STATE OF FLUX
Episode 11

Part B

 

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 48658.2. We've successfully left orbit without further interference from the Kazon. Commander Chakotay was injured but is recovering from his wounds."

Chakotay is in his quarters. The door signal sounds. door signal "Come in."

standard doors Seska enters, bearing a covered dish. She puts it on the table. "I didn't think I'd make it. Feeling better?" Chakotay: "Yeah. What have you got there?" Seska sits down, and with a flourish reveals the dish, and hands him a napkin and soup spoon. "Real food." Chakotay: "You got Neelix to make some mushroom soup!" He starts to enjoy it. Seska: "Are you kidding? The man wanted to stretch the mushrooms with just a little-" Chakotay and Seska together: "Leola root!" They laugh together.
Seska: "We got into this tug of war with the bag of mushrooms in the middle. It was the most ludicrous thing you've ever seen. Tuvok and Kes broke us up, and then Neelix threw me out of his kitchen." Chakotay: "So how did you-?" Seska: "Strictly a Maquis operation. First we arranged for a little morale crisis. A couple of our people suddenly came down with a case of severe home-sickness. Neelix, our devoted morale officer, responded to the call and came in to cheer them up. And while they were all singing Rakan folk songs, Jackson and I broke into the kitchen."
Chakotay stops eating. "You looted the food reserves?" Seska: "Well, if he's not going to give us a decent meal...." Chakotay pushes the bowl away. "I can't believe you did this." Seska: "Well, it's not like we're hiding anything. I did bring soup straight to the First Officer, didn't I?"

Chakotay: "Thanks for including me in a criminal conspiracy. Does he know about this yet?"
Seska: "Well, the morale crisis ended a few minutes ago, so I'd say-"
Neelix's irate voice comes through comms. "Neelix to Chakotay!"
Seska: "-that he probably does."
Chakotay, via comms: "Go ahead, Neelix."
Neelix, via comms: "I'd like to report a crime. Someone has broken into my kitchen and stolen food, taken food out of the mouths of their crewmates."
Chakotay, via comms: "I know."
Neelix, via comms: "It was that Seska, wasn't it?!"
Chakotay, via comms: "I promise you everyone involved will be disciplined."
Neelix, via comms: "If you'd like my recommendations for punishment-"
Chakotay, via comms, firmly: "Thank you. I'll handle that. Chakotay out." He turns to Seska. "Replicator privileges revoked for two days - everyone, including me."
Seska: "They're not going to do it."
Chakotay: "Then I'll personally put them in the Brig."
Seska: "You'd put me in the Brig?? After all we've been through??"

Seska: "The soup was worth losing the replicator privileges for two days. Admit it." Chakotay: "That's not the point." Seska: "I get the point. Can we make up now? Who else knows how to make your favourite soup like I do?"
Chakotay: "No one. But we agreed a long time ago that this wouldn't work."
Seska: "Look around, Chakotay. There aren't that many potential mates out here." She goes to leave, but stops and turns to him when she is by the door, smiling.
Seska: "Of course, if you're not interested, I have had my eye on young Ensign Kim."
The com. alert sounds. comms. signal Janeway to all senior officers. Please report to the Bridge."

On the Bridge, a weak distress signal is being played. Kazon captain: "We require help...immediately...anyone who can hear this message...please help!"

Janeway briefs Chakotay: "Long-range scanners picked up the distress signal three minutes ago." Tuvok: "The dimensions are identical to the one we encountered at the planet. It is a Kazon-Nistrim ship, Captain."

Neelix: "Captain, this may be a trap. The Kazon-Nistrim is one of the most violent sects in the entire Kazon Collective." Kazon captain: "We need immediate assistance! We have lost all bridge operations...barely able to function...please...assist!"
Janeway: "Mr Kim, can you determine if this ship has sustained genuine damage?" Kim: "There are fluctuating nucleonic patterns. It might indicate a reactor breakdown on board."
Janeway: "Mr Paris, run an extended scanner system to identify any other Kazon ships that might be in the area."
Paris: "Nothing showing up, Captain." Janeway: "Maintain scan and set a heading to intercept." Paris: "New heading entered."
Janeway: "I take your warning seriously, Neelix, and we'll act with caution. But if we can help, we should."

Janeway: "Besides, this may be an opportunity to make a friend, and out here we can use all the friends we can get."
Accordingly, Voyager approaches the Kazon ship.

The Voyager away team beams onto the Bridge of the Kazon ship. They explore, stepping carefully through the debris, taking tricorder scans.
Torres: "What could do something like this?" Chakotay: "I'm showing high levels of nucleonic radiation. It seems to be isolated in that area." Tuvok: "It is likely that the ship's automatic containment systems were activated when radiation entered the Bridge. We should be safe so long as we stay on this side of the forcefield."
They find the remains of the crew - fused into the bulkheads or into the computer consoles....

....fused into the very fabric of the ship!

The away team look round, appalled.

Another Kazon soldier, found fused into structural parts of the ship.

The crew are wearing wrist-mounted twin-torches that illuminate the dark.

Seska: "Someone's alive over here."

The Kazon soldier is unconscious. Seska is crouching beside him, looking very concerned. Chakotay comes over.

Chakotay, via comms: "Away team to Voyager. We've a single male Kazon alive on the Bridge. Transport him directly to Sickbay." Transporter officer, via comms: "Energising."

Tuvok: "It appears that the explosion emanated from this console."
Torres: "Something about it look a little odd to you?"
Tuvok: "The structural pattern does not conform to the rest of the Bridge."
Torres: "And there's something else strange about it. The residue has a .41 trace of a neosorium composite, and I don't know anyone who uses neosorium technology except for the Federation. So how did it get into the hands of the Kazon?"

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