search engine keywords: Star Trek Voyager Caretaker USS Voyager Maquis Kathryn Janeway Chakotay Delta Quadrant Starfleet Tom Paris B'Elanna Torres, Tuvok, Neelix
 | Voyager and the Maquis orbit the Ocampa planet. |
 | In Sickbay Tuvok tells Neelix: "If you had told us what you had planned, we might have anticipated your irrational behaviour."
Neelix: "Irrational? We got out of there, didn't we?" |
 | Kes: "Excuse me, don't blame Neelix." |
 | Doctor: "That's enough. This is a Sickbay, not a conference room. Visiting hours are over. Everyone except my patient is to leave immediately."
Janeway: "Computer, end Medical Holographic program." The Doctor dematerialises and the hypospray he was holding drops to the floor. |
 | Kes: "I never should've gone to the surface. I'm too curious. I'm told it's my worst failing."
Neelix: "No, no, it's a wonderful quality, and most endearing." Janeway: "Would you be willing to go underground to help us look for our missing crew?" Kes: "I'm afraid Jabin's right. There's no way to get down. The tunnel I came out has been sealed." Janeway: "We don't need a tunnel. We have the ability to transport there directly." Tuvok: "Captain, our sensors did not pick up any indication of an underground civilisation. The subterranean barrier Jabin described may be responsible. It might also block our transporter." |
 | Kes: "There are breaches in the security barrier where it's begun to decay. That's how I got out."
Janeway to Tuvok: "Have the transporter room begin a sweep for any breaches we might be able to beam through." Neelix: "Kes can tell you where to go, but now that she's free we'll be leaving this system together." |
 | Kes: "Neelix, these people rescued me."
Neelix: "I rescued you!" Kes: "With their help. It would be wrong not to help them now." |
 | Kes returns to her people's city, bringing with her Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, Paris and Neelix.
Tuvok: "Captain, the pulses from the Array continue to accelerate. The intervals between them have decreased another .8 seconds." |
 | A young Ocampa man is delighted to see her.
Daggin: "Kes." Kes: "Hello, Daggin." |
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Daggin: "We thought we'd never see you again. How did you get back?" Kes: "These people rescued me from the Kazon. I'm trying to help them find two of their crewmen. Does anyone know where the aliens are kept, the ones the Caretaker sends here?" Daggin: "I think they're at the Central Clinic." Janeway: "Can you take us there?" |
 |
A voice sounds in their minds. "No, she cannot!"
Kes turns to the Ocampa Elder who has just arrived: "They can't speak telepathically, Toscat. Please talk aloud." |
 |
Toscat: "I didn't mean to be rude. But you should not be here."
Janeway: "We'll be glad to leave once we find our crewmen." Toscat: "That won't be possible. We cannot interfere with the Caretaker's wishes." Chakotay: "Maybe you can't. But we can." Toscat: "You don't understand." Kes: "That's right. They don't understand. They have no way of knowing that the Ocampa have been dependent on the Caretaker for so long we can't even think for ourselves any more. They don't understand we were once a people who had full command of our mind's abilities." Toscat: "Stories of our ancestors. Cognitative abilities are apocryphal, at the very least exaggerated." Kes: "We lost those abilities because we stopped using them." Toscat: "We should not dwell on what's been lost but of all that's been gained." |
 | Kes: "We've gained a talent for dependence, for simply taking what we're given. I'm going to help them, Toscat, whether you like it or not. And I think my friends will join me."
Toscat: "You defied the Caretaker by going to the surface, Kes. Learn from the experience. Follow the path he has set for us." Kes: "I've learned very well, Toscat. I saw the sunlight! I can't believe that our Caretaker would forbid us to open our eyes and see the sky." 
She turns away and strides off, calling to Janeway and Chakotay: "Come with me, we'll find your people." The away team follows her. |
 | Kim and Torres are climbing up the stairways toward the planet surface but their illness makes the journey slow and difficult. Kim is finding it particularly hard going.
Torres: "Come on. Don't let it beat you, Starfleet. Come on!" Kim: "I'm sorry." Torres: "Alright. It's alright. We'll rest a minute." |
 | They sit down and rest.
Kim: "Maybe I'd do better if I had a little Klingon blood in me." Torres: "Trust me. It's more trouble than it's worth." |
 | Kim: "You know, I spent my whole life getting ready for Starfleet, and on my very first mission I'm going to die."
Torres: "We're not finished yet. I know a few things Old Sneezy didn't teach in his survival course." Kim: "Sneezy?" Torres: "Commander Zakarian. Remember? He must've been allergic to everything." Kim: "You went to the Academy?" Torres: "Actually made it into the second year before we er, we mutually agreed that it wasn't the place for me." Kim: "You know, I never really liked Zakarian." |
 | Torres: "Listen." They can hear the pound of the energy pulses as they reach the planet. "They're getting faster." |
 | In the Ocampa city, the away team has split up to search for Torres and Kim. When the sound of the energy pulses stops, Janeway, who is with Chakotay and Tuvok ascending on an escalator, taps her combadge: "Away team to Voyager." |
 | Rollins, via comms: "Voyager here."
Janeway, via comms: "What's going on with the Array?" Rollins, via comms: "It's no longer sending out pulses, Captain, and it appears to be re-aligning its position."
Janeway, via comms: "Keep me informed. Janeway out." |
 | Kes and Daggin meet up with them.
Kes: "They haven't been at the clinic for hours." Daggin: "We can search the city, ask if anyone's seen them." |
 | Janeway: "If they were trying to get to the surface, how would they go?"
Kes: "Probably the same way I did, up one of the ancient tunnels." |
 | Janeway: "Mr Paris, you and Mr Neelix go with her and start checking them out. We need to talk to every doctor and nurse at this hospital, see what they can tell us about Torres and Kim."
The party splits up again. |
 | As Janeway, Chakotay and Tuvok move off, the city is shaken, causing many to nearly fall over. |
 | Rollins, via comms: "Voyager to Janeway."
Janeway, via comms: "Go ahead." Rollins, via comms: "Captain, the Array is firing some kind of weapon at the surface. It seems to be trying to seal the energy conduits." Janeway, via comms: "Understood. Keep the channel open." |
 | Chakotay: "If the Array is the Ocampa's sole source of energy why would the Caretaker seal the conduits?"
Tuvok: "He would seal them if he no longer intended to use them, to protect the Ocampa from their enemies. Captain, there is now enough evidence to form a reasonable hypothesis. I believe that the Caretaker is dying." Janeway: "Explain." Tuvok: "First, he increases the energy supply to provide the city with a surplus to last at least five years, then he seals the conduits. The logical conclusion is that he does not intend to continue his role as caretaker." |
 | Chakotay: "That doesn't necessarily mean he's dying. He could be leaving."
Tuvok: "Doubtful, not after a millennium of providing for these people. I believe that the Caretaker owes something to the Ocampa. I believe 'the debt that can never be repaid' is very likely a debt to them. In addition, there were his frequent references to 'running out of time'. I think he knew his death was imminent." Janeway: "If he dies, how the hell are we supposed to get home?" |
 | Paris: "They're in this one." He calls up the stairwell. "Harry!" There is no reply. He taps his combadge. "Paris to Janeway."
Janeway, via comms: "Go ahead." Paris, via comms: "They're in one of the tunnels. I can't see them, but they're up there. We're going after them." Janeway, via comms: "Call for transport when you have them, Paris. We'll meet you on the ship." |
 | She ends contact with him and immediately contacts the ship: "Janeway to Voyager."
Rollins, via comms: "Voyager here." Janeway, via comms: "Three to beam up." |
 | Rollins, via comms: "Stand by. Captain, I can't get a lock on you. The weapons fire from the Array has irradiated the planet's crust. The transport sensors can't find the breaches in the security barrier." |
Janeway to Chakotay and Tuvok: "Come on. There's only one other way out of here." She contacts Paris. "Janeway to Paris."
Paris, via comms: "Go ahead."
Janeway, via comms: "Transporters aren't working. You're going to have to find a breach in the security barrier when you get to the top."
Paris, via comms: "Understood."
Janeway, via comms: "We're a few minutes behind you. Janeway out."
 Paris, Kes and Neelix climb the stairs after Kim and Torres. |
 Janeway, Chakotay and Tuvok arrive at the stairs a short while later, and begin to climb. |
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