Naomi Wildman, state your purpose here.
l was waiting for you.
Kadis-Kot, remember?
Our weekly game?
Reschedule for tomorrow.
l'm working now.
Redecorating isn't work.
Aesthetics are irrelevant.
l'm modifying the alcove
to function as a cortical processing subunit.
That was my next guess.
Then l won't need to explain its purpose.
Okay, you win.
What do you do with the cortical processing, uh...
Subunit.
On Borg vessels, there's one in each unimatrix.
lt downloads newly assimilated data to the drones.
But Voyager isn't a Borg vessel,
and you're not a drone anymore.
Voyager collects a great deal of information--
sensor scans, navigational projections,
engineering updates,
away team reports, scientific analyses.
The results of our
Kadis-Kot tournament?
That, too.
The crew must read and study this information--
an inefficient procedure.
These data nodes are downloading the information into the alcove.
Which is going to download it into you.
Precisely.
ln a matter of hours, l will assimilate
several months worth of data.
Can l try it sometime?
Your physiology is... different from mine.
Guess l'll stick to reading my lessons
and listening to Neelix tell stories.
l will see you tomorrow.
Can l watch?
Okay, tomorrow.
Warning. Plate is hot.
Now you tell me.
You go for authenticity and what do you get?
Second-degree burns.
l've been slaving over that replicator program for hours.
What was this bizarre rumor l heard
about half the crew on Deck 5 getting pregnant?
Oh, that.
The Doctor was running generational projections
on the Sick Bay computer.
Tom Paris happened to glance at the monitor
and jumped to conclusions.
Wasn't long before Neelix was asking me
if he could turn Cargo Bay 1 into a nursery.
Word travels fast on this ship, hmm?
Warp 10.
Oh, by the way, l meant to tell you...
there's a class-K nebula 25 light-years off starboard.
We should take a look.
A major detour for a minor nebula.
We are explorers, remember?
Permission granted.
Main course,
a recipe l've never tried.
But we are explorers, remember?
Regeneration cycle complete.
Seven of Nine to Lieutenant Torres.
Lieutenant Torres, respond.
Good morning, Seven.
This better be important.
l must speak with you at once.
l'm picking up some interesting graviton fluctuations
about ten light-years away.
Can you be more specific?
Not at this distance.
Tom...
alter course.
l want to take a closer look.
Chakotay had his heart set on that nebula we're headed for.
He'll have to wait.
Captain, l need permission to shut down the sensor grid.
Seven thinks a couple of insects are disrupting the power flow.
A mating pair
of photonic fleas, to be more accurate
and possibly their offspring.
And how did you arrive at this theory?
Last night, l downloaded six months
of ship status reports
into my new cortical subunit while l was regenerating.
Learn while you sleep.
l tried that once-- gave me a headache.
Go on.
Eight weeks ago, an away team encountered
a Kartelan freighter carrying supplies from Sector 492,
a territory that included a former Talaxian colony.
Mr. Neelix used the opportunity
to acquire 12 kilograms of amber spice--
a delicacy among his people.
What does that have to do with the sensor grid?
On the same day,
Ensign Kim was repairing a replicator in the Mess Hall.
l remember that-- Neelix told me
to stick around to try something he was cooking.
No doubt made with the amber spice,
which contained the larvae
of the photonic fleas.
How could you possibly know that?
Because l also downloaded data regarding their life cycles.
The larvae flew out of the spice jar
in search of their primary source of nourishment--
plasma particles.
The conduits within the nearby sensor grid
contain an unlimited supply of these particles.
Ensign Kim had unwittingly given the creatures access
by exposing the grid.
The now mature creatures periodically
tap into the conduit for nourishment.
When they do, the sensor emitters
momentarily lose their resolution.
A logical, though highly speculative, analysis.
Let's find a more suitable home for them.
l'm picking up graviton fluctuations.
Take us out of warp.
On screen.
Anybody want to hazard a guess?
They are hailing us.
On screen.
l recommend maximum shielding.
There are a few technical issues l haven't worked out yet.
There's a massive graviton surge coming from that thing.
Shields to full.
Your apparatus appears to be destabilizing.
lf l don't find a way to repair this power core, they'll be able
to see the explosion all the way to, uh...
Where did you say you were from?
l didn't... but we're from a planet called Earth.
All the way to... Earth.
Can we ask you what it's supposed to do?
Catapult a vessel across space in the time it takes to say
''catapult a vessel across space.''
lt'll make warp drive look like a wooden sled.
Maybe we can help you with that power core.
Hmm?
The core sends a graviton surge
through the projectors
which locks onto a ship
and sends it hurtling into null space
to emerge a few hours later, hundreds if not thousands
of light-years away.
l'm curious why you built this catapult.
Simple-- l've been looking for a way to get home.
We know the feeling.
l'd been exploring
an unstable wormhole.
Before l knew it, l was here
and my home planet was there.
l was facing a journey of at least ten years.
lnstead, l decided to build a catapult.
Have you tested it yet?
Two weeks ago,
l sent a probe nearly 600 light-years,
but it destabilized the core.
l've been trying to fix it ever since.
We can send an engineering team over to help you.
No, no, it's too dangerous.
l wouldn't send my own crew in there.
Then we could find a way to adjust
the core reaction from here.
A few well-timed graviton pulses
from our deflector dish might do it.
That's generous,
but l have nothing to give in return.
We're not asking for anything in return.
You could use the catapult after l've made my jump.
lt should still be functional.
A thousand light-years
won't exactly get you back to Earth...
But it would cut a few years off our trip.
lf you're successful, and if l'm satisfied
a jump would be safe for Voyager,
then we'll take you up on that offer. Thank you.
Let's get started.
Come in.
Good morning.
Perhaps not.
The alien, Mr. Tash, is trying to deceive us.
His catapult is the same type of technology
that was used to trap Voyager
in the Delta Quadrant five years ago.
l scanned the catapult myself.
Sensors didn't pick up anything unusual.
You spent the night in your new alcove.
Processing the same information
and cross-referencing it with Voyager's database.
When the catapult destabilized yesterday,
astrometric sensors recorded
a momentary burst of epsilon radiation.
Unusual, but not unheard of.
Epsilon radiation is
one the byproducts of a tetryon reactor.
According to your own entries in the database,
your only encounter with that kind of technology
occurred five years ago
in the Alpha Quadrant.
A coherent tetryon beam
locked onto Voyager, and you were hit by a massive
displacement wave, which pulled you across
70,000 light-years in a matter of minutes.
The source of that tetryon beam was the Caretaker's Array.
Mr. Tash claims that his catapult will be able to do
something very similar.
He didn't want us to send over a repair team.
Out of concern for our safety.
lt's obvious he was trying to hide
his tetryon reactor.
The first time we met a Caretaker,
we were pulled halfway across the galaxy.
The second time we were almost killed.
l'm not eager for a third round.
ls this any way to treat a colleague?
Not so much as a molecule of Caretaker DNA.
Thank you, Doctor.
There's a tetryon reactor powering your catapult.
You didn't want us to find it, did you?
Unless you answer my questions, l'll resume course,
and you can ask somebody else for help.
Look, l acquired the tetryon reactor at great cost.
This territory is full of species
who would do anything for such advanced technology,
including steal it.
l apologize for the deception,
but you do understand.
We made an agreement to cooperate.
l see no reason not to continue.
Thank you, Captain.
Keep me informed on your progress.
That reactor had to come from somewhere.
l can't just ignore the possibility
of a Caretaker nearby.
Keep scanning.
See what you can find.
There is another possibility.
The reactor may have come from the same Array
that brought Voyager to the Delta Quadrant.
That's a long shot, Seven.
Maybe not.
Again, according to your own reports, you believed
the only way to keep the Array
from falling into the wrong hands
was to destroy it.
lt's possible
the destruction was incomplete.
And one of the reactors survived?
We scanned for debris.
There was nothing left but some fused pieces of metal alloy.
l wish to reexamine the sensor records from that event.
ln case we were mistaken.
Yes.
Go right ahead.
Computer, describe the debris remaining
after the Array was destroyed.
Particulate dust and metallic fragments
composed of an unknown alloy,
vapor composed of hydrogen, helium, mercury and argon.
Was there anything left of the tetryon reactor?
Negative.
Specify the yield of the tricobalt device.
20,000 teracochranes.
Who programmed the device?
Commander Tuvok.
Display the detonation.
Advance the image by .01 seconds.
Again.
lsolate grid 3-7 and magnify.
ls that a tractor beam?
lnsufficient sensor data.
ldentify its source.
lnsufficient sensor data.
ldentify the isolated section of the Array.
Secondary power core.
Which contained a tetryon reactor.
Affirmative.
Commander, l've been reviewing the data
on the destruction of the Caretaker's Array.
Unfortunately, the sensor records are incomplete.
l don't doubt it.
We were being attacked by the Kazon.
Half the ship's systems were down.
A single Kazon vessel.
Armed to the teeth.
Commander, you fired the tricobalt charge
that destroyed the Array.
Correct.
Under the Captain's orders?
Did you also program the charge?
Yes.
Under the Captain's orders as well?
Not directly.
l determined the yield.
20,000 teracochranes.
That's correct.
According to sensor estimates
of the Array's hull integrity, a charge of half that yield
would have been sufficient.
The Captain wanted nothing left for the Kazon to use.
l calculated a yield certain to produce that result.
Something may have escaped the blast--
one of the tetryon reactors.
But we scanned for debris.
The charge you detonated tore an opening in subspace.
And that's where the reactor went?
Yes.
How?
lt was pushed there by a tractor beam.
Do you have evidence
of a tractor beam?
Perhaps.
Speculation is not evidence.
There was no tractor beam,
because there was no ship in the vicinity to generate one,
unless you can prove otherwise.
Thank you, Commander.
Looking for a midnight snack?
l require information.
l'm attempting to determine
whether the catapult technology
was derived from the Caretaker's Array.
So l heard.
A fascinating theory.
lt's got my mind spinning.
How long were you in the vicinity of the Array
before Voyager arrived?
About a year.
Kes was on a nearby planet
and, uh, we were getting very close.
Did you ever encounter
the Caretaker directly?
No, no, no, no, no, no.
ln my opinion, any being powerful enough to grab ships
from the other side of the galaxy should be avoided.
According to Voyager's database,
he claimed he was searching
for a genetically compatible mate.
Did you believe that explanation?
l had no reason to doubt it,
though it did seem a bit excessive.
l mean, all those ships.
What happened to them?
Well, after he sampled the crew's DNA,
he sent them back where they came from
l suppose.
You know, Kes always thought
something more was going on,
but she had quite an imagination.
Were there any other ships in the area
after Voyager arrived?
Only the Kazon.
But the Caretaker
could have pulled in
another vessel... a cloaked ship, perhaps.
Seven, what are you getting at?
A third ship hidden
from both Voyager and the Kazon.
What was it doing there?
Preventing the tetryon reactor from being destroyed.
Kes was right.
Something was going on.
Voyager's sensor logs were damaged in the Kazon attack.
l can't be certain.
Maybe l can help.
The sensor records off my ship
weren't damaged.
l can give them to you.
The tetryon reaction is stable.
Graviton field is set for a 100 light-year jump.
The catapult's locking on to him.
We're being hailed.
On screen.
l'll contact you the moment l reenter normal space.
Thank you, Captain.
My pleasure.
Catapult is at full power.
Good-bye to you all.
Final launch sequence has been initiated.
He's gone.
How long before we can expect
to hear from him?
lf his vessel survived, one or two hours.
Seven of Nine
to Commander Chakotay.
Go ahead.
l require your assistance in the Astrometrics Lab.
On my way.
Computer, seal the doors.
Deactivate all sensors within this room.
Acknowledged.
What's this about?
l believe Voyager's presence in the Delta Quadrant
is no accident.
You and the crew have been stranded here intentionally.
By whom?
Captain Janeway.
The Captain and Tuvok were involved
in a Federation conspiracy.
They're in collusion with the Caretaker
and possibly the Cardassians.
l see.
And the point of this conspiracy?
l believe they're attempting to establish
a military presence in the Delta Quadrant.
That's quite a theory.
Perhaps you haven't heard of the Jankata Accord.
''No species shall enter another Quadrant
for the purpose of territorial expansion.''
The Federation signed it, the Cardassians signed it,
and Captain Janeway would be the last person to violate it.
lmprobable as it may sound,
l've found compelling evidence
to support my theory.
What kind of evidence?
l've analyzed over 30 million teraquads of data
regarding Voyager's activities
over the past five years.
lt's quite clear
that we've been the victim of an elaborate deception.
l don't have the benefit of a cortical processor.
Why don't you give me the abridged version?
ln the months before Voyager's arrival,
Neelix recorded the appearance
of 52 vessels, including this one.
A Cardassian warship.
A remarkable coincidence.
Only days before Voyager's arrival,
the Cardassians were already in the Delta Quadrant.
The Caretaker was trying to find a mate, remember?
He was pulling ships from all over the galaxy.
l'm familiar with the Caretaker's actions.
ln each instance, he would examine the crew's DNA
and when he failed to find a genetic match,
he would release the vessel, but in this instance,
Neelix's sensors indicated the ship vanished.
Obviously, it was returned
to the Alpha Quadrant.
Why?
You seem to have all the answers.
l believe the Cardassians were sent back
to deliver strategic information
regarding the Delta Quadrant.
Conjecture.
Extrapolation.
l can believe the Cardassians
might be involved in this, but not Starfleet.
There are precedents
for unauthorized missions of this type, Commander.
According to the Federation database,
the Maquis were victims of several of them.
All right, you've got my attention.
You said that Tuvok and Captain Janeway were involved.
Tell me how.
At the same time
the Cardassians were meeting with the Caretaker,
your Maquis vessel was infiltrated
with a Starfleet agent.
Tuvok.
Your navigator.
He guided your ship
to prearranged coordinates in the Badlands,
where the Caretaker locked onto you.
Once you were pulled into the Delta Quadrant
Tuvok could've secretly transmitted
final instructions to the Caretaker.
A short time later, Captain Janeway guided Voyager
to the same coordinates
and was also pulled into the Delta Quadrant.
All of these events took place within a matter of days.
l find that suspicious.
l'll admit, the timing seems a little convenient,
but that doesn't mean there was a master plan.
Why did the Captain destroy the Array?
So the Kazon couldn't use it to attack the Ocampa.
That's what she told the crew, but l believe she intended
to remain in the Delta Quadrant all along.
lf the Array had remained intact,
you and all the others would have insisted on using it
to return home.
She was keeping it from the Kazon.
The Captain ordered Commander Tuvok
to destroy the Array.
He fired two tricobalt devices.
Are those weapons normally carried
on Federation starships?
No.
Yet they were part of Voyager's arsenal.
Why?
l can't explain that.
l can.
Neither phasers nor torpedoes
are capable of creating a tear in subspace.
A tricobalt device is.
As Tuvok detonated the device, a cloaked ship locked on
to one of the Array's tetryon reactors
and pushed it
through the tear into subspace,
protecting it from the blast,
and hiding it from Voyager's sensors...
but the Captain and Tuvok knew
exactly where it was going.
Once Voyager left the area,
the reactor was retrieved
and began a similar journey
carried by a series of vessels,
until it was finally delivered to Mr. Tash.
Who used it to build the catapult.
He was waiting here for Voyager
and for the final phase of the mission.
Which is what, exactly?
l don't think Captain Janeway is planning
to use the catapult to get Voyager closer to home.
l think she's going to use it to bring in more vessels
from the Alpha Quadrant.
lf l'm correct,
this region of space will soon be occupied
by a Federation-Cardassian invasion force.
You've uncovered
some interesting facts,
but your interpretation is farfetched.
These are random incidents.
Granted, some of them are hard to explain,
but there's no conspiracy here.
Stardate 51008.
Captain Janeway allows Kes to leave Voyager.
Neelix told me that Kes had suspicions
about the Caretaker.
Was the Captain trying to silence her?
Stardate 51462.
The Doctor's program is transmitted
to a Starfleet vessel
on the outskirts of the Alpha Quadrant--
an attempt by the Captain to contact Earth,
or a secret communiqué
informing Starfleet of her progress?
Stardate 50984.
Janeway forges an alliance with the Borg.
Stardate 517 62. A cease-fire with the Hirogen.
Stardate 52861.
A non-aggression pact with the Terkellian.
She called each incident, ''diplomacy.''
l believe she was trying
to establish a tactical infrastructure
in the Delta Quadrant.
Over the past five years,
Captain Janeway has altered course 263
times in the name of exploration.
ln reality, she was mapping the region and collecting
strategic data regarding...
l get the point.
You still doubt my suspicions,
but can you be certain l'm wrong?
Absolutely certain?
No.
Until you are,
you mustn't allow Captain Janeway
to retain control of the catapult.
l'm picking up a transmission, heavily distorted.
He made it.
Can you clear it up?
Success, Captain--
5,000 light-years.
Are you all right?
A few systems overloaded-- nothing serious.
l had to readjust my shields during mid-flight--
almost lost my outer hull.
l'm sending you the modifications.
My catapult is yours, Captain.
Good luck.
Get that data down to B'Elanna.
Tell her
to enhance our shields.
So we're going ahead with the jump?
l want to run a few more tests,
launch some probes,
but if it all checks out, l see no reason not to.
l've received
the telemetry.
l'll take it to Engineering.
l want you to add a .03 variance
to these shield modifications.
That'll disrupt the emitters.
And you'll need another six hours
to get them back on line, l know.
Have you run this by the Captain?
No...
and l'm not going to...
not yet.
She's pulling your leg.
lt-it's got to be some kind of Borg practical joke.
She wasn't joking.
A secret mission?
Starfleet in league with the Caretaker?
lt's ridiculous.
''Ridiculous''?
Seven has some compelling evidence.
Well, then, let's go to the Captain,
get a straight answer.
''Good morning, Kathryn.
''All systems are operational.
''The crew's in good health.
''And by the way, is it true
you've been lying to us for five years?''
l'm not prepared to make that accusation,
but l can't ignore what l've heard, either.
So, what do you suggest?
l want you to delay those shield modifications.
That'll give me time to check Seven's database,
take a look at the evidence myself.
The Captain asked me to work with you on the shields.
That won't be necessary, Ensign.
Oh, l don't mind.
Oh, you know how eager she is to make that jump.
Harry, we're fine here.
''Too many cooks,'' Harry.
You know how it is.
We'll let you know when we're done.
Download complete.
Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway.
Go ahead.
l need to speak with you in the Astrometrics Lab.
l'm on my way.
Computer, seal the door
and deactivate internal sensors to this room.
Acknowledged.
Seven?
l believe Chakotay
and other members of your crew are involved
in a conspiracy to resurrect
the Maquis Rebellion.
Did Chakotay put you up to this?
Voyager and the Federation itself
are in grave danger.
Go on.
l've concluded that Chakotay intends
to use the catapult to launch attacks
against Cardassian and Federation starships.
Chakotay gave up his allegiance
to the Maquis a long time ago.
What you're saying makes no sense.
lmprobable as it may sound,
l found compelling evidence
to support my theory.
ln the months before Voyager's arrival,
Neelix recorded the sudden appearance
of 52 vessels... including this one.
A Cardassian warship.
l've analyzed the hull geometry and warp signature.
lt was one of the same ships
that were pursuing Chakotay and his crew
in the region known as the Badlands.
lt was pulled into the Delta Quadrant
by the Caretaker during that engagement.
According to Federation records,
that same Cardassian warship was found destroyed
in the Badlands.
The investigation revealed
that it was attacked by the Maquis.
l believe that for some unknown reason
the Caretaker had sent this ship
back to the Alpha Quadrant,
and that Commander Chakotay attacked the vessel
before it could reach its destination.
He downloaded its computer core
and discovered the presence of the Caretaker's Array.
He realized that the Array could be used
by the Maquis as a weapon
to launch surprise attacks against Cardassian
and Starfleet vessels.
Well, l commend you for your imagination,
but Tuvok was a spy on Chakotay's ship.
lf your theory were true,
he would have known about it.
He does.
Tuvok has been collaborating
with the Maquis resistance all along.
That's not possible, Seven.
With Tuvok's assistance,
Chakotay plotted a course
toward the next likely appearance
of the Caretaker's displacement wave
offering his vessel as bait.
His ploy almost succeeded,
but the Caretaker was more powerful
than he anticipated.
His crew was taken captive.
A few days later, Voyager arrived
and facilitated their escape.
Chakotay seized that opportunity
to make one last attempt to gain control of the Array,
but, then, you gave the order to destroy it.
Circumstantial evidence-- not proof.
Who carried out your order to destroy the Array?
Tuvok.
Using what type of technology?
Tricobalt devices.
He set the yield to 20,000 teracochranes.
lt was enough to tear an opening
in subspace.
A cloaked ship locked on
to one of the reactors, protecting it
from the blast and hiding it from Voyager's sensors.
The reactor was retrieved
and carried by a series of vessels,
until it was delivered to Mr. Tash,
who was well-compensated by Chakotay
to build the catapult.
He was waiting here for Voyager, so Chakotay could complete
the mission he was forced to abandon five years ago.
l'd be willing to consider this theory of yours...
if l didn't know Chakotay as well as l do.
There is no one on this ship l trust more.
What you've done here
is build what we call a house of cards.
Stardate 48658.
Commander Seska is revealed to be a Cardassian spy.
She defects to the Kazon
and impregnates herself with Chakotay's DNA.
Was he unaware of the procedure, as he claims,
or were they working together
to create a new Kazon sect to capture Voyager?.
Stardate 49522.
Chakotay recommends establishing
trade relations with the Kolhari.
Their technology uses tetryon power cells.
A simple diplomatic overture,
or was he seeking a source of energy for the catapult?
Stardate 4957 1...
Seven.
Naomi Wildman.
Where are you going?
That's not your concern.
What's wrong?
Your father was Ktarian.
So?
The Ktarians were officially with the Federation,
but they sympathized with the Maquis.
What are you talking about?
Who are you working for, Chakotay or the Captain?
Seven...
Tell them it's too late.
Go!
l picked up a power surge coming from the Cargo Bay.
l detected the same thing.
You think it's the enhanced alcove?
Could be.
Let's take a look.
Are phasers standard equipment on board now?
Must be.
The data buffer's been activated.
l wanted to make sure
it wasn't malfunctioning.
Well, you should be careful.
Somebody might think you were trying to delete a few files.
Why would they think that?
Some of those files could contain
sensitive information.
lf that's true, somebody might think
you were trying to do the same thing.
That catapult out there--
it's a powerful piece of technology.
lf the Maquis ever had access to something like it,
they might have been successful.
And if we had, your mission to the Delta Quadrant
never would have gotten off the drawing board.
What are you talking about?
The mission you've been on
for the last five years.
My only mission is trying to get Voyager home.
Seven showed me the sensor records.
l saw the tractor beam.
She showed me the same thing,
but she implicated you
in some kind of Maquis plot.
Same evidence.
Two different theories.
lt all started with those damn photonic fleas.
She was downloading Voyager's database...
Bridge to Captain Janeway.
Go ahead, Harry.
l just picked up an unauthorized launch
of the Delta Flyer.
Seven's at the helm.
Set a pursuit course.
Acknowledged.
Chakotay to the Doctor.
Sick Bay here.
Get down to Cargo Bay 2.
Run a diagnostic on Seven's alcove.
On my way.
l'm glad we got that settled.
Likewise.
Chakotay...
let's keep this one out of our logs, huh?
Gladly.
She's altering course, heading for the catapult.
Maintain pursuit.
Open a channel.
No response.
Try to beam her out.
She's done something to alter her bio-signature.
l can't get a lock.
Target her propulsion and weapons.
Fire.
Our targeting scanners are out of alignment.
She must have done it
before she took off.
She's charging weapons.
Keep trying.
Doctor to Captain Janeway.
Report.
Seven downloaded too much data into her cortical implant.
She's trying to make sense
of more information than she can process.
Understood.
Beam me onto the Delta Flyer.
l'm going with you.
No, l have a better chance of getting through to her alone.
This isn't part of your mission, is it?
ls it part of yours?
Good luck.
Energize.
Captain.
You came here hoping to stop me.
You'll fail.
Turn this ship around.
That's an order.
Your orders are irrelevant.
l'm no longer under your command.
You deceived me.
There is no conspiracy.
There is no Maquis rebellion.
The Federation isn't planning to invade
the Delta Quadrant.
l realize that,
because l finally uncovered your true objective.
And what's that?
Me.
Stardate 3261 1.
The Federation sends my parents
to study the Borg collective.
They know my family will be assimilated.
That was their intention.
Stardate 48317.
Voyager is sent to the Delta Quadrant
with orders to retrieve me.
When they reach Borg space,
Captain Janeway negotiates an alliance with the collective
in exchange for information
regarding Species 8472.
They agree to give her Seven of Nine.
Stardate 51030.
Janeway extracts the implants from my body
to remove any knowledge l have of her agreement with the Borg.
Stardate 53329.
Captain Janeway finalizes plans to use the catapult
to deliver Seven of Nine to the Alpha Quadrant,
where Starfleet will dissect and analyze the drone
to gather tactical data to fight the Borg.
l won't allow you to complete your mission.
lf necessary, l'll destroy the catapult
and myself.
You're right, Seven.
There is a conspiracy here,
but l believe it's a conspiracy of one.
l've got a theory of my own.
Your modified alcove
threw your synaptic patterns into chaos,
and your mind can't make sense
of all the information, so you're generating
theory after theory
in an attempt to bring order to that chaos.
Your reasoning is flawed.
My alcove is functioning perfectly.
What about you?
You're not a drone anymore.
You can't always predict
how Borg technology will affect you.
You should be in Sick Bay,
not behind that force field.
Let me help you.
No.
l don't believe you.
Of course you don't.
Anything l say gets woven into your paranoid conspiracies,
but you should believe me, Seven,
because l've never lied to you.
And l'm not lying to you now.
You have to put your doubts aside
and trust me.
Stardate 51030.
Seven of Nine is severed from the hive mind.
The Captain tells her not to resist,
that she'll learn
to accept her humanity.
Seven complies
and slowly begins to embrace her individuality.
Does she regret that decision?
Stardate 51652.
The Captain encourages Seven to develop her social skills.
Seven insists it's a waste of time,
but after further requests, she pursues it
and begins to develop her first human friendships.
Did Janeway lead her astray?
Stardate 52840.
The Captain orders Seven to study her parents' journals.
Seven claims they're irrelevant,
but eventually she reads them
and rediscovers part of her own past.
Stardate 52841.
For the first time,
Seven tells the Captain... ''thank you.''
lt was Stardate 52842...
0600 hours in the Mess Hall.
We had just finished breakfast.
My mistake.
Stardate today.
Janeway beams aboard the Delta Flyer.
She reminds Seven of the bond that's grown between them.
Seven lowers the force field
and she decides to come home.
All l'm asking
is that you trust me again.
Delta Flyer to Voyager.
Two to beam out.
Captain's Log, supplemental.
After further testing, we activated the catapult
and were hurtled across 30 sectors of space.
ln less than an hour, we cut three years off our journey.
l'm happy to say the Doctor
has repaired Seven of Nine's cortical processor,
and she's returned to duty.
Guess who assimilated
three books and ten reports in two days?
Naomi Wildman.
That's correct.
Are you taking your new alcove apart?
Yes.
Why?
My attempt
to download Voyager's database failed.
Maybe you can fix it.
The alcove functioned within expected parameters.
Unfortunately, l did not.
Three books and ten reports is impressive,
but quantity is less relevant than quality.
You must be able to interpret the data
and enjoy the process.
Regardless, you require activities
other than assimilating books and reports.
A game of Kadis-Kot, for example.
When?
Go to the Mess Hall and set up the board.
l'll join you when l'm finished.
l heard the strangest rumor today.
Apparently, the Captain and First Officer
almost came to blows.
Mutiny?
First Officer walked the plank.
So l heard.
l don't believe a word of it.
Me, neither.
Seven was malfunctioning.
We don't have that excuse.
You're right.
We've been through too much to stop trusting each other.
You didn't poison the coffee, did you?
Not any more than l usually do.