Aboard the Delta Flyer, Paris is in the pilot's seat making final preparations. He hears someone enter and says without looking up: "Harry, where have you been?" There is a flash as a holopicture of him is taken. Torres: "Say qa'pla! It means 'success'. I just wanted to catch the moment, not to mention that cute bewildered expression." Paris: "What are you doing in that flight suit?" Torres: "There's been a change of plan. I'm your new co-pilot." Paris: "Look, I don't have time for practical jokes." Torres: "Neither do I. Ready to bring that impulse drive online?"

Paris: "B'Elanna." Torres: "Ok, I was upset that you cancelled our weekend but then I realised why should we spend this time apart when we can be together doing something you like?" Paris: "What about Harry?" Torres: "I assigned him to a Level 5 diagnostic in Engineering." Paris: "Oh that's terrible." Torres: "I'm just kidding. I told him how hard it was for us to get time together and he understood. Anyway, the way I see it, you're trading an Ensign for a Chief Engineer."

Paris: "Well, you don't have to convince me. I couldn't ask for a better co-pilot. Now, just remember, we're not on vacation. The point is to win." Torres: "And you know how much I hate to lose." Paris: "Thrusters online. Opening Shuttlebay doors."

	Joxum and Irina in their ship at the starting line.
	The Delta Flyer in position at the starting line.
	Assan (on the righthand side of the picture) and his co-pilot are ready at the starting line.

From the Bridge of USS Voyager, O'Zaal makes a public announcement: "Welcome to the first running of the Antarian Trans-stellar Rally. This moment marks a hopeful point in our shared history, a chance to put aside all animosity, and come together in a spirit of peace and friendly competition. Good luck to all of you. Prepare for the starting signal." USS Voyager fires a photon torpedo to start the race. As it explodes the competitors hurtle away along the race course.

The race begins! All the ships hurtle away. A crowd of excited crewmembers have gathered in Voyager's Messhall to see the start of the race.

Paris and Torres in the Delta Flyer. They have passed two more ships. The impulse engine is hot but stable. The number 8 ship, Assan, rushes past them, grazing their shields so that port thrusters go offline and Paris has to compensate. Paris says: "Ah, that was an old trick. Back at the Academy we used to call that 'scraping'." Torres: "Assan nearly scraped us out of the race." Paris: "How are we doing on time?" Torres: "20 seconds to the third marker. Assan's already rounding it thanks to that little tactic." Paris: "It's a long race. We'll catch him."

Neelix goes to Astrometrics and finds there has not been a race update for 11 minutes. He realises Seven is relaying the information but not often enough and not in an exciting enough way, not in the manner of a race commentator: "In a race like this, 11 minutes can be an eternity." Seven tells him: "The Delta Flyer is in 4th position having completed 62% of the course." But Neelix takes over, "It's all in the delivery," and various members of Voyager's crew are seen listening intently.

Neelix: "Attention all hands! Stand by for a race update! With only 58 million kilometres left in the first segment, the Aksani, Imhotep and Terellian ships are still battling for the lead! Wait, the number 8 ship just cut off the number 3 in the Darla system, now 3's changing course using the gravity from a gas giant to boost its speed, it's making up for lost ground!"

Above picture comprises parts of 2 screenshots.

The race as displayed on the Astrometrics screen.

In the Astrometrics Lab, the race is watched by a gathering of excited crewmembers.

Inside the Delta Flyer.
Paris: "Now it's down to Irina and Assan."
Torres: "In a few moments they'll just be echoes in our aft scanners."
Paris: "We've still got the mobius inversion coming up."
Torres: "The what?"
Paris: "Tell me you read the course manual."
Torres: "I skimmed it, more or less."
Paris: "Oh great."
Torres: "So what exactly is this mobius whatever?"
Paris: "Take a look. Covers the entire last third of the course - level 6 subspace distortions, gravimetric shears. Just think of it as a little wormhole with a big attitude."

Aboard Voyager the crew wait anxiously as no ships can be tracked while inside the mobius inversion. Even Tuvok becomes as interested in the progress of the race as everyone else.

Aboard the Delta Flyer. Torres: "50 metres, 40. We can get through." Paris: "No, they're too close to each other." Torres: "I'm reversing our deflector polarity. It'll repel their shields. Why wait for an opening when you can make one?" Paris: "No, it's too risky." Torres: "Too risky? That doesn't sound like the Tom Paris I know." Paris: "What are you doing?" Torres: "Deploying auxiliary thrusters. We'll need the extra maneuvering power to get through the gap." Paris: "B'Elanna-" Torres: "Just steer the ship." It works and the Delta Flyer flies through the gap between Assan's and Irina's ship, repelling their shields to force enough space.

Neelix: "It's them. The Delta Flyer's in the lead! They're pulling away!" Voyager's crew is elated.

During the Antarian Trans-Stellar Rally the Delta Flyer squeezes through between Irina's ship and Assan's and touches their shields in doing so. (pop-up window)

Aboard the Delta Flyer Torres is triumphant: "We did it!"
But Paris is not pleased: "Should have waited."
Torres: "I saw a chance and I-"
Paris: "I'm the pilot! That means I do the flying."
But before they can argue further, O'Zaal's announcement comes over the communications system: "Attention all pilots. There's been an accident. Stay in order and shut down your engines."

Joxum, Irina's co-pilot, is in Voyager's Sickbay being treated for severe burns. The Doctor reports: "His condition's stabilising. I should be able to start dermal regeneration in a few hours." Irina: "This was Assan's fault. ... He collided with me so many times my shield generator overloaded. Joxum's console exploded. He's lucky to be alive."