STATE OF FLUX
Episode 11

Part A

 

Voyager away teams are on a planet locating foodstuffs. Chakotay is in command. Lieutenant Joe Carey comes up to him and Neelix. Carey: "Commander! Look at this." He shows him an attractive-looking fruit. "I think they're some kind of apple. There are trees filled with them as far as the eye can see, just over that ridge."

Neelix names the fruit: "Kaylos." He adds: "Aren't they gorgeous? One bite'll kill you, puff you up like a Vakol fish." He starts to pantomime the hideous death very graphically. "First your windpipe swells, and just when you think you're going to die of suffocation, ow!, ooh!, you get a sharp pain in your knees, which begins to work its way right up to-" Chakotay: "I think we get the picture."
Neelix: "Sorry, Mr Carey. Just remember the old traders' axiom: Never judge a fruit by its skin. On the other hand," he proffers a root to Chakotay, "take a bite." Chakotay takes it. "What is it?" Neelix: "A leola root."

Chakotay takes a bite, as bidden. It tastes horrible! Immediately he spits it out! Chakotay: "You expect us to eat this?!" Neelix: "This is the reason I brought you here, Commander. There's no better source of vitamins and minerals in the Quadrant than in this, this ugly little root." Chakotay: "I'd find the second best source acceptable if it tasted better."

Neelix laughs. "You're not used to roughing it, are you." The three start digging for leola roots. "Look, you take it from one who knows, the day may come when you'll relish every last crunch of leola. Stew them for a few hours in a light herbal broth and you won't even notice the mildew." Chakotay and Carey exchange glances.

Voyager in planetary orbit.
Voyager's bridge. Paris: "Captain, I don't think we're alone. Mr Tuvok, run a low-level EM scan for me: co-ordinates 81 mark 40." Tuvok: "Running scan." Janeway: "What do you see, Mr Paris?" Paris: "It's like a reflection, something in low orbit when it moves into a certain angle from the sun."

Tuvok: "He's correct. I'm picking up an ionisation trail. There's another ship in orbit." Janeway: "Using some kind of cloaking device?"
Tuvok: "It's not a cloaking device as we know it, Captain. I cannot say for certain what it is, but the ship does employ some kind of masking circuitry that has affected our sensors."

Janeway, via comms: "Voyager to away team." Chakotay, via comms: "Go ahead, Captain." Janeway, via comms: "Any unexpected lifesigns down there, Commander?" Chakotay takes a tricorder reading. "Nothing but bloodworms. Neelix wants to bring some back for a tartare he wants to make. I'm trying to talk him out of it." Janeway, via comms: "We're picking up an unidentified ship in low orbit. Collect your teams and prepare to transport back while we investigate." Chakotay, via comms: "Acknowledged. Chakotay out." He contacts the away teams: "All units, report to transport site A immediately."

Back on Voyager's bridge, Tuvok says: "Captain, I believe a polaron burst may give us visual contact." Janeway: "Do it." The mysterious ship is briefly illuminated by the polaron burst. "Kazon."
Tuvok: "The hull design does conform to known specifications of the Kazon-Nistrim sect."
Janeway, urgently, via comms: "Voyager to away teams: return to the ship immediately." Chakotay, via comms: "Acknowledged, Captain. Transporter room, get ready to begin on my command."

Kim notices someone appears to be missing: "Where is Ensign Seska?" Chakotay taps his combadge. combadge "Chakotay to Seska." There is no response. "Transporter room, can you locate Ensign Seska's combadge signal?" Transporter officer, via comms: "Negative, Commander. I'm not reading any sign of her." Kim: "She was picking berries with our group, over by the hillside. There were caves nearby." Chakotay: "If she went inside one, it might be blocking her combadge signal. The rest of you, get back to the ship. I'm going to look for her."

Chakotay reaches the caves and enters one.

He hides when he hears men talking - they are Kazon-Nistrim soldiers! Phaser at the ready, Chakotay explores and finds Seska. She too has her phaser ready. Seska breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the Prophets." Chakotay: "What are you doing here?" Seska opens her collecting bag to show him: "Mushrooms. I saw them growing by the mouth of the cave. I wanted to teach Neelix how to make your favourite soup." Chakotay: "I appreciate the thought but we've got to get out of here."

As they head back to the cave entrance, they encounter two Kazon soldiers.

In the exchange of phaser fire, Chakotay hits one, but the other fires back and Chakotay is hit. Injured, he falls to the ground. Seska fires back and downs the Kazon soldier.

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She helps Chakotay to his feet and supports him as she takes him from the cave.

Kazon graphic web work by me. About the Kazon graphic / How to use the image map (pop-up)