EQUINOX

Episode 120 (Season 5) and Episode 121 (Season 6)
Part E

 

Briefing room. In front of Janeway, who sits at one end of the table, is the alien compound, retrieved from the Equinox research lab. At the other end of the table sits Ransom, with two security guards nearby.

Janeway: "The alien compound. 10 isograms. If I understand your calculations, that's enough to increase your warp factor by, what, .03% for one month? Unfortunately, that boost wouldn't get you very far. So you'd need to replenish the supply. And that means killing another lifeform. And then another. How many lives would it take to get you back to the Alpha Quadrant? I think you know the reason we're under attack. These aliens are trying to protect themselves from you."

Ransom realises the secret is out and there is no need for deception any more. "Sixty-three, that's how many more it will take. Every time I sacrifice one of those lives, a part of me is lost as well." Janeway: "I might believe that if I hadn't examined your 'research'. These experiments were meticulous, and they were brutal. If you'd felt any remorse, you'd never have continued." Ransom: "Starfleet Regulation 3, paragraph 12: 'In the event of imminent destruction, a captain is authorised to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means.'"

Janeway: "I doubt that protocol covers mass murder." Ransom: "In my judgment it did." Janeway: "Unacceptable!"

Ransom: "We had nothing! My ship was in pieces! Our dilithium was gone. We were running on thrusters. We hadn't eaten in sixteen days!"

Ransom recalls: "We had just enough power to enter orbit of an M-class planet, and lucky for us, the inhabitants were generous. They were called the Ankari, and they provided us with a meal and a few supplies, even some dilithium crystals. They even performed one of their sacred rituals to invoke 'spirits of good fortune' from another realm to bless our journey. But these weren't spirits. They were nuceleogenic lifeforms. Our scans revealed that they were emitting high levels of antimatter. Later that same night we managed to obtain one of the summoning devices devices in exchange for an energy converter. "

two Ankari with a device to summon the 'spirits of good fortune'

summoning device, activated

one of the 'spirits'

Burke takes a tricorder reading

Gilmore receives a summoning device

Ransom recalls: "We constructed a containment chamber that would prevent the lifeform from vanishing so quickly."

A nucleogenic lifeform is summoned into the containment chamber.

Ransom recalls: "But something went wrong." He remembers the lifeform desperately trying to escape back to its realm but being trapped by the containment field. "We tried to send it back. But it was too late."

Ransom, in his flashback, orders: "Get it out of there!" Burke works the chamber's controls but reports: "We can't." The creature dies. Ransom recalls: "We examined the remains and discovered it could be converted to enhance our propulsion systems. It was already dead! What would you have done? We travelled over ten thousand light-years in less than two weeks. We'd found our salvation! How could we ignore it?"

Janeway: "By adhering to the oath you took as Starfleet officers: to seek out life, not destroy it!" Ransom: "It's easy to cling to principles when you're standing on a vessel with its bulkheads intact manned by a crew that's not starving." Janeway: "It's never easy but if we turn our backs on our principles we stop being human. I'm putting an end to your experiments and you are hereby relieved of your command. You and your crew will be confined to quarters." Ransom: "Please, show them leniency. They were only following my orders." Janeway: "Their mistake."

As he is escorted from the Briefing Room, he turns back to Janeway: "It's a long way home, Captain."

As soon as Ransom has gone, Janeway marches onto the Bridge, giving the Doctor his orders as she enters. "Doctor, return to their research lab and retrieve all the data you can locate on the aliens. I want to find a way to communicate with them." Doctor: "Aye, Captain." He heads for the turbolift. Janeway to Seven: "Go to their engine room. Take those warp core modifications offline."

Chakotay: "Captain?" Janeway: "Let's try to make first contact the right way."

USS Voyager and USS Equinox.

Chakotay escorts Gilmore along the corridor. Behind them walks a security guard. Gilmore: "What's going to happen to us?" Chakotay: "That's up to Captain Janeway. You'll be confined to quarters until we can find a way to make peace with these lifeforms you've been killing, if it's not too late." Gilmore: "To be honest, I'm glad you stopped us. Living the rest of my life knowing what we'd done..." Chakotay: "You could've stopped yourself. Why didn't you?" Gilmore: "I don't know. When the Captain ordered me to modify the warp core I concentrated on the work. I tried not to think about how it was going to be used." Chakotay: "Well, think about it now, because we need your help." They arrive at the Astrometrics Lab. standard doors Gilmore: "Commander?" Chakotay stands aside to let her enter: "After you." On the main viewscreen can be seen a display of the Equinox's apparatus for converting murdered nucleogenic lifeforms into a compound for utilising as enhancement to the propulsion systems. The status of the files is shown as "DATA ENCRYPTED".

At the console, he tells her: "We're having trouble making sense of all this." Seven: "The schematics are encrypted. I can't access them." Chakotay: "Do you know the decryption codes? Your Captain's been relieved of command. You take orders from me now. Do you have the codes?" Gilmore: "Yes." Seven: "Proceed." Chakotay, as Gilmore hesitates: "Think of it this way, Ensign. You might live with yourself a little easier." Gilmore operates the controls.....

.....and decrypts the files.

She tells Seven: "You said you wanted to learn more about humanity. I guess we're not exactly prized examples. I'm sorry." Seven: "On the contrary, you've taught me a great deal."

Chakotay escorts Gilmore out, leaving Seven to ponder what she has learned, and to make progress on disabling the Equinox warp core modifications.

The Doctor beams into the Equinox research lab. transporter The Doctor looks at a monitor display. "I decrypted this datafile! Why can't I access it?"

Computer: "EMH authorisation is required." Doctor: "Is your EMH still functional?" Computer: "Affirmative." Doctor: "Activate him."

The Equinox EMH materialises. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency." Doctor: "I require your assistance." Equinox EMH: "Who are you?" Doctor: "Your counterpart from the starship Voyager."

Equinox EMH: "Where's Captain Ransom? My crew?" Doctor: "In custody."

Equinox EMH: "How are you able to leave your Sickbay?" Doctor: "This device allows me to go anywhere I please." He indicates his mobile emitter. "In case you weren't aware, your crew has been running criminal experiments here."

The Equinox EMH casually picks up a PADD. "I know. I designed them." Doctor: "You? That's a violation of your programming!"

Equinox EMH: "They deleted my ethical subroutines." Suddenly he slams the PADD against the Doctor's mobile emitter.

Simultaneously the mobile emitter drops to the floor as the Doctor's program goes offline.

The Equinox EMH picks up the mobile emitter, and is thoughtful.

USS Voyager and USS Equinox, both protected by shields.

Voyager's bridge. Kim: "I'm picking up spatial fissures, hundreds of them!" Paris: "Looks like they've stepped up their attacks." Janeway: "Reroute all available power to the shields." Chakotay: "They're holding, but at this rate it won't be long before the aliens break through."

 

TOP

BACK

PREVIOUS

NEXT

DRAMATIS PERSONAE