In a wood two Hirogen are hunting their prey. One is clearly learning the necessary techniques. When the trainee fires at a glimpse of the prey, who seems to be human in a Starfleet uniform, the trainer rebukes him: "No, you'll lead them right to us." Trainee: "Let them come." Trainer: "Never let your prey control the hunt."
	But the Hirogen, while exposed on the shore of a small lake, are fired on from the lake.
	What seems to be a group of Starfleet officers emerge from the lake.

The dead Hirogen.

The Doctor after Chakotay leaves, having turned down his request.

Aboard USS Voyager, Chakotay enters the Doctor's lab. Chakotay: "You wanted to see me?" Doctor: "I'd like to request a temporary leave of absence. You remember the Ovions?" Chakotay: "The hexapods." Doctor: "They just asked me to speak at a symposium of spaceborne pathogens. There are going to be physicians from all over the Quadrant. This is a rare opportunity for me, and for the rest of the crew." Chakotay: "How's that?" Doctor: "I'd be representing Voyager, putting our best foot forward so to speak, and needless to say hexapods are more likely to know a best foot when they see one." Chakotay: "I'm sorry, Doctor, it's just not practical." Doctor: "I seem to recall Lieutenant Torres participating in a Boray conference on transwarp theory a few months back." Chakotay: "That was different." Doctor: "How?" Chakotay: "We were there. The Ovion system is two weeks behind us. I can't ask the Captain to turn the ship around." Doctor: "I could take a shuttle." Chakotay: "You could also write a paper and submit it on subspace." Doctor: "That's hardly an effective means of making a presentation." Chakotay: "Say you take a shuttle. Would you expect us to sit here and wait for you to get back?" Doctor: "There must be some fascinating anomaly nearby for the crew to explore." comms. signal Janeway, via comms: "Janeway to Chakotay." Chakotay: "Go ahead." Janeway, via comms: "We just received a distress call on a Hirogen frequency." Chakotay: "We haven't heard from them in a while." Janeway, via comms: "I've altered course. I'd like you on the Bridge." Chakotay: "I'm on my way." Doctor: "Perhaps the Hirogen will keep you occupied long enough for me to attend the symposium." As Chakotay walks out of the door the Doctor calls after him: "You can't blame a hologram for trying!"

Bridge. Paris: "Approaching the co-ordinates." Janeway: "Take us out of warp. Raise shields and stand by weapons." Kim: "I've got them. 6,000 kilometres off starboard." Janeway: "On screen." Chakotay: "Monotanium hull plating, tylium-based power - it's Hirogen." Kim: "They're not responding to hails." Chakotay: "Lifesigns?" Kim: "I'm getting a lot of strange readings. Any one of them could be a lifeform." Janeway: "Any Hirogen ships in the vicinity?" Kim: "No, ma'am." Chakotay: "Might be a trap." Janeway: "The Hirogen aren't the type to play possum. Move us into transporter range. Chakotay, take an away team."

	Chakotay, Paris, Tuvok, Seven and a security guard beam to the Hirogen facility. They split into two groups.
	Tuvok's team find the body of a dead Hirogen. Paris: "Particle weapons." Tuvok: "These burns are consistent with a type 3 phaser."
	Seven calls Chakotay over when she finds a bat'leth. Chakotay: "A bat'leth." Seven: "What's a Klingon weapon doing in the Delta Quadrant?" Chakotay: "The blood's Hirogen."

Suddenly Chakotay and Seven come under weapons fire. It is a single Hirogen, who shouts at them to keep away.

Chakotay signals Tuvok and his party to move round behind the attacker. Tuvok comes up behind the attacker and subdues him.

	Paris scans the unconscious Hirogen with the tricorder. "He's lost a lot of blood. We need to get him back to the ship. Paris to Sickbay: two to beam up." He and the patient are transported back to Voyager.
	Seven's scan indicates a hidden control panel.
	Tuvok: "Replicated Starfleet technology." Seven: "It's some kind of holodeck interface." Tuvok: "There appear to be holo-emitters installed throughout the facility." Seven: "This environment is simulated." Chakotay: "Why didn't our tricorders detect it?" Tuvok: "I'm not certain." Chakotay: "Can you shut down the emitters?" Seven: "I'll try."
	Seven shuts down the holo-emitters, to reveal a vast holodeck and numerous Hirogen corpses.

Thanks to Free Buttons for the rulers from the set Cosmic Gel. Thanks to Mardiweb for the button blank.