search engine keywords: Star Trek Voyager Caretaker USS Voyager Maquis Kathryn Janeway Chakotay Delta Quadrant Starfleet Tom Paris B'Elanna Torres, Tuvok, Neelix
 | In Sickbay, as the crew re-appear, the Doctor asks Paris who is looking around with a worried expression on his face.
Doctor: "Excuse me, could you please explain what has transpired?" Paris ignores him. "Computer, locate Ensign Kim." Computer: "Ensign Kim is not on board." Paris taps his combadge. "Paris to Janeway." Janeway, via comms: "Go ahead." Paris, via comms: "Kim didn't come back with us. He must still be over there." Janeway, via comms. "Acknowledged." With the communication ended, she asks: "Computer, how many crewmen are unaccounted for?" Computer: "One, Ensign Harry Kim." |
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Janeway: "Hail the Maquis." Audio-visual with the Maquis ship is established and a view of the Maquis bridge appears on the main viewscreen. "Commander Chakotay, my name is Captain Kathryn Janeway."
Chakotay, via comms: "How do you know my name?" Janeway, via comms: "We were on a mission to find you when we were brought here by the Array. One of our crewmen is missing. Was he transported back to your ship by accident?" Chakotay, via comms: "No. A member of our crew is missing too: B'Elanna Torres, my engineer." Janeway, via comms: "Commander, you and I have the same problem. I think it'd make sense to try and solve it together, don't you?" 
Chakotay looks at Tuvok who nods. Chakotay replies, via comms: "Three of us will transport to your ship." They end the communication. Rollins: "They're powering down their engines, dropping their shields." |
 | Three Maquis beam onto the Bridge. They are Chakotay, Ayala and Tuvok, each standing back to back with phasers raised and ready.
Rollins: "Watch out, Captain, they're armed!" He is pointing a phaser at the group. |
 | Janeway holds up her hand signalling him to lower his phaser, which he does. To the Maquis group she says: "Put down your weapons. You won't need those here." They lower their weapons. The moment of tension seems over. |
 | She addresses Tuvok: "It's good to have you back, Mr Tuvok."
The tension is back. Chakotay turns to Tuvok, stunned by the revelation. Tuvok: "I must inform you that I was assigned to infiltrate your crew, sir. I am Captain Janeway's chief of security." Chakotay, grimly: "Were you going to deliver us into their waiting hands, Vulcan?" Tuvok: "My mission was to accumulate information on Maquis activities and then deliver you into their waiting hands, that is correct. |
 | Chakotay's dangerous mood deepens as he sees Paris enter the Bridge. "I see you had help."
Paris: "It's good to see you too, Chakotay." |
 | Chakotay: "At least the Vulcan was doing his duty as a Starfleet officer, but you, you betrayed us for what - freedom from prison, latinum? What was your price this time?!"
He starts toward Paris to have it out with him, but Janeway steps in his way. She tells him softly but firmly: "You are speaking to a member of my crew. I expect you to treat him with the same respect as you would have me treat a member of yours." |
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Chakotay pauses then acknowledges the wisdom of her words, and the fact that he is heavily outnumbered. Janeway takes it that they have agreed a tacit truce. She says, moving matters on, speaking briskly: "Now, we have a lot of accomplish, and I suggest we all concentrate on finding our people and getting ourselves back home."
Tuvok: "Based on my initial reconnaissance, Captain, I am convinced we are dealing with a single entity in the Array. I would suggest that he scanned our computers in order to select a comfortable hologrpahic environment, in effect a waiting room, to pacify us prior to biometric assessment." Paris: "An examination?" Tuvok: "It is the most logical explanation. Why else would he have released us unharmed?" Paris, thinking of Kim: "Not all of us were." Janeway: "Break out the compression phaser rifles. Meet us in Transporter Room 2. We're going back. We'll divide into teams. Tuvok, while Chakotay and I are looking for Torres and Kim, your job is to find out as much about this Array as you can. It brought us here. We have to assume it can send us home." She looks pointedly at Chakotay: "Agreed?" He nods. She addresses Rollins at tactical: "Mr Rollins, maintain red alert. Keep us on a constant transporter lock." Rollins acknowledges. Paris hurries after them. "Captain!" She stops and turns to him. "I'd like to go with you." Janeway: "If this has something to do with what Chakotay-" Paris: "It doesn't. I just....I'd hate to see anything happen to Harry." Janeway hesitates, then decides: "Come on." |
 | After searching the 'farm', Janeway, Chakotay and Paris rendezvous with Tuvok and Ayala. Paris is carrying a compression phaser rifle. Ayala is carrying a Maquis rifle. |
 | Tuvok, who has been using his tricorder: "There are no humanoid lifeforms indicated, Captain. Kim and Torres are not within tricorder range. They may not be on the Array."
Chakotay indicates the banjo man who is sitting on a bench not far away: "He can tell us where they are." Janeway: "Maintain your comlink. I don't want to lose anyone else." |
 | When they come up to him, the banjo man is at first irritated. "Oh, why have you come back? You don't have what I need." Janeway: "I don't know what you need and frankly I don't care. I just want our people back and I want us all to be sent home." Banjo man: "Oh, now, aren't you contentious for a minor bipedal species?" Janeway: "This minor bipedal species doesn't take kindly to being abducted." Banjo man: "Oh, it was necessary." |
 | Chakotay: "Where are our people?"
Banjo man: "Oh, they're no longer here." Janeway: "What have you done with them." Banjo man: "You don't have what I need. They might. No, you'll have to leave them." Chakotay: "We don't do that." |
 | Janeway: "We are their commanding officers. We are entrusted with their safety. They're our responsibility. That may be a concept you don't understand."
The banjo man is sympathetic: "Oh no, I do understand. But I have no choice. There just isn't enough time left." Janeway: "Left for what?" Banjo man, speaking as much to himself as them: "I must honour a debt that can never be repaid. But my search has not been going well." Janeway: "Tell us what you're looking for. Maybe we can help you find it." |
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The banjo man laughs. "You? I searched the galaxy with methods beyond your comprehension. No, there's nothing you can do." Janeway: "You've taken us 70,000 light years from our home. We have no way back unless you send us and won't leave without the others." Banjo man: "But sending you is terribly complicated. Don't you understand? I don't have time. Not enough time!" As he speaks he waves his hand and with a flash |
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.....the away team find themselves back on their own ships. |
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.....the away team find themselves back on their own ships. Those from Voyager find themselves on the Bridge. On the main viewscreen is displayed the place they have just been at - the Array. |
 | In a medical clinic somewhere, Kim wakes to see two aliens bending over him. One, the doctor, observes to the nurse: "He's regaining consciousness." To Kim: "How do you feel?" |
 | Kim: "What am I doing here? Where am I?" |
 | Nurse: "Please don't try to move yet. You're very ill." |
 | Kim: "Wait, there must be some mistake. I'm not-" As he sits up he discovers to his horror that there are the marks of what looks like a disease on his skin - he finds marks on his arm and on his chest. |
 | At that moment the female patient, who had been lying unconscious on the adjacent bed, wakes. (Her name is Torres.) |
 | For a moment she and Kim look at each other appraisingly. |
 | She shouts, "No!" as the doctor and nurse try to reassure her. Torres sees only that she is a prisoner and she rushes to the door. When she finds it locked she bangs on it in frustration. When the doctor comes up to her from behind to try and pacify her she turns on him and knocks him to the ground. |
 | The door opens and two orderlies enter and forcibly restrain her. |
 | Despite her struggles the doctor manages to inject her with a sedative. |
 | The orderlies place Torres back on the bed. Kim looks on, knowing there is no point trying to intervene. |
 | Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 48315.6. We've traced the energy pulses from the Array to the fifth planet of the neighbouring system. We believe they may have been used in some fashion to transport Kim and Torres to the planet surface." |
 | The door signal sounds.  door signal Janeway, who is at her desk working at her portable computer, says: "Come in." standard doors Tuvok enters.
Tuvok: "Captain, I've observed something peculiar about the pulses. They're getting faster." Janeway: "Faster." Tuvok: "The interval between pulses has decreased by .47 seconds since we arrived. I can offer no explanation." Janeway: "That's only one of the mysteries we're dealing with, Mr Tuvok. Take a look at this. It's virtually a desert, not one ocean, not one river. It has all the characteristics of an M-class planet except there are no nucleogenic particles in the atmosphere." |
 | Tuvok: "That would mean that the planet is incapable of producing rain."
Janeway: "I've studied thousands of M-class planets. I've never seen an atmosphere without nucleogenics." She moves toward the window. "There must have been some kind of extraordinary environmental disaster. As soon as repairs are complete, we'll set a course for the fifth planet." Tuvok: "Captain, you require sleep." |
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Janeway: "Kim's mother called me just after he left Earth. Delighful woman - it's her only son. He'd left his clarinet behind. She wanted to know if she had time to send it. I had to tell her no. Did you know he played the clarinet in the Juillard Youth Symphony?" |
 | Tuvok: "I did not have the opportunity to meet Mr Kim." |
 | Janeway: "I barely knew him. I never seem to have a chance to get to know any of them. I have to erm...I have to take more time to do that. It's a fine crew and I've got to get them home."
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 | Tuvok: "The crew will not benefit from the leadership of an exhausted captain."
Janeway: "You're right as usual. I've missed your counsel, Tuvok." Tuvok: "I am gratified that you came after me so that I can offer it once again." Janeway: "I spoke to your family before I left." Tuvok: "Are they well?" Janeway: "Well, but worried about you." Tuvok: "That would not be an accurate perception, Captain. Vulcans do not worry." Janeway: "They miss you." Tuvok: "As I do them." Janeway: "I'll get you back to them. That's a promise, Tuvok." |
Star background by me.
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