EQUINOX

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

 

USS Equinox orbiting the planet.

Ransom enters his quarters. He goes over and picks up the synaptic stimulator, which is lying with a book.

Ransom "visits" the Tenkaran coast vista using his synaptic stimulator. But in the distance, standing on the rocks overlooking the sea, he sees a female figure. It looks like Seven.

Unsettled, he takes off the synaptic stimulator.

He leaves his quarters. Gilmore: "How was the beach?" Ransom: "Do these programs have people in them?" Gilmore: "No, just landscapes. Why?" Ransom: "Forget it."

Down on the planet are Lessing and another Equinox crewmember, Crewman Angelo Tassoni.

Lessing is telling Tassoni as they traverse the area: "I'm reading a vein of ore. Azimuth 117, 30 metres. It could run pretty deep. We might need touse phasers to excavate it. Funny, this reminds me of McKinley Park. I used to take my sister there when we were kids. This looks just like it. As I recall, there was a family of ground squirrels who lived right over there. There was a patch of poison ivy next to it. When I was ten, I walked right through it and I swelled up like a Rigelian bloodworm. When I get back to Earth the first thing I'm going to do is see that-"

Suddenly a Voyager officer ambushes Tassoni.

Lessing spins round and draws his phaser, but is shot by a phaser rifle.

Chakotay strides forward, tapping his combadge: combadge "Four to beam up!"

USS Equinox orbiting the planet.

On the Equinox bridge Gilmore reports: "We're receiving a subspace transmission." Ransom: "From who?" Gilmore: "I can't tell." Ransom: "I don't see a ship out there. Open a channel."

Equinox EMH, via comms: "Doctor to Equinox. Respond." Ransom, via comms: "We can hear you."

Equinox EMH, via comms: "Voyager's found you. They've entered orbit. They polarised their hull to mask their approach. I believe they've already planned an ambush on the away team." Static interference breaks off contact. Ransom: "Get him back!" Gilmore: "I can't."

Ransom, via comms: "Ransom to away team. Noah, prepare to beam back to the ship." Gilmore reports: "They're not down there." Ransom: "All hands to battle stations."

Voyager's bridge. Paris: "30,000 kilometres and closing."

Janeway: "Target their power core."

Voyager fires at the Equinox. Gilmore: "Direct hit, minor damage." Ransom: "Return fire."

Voyager's bridge. Chakotay, via comms: "Bridge to Torres. Status?" Torres, via comms: "I can't locate their field grid generator. Can you divert more power to sensors." Chakotay: "Stand by." Contact ends. Tuvok: "They've damaged our deflector, Captain. If it goes offline we'll be vulnerable to the alien attacks." Janeway: "Noted. Target his weapons array."

Equinox. Gilmore: "We've lost our phaser banks."

Ransom: "Photon torpedoes, full spread." Thompson complies.

Torres is working busily in Voyager's Astrometrics Lab. On the Equinox, Burke reports: "It's B'Elanna. She's trying to bypass our security protocols." Ransom: "Stop her."

Voyager is hit. The crew are hurled about as several systems are damaged.

Equinox is hit in return.

On Voyager, as scan definition of Equinox deteriorates, Torres orders: "Computer, open a comlink to the Equinox, work station 33beta." The comlink opens. "Max, listen to me!"

Burke: "Back for round 2, BLT?" Torres: "This isn't one of our games. People are dying over here!" Burke: "I wish you didn't have to be one of them."

Torres: "Max, please-" But Burke closes contact.

Voyager. Tuvok: "Shields are weakening." Janeway: "We've almost got them. Keep targetting their weapons array. One more torpedo ought to do it." Tuvok: "Captain-" Janeway: "Fire!"

Voyager pursues the Equinox.

Equinox. Gilmore: "Weapons are down!"

Janeway, via comms: "Janeway to Ransom. Surrender your vessel." But Ransom ignores Janeway and speaks to his helm: "We still have thrusters, don't we?" Gilmore: "Aye, sir." Ransom: "Lay in a course through the planet's atmosphere, 60° vector."

Voyager. Janeway: "What the hell is he doing? Follow him!" Paris: "We're crossing the upper thermosphere." Janeway: "Phasers."

Tuvok: "Shields are weakening. 31%, 29." Kim: "Inertial dampers are offline." Chakotay: "Captain, if we lose our shields we'll be attacked by the aliens. Captain!" Janeway reluctantly orders: "Break off pursuit."

Equinox. Gilmore: "They're retreating." Ransom: "Take us up." Burke: "They took heavy damage - shields, propulsion."

Ransom: "Get us out of here." The Equinox jumps to warp and disappears.

Voyager's bridge. Paris: "They've gone to warp." Janeway: "Match their course and speed." Kim: "We can't, not until we restore primary systems." Janeway: "Time?" Kim: "We'll need a few hours." Janeway: "At least we didn't come away empty-handed."