THE FUTURE. It is fifteen years in the future. Chakotay and Kim beam onto an ice planet.
	They search and locate the site they are looking for - it is USS Voyager, entombed in a glacier! The ship crashed here fifteen years ago killing all on board. When they get there, Chakotay contacts Tessa Omand on the Delta Flyer and reports: "We're here!"

Chakotay and Kim beam inside Voyager after ascertaining that the glacier is stable: "We're clear to beam inside." Tessa: "Acknowledged." They beam inside and see close up the effect on the inside of the ship of being entombed in the ice for years. Kim: "Not exactly the way I remember it." They assess the ship's systems, managing to access them with a power cell. Kim: "Power grid's been destroyed, bioneural gel packs frozen solid, decks 9 through 14 are now at deck 10. They've been compacted." Chakotay: "Looks like they hit the ice at full impulse. The EMH?" I'm trying to access Sickbay. The relays aren't responding. I'm losing the interface. Reset the power cell!" The power cell fails. Kim hits the wall in frustration. "Come on!" Chakotay: "Let's get moving. Keep an open com link." Chakotay goes to the Bridge where he finds the dead and frozen bodies of Janeway and Seven. He contacts Tessa Omond in the Delta Flyer: "Chakotay to Tessa." Tessa: "Go ahead." "I've found her." He is referring to Seven. "Lock onto the transporter relay and beam her to the lab." Tessa: "Stand by." Chakotay: "Make it quick. This isn't exactly a happy reunion." Tessa: "I've got a lock." Seven's body dematerialises. Meanwhile Kim reaches Sickbay and activates the Doctor who starts his usual greeting but trails off when he sees what has happened to the ship. "Please state the nature of..." Kim: "Long time, no see." Doctor: "Ensign-" Kim: "I go by 'Harry' now. It's a long story. Where's your mobile emitter?" Doctor: "What happened to the ship, the crew?" Kim: "No time! The emitter?" The Doctor shows him but he is bewildered. "It's in here but-" Kim chips the ice away and collects it. "Here. Slap it on. Let's go." As Chakotay arrives, the Doctor says: "Wait, I demand an explanation." Chakotay: "I'll give you one: we're here to change history."

the dead Janeway the dead Seven Tessa in the Delta Flyer "We're here to change history."

FLASHBACK TO THE PAST.
In engineering, the crew applaud and cheer, celebrating the completed installation of Voyager's quantum slipstream drive, adapted from Arturis' ship [#94 Hope and Fear], and with benamite crystals at the heart of the system. Torres breaks a bottle of champagne on the railing to great applause.

 

The next day they will set course and arrive home in the Alpha Quadrant. Janeway addresses them: "Ladies and gentlemen, please! May I introduce the next generation of in-stellar propulsion - the quantum slipstream drive." They cheer and clap. "Four years, two months, eleven days. That's precisely how long Voyager's been in the Delta Quadrant. During that time we've advanced the frontiers of exploration and more importantly we've survived. Now it's time to go home." The crew cheer and clap again. "Enjoy the celebration but keep in mind we still have a lot of work to do before tomorrow's flight. Go easy on that champagne, Lieutenant." They laugh and clap, and the speech is over.

Janeway and Chakotay talk together.
Janeway: "Quantum matrix, benamite crystals, Borg technology. Can you imagine what Starfleet is going to say?"
Chakotay: "I don't think we'll hear any complaints - the Federation's first quantum slipstream drive. They'll probably nominate us for the Cochrane Medal of Honour."
Janeway: "I'll start working on my acceptance speech."
Chakotay: "'I'd like to thank the Borg Collective...'"
Janeway: "Dinner plans?"
Chakotay: "Nothing special. Date with a replicator."
Janeway: "Cancel it. That's an order."
Chakotay: "Aye, Captain."

Lieutenant, Lieutenant!" He moves through the crowd to Torres, saying, "Excuse me," to them. When he reaches her and Tuvok he presents an object to Torres. "My contribution to the slipstream drive." Torres, dubiously: "Thanks. What is it?"

Neelix: "A Talaxian fur fly. An old spacefaring tradition among my people. If one of these creatures stowed away on your ship, it's a sign of good fortune. I had this little fellow preserved. He hung in my engine room for six years." Torres: "Cute." Tuvok: "Mr Neelix, you an unending source of astonishment." Neelix: "Why, thank you, Mr Vulcan."

Seven is feeling odd, and examines her hand strangely. Doctor: "Seven?"" Seven: "My visual processors and motor cortex - they are malfunctioning." Doctor: "Sounds like a problem with your cortical implant. We'd better have a look." He scans her with a medical tricorder. "Hold still." Seven: "I cannot comply." The Doctor looks at the tricorder's diagnosis: "You're intoxicated!" Seven: "Impossible." Doctor: "Your blood-synthehol level is 0.5 per cent. How many glasses of champagne did you consume?" Seven: "One." Doctor: "Obviously the Borg can't hold their liquor. Come to Sickbay and I'll give you some inapprovaline to counteract the effects." Seven: "I was simply trying to perfect my social skills, as you instructed me to do." Doctor: "And you're doing a fine job." With that peculiar kind of serious insight gained through drink, Seven observes: "You've always been of enormous assistance to me, Doctor. You are my mentor." Doctor: "Yes." Patiently he steers her to the exit. Seven: "We are as one. We are as one."

Kim: "Did you see that?"
Paris answers, "Mmm." but he is concentrating on his work at a console."
Kim: "I think our drone did a little too much celebrating. Speaking of which, when are you going to join the party?"
Paris: "In a minute."
Kim: "You're running a warp core diagnostic now?"
Paris tells him he thinks they built a 'lemon', explaining: "A disaster waiting to happen. I ran a simulation last night and discovered a .42 phase variance in the slipstream threshold."
Kim: ".42. So it'll be a bumpy ride. We've flown through worse-"
Paris realises that Kim does not understand the seriousness of the problem: "If we get knocked out of that slipstream midflight, it could overload the quantum matrix."
Kim: "Tell the Captain."
Paris: "Not yet. Didn't want to spoil the festivities until I was sure."
Kim: "Tom, if it'll make you feel better, we'll go to the Holodeck right now, run a few more simulations. It's probably just a sensor glitch."

On the Holodeck, Kim and Paris have started another simulation.
Paris: "We're at full impulse."
Kim: "Engaging slipstream drive. Quantum field is stable. Deflector at maximum."
Paris: "Slipstream velocity in 4, 3, 2...." They enter the slipstream. "Power output is steady. Quantum field is holding."
Kim: "Shields down to 73 per cent."
Paris: "... Keep that deflector aligned and we should be-"
Kim: "Got a phase variance. .1, .2."
Paris: "Remodulate the deflector."
Kim: "No effect. .4."
Paris: "Shutting down the drive."
Kim: "No, wait. We'll try to invert the quantum field."
Paris: "No use! The slipstream is collapsing. Inertial dampers are offline!"
Computer: "Hull breach on deck 10."
Kim: "We're losing structural integrity."
Paris: "Computer, freeze program!"
Kim: "One more time. I think if we re-route emergency power to the deflector a little earlier-"
Paris: "It won't help."
Kim: "Computer, restart simulation at time index-"
Paris: "Computer, belay that order. It's no use, Harry!"
Kim: "We can't just give up."
Paris: "23 simulations, 23 catastrophes. This is no sensor glitch. We've got to tell them."

In engineering the senior staff meet. Paris and Kim have reported.
Torres: "That can't be right. We tested this engine molecule by molecule."
Paris: "Sorry, B'Elanna."
Seven: "I wish to examine the results of the simulation."
Paris: "Holodeck 2. Run them for yourself. That is, if you don't mind being vapourised a few times."
Chakotay: "I looked at their findings, Captain. If we try and take that flight in the morning, we'll be in escape pods by afternoon."
Tuvok: "It would appear that we have no choice but to cancel it."
Paris: "Either that or we could try it Harry's way."
Janeway: "Ensign?"
Kim: "I've got an idea. It's tricky but I think it could work. The trouble begins about 17 seconds into the flight. The phase variance kicks in and the slipstream becomes unstable. What we need is someone in a shuttle to ride the rapids in front of Voyager."
Torres: "Yes." She says they could map the threshold of the slipstream, "and send the phase corrections back to us. That is a great idea, Harry."
Kim: "Now, here's the tricky part. The shuttle will only be only a couple of seconds ahead of Voyager. That doesn't give autonavigation much time to compensate."
Janeway: "Tom?"
Paris: "Couple of seconds?"
Kim: "We can do this, Captain. Put me on that shuttle. I'll get Voyager through the slipstream."
Paris: "What choice do we have? Take the drive offline? Months of work for nothing?"
Tuvok: "We built a highly experimental piece of technology. There were bound to be setbacks."
Kim: "The benamite crystals at the heart of this engine have already started to decay. It could take years to synthesise more. I don't know about the rest of you, but I didn't do all this work just to be stopped by a .42 phase variance. No offence, Captain."
Janeway: "None taken. Alright, Mr Kim, you've convinced me. Prepare a flight plan and have it on my desk within the hour."
Kim: "Yes, ma'am!"
Janeway: "I'll let you know what I decide."

 

In Janeway's private quarters, the door signal sounds. Janeway: "Come in." It is Chakotay. Janeway: "Commander, I hope you've got an appetite." Chakotay: "Famished, but I assumed you called me here to talk about the slipstream flight." Janeway: "No reason to cancel our dinner plans. I programmed a dish my grandmother used to make back on Earth - vegetable biryani." Chakotay: "Sounds delicious. I didn't know you could cook." Janeway: "Normally I'd draw the line at a pot of coffee but tonight is a special occasion." Chakotay: "Oh?" Janeway: "Our last night in the Delta Quadrant. I'd say that's special enough." Chakotay: "You've made your decision." Janeway: "We launch tomorrow at 0800. You and Harry'll take the Delta Flyer. Voyager will be right behind you." Chakotay: "The crew will be pleased." Janeway: "You can give them the news yourself, after dessert. What about you, Chakotay? What do you think about my decision?" Before answering he taps the PADD to refresh the data in his mind. Chakotay: "I've analysed Harry's flight plan. The theory is sound, but there are just too many variables. If something goes wrong in that slipstream-" Janeway: "This could be our only chance to use the quantum drive." Chakotay: "True, but if you showed this data to any Starfleet engineer, they'd think we were out of our minds. We can find another way home. We've waited this long-" Janeway: "Long enough. We've waited long enough. I know it's a risk, probably our biggest one yet, but I'm willing to take it. Are you with me?" Chakotay: "Always." The serious matter discussed, Janeway lightens the mood: "Speaking of risks, are you ready to try some home cooking?" He jokes: "I'll alert Sickbay." He puts down the PADD.