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WARHEAD
Episode 119
Part A

 

In the Messhall, an agitated Paris is pestering Neelix as he sets out tables for the next meal service.
Paris: "Show mercy!"
Neelix: "Your people have a saying: 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' In other words, your credit's no good here."
Paris pleads: "I'll pay you back double with next month's replicator rations."
Neelix: "That's what you said when I let you replicate all those pork rinds for your monster movie marathon."
Paris is desperate. "Let me put it another way. This is a life and death situation."
Neelix: "Hyperbole won't help."
Paris: "I'm not exaggerating! This is the anniversary of my first date with B'Elanna."
Neelix: "And you forgot all about it?"
Paris: "Yes, and if I don't come through with some kind of romantic dinner-" He hangs his head.
At last Neelix is sympathetic: "Alright, you've made your case."

They move to the port-side replicator.
Paris gives a sigh of relief. "Neelix, you're a saint. OK, that'll be one bottle of Mouton Rothschild, a 2342 if it's in the database, er....Terellian pheasant, steamed asparagus, and a single rose."
Neelix: "Where do you want it?"
Paris: "You can send the food requisition to B'Elanna's replicator, the wine and the flower I'll take with me." He explains: "Well, I can't show up empty-handed."

Kim enters the Messhall through the port-side door audio: standard doorsstandard doors and sees them at the replicator.
Kim, cheerfully: "Neelix, how about a pot of coffee while you're at it?"
Neelix: "Coming right up."
He works the controls. audio: replicatorreplicator Paris collects his ordered items.

Kim to Paris: "Flowers and wine?"
Paris: "Ah, anniversary. Coffee?"
Kim: "Bridge duty. I've got eight hours ahead of me."

Neelix: "Sitting in the big chair again?"
Kim: "Fourth night in a row."

Paris: "You're not fooling anyone."
Kim: "Excuse me?"
Paris: "You love these night shifts - your chance to play Captain."
Kim: "I'm not playing. This is an opportunity to get command experience. You might put in for some yourself."

Paris: "Oh, what's the point of trying to compete with an ambitious upstart like you? Just promise me one thing. When you reach the top, you remember all the little people you climbed over to get there and won't make them work night shifts?"

On the Bridge, Kim is sitting in the captain's chair. He is restless as there is not much to do. He checks the monitor read-out but does not take long at all as status is normal as usual.
Kim: "Helm, status?"

Ensign Jenkins smiles. "Same as it was twenty minutes ago."
Kim: "Refresh my memory."
Jenkins: "Current speed warp 6.3, heading 020 mark 2."

She sighs and turns to him. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
Kim: "Granted."
Jenkins: "We're on the night shift. Relax."
Kim, gently: "One of these days you'll get the call to take the Bridge, and maybe then you'll understand the burden of command."

Suddenly there is an audio alert. "Report."
Jenkins: "It's an automated distress call."

Kim: "Origin?"
Jenkins: "A class-M planet, range .73 light years, bearing 261 mark 15."
Kim: "That would be a significant course change."
Jenkins: "The burden of command is on your shoulders, sir. Of course, we could always wake Commander Chakotay."
Kim: "No. Alter course."

Voyager enters orbit of the planet where the distress call originates from. Kim orders: "Open a channel. This is Ensign Kim of the Starship Voyager. Can we be of assistance?"
Jenkins: "I'm not picking up on any lifesigns. I guess they didn't make it."
Kim: "There could be any number of reasons why we're not detecting lifesigns. We'll have to go down there and take a look. I'll inform the Commander." As he starts to leave, he turns and says casually: "Oh, Jenkins, the Bridge is yours."
As he leaves, an anxious look forms on Jenkins' face - the burden of command is on her shoulders.

Kim has woken Chakotay, who has dressed and in fact is putting on his jacket. Kim has just briefed him and they are walking along a corridor to go to the Bridge.
Kim: "I hope I made the right decision."
Chakotay: "About changing course or waking me up?"

Kim: "Sorry, sir, but I thought that-"
Chakotay: "Relax, Harry. You did the right thing on both counts. Hey, why don't you lead the away team? I'll monitor your progress from the Bridge."
Kim, pleased: "Yes, sir."

Kim briefs the Doctor en route to the transporter room.
Doctor: "The distress call was automated?"
Kim: "That's right. I'm hoping whoever sent it is still alive."
Doctor: "Who's leading the mission?"
Kim: "You're looking at him."
Doctor: "Really?"
Kim: "Problem?"
Doctor: "No. I just thought, given the circumstances - a new planet, unknown hazards - that Commander Chakotay or Tuvok would be in charge."
Kim: "I am a senior officer, Doc. I've been on this ship for five years. I think I can handle an away mission."
Doctor: "I certainly didn't mean any offence."

They enter the transporter room. audio: standard doorsstandard doors
Kim: "None taken."
They take up position on the transporter platform. The other member of the away mission is Crewman Lang.
Doctor: "Of course, having me on the team will certainly compensate for any lack of experience on your part."
Kim ignores the Doctor's ego and orders the transporter duty officer: "Energise."

The transporter beam is activated and they dematerialise.

The empty transporter chamber.

They beam down to the planet surface. It is a desert-like place.

Kim immediately activates his tricorder and takes scans.
Doctor: "Are you sure these are the right co-ordinates?"
Kim: "Positive."
Doctor: "Apparently, whoever sent the distress call was rescued."
Kim: "Maybe, but as long as we're here we should make a thorough search. Spread out."

They begin to look round.

Soon the Doctor sees something.
Doctor: "Ensign!"
Kim and Crewman Lang come up.
Kim: "This is the source of the distress call?"

Doctor: "What is it?"
Kim: "I don't know. Paratrinic shielding, a dense energy matrix, bio-neural circuitry."
Doctor: "Bio-neural?"
The device becomes active, and sends out a short series of machine noises.
Kim: "Whoa, back off. This could be dangerous."
Doctor: "No, wait. It's speaking to us."
Kim: "Speaking?"

Doctor: "In duotronic algorithms. Hold on. My translation matrix is interpreting. It says it's injured. It needs our help. It's asking why it can't see, or feel its arms and legs. It's terrified." To the machine: "Can you identify yourself?" He interprets: "It's saying that its memory has been damaged. It doesn't remember its name." To the machine: "Don't worry. We're going to help you." As he and Kim start to move off, the machine lets out a series of quick noises that sounds like panic. The Doctor tells it reassuringly: "Crewman Lang will remain with you."

Kim and the Doctor confer in private.
Kim: "What do you think? An artificial intelligence?"
Doctor: "One that doesn't seem to realise it's artificial."
Kim: "Maybe we should tell it the truth, try to jog its memory."
Doctor: "No, I don't want to risk psychological trauma."

Kim: "Psychological trauma? Doc, this is a machine."
Doctor: "One which is confused and asking for our help. We should beam it aboard."
Kim: "Not until we know what we're dealing with. Away mission protocols dictate that we-"
The Doctor interrupts: "Morality dictates that we help. It may not be flesh and blood but it's clearly in distress."

The day shift enters Voyager's bridge.
Paris: "Make way for the day shift." He takes his place at the conn.
Janeway goes to the command centre. Referring to Kim, she asks: "How's he doing?"

Chakotay: "Well, let's see." She sits down. "I haven't heard from him in almost five minutes so he should be checking in right about-"
Kim, via comms: "Away team to Voyager."
Chakotay: "Now."
Janeway: "That's our Harry. If I were you, I'd watch out for your job." Via comms: "Go ahead, Ensign."

Kim, via comms: "We found the source of the distress call. It's some kind of artificial intelligence, badly damaged. The Doctor thinks we should beam it aboard."
Janeway, via comms: "You're in charge of the away mission, Ensign. What do you think?"
Kim, via comms: "Well, I think we should help it if we can, but as a precaution, I recommend sealing off an engineering bay with a level ten force field and beaming it directly there."
Janeway, via comms: "Agreed. Give us a few minutes."

The Doctor converses with the machine, and answers its questions one by one as it raises them. "We're going to transport you back to our ship. I'm Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram. A projection of light and forcefields guided by an optronic computer program. No, technically speaking, I suppose I'm not a real person."

Kim watches the Doctor.


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