search engine keywords: Star Trek Voyager Caretaker USS Voyager Maquis Kathryn Janeway Chakotay Delta Quadrant Starfleet Tom Paris B'Elanna Torres, Tuvok, Neelix
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Janeway's log entry: "Captain's log, supplemental. The Maquis ship and Voyager have encountered a debris field where sensors have detected a small vessel. One humanoid lifeform is on board."
On Voyager's bridge, Janeway orders: "Hail them." The audio-visual connection is made, but there is a short delay as the humanoid removes netting and other items left untidily over the monitor. Once it is clear he pulls the monitor so that he can see into it. Alien, possessively: "Whoever you are, I found this waste zone first." Janeway: "We're not interested in this debris, Mr-?" Neelix: "Neelix. And since you're not interested in my debris, well, I'm delighted to know you." Janeway: "Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager." Neelix: "A very impressive title. I have no idea what it means, but it sounds very impressive." 
Janeway: "Do you know this area of space well, Mr Neelix?" Neelix: "I am famous for knowing it well. How may I be of service?" Janeway: "Do you know anything about the Array that's sending energy pulses to the fifth planet?" Neelix: "I know enough to stay as far away from it as possible. Wait, let me guess: you were whisked away from somewhere else in the galaxy and brought here against your will." Janeway: "Sounds as if you've heard this story before." Neelix: "Sadly yes - thousands of times, well, hundreds of times, maybe fifty times. But the Caretaker has been bringing ships here for months now." Janeway: "The Caretaker?" Neelix: "That's what the Ocampa call him. They live on the fifth planet. Did he kidnap members of your crew?" Janeway: "As a matter of fact, he did." Neelix: "It's not the first time." Janeway: "Do you know where he might have taken them?" Neelix: "Just that they're brought to the Ocampa, nothing more." Janeway: "We'd appreciate any help you could give us in finding these Ocampa." Neelix: "Ah, I, I, I really wish I could help you, but as you can see there's just this, so much debris for me to investigate today. You'd be surprised the things of value," emphasising the word 'value', "some people abandon." Janeway understands his emphasis on 'value': "Of course we'd want to compensate you for your trouble." Neelix: "Ah, well, there's really very little you could offer me, unless..." Janeway: "Yes?" Neelix: "Unless of course you had....water?" Janeway: "If you help us find our missing crewmembers you can have all the water you want." Neelix: "That sounds like a very reasonable arrangement." Janeway: "Good. We'll beam you over and tow your ship into our Shuttlebay. Mr Tuvok, go to Transporter Room 2 and meet our guest." Neelix: "Beam?" Janeway: "We have a technology that can take you instantly from your ship to ours. It's quite harmless. May we?" Neelix looks nervously about him, then stands in what he thinks is a suitable position for 'beaming', and wondering what it will be like. |
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Tuvok enters the transporter room and instructs the transporter operator: "Energise." |
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When Neelix materialises on the transporter pad, he exclaims: "Astonishing!" Impressed: "You Federations are obviously an advanced culture."
Tuvok: "The Federation is made up of many cultures. I am Vulcan." Neelix mistakenly thinks that "Vulcan" is the other's name. He indicates himself: "Neelix." |
 | He goes over and, disconcertingly for Tuvok, hugs him! "Good to meet you!"
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 | Neelix is most interested in the contents of the room. "Interesting - what exactly, ah, what exactly does, does all this do?"
Tuvok: "I assure you that everything in this room has a specific function. However, it would take several hours to explain it all. I suggest we proceed to your quarters." He has noticed Neelix has a particular problem and accordingly suggests: "Perhaps you would care for a bath." Neelix: "A what?" |
 | In the medical clinic, Kim sees Torres regain consciousness. As she gets up, he tries to reassure her. "It's ok, it's ok."
Torres demands: "Who are you?" Kim: "My name is Kim, Harry Kim. I'm an ensign on the starship Voyager. I was kidnapped from the Array, just like you were. I don't know where we are." |
 | Torres is suspicious and demands: "What was Starfleet doing at that Array?"
Kim: "We were looking for you actually. One minute we were in the Badlands and the next we- Torres surmises aggressively: "You mean you were trying to capture us." Kim: "Yeah, consider yourself captured. Oh I know I have a phaser here somewhere." Torres: "I don't find this at all amusing, Starfleet." |
 | As Torres goes to the door, Kim tells her: "There's no point. It's locked." She bangs in frustration on the door. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey! What's that going to accomplish?"
Torres: "What are they doing to us?! What are these things growing on us?!" Kim: "Do you want them to sedate you again?" Torres: "You're right, Starfleet. It's the Klingon half of me. It's just that it's hard to control it sometimes." |
 | Kim: "What's your name, Maquis?"
Torres: "B'Elanna, B'Elanna Torres."
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 | The door opens and the doctor stands in the doorway holding some clothes. "I hope you're feeling better. I know how frightening all this must be for both of you. I've brought some clothes if you care to change." |
 | Torres, angrily: "Why are you holding us here?"
Alien doctor: "You are not prisoners. In fact, we consider you honoured guests. The Caretaker has sent you to us. As long as you are not violent you are free to leave your quarters." Kim: "What's wrong with us? What are these things?" We really don't know. You must be hungry. Would you care to join me on the courtyard for a meal?" |
 | The aliens are a species called the Ocampa. Perhaps the alien doctor has just explained this as he starts to take Kim and Torres to the courtyard to dine.
Ocampa doctor: "Our food dispenser's right this way." |
 | Kim: "We're underground."
Ocampa doctor: "Our society is subterrranean. We've lived here for over 500 generations." |
 | Torres: "But before that, you lived on the surface?"
Ocampa doctor: "Until The Warming began." Kim: "The Warming?" |
 | Ocampa doctor: "When our surface turned into a desert and the Caretaker came to protect us. Our ancient journals tell us he opened a deep chasm in the ground and led our ancestors to this place. Since then he has provided for all our needs." |
 | A group of Ocampa come up to them, observing them curiously. The Ocampa doctor tells Kim and Torres: "Please forgive them. They know you come from the Caretaker. None of us has ever seen him." He indicates that they should move on. "This way please." |
 | Torres: "Does the Caretaker provide your meals too?"
Ocampa doctor: "In fact he does. He designed and built this entire city for us after The Warming. The food processors dispense nutritional supplements every 4.1 intervals. It may not offer the exotic tastes some of our young people crave these days but it meets our needs." |
 | As they move through an area fitted with giant viewscreens showing outdoor above ground scenes, Kim asks: "Is this how the Caretaker communicates with you?"
Ocampa doctor: "He never communicates directly. We try to interpret his wishes as best we can." |
 | Kim: "I'm curious to know how you interpreted the Caretaker's purpose in sending us here."
Ocampa doctor: "We believe he must have separated you from your own species for their protection." Torres: "Their protection?" Ocampa doctor: "From your illness. Perhaps he's trying to prevent a plague." Torres: "We weren't sick until we met your Caretaker." Ocampa doctor: "From time to time he asks us to care for people with this disease. It's the least we can do." |
 | Torres: "There have been others like us?"
Ocampa doctor: "Yes." Torres: "Where are they?" Ocampa doctor: "Your condition is serious. We don't know exactly how to treat it. I'm afraid the others did not recover." |
 | Voyager and the Maquis ship orbit the fifth planet. This is where the Array's energy pulses are being directed. It is the Ocampa's planet. |
 | Tuvok arrives at the quarters being used by the guest Neelix. He presses the door signal but there is no response. Tuvok enters. |
 | Tuvok finds that Neelix has indulged himself after his hand-to-mouth existence as a scavenger. In fact, Neelix has discovered the replicator and over-indulged. |
 | Tuvok peers at the tower of glasses containing water that Neelix has carefully stacked on one top of the other. As one unused to water in abundance, Neelix has been carefully laying in a store. |
 | Tuvok stands at the door of the bathroom. He can hear the sound of Neelix's rather odd kind of singing, and also much splashing as Neelix wallows in a bubble bath - the bath tub is very full too. Carefully avoiding looking in, he attracts Neelix's attention: "Sir." |
 | Neelix: "Ah, Mr Vulcan. Come in, come in, please. I can hardly see you!" Tuvok does so, though plainly prefers not to be there. "I want to thank you for your hospitality. I must admit, I haven't had access to a food repli- er...replicator before."
Tuvok, drily: "I'd never have guessed." Neelix: "Ah, to immerse myself in water. Do you know what joy this is? No one wastes water in this manner. Good sand scrub, that's the best we can hope for." Tuvok: "I'm pleased you are enjoying yourself but we're in orbit of the fifth planet. We need your assistance." Neelix: "Oh er, could you hand me the er towel." |
 | Tuvok does so. "Ah yes," continues Neelix. "If you scan the large southern continent you'll find a range of extinct volcanoes. Follow the foothills north until you discover a dry riverbed. You'll find an encampment there."
Tuvok: "Do you believe our people might be at this location?" Neelix: "It's not impossible. Maybe. Perhaps not. But we'll find them. We'll need several containers of water to bring, for barter. Can these er replicators make clothing as well?" Tuvok: "Yes." Neelix: "Will it make me a uniform like yours?" Tuvok, realising that Neelix would like to wear a uniform like his, firmly: "No, it most certainly will not." |
Star background by me.
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