technology.
Janeway: Tuvok, are you reading an atmosphere in the Cube?
Tuvok: Affirmative.
Janeway: Commander Chakotay, I want you to take an away team inside. Try to get a short range scan of the biomass.
Tuvok: There are still Borg lifesigns, but they're unstable.
Janeway: We'll keep an open comlink and an active Transporter lock. We'll pull you out of there at the first sign of trouble.
Chakotay: Tuvok, Harry, you're with me.
Chakotay: This way.
Tuvok: Lower your phasers. If we don't appear threatening, they should ignore us.
Kim: Looks like they're a little preoccupied.
Chakotay: The alien bio-readings are getting stronger. We're close.
Kim: Commander.
Tuvok: Curious.
Chakotay: That's not the word I had in mind.
Tuvok: Those bodies are reminiscent of one of the premonitions Kes described.
Kim: Didn't Kes say we were all going to die?
Chakotay: Let's keep moving.
Chakotay: It looks like the bio-mass dissolved right through the Borg hull.
Tuvok: This Borg is attempting to assimilate it.
Kim: Doesn't look like he's having much luck.
Chakotay: There's a chamber beyond this opening. Forty meters wide, high concentrations of antimatter particles. It looks like a warp propulsion system of some kind.
Kim: It's a ship?
Tuvok: Starfleet has encountered species that use organic-based vessels. The Breen, for example.
Chakotay: There doesn't seem to be anybody on board. Chakotay to Voyager.
Janeway: Go ahead, Commander.
Chakotay: Captain, we've found an entrance to the biomass. We think it may be a ship of some kind. Permission to go inside.
Janeway: Granted.
Chakotay: Harry, that's a Borg distribution node. See if you can download their tactical database. It might contain a record of what happened here.
Kim: Aye, sir.
Chakotay: Tuvok.
Chakotay: They seem to be organic conduits. They're carrying electrodynamic fluid.
Tuvok: Maybe an energy source.
Chakotay: Maybe. This looks like a binary matrix, but it's laced with neuropeptides. Could be their version of a computer core.
Tuvok: This damage was caused by a Borg disrupter beam. The wall appears to be regenerating itself. Commander!
Emh: Kes?
Kes: Harry's in danger.
Emh: What are you
Kes: Get them out of there.
Emh: Sickbay to Janeway.
Kim: Commander!
Kim: There's someone in here with us and it's not the Borg. I can't localize it but it's within twenty meters.
Tuvok: Perhaps the pilot has returned.
Janeway: Voyager to away team.
Chakotay: Go ahead.
Janeway: Stand by for transport. We're getting you out of there.
Chakotay: Good idea.
Janeway: Energize.
Torres: I can't get a lock on them.
Janeway: What's the problem?
Torres: It looks like bioelectric interference from whatever's coming toward them.
Chakotay: It's within seven meters. Let's get out of here!
Janeway: Narrow the confinement beam.
Torres: No effect. I'm going to try a skeletal lock.
Janeway: What?
Torres: I think I can get a clean lock on the minerals in their bone tissue. I just came up with it, but I think it might work.
Chakotay: The lifeform's five meters away and closing.
Kim: From where?
Torres: I've got them.
Janeway: A skeletal lock, huh? We'll have to add that one to the Transporter manual.
Paris: Captain, the bioship is powering up, like it's charging some kind of weapon.
Janeway: Mister Paris, get us out of here. Maximum warp.
Paris: The alien ship is not pursuing.
Janeway: Kes?
Kes: I could hear its thoughts. The pilot of the bioship was trying to communicate with me. They're a telepathic species. I've been aware of them for some time now. The premonitions. Captain, it's not the Borg that we should be worried about, it's them.
Janeway: What did it say to you?
Kes: It said, the weak will perish. Captain's log, stardate 50984.3. It's been twelve hours since our confrontation with the alien lifeform. There's no sign that we're being pursued and we've had no further encounters with the Borg. I've decided to hold our course. The Northwest Passage is only one day away, and I won't allow fear to undermine this crew's sense of purpose, even if that fear is justified.
Emh: The infection is spreading. What began with a few stray cells contaminating the chest wound is now infusing every system in his body.
Janeway: It looks like he's being transformed in some way.
Emh: Not exactly. The alien cells are consuming his body from the inside out. In essence, Mister Kim is being eaten alive.
Janeway: He's still conscious, Doctor.
Emh: I tried giving him a sedative, but it was rejected immediately. In fact, every treatment I've tried has been neutralized within seconds. These are alien cells. Each one contains more than a hundred times the DNA of a human cell. It's the most densely coded life form I've ever seen. Even I would need years to decipher it.
Janeway: They have an extraordinary immune response. Anything that penetrates the cell membrane, chemical, biological, technological, it's all instantly destroyed. That's why the Borg can't assimilate them.
Emh: Resistance in this case is far from futile. Nevertheless, I believe Borg technology holds the key to saving Mister Kim.
Janeway: How so?
Emh: I hope to unleash an army of modified Borg nanoprobes into his bloodstream, designed to target and eradicate the infection. As you know, I've been analyzing the nanoprobes. They're efficient little assimilators, one can't help but admire the workmanship. But they're no match for the alien cells. So I successfully dissected a nanoprobe and managed to access its re-coding mechanism. I reprogrammed the probe to emit the same electrochemical signatures as the alien cells. That way, the probe can do its work without being detected. Observe. The alien cells are completely oblivious to probe until it's too late. Unfortunately, I've only created a few prototypes. I'll need several days to modify enough nanoprobes to cure Ensign Kim.
Janeway: Does Harry have several days?
Emh: I wish I knew.
Janeway: Fight it, Harry. That's an order.
Torres: We've analyzed the Borg's tactical database. They refer to these new aliens as Species 8472.
Tuvok: Over the past five months, the Borg have been attacked by them on at least a dozen occasions. Each time, the Borg were defeated swiftly.
Torres: The Collective has very little information about the species.
Chakotay: Is anything known about where they come from?
Torres: I'm afraid so.
Chakotay: Get the Captain.
Janeway: The Northwest Passage.
Chakotay: It's clear of Borg activity for a very good reason.
Tuvok: I'm picking up one hundred and thirty three bioships. More are appearing.
Janeway: From where?
Tuvok: They seem to be coming from a quantum singularity.
Torres: I'm localizing the gravimetric distortions.
Chakotay: On screen.
Janeway: Kes, anything?
Kes: Yes. I can hear them. They're in a place where they're alone. Nothing else lives there.
Chakotay: Some kind of parallel universe?
Kes: I don't know. I feel malevolence, a cold hatred. The weak will perish. It's an invasion. They intend on destroying everything.
Janeway: Tom, reverse course, maximum warp. Take us five light years out and hold position.
Paris: Aye, Captain.
Janeway: Maintain Red Alert. Commander.
Janeway: That moment we spoke about? It's here. Any thoughts?
Chakotay: Just one. Flying into that corridor would mean certain death.
Janeway: Agreed. The Northwest Passage is no longer an option. So now the choice is between facing the Borg in their space, or finding ourselves a nice planet here in the Delta Quadrant and giving up on ever getting home.
Chakotay: We'd be turning around, but we wouldn't be giving up. We may find another way home.
Janeway: I'm not ready to walk onto that bridge and tell the crew we're quitting. I can't do it, Chakotay. Not yet. There must be an alternative.
Chakotay: Kathryn, you haven't slept in two days. Try getting some rest, and clearing your head. We're safe for the moment. We can tell the crew tomorrow, if we have to.
Janeway: See you in the morning.
Janeway: Maestro? Leonardo?
Da Vinci: Catarina. Buona sera.
Janeway: Am I disturbing you?
Da Vinci: What do you see?
Janeway: A wall with candlelight reflecting on it. Why? What do you see?
Da Vinci: A flock of starlings, the leaves of an oak, a horse's tail, a thief with a noose around his neck. And a wall with the candlelight reflecting on it. There are times, Catarina, when I find myself transfixed by a shadow on the wall, or the splashing of water against a stone. I stare at it, the hours pass, the world around me drops away, replaced by worlds being created and destroyed by my imagination. A way to focus the mind. Sit, and tell me why you have come.
Janeway: There's a path before me. The only way home. And on either side, mortal enemies bent on destroying each other. If I attempt to pass through them I'll be destroyed as well. But if I turn around, that would end all hope of ever getting home. And no matter how much I try to focus my mind, I can't see an alternative.
Da Vinci: When one's imagination cannot provide an answer, one must seek a greater imagination. There are times when even I find myself kneeling in prayer. I must deliver a bronzetto to the Monks at Santa Croce. Come with me, Catarina, hey? We will awake the Abbot, visit the chapel, and appeal to God.
Janeway: Somehow I don't think that's going to work for me. But there is an alternative I haven't considered. What if I made an appeal to the Devil?
Paris: An alliance with the Borg?
Janeway: More like an exchange. We offer them a way to defeat their new enemy and in return we get safe passage through their space. In developing a treatment for Harry, the Doctor has found a way to attack the aliens at a microscopic level.
Emh: It's still in the experimental stages, Captain. I've only made a few prototypes.
Janeway: Nevertheless, if we teach the Borg how to modify their own nanoprobes, they'd have a blueprint to create a weapon to fight the aliens.
Emh: In theory, yes.
Janeway: B'Elanna, it's clear from the Borg database that they know practically nothing about Species 8472.
Torres: That's right. The Borg gain knowledge through assimilation. What they can't assimilate, they can't understand.
Janeway: But we don't assimilate. We investigate. And in this case, that's given us an edge. We've discovered something they need.
Neelix: But the Borg aren't exactly known for their diplomacy. How can we expect them to cooperate with us?
Kes: Normally, the answer would be no. But if what I've learned from the aliens is true, the Borg are losing this conflict.
Janeway: In one regard, the Borg are no different than we are. They're trying to survive. I don't believe they're going to refuse an offer that will help them do that.
Tuvok: What makes you think the Borg won't attempt to take the information by assimilating Voyager and its crew.
Janeway: That won't get them anywhere. Doctor, you're the only one on board with full knowledge of the nanoprobe modifications. I want you to transfer all of that research into your holomatrix.
Emh: Certainly.
Janeway: You're my guarantee. If the Borg threaten us in any way, we'll simply erase your program. But it won't come to that, Doctor. It's in the Collective's own interest to cooperate. Voyager is only one ship. Our safe passage is a small price to pay for what we're offering in exchange. B'Elanna, assist the Doctor with his transfer.
Torres: Aye, Captain.
Janeway: Mister Paris, locate the nearest Borg vessel and lay in a course. They shouldn't be difficult to find.
Paris: Yes, ma'am.
Janeway: Dismissed.
Janeway: You were awfully quiet.
Chakotay: I didn't want the others to hear this, but I think what you're proposing is too great a risk.
Janeway: How so?
Chakotay: There's a story I heard as a child, a parable, and I never forgot it. A scorpion was walking along the bank of a river, wondering how to get to the other side. Suddenly he saw a fox. He asked the fox to take him on his back across the river. The fox said no. If I do that you'll sting me, and I'll drown. The scorpion assured him. If I did that, we'd both drown. So the fox thought about it and finally agreed. So the scorpion climbed up on his back, and the fox began to swim. But halfway across the river, the scorpion stung him. As the poison filled his veins, the fox turned to the scorpion and said why did you do that? Now you'll drown too. I couldn't help it, said the scorpion. It's my nature.
Janeway: I understand the risk, and I'm not proposing that we try to change the nature of the beast, but this is a unique situation. To our knowledge, the Borg have never been so threatened. They're vulnerable. I think we can take advantage of that.
Chakotay: Even if we do somehow negotiate an exchange, how long will they keep up their end of the bargain? It could take months to cross Borg territory. We'd be facing thousands of systems, millions of vessels.
Janeway: But only one Collective, and we've got them over a barrel. We don't need to give them a single bit of information, not until we're safe. We just need the courage to see this through to the end.
Chakotay: There are other kinds of courage. Like the courage to accept that there are some situations beyond your control. Not every problem has an immediate solution.
Janeway: You're suggesting we turn around.
Chakotay: Yes. We should get out of harm's way. Let them fight it out. In the meantime, there's still plenty of Delta Quadrant left to explore. We may find another way home.
Janeway: Or we may find something else. Six months, a year down the road, after Species 8472 gets through with the Borg, we could find ourselves back in the line of fire, and we'll have missed the window of opportunity that exists right here, right now.
Chakotay: How much is our safety worth?
Janeway: What do you mean?
Chakotay: We'd be giving an advantage to a race guilty of murdering billions. We'd be helping the Borg assimilate yet another species just to get ourselves back home. It's wrong!
Janeway: Tell that to Harry Kim. He's barely alive thanks to that species. Maybe helping to assimilate them isn't such a bad idea. We could be doing the Delta Quadrant a favor.
Chakotay: I don't think you really believe that. I think you're struggling to justify your plan, because your desire to get this crew home is blinding you to other options. I know you, Kathryn. Sometimes you don't know when to step back.
Janeway: Do you trust me, Chakotay?
Chakotay: That isn't the issue.
Janeway: Oh, but it is. Only yesterday you were saying that we'd face this together, that you'd be at my side.
Chakotay: I still have to tell you what I believe. I'm no good to you if I don't do that.
Janeway: I appreciate your insights, but the time for debate is over. I've made my decision. Now, do I have your support?
Chakotay: You're the Captain. I'm the First Officer. I'll follow your orders. That doesn't change my belief that we're making a fatal mistake.
Janeway: Then I guess I'm alone, after all. Dismissed.
Tuvok: There are three planets in this system. Inhabitants, all Borg. A vessel is approaching.
Janeway: All stop. Shields up.
Tuvok: They're hailing us.
Janeway: Open a channel.
Borg: We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
Tuvok: They've locked onto us with a tractor beam.
Janeway: Borg vessel, this is Captain Janeway of the starship Voyager. I have tactical information about Species 8472. I want to negotiate.
Borg: Negotiation is irrelevant. You will be assimilated.
Janeway: Borg vessel. What you're receiving is a sample of the knowledge we possess. If you don't disengage your tractor beam immediately, I will have that data destroyed. You have ten seconds to comply. We know you're in danger of being defeated. you can't afford to risk losing this information. Disengage your tractor
Borg: State your demands.
Janeway: I want safe passage through your space. Once my ship is beyond Borg territory, I'll give you our research.
Borg: Unacceptable. Our space is vast. Your passage would require too much time. We need the technology now.
Janeway: If I give it to you now, you'll assimilate us.
Borg: Species 8472 must be stopped. Our survival is your survival. Give us the technology.
Janeway: No. Safe passage first or no deal.
Borg: State your proposal.
Janeway: Let's work together, combine our resources. Even if we do give you the technology now, you're still going to need time to develop it. By working together, we can create a weapon more quickly. If you escort us through your space we can perfect the weapon as we
Chakotay: Where did that ship come from?
Tuvok: A quantum singularity has appeared twenty thousand kilometers away. The bioship is heading directly toward the planet.
Torres: The Borg shields are weakening. We might be able to break free of the tractor beam.
Chakotay: Can you get a lock on the Captain?
Tuvok: Not yet.
Paris: Commander, there are nine more bioships coming out of the singularity.
Janeway: What's going on? To be continued
Chakotay: Report.
Torres: The Borg shields are offline. I've got a lock on Captain Janeway.
Chakotay: Get her out of there and break us free of the Cube. Stand by all weapons.
Torres: I'm trying to energize. The Borg are scattering the beam.
Chakotay: Compensate.
Torres: No effect.
Tuvok: We're being hailed.
Chakotay: On screen.
Janeway: Commander. Cut the transporter beam.
Chakotay: Captain?
Janeway: Do it. I've reached an agreement with the Collective. We're going to help them design a weapon against Species 8472. In exchange, they've granted us safe passage through their space.
Paris: The Cube is altering course. They're heading toward the Alpha Quadrant.
Janeway: That's part of the plan. We'll work on the weapon en route. Once we're across their territory, we'll give them the nanoprobes. They appear to be holding up their end of the bargain. I suggest we do the same.
Chakotay: How do you propose we begin this collaboration?
Janeway: I'm going to work here, on the Cube. They have technology that'll make the job go faster. I want to take advantage of it.
Chakotay: It's not necessary for you to stay there. We can set up a comlink with the Borg and
Janeway: It's part of the deal. I work here.
Chakotay: All right. As long as we're cooperating, maybe the Borg would be willing to disengage their tractor beam. We can match their course without a leash.
Janeway: I'll propose it. Mister Tuvok, transport to my coordinates.
Tuvok: Understood.
Janeway: We're going to make this work, Commander. Janeway out.
Chakotay: You heard the Captain.
Emh: I replicated nearly ten million Borg nanoprobes, each of them reprogrammed to my specifications, each capable of targeting the alien tissue.
Chakotay: Assimilating it.
Emh: Just momentarily. The Borg technology will denaturate within seconds, taking the alien tissue along with it. Mister Kim, I'm about to inject your carotid artery. You'll feel a tingling sensation. Don't be alarmed.
Emh: Nice to see you again, Ensign.
Kes: It's working.
Emh: Prepare another dose of nanoprobes.
Kes: Yes, Doctor.
Chakotay: Good work. Let me know when he's back on his feet.
Emh: Commander. I must tell you. I have my doubts about this alliance. You may have convinced the Borg the nanoprobes can defeat their enemy, but a medical treatment is a long way from a weapon of war.
Chakotay: Leave that to the Captain. This situation is unpredictable so we're going to stay at full Red Alert. Keep all information about the nanoprobes stored in your holo-matrix.
Emh: Don't worry. I'll delete myself at the first sign of trouble. Well, maybe not the first sign.
Torres: We've just received word. Tuvok beamed to the Cube. He's joined the Captain.
Chakotay: Keep a transporter lock on both of them.
Torres: I'll try, but the Borg are already regenerating their shields.
Chakotay: Try matching their shield frequencies.
Torres: It won't work. They'll be able to adapt too quickly.
Chakotay: I don't want to hear what we can't do, Lieutenant! Just find a way to get our people out of there if we have to.
Torres: Aye, sir.
Paris: They've released their tractor beam.
Chakotay: Match their course and speed.
Paris: I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but, looks like the Borg are cooperating.
Emh: Kes? Kes! Kes! What's wrong?
Kes: They're watching us.
Tuvok: May I ask where we're being taken?
Janeway: Grid nine two of subjunction twelve. Our very own workspace. It's near the center of the Cube.
Tuvok: These are my tricorder readings of the bioship we examined. I believe you will find them most revealing.
Janeway: Have you compared this to the Doctor's analysis of the alien tissue?
Tuvok: Yes. Many of the cellular structures are identical.
Janeway: The aliens and their ships are made of the same organic material.
Tuvok: Apparently so.
Borg: You have entered grid nine two of subjunction twelve. Proceed.
Janeway: All right. We've analyzed one of the alien vessels, and it appears to be constructed of organic material vulnerable to the modified nanoprobes. I suggest we begin thinking about a large scale delivery system. A way to infect their ships and destroy them at the microscopic
Borg: We will begin.
Tuvok: What are you doing?
Borg: A neural transceiver is required for maximum communication. We will work as one mind.
Janeway: No. That wasn't the agreement.
Borg: The neural link is temporary. You will not be damaged.
Janeway: I don't care. I prefer to communicate verbally, thank you.
Borg: Your primitive communication is inefficient.
Tuvok: On the contrary. We work better with our individuality intact. Surely, we've proven that to you by now.
Borg: Irrelevant. You must comply.
Janeway: We must do nothing. Tell your drone to remove the transceiver. What about choosing a representative? A single Borg we can work with and talk to directly.
Borg: Elaborate.
Janeway: You've done it before. When you transformed Jean-Luc Picard into Locutus. We will not be assimilated. Choose a representative or the deal's off.
Seven: I speak for the Borg.
Janeway: I'm Captain Janeway. This is Lieutenant Tuvok.
Seven: We are aware of your designations.
Janeway: What's your designation?
Seven: Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. But you may call me Seven of Nine. You are proposing a large-scale weapon. We concur.
Janeway: I thought you might.
Tuvok: We could encase the nanoprobes in some of our photon torpedoes. In essence, turn them into biomolecular warheads.
Seven: Your torpedoes are inadequate. They lack the necessary range and dispursive force.
Janeway: Do you have a better idea?
Seven: We are Borg.
Tuvok: I take that as a yes.
Seven: A multikinetic neutronic mine. Five million isoton yield.
Tuvok: An explosion that size could affect an entire star system.
Seven: Correct. The shock wave will disperse the nanoprobes over a radius of five light years.
Janeway: That's somewhat larger than I had in mind. You're proposing a weapon of mass destruction.
Seven: We are.
Janeway: Well, I'm not. You'd be endangering innocent worlds.
Seven: It would be efficient.
Tuvok: We'd need approximately fifty trillion nanoprobes to arm this mine. It would take the Doctor several weeks to replicate that amount. You are losing this conflict. Are you willing to risk further delay?
Janeway: Right now your enemy believes it is invulnerable. If we create smaller weapons using our torpedoes and destroy a few of their bioships, it may deter them, convince them to give up this war.
Seven: You are individuals. You are small, and you think in small terms. But the present situation requires that we consider your plan. Voyager's weapons inventory. Photon torpedo complement thirty two. Class six warhead. Explosive yield two hundred isotons.
Tuvok: How did you obtain this information?
Seven: We are Borg.
Tuvok: Naturally.
Emh: Commander, we have some disturbing news.
Chakotay: At this point, I'm getting used to it.
Emh: Her telepathic visions are increasing, both in frequency and intensity.
Kes: It feels different this time. It's almost like they're right here, in the room.
Emh: There is it again.
Kes: I'm trying to block them out, but I can't.
Emh: Every time she has a vision specific regions of her cerebral cortex go into a state of hyperstimulation. Memory engrams, perceptual centers. I can't be sure but I think there's more going on here than just a simple hello.
Janeway: Enhance this grid. I want to take a closer look at the detonator.
Seven: We must analyze the bioship. Your data.
Janeway: You're human, aren't you?
Seven: This body was assimilated eighteen years ago. It ceased to be human at that time.
Janeway: I'm curious. What was your name before you were
Seven: Do not engage us in further irrelevant discourse. We are being hailed by your vessel.
Janeway: Commander, what is it?
Chakotay: It's Kes. The Doctor believes that the aliens are accessing her memory.
Janeway: If that's true, they may already know what we're planning.
Chakotay: I've ordered long range scans for bioships. Nothing so far.
Janeway: We should alter course, try to throw them off.
Seven: Agreed. Our course and heading have been changed.
Janeway: Match them, and keep me apprised of any changes in Kes.
Chakotay: Chakotay out.
Seven: We now require one of your photon torpedoes and the nanoprobes.
Janeway: One step at a time. We're not safely across your territory yet.
Seven: We must construct and test a prototype now. The risk of attack has increased.
Janeway: Irrelevant. We have an agreement. You're asking me to give up my only guarantee that you won't assimilate us. I won't risk it.
Seven: Are you willing to risk a direct confrontation with us? If we transport five hundred drones onto your vessel, do you believe you could offer sufficient resistance?
Janeway: We'd die trying.
Seven: That won't be necessary. We must construct a launching system to accommodate this design.
Chakotay: Glad you could join us, Mister Kim.
Paris: Harry. Welcome back.
Kim: Thanks. Reporting for duty, sir. The Doctor gave me a clean bill of health. Did I miss anything?
Chakotay: Not too much. Take your station, Ensign.
Torres: You've still got a tendril up your nose.
Paris: Commander. I'm picking up gravimetric distortions twelve thousand kilometers aft. It's a singularity.
Seven: We are under attack.
Paris: They're charging weapons.
Chakotay: Shields. Keep a lock on the Away Team.
Torres: Direct hit to our secondary hull!
Kim: Transporters are offline! Shields and weapons are down.
Tuvok: Voyager has taken heavy damage.
Seven: We cannot let the nanoprobes be destroyed.
Paris: We're being targeted!
Chakotay: Brace for impact!
Chakotay: The Cube?
Paris: Destroyed, and it took the bioship with it.
Tuvok: Tuvok to Chakotay.
Chakotay: Go ahead, Tuvok. Where are you?
Tuvok: I'm in Cargo Bay two
Tuvok: Along with the Captain and a number of Borg.
Tuvok: We were beamed over just before impact. We require assistance.
Chakotay: Tuvok. Tuvok? Secure that deck. Security Team to Cargo Bay two. Paris, you have the bridge.
Seven: Lower your weapons.
Seven: We are here with your Captain's consent. It was necessary to sacrifice our vessel to protect yours. We have an alliance, do we not?
Chakotay: For now they're contained. They've assimilated Cargo Bay two and they're drawing energy from the secondary power couplings.
Tuvok: But they've gone no further.
Chakotay: Not yet. I've sealed off decks nine through thirteen and posted security details at every access point.
Tuvok: I suggest we increase security around Sickbay as well.
Chakotay: Already done. How far did you get on the weapon?
Tuvok: We're ready to construct a prototype.
Kes: You're fit to return back to duty, Lieutenant.
Tuvok: And you, Kes?
Kes: Oh, I'm all right. The visions have stopped for now.
Emh: The plasma burns to her thoracic region I can treat, and I've already stopped the internal bleeding. But her neural injuries are going to require some creative thinking.
Tuvok: Before we beamed out, an alien energy discharge struck very near the Captain.
Emh: Well, it appears to have disrupted all her neuroelectrical pathways. I'll have to induce a coma to protect her higher brain functions. But I must tell you, unless I can repair the damage, she may never regain consciousness.
Chakotay: Make sure those Borg stay put. I want tactical updates every twenty minutes.
Tuvok: Aye, sir. Shall I resume working with them?
Chakotay: Stand by for now.
Emh: The Captain wishes to speak with you. Please keep it brief.
Janeway: The Doctor explained my condition. You're in command.
Chakotay: I understand.
Janeway: They'll push you. They'll threaten you. But they need you. They need this alliance. You have to make this work. I want you to make this work. Get this crew home.
Emh: I must begin.
Seven: Where is your Captain? I must speak with her.
Chakotay: In our medical bay, recovering. You'll be dealing with me now.
Seven: Circumstances have changed.
Chakotay: I'd say so.
Seven: The loss of our vessel requires that we modify our agreement.
Chakotay: I've been giving that some thought. I'm willing to let you stay on board. We'll continue to work with you on the weapon. Once we're safely out of Borg territory we'll give you the nanoprobes, shake hands and part company.
Seven: Insufficient. Our latest tactical projections indicate that the war will be lost by then. The nearest Borg vessel is forty light years away. You will reverse course and take us to it.
Chakotay: Even at maximum warp, that's a five day journey in the wrong direction. We're supposed to be heading out of Borg space, not deeper into it.
Seven: There is no alternative.
Chakotay: Look, I'll honor the original agreement, but I'm not turning this ship around. It's too dangerous.
Seven: Denying our request is also dangerous.
Chakotay: I'll think about it.
Seven: Think quickly.
Chakotay: A five day trip back into the heart of Borg territory. It's too risky. With those drones and the nanoprobes on board, we might as well have a bull's-eye painted on our hull. We're a prime target for Species 8472. We'd never survive another attack.
Neelix: What is the alternative?
Chakotay: I'm going to end this alliance here and now. We're going to drop the Borg off on the next uninhabited planet, give them the nanoprobes and take our chances alone. They can wait for a Borg ship to pick them up and finish the weapon. I'm in command now and I have to do what I think is best for this crew. Tom, I want you to scan for the nearest uninhabited planet and set a course.
Paris: Aye, sir.
Tuvok: I must caution you, Commander. The Borg may not go quietly.
Chakotay: We'll see. Bring that female drone to the Ready room. Dismissed.
Chakotay: Once we've beamed you to the surface, we'll send down the nanoprobes and all our research.
Seven: Unacceptable. We don't have time for
Chakotay: This isn't open for discussion. I'm not turning this ship around. You're getting what you wanted. I suggest we part ways amicably.
Seven: There is another option. We could assimilate your vessel.
Chakotay: If a single drone steps one millimeter out of that Cargo Bay, I'll decompress the entire deck. You won't pose much of a threat floating in space.
Seven: When your Captain first approached us, we suspected that an agreement with humans would prove impossible to maintain. You are erratic, conflicted, disorganized. Every decision is debated, every action questioned. Every individual entitled to their own small opinion. You lack harmony, cohesion, greatness. It will be your undoing.
Chakotay: Escort our guest back to the Cargo Bay.
Chakotay: Well, I've made my decision. If it were only a matter of going against the orders of my superior officer. You're more than just my Captain. You're my friend. I hope you'll understand.
Borg: Species 8472 has penetrated Matrix zero one zero, grid nineteen. Eight planets destroyed. Three hundred twelve vessels disabled. Four million, six hundred twenty one Borg eliminated. We must seize control of the Alpha Quadrant vessel, and take it into the alien realm.
Seven: We understand.
Paris: Class H moon. Oxygen-argon atmosphere.
Chakotay: It'll do. Take us out of warp and enter orbit.
Paris: Aye, sir.
Chakotay: Tuvok. Stand by to transport the Borg directly from the Cargo Bay. After they're on the surface, have security run a sweep of
Kim: I'm reading power fluctuations in the deflector array.
Chakotay: Cause?
Kim: It looks like the Borg have accessed deflector control. They're trying to realign the emitters.
Chakotay: Shut them out.
Kim: They've bypassed security protocols.
Torres: We're emitting a resonant gravitation beam. It's creating another singularity.
Chakotay: Reverse course.
Paris: We're fighting intense gravimetric distortion. I can't break free.
Chakotay: Bridge to Cargo Bay Two. Stop what you're doing, or I'll depressurize that deck and blow you out into space. This is your final warning. Do it!
Tuvok: Decompression cycle complete.
Kim: I still don't have deflector control.
Tuvok: Commander, a single Borg has survived.
Paris: We're being pulled in!
Chakotay: Report.
Tuvok: We appear to have crossed an interdimensional rift.
Paris: We've definitely left our galaxy. No stars, no planets.
Chakotay: Let's see.
Torres: I'm re-calibrating sensors. The entire region is filled with some kind of organic fluid. This isn't space. It's matter.
Seven: Commander Chakotay. We have entered the domain of Species 8472. Report to the Cargo Bay.
Chakotay: Paris, repressurize Cargo Bay two. Tuvok.
Seven: Our entry into fluidic space has created a compression wave. They know we're here. A fleet of bioships is already converging on our position. Time to intercept, three hours, seventeen minutes.
Chakotay: You've been here before. How else could you know about fluidic space?
Seven: We must prepare this ship for the altercation. We will construct a complement of biomolecular warheads.
Chakotay: Why? Why were you here? You started this war, didn't you? What's the matter, our galaxy wasn't big enough for you? You had to conquer new territory? But this race fought back. A species as malevolent as your own.
Seven: Species 8472 was more resistant than we anticipated. Their technology is biogenically engineered. It is superior to that of all species we have previously encountered.
Tuvok: Which is precisely what you wanted.
Seven: They are the apex of biological evolution. Their assimilation would have greatly added to our own perfection.
Tuvok: So instead of assimilating these aliens you opened a door for them to our galaxy.
Seven: There is only one course of action. Destroy them first. My subspace link to the Collective has been weakened by the interdimensional rift. We cannot signal for help. We are alone. We must construct a compliment of biomolecular warheads and modify your weapons to launch them.
Chakotay: I've got a better idea. Why don't you open that rift again and take us back?
Seven: If I did that, you will no longer cooperate.
Emh: Doctor to Chakotay.
Chakotay: Go ahead.
Emh: Report to Sickbay at once.
Chakotay: On my way.
Chakotay: Captain?
Emh: Ah. As you can see, I've repaired her neural damage. Ensign Kim, the Captain, I'm two for two.
Janeway: Doctor. if you'll excuse us a moment.
Emh: Hmm? Eh? Oh. Gladly. Computer deactivate EMH program.
Janeway: The Doctor brought me up to speed, but he couldn't tell me what I really wanted to know. Why?
Chakotay: The Collective ordered me to reverse course, travel forty light years back the way we came. What would you have done?
Janeway: I probably would've reversed course. Maintained the alliance as long as possible.
Chakotay: In my mind, the alliance was already over.
Janeway: You never trusted me. You never believed this would work. You were just waiting for an opportunity to circumvent my orders.
Chakotay: Trust had nothing to with it. I made a tactical decision.
Janeway: And so did I.
Chakotay: They have taking advantage of us from day one.
Janeway: We made concessions, so did they.
Chakotay: They lied. The Borg started the war with Species 8472. We've only got one Borg left to worry about. We should try to disable her and get back to the Delta Quadrant. We might be able to duplicate the deflector protocols they used to open a singularity.
Janeway: No. I won't be caught tinkering with the deflector when those aliens attack. There's no other way out of this, Chakotay. It's too late for opinions, it's too late for discussion. It's time to make the call, and I'm making it. We fight the aliens in full cooperation with the Borg.
Chakotay: I was linked to a Collective once, remember? I had a neurotransceiver embedded in my spine. I know who we're dealing with. We've got to get rid of that last Borg and take our chances alone.
Janeway: It won't work. This isn't working either. There are two wars going on. The one out there, and the one in here, and we're losing both of them.
Chakotay: It will be your undoing.
Janeway: What?
Chakotay: Our conflicted nature. Our individuality. Seven of Nine said that we lack the cohesion of a Collective mind. That one day it would divide us and destroy us. And here we are, proving her point.
Janeway: I'll tell you when we lost control of this situation, when we made our mistake. It was the moment we turned away from each other. We don't have to stop being individuals to get through this, we just have to stop fighting each other.
Seven: Captain Janeway.
Janeway: I've relieved Mister Chakotay of his duties and confined him to the Brig. I'm back in command.
Seven: And you understand the situation.
Janeway: Completely. Tuvok, give her the nanoprobes. Work with her. Build as many warheads as you can and start modifying our weapons systems. I suggest we think about enhancing our defenses, as well. If we're going to fight this battle, I intend to win it.
Seven: We are in agreement.
Janeway: Good. This is the plan. We engage the enemy here, in their space. We show them what they're up against. If they have any sense of self-preservation, they'll back off, pull their ships out of the Delta Quadrant. That's provided the weapons are effective. If they aren't, it's been nice working with you. We've got to get this ship armed and ready in under two hours. We're going to war.
Kim: Borg modifications are complete.
Janeway: Bring them online.
Kim: Torpedo launch tubes active. Hull armor engaged. Shield enhancements stable.
Tuvok: Biomolecular weapons are ready. Thirteen standard photon torpedoes. And one class ten, armed with a high yield warhead.
Janeway: All hands, this is the Captain. Ready your stations. Seal all emergency bulkheads and prepare to engage the enemy. Stand by for my orders.
Paris: Four bioships have just entered sensor range.
Janeway: Battle stations.
Kim: I've got a visual.
Janeway: On screen.
Kes: I can hear them. They want to talk through me. They say we've contaminated their realm.
Janeway: Tell them we had no choice. We were only trying to defend ourselves.
Kes: They say our galaxy is impure. Its proximity is a threat to their genetic integrity.
Janeway: Tell them we have a weapon. A devastating weapon that can destroy them at the cellular level. If they don't stop their attacks on the Delta Quadrant, we'll be forced to use it.
Kes: They said your galaxy will be purged.
Kim: Shields and weapons are offline!
Tuvok: Rerouting emergency power to the launchers.
Paris: They're coming around for another assault. I've lost thrusters.
Tuvok: Biomolecular warheads are charged and ready.
Janeway: Fire.
Tuvok: Direct hit on all four vessels. No effect.
Kim: They're charging weapons!
Tuvok: The nanoprobes were successful, if not prompt. All four ships have been destroyed.
Janeway: I think we've made our point. Now open a singularity and get us out of here.
Paris: Captain.
Janeway: Kes, are you still in contact?
Kes: Yes.
Janeway: Tell them if they continue their attack, we'll use the weapon again.
Kes: They're not responding.
Janeway: Evasive maneuvers.
Paris: Aye, Captain. They're in pursuit.
Janeway: Prepare to fire the high yield warhead. Aft torpedo bay.
Tuvok: Ready, Captain.
Janeway: Do it.
Tuvok: Thirteen bioships have been destroyed. The others are in retreat.
Seven: I have regained full contact with the Collective.
Janeway: What are they saying?
Seven: All remaining bioships in the Delta Quadrant are returning to their realm. The Borg have prevailed.
Janeway: With a little help from us. Now it's time you fulfillled your end of the agreement. Tell the Collective we expect safe passage from here on out. We'll give you a shuttlecraft. You can head for the nearest Borg ship.
Seven: Unacceptable. This alliance is terminated. Your ship and its crew will adapt to service us.
Seven: Resistance is futile.
Kim: Captain, she's tapping into helm control. She's trying to access our coordinates.
Janeway: Shut her out.
Kim: I can't.
Janeway: Bridge to Chakotay. Scorpion.
Chakotay: Seven of Nine, stop what you're doing. You're human. A human individual. Our minds are linked. We are one. I can hear your thoughts
Emh: His link is stable, but it won't be for long. You must hurry.
Torres: Just a few more seconds.
Chakotay: I can see your memories.
Chakotay: You remember being human.
Seven: We are Borg.
Chakotay: I see a young girl. A family.
Seven: Irrelevant. Your appeal to my humanity is pointless.
Torres: Almost there, Chakotay. You've got to keep her distracted if we're going to make this work.
Chakotay: Listen to your human side. To yourself, the little girl. Seven of Nine. Annika!
Emh: He's losing the link!
Torres: Initiating power surge now!
Tuvok: Her connection to the Collective is severed.
Janeway: Get her to Sickbay. Bridge to Doctor. Report.
Emh: Commander Chakotay's going to be all right, although he may wake up with a bit of a headache.
Janeway: Tom, plot a course out of Borg space. Maximum warp.
Paris: Yes, Ma'am.
Janeway: Captain's log, stardate 51003.7. Three days, and no sign of Borg or bioships. We appear to be out of danger, but the entire crew is still on edge and so am I. Not even the calm of Master Da Vinci's workshop is enough to ease my mind.
Chakotay: Am I interrupting?
Janeway: Not at all. Just finishing up my log.
Chakotay: The old-fashioned way.
Janeway: I wanted to get as far away from bioimplants and fluidic space. And this feels more human somehow.
Chakotay: I hate to spoil the mood, but you might want to look at this Engineering report. It'll take at least two weeks to remove the Borg technology from our systems. B'Elanna did note that the power couplings on deck eight work better with the Borg improvements.
Janeway: Leave them. How is our passenger?
Chakotay: The Doctor says she's stabilizing. Her human cells are starting to regenerate.
Janeway: I wonder what's left under all that Borg technology. If she can ever become human again.
Chakotay: You plan to keep her on board.
Janeway: We pulled the plug. We're responsible for what happens to her now.
Chakotay: She was assimilated at a very young age. The Collective's all she knows. She might not want to stay.
Janeway: I think she might. We have something the Borg could never offer. Friendship.
Chakotay: I want you to know that disobeying your orders was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.
Janeway: I understand. And I respect the decision you made, even though I disagree with it. What's important is that in the end we got through this, together. I don't ever want that to change.
Chakotay: Agreed.
Janeway: Good. Well, I think it's time we get back to our bridge.
Chakotay: No argument there.


Janeway: So, how's the newest addition to our family?
Emh: At the moment she's stable, but the prognosis isn't clear. Her human physiology has begun to reassert itself. Respiratory system, neurological functions, immune response. But those systems are swarming with Borg implants. There's a battle being waged inside her body, between the biological and the technological, and I'm not sure which is going to win.
Janeway: Well, it's time we brought her up to date. Wake her.
Seven: Captain Janeway, What have you? The others. I can't hear the others. The voices are gone.
Janeway: We had to neutralize the neurotransceiver in your upper spinal column. Your link to the Collective has been severed.
Seven: You will return this drone to the Borg.
Janeway: I'm afraid I can't do that
Seven: You will return this drone to the Borg!
Janeway: If I were to turn this ship around and head back into Borg territory I'd be putting my crew at risk. I'm not prepared to do that. Try to understand. You have to stay on board Voyager. But I'm offering you freedom from the Collective, and I assure you we will do everything we can to help the transition
Seven: You will supply us with a subspace transmitter and leave us on the nearest planet. The Borg will come for us.
Janeway: It's too late for that. Your human cells are starting to regenerate. You won't survive without medical care.
Seven: We need nothing from you. We are Borg. We are - ah!
Emh: This implant is being rejected by the tissue underneath. It's going to have to be removed.
Seven: You will suppress the human immune system.
Emh: I'm sorry, but the process has gone too far. We've got to get you to Sickbay.
Seven: No! We are Borg! We are Borg!
Emh: This armor plating is anchored to the skull with over three million microconnectors. There's no time to cut through them. I'm going to have to remove the outer layer of the skull itself. Lieutenant, will you please leave the surgical bay.
Tuvok: This Borg is a security risk.
Emh: She is heavily sedated. I assure you she's not going anywhere.
Emh: Thank you. Kes, I want you to anesthetize her cranial nerves. Twenty milligrams anetrazine.
Kes: Yes, Doctor.
Emh: Kes?
Kes: I don't know what happened. I looked at the hypospray and it just came to me.
Tuvok: Have you been experimenting with your psychokinetic abilities?
Kes: No, not for months, but I have been feeling a little strange lately. Lots of energy, sleeping less.
Emh: I can see why. Your serotonin levels are sixty two percent above normal. It's the telepathic centers of your brain. They're in a state of hyperstimulation like they were a few days ago when you were in contact with species 8472.
Tuvok: Are they attempting to communicate with you again?
Kes: No. This time it's different. I don't feel their presence at all.
Tuvok: Perhaps she's experiencing an after-effect of some kind.
Emh: A reasonable diagnosis, for a security officer. I'll run a full microsynaptic analysis, but it will have to wait. We should get back to our Borg.
Janeway: Come in.
Chakotay: Ship's status report. We've got two teams on the hull, stripping off the Borg armor. They're working around the clock but it's still slow going.
Janeway: What about the warp drive?
Chakotay: Torres is having problems cleaning out the plasma relays. It's disrupting the antimatter reaction. Until she's got it fixed we're stuck at impulse. She's requesting all personnel with a level three engineering rating or higher to lend a hand.
Janeway: Granted. Tactical update?
Chakotay: Long range sensors are picking up residual transwarp signatures, Borg vessels. They passed by probably three days ago.
Janeway: So we're not out of the woods yet.
Chakotay: Having half our propulsion system overrun by Borg implants doesn't make repairs any easier.
Janeway: Seven of Nine could help with that.
Chakotay: That might be true if she were willing, but she's not in the most cooperative mood.
Janeway: That could change. I just have to reach her somehow.
Janeway: Annika Hansen.
Chakotay: Our Borg?
Janeway: It took some digging through the Federation database, but I managed to find a single entry in the records of Deep Space Four. Her parents were unconventional. They fancied themselves explorers, but wanted nothing to do with Starfleet or the Federation. Their names were last recorded at a remote outpost in the Omega sector. They refused to file a flight plan. Apparently, they aimed their small ship toward the Delta Quadrant and were never heard from again.
Chakotay: For all we know, Annika and her parents were the first humans the Borg ever assimilated.
Janeway: From what she's told me, that was almost twenty years ago.
Chakotay: So she was raised by the Borg. It's the only life she ever really knew. If you were thinking of bringing her into the fold, that might not be possible.
Janeway: What's the alternative? Toss her back to the wolves?
Emh: Sickbay to Captain Janeway.
Janeway: What is it, Doctor?
Emh: Could you come down here, Captain. We're having some problems.
Janeway: I'll be right there.
Emh: It's like peeling an onion.
Emh: Store it in a bio-stasis chamber. It may still be active. If you think there's a risk, Mister Tuvok, you can throw one of your little forcefields around the chamber.
Tuvok: A prudent security measure, for a doctor.
Janeway: Report.
Emh: I'm afraid we have a decision to make. A difficult one. Her human immune system has reasserted itself with a vengeance. Body armor, Borg organelles, biosynthetic glands, they're all being rejected. Her life is in danger. I have little recourse but to remove the Borg technology.
Janeway: Which is the last thing Seven of Nine would want.
Emh: Hence the difficult decision. If a patient told me not to treat them, even if the situation were life-threatening, I would be ethically obligated to honor that request.
Janeway: This is no ordinary patient. She may have been raised by Borg, raised to think like a Borg, but she's with us now. And underneath all that technology she is a human being, whether she's ready to accept that or not. And until she is ready, someone has to make the decisions for her. Proceed with the surgery.
Emh: Aye, Captain.
Emh: Kes? Let's begin with the microtubular network embedded in the oesophageal tract.
Tuvok: What's happening?
Emh: I'm not sure. She's going into neural shock. I can't localize the source. Kes, try to stabilize her motor cortex. Use a neurosequencer. Kes, I said to stabilize her cortex or we're going to lose her.
Kes: Wait. I can see it.
Emh: What?
Kes: I think the problem is in her colliculli. Yes, I can see it. A Borg implant. It's pressing against her trochlear nerve.
Emh: Can you tell me how we might remove it without severing the nerve?
Kes: I think I can do more than tell you.
Emh: The implant is deteriorating. Her nervous system is stabilizing. Nice work, Kes. Unconventional but effective.
Emh: They say the eye is the window to the soul. In this case it's a little bit more. I've fabricated this artificial organ to replace her eyepiece, but I've had to retain some of the Borg circuitry along the optic nerve. As a result, she'll have increased acuity in one eye. Note how perfectly I've matched the pigment of the iris to her human eye.
Janeway: Excellent work, Doctor. I admire your attention to detail. When can I speak with her?
Emh: She's out of immediate danger, and I don't plan to resume the extraction process until tomorrow. I can wake her now, if you'd like.
Janeway: I would. How are you, Kes?
Kes: I feel exhilarated, Captain. I've never been so focused in my life, and my telepathic abilities are stronger than they've ever been.
Tuvok: Your performance today was astonishing. However, your psychokinetic powers are still undiskiplined, and as a result, unpredictable.
Kes: I feel like I'm in control.
Tuvok: Nevertheless, you must proceed with caution. And with my assistance.
Janeway: What are you suggesting?
Tuvok: A series of guided meditations to help her explore the depth of these new abilities.
Janeway: Kes?
Kes: I'm ready.
Tuvok: Well then, if you'll excuse us, we should begin immediately.
Emh: Ready when you are, Captain.
Emh: Don't be alarmed. You're in Sickbay. You're going to be fine.
Seven: What have you done to me!
Emh: Your body was rejecting the Borg technology. You were dying. I'm sorry, but we had no choice. Those are dermoplastic grafts. They'll help the regeneration process.
Seven: Unacceptable.
Seven: You should have let us die.
Janeway: I couldn't do that.
Seven: This drone cannot survive outside the Collective.
Emh: I beg to differ. Now that the Borg implants are being excised, your human systems are free to thrive. And thriving they are. As a matter of fact, I
Janeway: I want to help you, but I need to understand what you're going through.
Seven: Do not engage us in superficial attempts at sympathy.
Janeway: It's obvious that you're in pain. That you're frightened. That you feel isolated. Alone.
Seven: You are an individual. You are small. You cannot understand what it is to be Borg.
Janeway: No, but I can imagine. You were part of a vast consciousness, billions of minds working together. A harmony of purpose and thought. No indecision, no doubts. The security and strength of a unified will. And you've lost that.
Seven: This drone is small now. Alone. One voice, one mind. The silence is unacceptable. We need the others!
Janeway: I can't give you back to the Borg, but you're not alone. You're part of a human community now. A human collective. We may be individuals but we live and work together. You can have some of the unity you require right here on Voyager.
Seven: Insufficient.
Janeway: It'll have to do. And the fact is, this community needs you. The Borg modifications you made to our vessel are disrupting our warp drive. We need your help to remove them, your expertise, your cooperation. You must comply.
Torres: All right, I think I've got all the Borg garbage out of the plasma intake manifold. Let's try reinitializing the antimatter reaction.
Kim: Matter antimatter reaction at twenty two cochranes and rising.
Torres: Damn! What happened?
Kim: Intake manifolds eleven and thirteen are still blocked.
Torres: This is like pulling weeds. You think you've got them all out and then
Seven: You have neglected to remove the autonomous regeneration sequencers.
Janeway: Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Kim, you remember Seven of Nine.
Kim: How could we forget?
Janeway: We can't afford to delay repairs any longer, so I've asked her to help us remove the Borg modifications. She only has a few hours before she returns to Sickbay. I suggest you put here to good use.
Torres: You can start with the plasma relays. They're in Jefferies tube thirteen.
Seven: Jefferies tube thirteen alpha section twelve. We fully recall the engineering specifications of your vessel.
Torres: Good. Can you also recall the way it looked before you turned it into a Borg circus?
Seven: Yes.
Janeway: Well, now that the pleasantries are over, why don't you get to work? I want updates every hour.
Torres: Yes, Captain.
Tuvok: The flame of the lamp is fire diskiplined, tamed and under control. It is the appropriate focus for the task ahead of us.
Kes: How do we begin?
Tuvok: I will attempt to guide you in manipulating the flame at the subatomic level. Concentrate on the flame. Try to see past the surface, past the light, to the patterns of energy and matter.
Kes: I can see the essence of the fire.
Tuvok: Good. Now reach out with your mind and intensify the flame.
Kes: I'm making it hotter, brighter.
Tuvok: Now, with your thoughts, reduce the flame. Excellent. You never demonstrated this level of control before.
Kes: It's as though I knew what had to be done.
Tuvok: What's wrong?
Kes: Something's happening. I can see further, beyond the subatomic.
Tuvok: Kes, there is nothing beyond the subatomic.
Kes: But I can see it, Tuvok. It's a new level of reality. It's beautiful.
Tuvok: Perhaps we should stop for now.
Kes: Wait a few seconds. I want to try to control it.
Kes: Don't worry, Tuvok.
Torres: What about these linkages. Every time I pull one out another one comes back in it's place.
Seven: Autonomous regeneration sequencers. They function to counteract resistance.
Kim: Amazing. How did you come up with the pattern duplication design?
Seven: We came up with nothing. The Borg assimilated this technology in Galactic Cluster three from species two five nine.
Torres: I'm not interested in a history lesson. How do we disable it?
Seven: You must disconnect each sequencer conduit at the insertion juncture.
Torres: Why don't you two work on the Jefferies tube. Start with the plasma relays.
Kim: I'll start here. You said the Borg got this stuff from species two five nine. Who are they? Guess the Borg meet a lot of people, don't they? Stupid question. So, what's it like out there in Galactic Cluster three?
Seven: Beyond your comprehension.
Kim: Try me.
Seven: Galactic Cluster three is a transmaterial energy plane intersecting twenty two billion omnicordial lifeforms.
Kim: Ah. Interesting. (Seven's eyepiece zooms in on a communications node - Starfleet ID 59S47B.)
Seven: Ensign Kim. Your assistance.
Paris: Captain, somebody's trying to access the subspace transmitter.
Torres: Captain, I don't know how, but she's erected some kind of forcefield around the door. We can't break through it.
Chakotay: She's bypassed our security protocols.
Janeway: Disable the transmitter.
Chakotay: It's too late.
Tuvok: It's obvious your mental abilities have progressed beyond this particular Vulcan exercise. I suggest we. What is it?
Kes: Something's wrong. The Borg is trying to contact her people.
Tuvok: Tuvok to Security team one. Intruder alert in Engineering.
Kes: Wait. I think I can stop her.
Kes: It's over.
Tuvok: Tuvok to bridge. Status.
Janeway: There was some kind of explosion in the Jefferies tube just as she was about to initiate her transmission.
Janeway: We don't know what caused it.
Tuvok: I believe I may have the answer, Captain.
Janeway: I can tell by the expression on your face that you've got some bad news.
Tuvok: I have no expression on my face. However, you are correct. The news on two separate fronts is not good. I checked the subspace bandwidths. At least a partial signal was transmitted from Voyager.
Janeway: Enough for a Borg ship to track?
Tuvok: Possibly.
Janeway: And the second front?
Tuvok: I believe there is also cause for concern regarding Kes.
Janeway: Explain.
Tuvok: Internal sensor logs show that she destabilized the Jefferies tube at the molecular level. The effect weakened the infrastructure throughout the deck. She wishes to develop her abilities further. I am not certain it would be safe, for Kes or Voyager.
Janeway: I've got an Ocampan who wants to be something more and a Borg who's afraid of becoming something less. Here's to Vulcan stability. Wait for me.
Seven: So this is human freedom.
Janeway: I've decided to keep you in the Brig until I'm certain you won't try to harm us again. If necessary the Doctor can treat you here. I honestly believed you were going to help us.
Seven: You were not deceived, Captain Janeway. It was my intention to help you.
Janeway: What happened?
Seven: There was a chance to contact the Collective. I took advantage of it. Your attempt to assimilated this drone will fail. You can alter our physiology but you cannot change our nature. We will betray you. We are Borg.
Janeway: I've met Borg who were freed from the Collective. It wasn't easy for them to accept their individuality, but in time they did. You're no different. Granted, you were assimilated at a very young age, and your transition may be more difficult, but it will happen.
Seven: If it does happen, we will become fully human?
Janeway: Yes, I hope so.
Seven: We will be autonomous. Independent.
Janeway: That's what individuality is all about.
Seven: If at that time we choose to return to the Collective, will you permit it?
Janeway: I don't think you'll want to do that.
Seven: You would deny us the choice as you deny us now. You have imprisoned us in the name of humanity, yet you will not grant us your most cherished human right. To choose our own fate. You are hypocritical, manipulative. We do not want to be what you are. Return us to the Collective!
Janeway: You lost the capacity to make a rational choice the moment you were assimilated. They took that from you, and until I'm convinced you've gotten it back, I'm making the choice for you. You're staying here.
Seven: Then you are no different than the Borg.
Neelix: Talaxian champagne, moon-ripened. Your favorite.
Kes: Neelix, where did you get this?
Neelix: I put a bottle away for a special occasion. Remember when we last sipped this together?
Kes: Three years ago. It was when we first arrived on Voyager.
Neelix: And do you remember the toast I made?
Kes: Yes. To the adventure.
Neelix: To the adventure. When you left Ocampa, you said that your people were being held beck. That if you were only given the chance you could become something so much more. And you have.
Kes: I know things have worked out exactly the way we planned.
Neelix: I was only holding you back. That's obvious to me now.
Kes: No. I couldn't have come this far without you. And I love you. I always will. It's just, er
Neelix: My cooking. You've always hated my cooking.
Kes: That's exactly what it was.
Neelix: Ah. So, tell me more about what's happening to you. What does it all mean?
Kes: I don't know, and that's what makes it all so exciting. It's as if I can see into a place where the distinction between matter and energy and thought no longer exists. And that's only the beginning. I feel as if all the boundaries within me are about to fall away.
Neelix: It sounds ah, sper, ah, interesting.
Kes: I only have to look at an object, to gaze at it, and I can begin to see that the space between the atoms is being filled with something else.
Neelix: Er, Kes.
Kes: I can see them, I can see.
Neelix: Kes, stop!
Kes: No.
Kes: Neelix!
Kim: Captain, I'm picking up some strange energy readings from deck two, the mess hall.
Janeway: Bridge to Neelix. What's going on down there? Neelix, report.
Kim: The bulkhead in that section is coming apart.
Chakotay: Increase the structural integrity field on deck two.
Janeway: Tuvok.
Emh: I've run every conceivable neural analysis. Everything short of dissecting the brain itself. Her telesynaptic activity is increasing but I don't know why, or how to stop it. Have the ship's internal sensors revealed anything?
Tuvok: For seventeen point four seconds Kes's body went into a state of cellular flux. She began to destabilize at the subatomic level.
Janeway: Then for some reason her atoms re-established their bonds and she was back in one piece.
Emh: But what about the next time? Her condition is escalating. We must find a way to suppress it, or the last we see of Kes could very well be her molecules blowing through the ventilation ducts.
Janeway: Tuvok, enhance the structural integrity fields throughout the ship. If she has another incident I'd like to avoid a hull breach. Doctor, maybe it's time we broaden our horizons. This appears to have gone beyond medical science. We're into particle physics now.
Emh: I'll try looking through the quantum substructure database. Maybe it'll give me some inspiration.
Janeway: Keep me informed.
Emh: Kes, until I can devise another diagnostic procedure, you're free to return to your quarters.
Kes: Actually, I'd like to stay here, help with the research.
Emh: I don't want you to overexert yourself and risk precipitating another telepathic incident. Try to get some rest.
Kes: Just let me stay for a little while. I haven't seen you much over the past few days. I miss you.
Emh: All right. Just for a while.
Ayala: Ensign Ayala to the bridge.
Janeway: Go ahead, Ensign.
Ayala: You'd better come down to the Brig, ma'am.
Seven: One. One.
Seven: My designation is Seven of Nine. but the others are gone. Designations are no longer relevant. I am one.
Janeway: Yes, you are.
Seven: But I cannot function this way. Alone.
Janeway: You're not alone. I'm willing to help you.
Seven: If that's true, you won't do this to me. Take me back to my own kind.
Janeway: You are with your own kind. Humans.
Seven: I don't remember being human. I don't know what it is to be human. <br>
Seven: What are you doing?
Janeway: I'm coming in.
Seven: I'll kill you.
Janeway: I don't think you will.
Janeway: Do you remember her? Her name was Annika Hansen. She was born on stardate 25479 at the Tendara Colony. There's still a lot we don't know about her. Did she have any siblings? Who were her friends? Where did she go to school? What was her favorite color?
Seven: Irrelevant! Take me back to the Borg.
Janeway: I can't do that.
Seven: So quiet. One voice.
Janeway: One voice can be stronger than a thousand voices. Your mind is independent now, with it's own unique identity.
Seven: You are forcing that identity upon me. It's not mine.
Janeway: Oh yes, it is. I'm just giving you back what was stolen from you. The existence you were denied, the child who never had a chance. That life is yours to live now.
Seven: Don't want that life.
Janeway: It's what you are. Don't resist it.
Seven: No!
Janeway: Captain's log, supplemental. Warp drive is still offline and we don't know whether the Borg have detected us. Kes' psychokinetic abilities continue to damage the ship's structural integrity, and as a result our defenses have been compromised.
Kes: Come in, Captain.
Janeway: You wanted to see me. Ah, Tuvok's meditation lamp. I was with him when he got it six years ago, from a Vulcan master. Who doubled the price when he saw our Starfleet insignias.
Kes: I'm sure it was the logical thing to do. I've been thinking about everything that's been going on, and I know what I have to do. It's time for me to leave Voyager.
Janeway: Oh, Kes.
Kes: Something important is happening to me, and I want to explore it. But I can't stay here any longer. I'm a danger to all of you.
Janeway: We're going to get to the bottom of this. The Doctor's already working on a new approach.
Kes: Everybody thinks that what's happening is a medical condition. That's not it at all. I'm going though a transformation. I don't know how or why, but every cell in my body is telling me that I'm changing into something more.
Janeway: What if it's not true? What if you're simply being swept up in the excitement of something you think is happening, but it's not real? On the basis of a feeling, an intuition, you're asking me to let you go, quite likely for ever? Kes, I just can't do that.
Kes: It's my decision. My fate. Would you really try to stop me?
Janeway: No. But argue with you? Even plead with you to reconsider? Absolutely, for as long as it takes.
Kes: It won't work. Look at me, Captain. I'm the same Kes you've always known. I haven't lost my judgment. I'm not under some alien influence. I believe something crucial is happening to me and I want to see it through.
Janeway: You've lived most of your life here. Voyager has been your home. And you've been a vital part of this family. Oh, I'm going to miss you.
Kes: Now all I have to do is tell the Doctor. He's not going to be happy.
Kes: It's starting.
Janeway: Janeway to bridge.
Chakotay: Chakotay here.
Janeway: Prepare a shuttle for launch and have Tuvok meet me on deck six.
Chakotay: Captain?
Janeway: Kes is leaving us.
Janeway: Come on.
Kes: Captain, I can't stop it.
Janeway: Janeway to Chakotay. Beam us directly to the shuttlebay.
Kim: The molecules in Kes' body are destabilizing. It's interfering with the transporter.
Chakotay: Captain, we can't get a lock.
Janeway: Acknowledged. Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way.
Chakotay: What's happening?
Paris: The hull is destabilizing. The molecular bonds are breaking down.
Kes: Tuvok. I can't keep going.
Tuvok: I will attempt a mind meld to help you delay the transformation. Our minds are one. Our thoughts are one. Try to regain control for a moment. Only for a moment. Only for a moment. You must hurry.
Kim: Hull breach on decks three, four and five.
Chakotay: Emergency containment fields.
Janeway: Janeway to the bridge. Kes is aboard the shuttle. Initiate launch sequence.
Chakotay: Acknowledged.
Paris: Shuttle distance, one hundred thousand kilometers. Speed, one quarter impulse.
Janeway: Can you hail her?
Kim: I've been trying.
Kes: What's happening? What's happening to me.
Kim: Her atomic structure is completely destabilizing.
Kes: My gift to you.
Torres: Torres to bridge. The warp core just came online.
Torres: Matter antimatter reaction at one hundred and
Torres: Two percent. A hundred and ten percent? A hundred and twenty!
Paris: This can't be right. Our speed is - it's impossible!
Kim: We're coming apart!
Paris: We've just dropped out of whatever it was we were in.
Chakotay: Systems coming back online.
Janeway: On screen. Where are we?
Paris: Nine point five thousand light years from where we just were.
Janeway: She's thrown us safely beyond Borg space. Ten years closer to home.
Emh: I've extracted eighty two percent of the Borg hardware. The remaining bio-implants are stable, and better than anything I could synthesize at such short notice.
Seven: It is acceptable.
Emh: Fashion, of course, is hardly my forte. Nevertheless, I've managed to balance functionality and esthetics in a pleasing enough manner. I also took the liberty of stimulating your hair follicles. A vicarious experience for me, as you might imagine.
Janeway: You'll have to spend a few hours each day regenerating in a Borg alcove until your human metabolism can function on it's own. We'll leave one operational.
Seven: Understood.
Janeway: Let's see how things go over the next few weeks. I'll consider granting you access to the rest of the ship once that I can trust that you won't try to get us all assimilated again.
Seven: It will not happen again.
Janeway: Good. If you need anything, contact me.
Seven: Red.
Janeway: What?
Seven: The child you spoke of, the girl. Her favorite color was red.