WARHEAD
Episode 119
Part D

 

In Sickbay, Torres and Kim talk quietly while the Warhead/(Doctor) works in the medical lab. Torres: "If we could tap into the holo-projectors without his knowing it, we might be able to shut him down." Kim: "He changed all the access codes. The second we try to decrypt them, he'll restart the detonation sequence."

Torres sighs. "Do you have a better idea?" Kim: "Yeah, let the Captain handle it. The last thing anyone needs is my opinion." Torres: "This is no time to be feeling sorry for yourself." Kim: "Chakotay lets me make a command decision. What do I do? I beam a talking bomb on board."

She pursues him when he walks off and they continue the discussion next to the Warhead's casing. Torres: "The first time I commanded an away mission, I led my people into a cave that I thought was a Cardassian military installation. Turned out I'd mistaken unstable mineral deposits for weapon signatures. There was a rock slide and we were stuck there for three days."

Kim: "What'd you do?" Torres: "We dug ourselves out with our bare hands." Kim heads purposefully for the medical lab. "Where are you going?" Kim: "To dig us out."

He stands in front of the Warhead/(Doctor). "You don't have to do this, you know." Warhead/(Doctor): "It's what I was programmed for." Kim: "You're a sentient being. You don't have to be a slave to your programming. Look at the Doctor."

Warhead/(Doctor): "He's a tool, a holographic puppet."

Kim: "That 'puppet' saved your life. If it weren't for him, you'd still be damaged and alone on that planet. He's the one that convinced me to beam you aboard. And when we discovered what you were, and some people wanted to destroy you, the Doctor defended your right to exist."

Warhead/(Doctor): "What's your point?" Kim: "Even though he was only programmed to be a doctor, he's become more than that. He's made friends, he's piloted a starship, he even sings." Warhead/(Doctor): "Despite all of his achievements, did he ever stop being a doctor?"

Kim: "No, but-" Warhead/(Doctor): "I can't stop being a weapon."

Kim persists, following the Warhead/(Doctor) into the Doctor's office. Kim: "Look at yourself. You're already much more than that. You've got a body now, eyes to see with. The second you detonate, that'll all be over." Warhead/(Doctor): "That's the nature of what I am."

Kim: "It doesn't have to be. We can give you your own holomatrix. You can exist for as long as you want, accomplish anything you set your mind to." Warhead/(Doctor): "The only thing I want to accomplish is the destruction of my target." Kim: "What is your target?" Warhead/(Doctor): "A military installation on Salina Prime. Grid 11, vector 9341."

Kim: "Tell me about it. Who's the enemy?" Warhead/(Doctor): "A ruthless violent race that's threatening to destroy my people." Kim: "What else do you know about them? What's their planet like? Are there forests, wildlife, schools for the children of this violent race?" Warhead/(Doctor): "I'm not programmed with superfluous data." Kim: "Well, lucky for you. You're aboard Voyager now, and you have access to our scanners. Why don't we take a closer look at your target?"

He calls up information on the wall-mounted monitor.

The monitor display.

Warhead/(Doctor): "A military installation, as I told you." Kim: "But it's manned." Warhead/(Doctor): "By soldiers." Kim: "Who're going to suffer because of you. Remember when you were suffering, blind and paralysed? Do you really want to make others go through that?"

Warhead/(Doctor): "I have a duty to protect my people. I will not betray them. Now get out before I'm forced to harm you!"

Torres has been watching. To Kim as he leaves the office: "Nice try."

Bridge. Paris: "I'm reading a subspace surge off our port bow." Chakotay: "Looks like a cloaked ship." Neelix: "It could be him. Onquanii travels in a cloaked vessel." Paris: "We're being hailed. Audio only." Chakotay: "Open a channel."

Onquanii, via audio link, brightly: "Voyager! Good to see you again!" Neelix: "And you, sir." Onquanii, via audio link: "I received your message. Have you an intelligent weapon in your possession?"

Neelix: "Actually, we're in its possession. We're being held hostage. Do you know anything about this weapon?" Onquanii, via audio link: "If I'm correct, it was created by a species named the Druoda. I've studied their technology. Bring me aboard. I can assist you."

USS Voyager and Onquanii's starship.

Engineering. Onquanii: "You've deactivated your comm. system?" Janeway: "And reinforced the shielding in this section. We won't be overheard."

Onquanii: "I'd have more faith in your security precautions if you weren't already at the mercy of this weapon." Chakotay: "We didn't know what it was when we brought it aboard."

Onquanii: "This particular series has a class 11 intelligence factor. It's warp-capable, fully armoured, self-guiding. It has a maximum range of eighty light years. It can fly through an ion storm or an armada of hostile ships and still find its target." Janeway: "Charming. How do I get it off my ship?" Onquanii: "You can't, but I can. My transporter system employs a dampening field which disables the detonator until my engineers can disarm it."

Janeway: "That's a generous offer. Mind if I ask what you expect in return?" Onquanii: "The device itself."

Janeway: "I'm not about to hand over a weapon of mass destruction to someone I just met." Onquanii: "Oh, my business is salvage, not war. I've no intention of deploying it."

Chakotay: "But you might sell it to someone who does. I imagine you'd stand to make quite a profit." Onquanii: "I can make more profit by selling off its components. Well, the energy matrix alone can power a fleet of starships. Its intelligence core, properly reprogrammed, can assist in a variety of things, from terraforming to planetary weather control." Janeway: "Alright. You can have the weapon, as long as we keep the energy matrix. That way we can be sure no one ever deploys it." Onquanii: "I'm afraid that's unacceptable. The energy matrix is one of the most valuable components." Janeway: "I'm sorry, it's not open for negotiation." Neelix: "We can offer you a few dilithium crystals in compensation." Onquanii: "That matrix is worth a thousand dilithium crystals!" Neelix: "What if we threw in a plasma manifold?" Onquanii: "I want the entire weapon, or it remains here. Captain?" Chakotay: "You seem awfully intent for someone only interested in salvage." Janeway: "I'm sorry to waste your time. We'll have to find another way to solve our problem."

Onquanii: "I wish you luck." He transports back to his starship. Neelix: "Sorry, Captain. I thought it would help." They remain hostage to the Warhead/(Doctor).

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