Part D

	Bridge. Tuvok: "I am picking up a ship on long-range sensors, Commander. It is a design we have not encountered before." Kim: "It shows as being on a direct intercept course." Chakotay: "That must be our welcoming party." Paris: "They're in a hurry too, closing fast." Tuvok: "They are hailing, Commander." Chakotay: "On screen."
	The shadowed figure of the Bothan appears on the main viewscreen. Bothan: "Where is your Captain?" Chakotay: "She's not available right now. I'm Commander Chakotay, the First Officer. I can speak for her."
	Bothan: "We observe rather strict protocols. I prefer to negotiate with the Captain." Chakotay: "I understand but she's not able to come to the Bridge now. And in her absence our protocols allow me to assume her place. Our request is the same. We would like permission to cross through your space. We'll do it as quickly as possible." Bothan: "What kind of weapons systems do you possess?" Chakotay: "I'm not sure why that information is necessary." Bothan: "How do I know you aren't a heavily armed invader here to attack our settlements?" Chakotay: "I don't know how to convince you but we're a peaceful people. If you doubt us-"
	Suddenly interference seems to strike the screen and the contact is lost. Chakotay asks Tuvok: "What happened?" Tuvok: "I have terminated the transmission, Commander, and made it look like an accidental interruption. I am concerned about some anomalous readings."
	Kim: "Getting them too. Residual energy displacements. Two discreet readings - one off the port bow, one off starboard."
	Paris to Chakotay: "We have to consider the possibility of cloaked ships." Chakotay: "Reverse course, Mr Paris." Paris: "Aye, sir!"
Voyager fires lateral starboard phasers. (pop-up window)	Kim: "Two ships, decloaking." Tuvok: "The Bothan ship is powering up weapons." Chakotay: "Evasive maneuver gamma-five." Weapons fire hits the ship, shaking it violently. "Report!" Tuvok: "Shields at 87 per cent. Minor damage on decks 4 and 12." Kim: "They're turning back for another strike." Paris: "Initiating evasive pattern beta-two." Chakotay: "Get the weapons online." Tuvok: "Powering up lateral phaser arrays. Shields down to 83 per cent." Chakotay: "Return fire!" Voyager fires starboard phasers. Tuvok: "A direct hit. However, their shields were not penetrated."

In Sickbay, when the first Bothan attack rocks the ship, Janeway gets off the bed and heads for the door. "I can't stay here." Doctor: "Captain, I can't allow you to leave Sickbay. You're in no condition to-" Janeway: "Sorry, Doctor. If we're in trouble my place is on the Bridge."

The Doctor has to resign himself to the fact that his patient has just walked out.

	Neelix, sitting beside Chakotay's seat, is rocked as the ship is jolted by Bothan weapons fire.
	Kim: "Something weird going on, Commander. I'm not reading any lifesigns on the two ships that just decloaked." Chakotay: "There's no crew?" Kim: "Looks like the ships are automated. They're being controlled by the Bothan ship."
Voyager fires forward phasers (pop-up window)	Chakotay: "Return fire, Tuvok." Tuvok: "We have hit their weapons array, but not severely enough to disable it."
	Kim: "Commander, the three ships are maneuvering to surround us." Chakotay: "Get us out of here, Paris." Paris: "I'm trying." Kim: "The ships are powering their weapons, preparing to fire." Tuvok: "That last volley took our shields down to 21 per cent."
Voyager comes to 'all stop' as three Bothan ships surround it. (pop-up window)	Kim: "We've got damage on all decks, reports of injuries." Chakotay: "All stop."

Tuvok: "The lead ship is hailing us, Commander." Chakotay: "On screen." The shadowed figure of the Bothan appears on the main viewscreen. Bothan: "Your ship is damaged and your captain incapacitated. I will accept your immediate surrender."

Janeway arrives on the Bridge in time to hear this. She replies: "You're not getting one. The captain is fine." Bothan: "I don't think so. I think the battle is over now." He gets up and moves into close visual view. Janeway: "Mark!" 'Mark' (Bothan): "Don't you recognise the man you love?"

	Janeway: "Mr Paris, who do you see on the viewscreen?" Paris: "It's my father." 'Admiral Paris' (Bothan): "I hope you've been behaving yourself."
	Kim: "I see my girlfriend Libby." Janeway: "Mr Kim, shut down visual." Kim: "I'm trying, Captain. It won't terminate."
	Janeway: "Mr Tuvok, do a multiphasic scan on those ships. I want any evidence of defensive weakness, and prepare the forward photon torpedoes for launch. Tuvok." But Tuvok is hallucinating that he sees his wife, T'Pel, on the viewscreen. His mind is in the hallucination but his body stands totally stiff and straight. Tuvok: "I do not understand how this can be." 'T'Pel' (Bothan): "Don't try to understand, Tuvok. Just accept it. We're together again."

Tuvok: "No, you are not my wife." 'T'Pel' (Bothan): "Of course I am. I'm T'Pel. And there, right in front of you, is your lute - the one you used to play for me. And look: look around you - you're back home, on Vulcan."

Janeway: "Tuvok? Tuvok, answer me. Tuvok!" Kim: "Captain, I'll do it. Running a multiphasic scan."

Torres, via comms: "Torres to the Captain." Janeway: "Janeway here." Torres, via comms: "We're having problems down here. People are becoming delusional." Janeway: "It's happening here too." Torres, via comms: "I think I know why. There's a massive energy field coming from those ships. It's bio-electric, modulating on a delta-wave frequency. It has psionic properties and it's permeating the hull." Janeway, via comms: "A psionic field has a psycho-active effect. That would explain the hallucinations." Torres, via comms: "We can try remodulating the shields but in the meantime I'm trying to set up a resonance burst from the warp core. That'll probably block the field but it'll take a while to set up." Janeway, via comms: "Notify the Doctor. If the field is bio-electric, he might have some idea how to neutralise it." Contact ends.

Janeway orders Chakotay: "Commander, give Lieutenant Torres a hand in Engineering." He hurries into the turbolift to go to Engineering. "Mr Neelix, if the crew ever needed a morale officer, now's the time. See if you can help."
Neelix: "Aye, Captain." He leaves the Bridge.
'Mark' (Bothan): "Kath, do you always have to be the captain? Can't you relax for a minute? I want to talk to you."

	Janeway ignores him. "Mr Kim, remodulate the shields on a rotating frequency." She discovers that Kim is lost to his hallucination, and he cannot hear her, though his body stands totally stiff and straight. Janeway to Kes." Kes, via comms: "Yes, Captain." Janeway, via comms: "Can you come to the Bridge? I think we could use you." Kes, via comms: "Right away."
	Janeway: "Paris, are you still with me?" Paris: "Sure am, Captain. I'm running the scans on those ships." Janeway: "I'll work on the shields. I suggest you don't look at the viewscreen." Paris: "Oh it's not even tempting."

	Chakotay arrives in Main Engineering. Torres alone of the engineering staff has not been affected by the psionic field. Chakotay: "How's it going down here?" Torres: "Not good. I can't get a response from anybody. It's like they're catatonic." Chakotay: "It's the same all over the ship. On my way here I must've seen 50 people just sitting, staring." Torres: "A few minutes ago there was a momentary interruption in the psionic field. Were there any indications that the alien somehow came on board?"
	Chakotay: "I'll find out." He clicks his combadge. combadge "Chakotay to Janeway. Chakotay to the Captain, please respond. Chakotay to anyone on the Bridge. Kim, Paris, anybody!" He tells Torres: "We may be the last ones left."
	Torres: "What do we do?" Chakotay: "I think we should take an escape pod. We passed an M-class planet yesterday. The pod should get us there in a week. We could try to get help." Torres: "A week! That might be too late." Chakotay: "It may be our only hope. If we stay here we'll end up like the others." Torres: "No, I have to try and keep setting up the resonance burst." Chakotay: "Do I have to give you an order?" Torres: "I can't believe you're saying this! You know we have to stay here and try to help the others."
	Chakotay: "I want you with me." Torres: "You aren't Chakotay." Chakotay: "I'm the Chakotay you want me to be. The one who loves you. This is what you want, isn't it? the secret you've been keeping? You want us to be together. We can be."
	He kisses her. She resists at first but then let him, and then they end up in bed together, where Torres finally admits her wild passion for him.

	Bridge. Paris: "Captain, we're getting results from the scans. No apparent defensive weaknesses. Metallurgical analysis is inconclusive." Janeway: "I can't remodulate the shields. Try moving us out of here. If we can get some distance between us and those ships we might be able to block the effects." Paris: "Yes, ma'am." The Bothan, in the guise of his father, stands right beside him. "This time let's see if you can do it without causing an accident. You usually manage to make a mess of everything you do."
	Paris gives in to the convincing deception: "Let me say something I've always wanted to say: get out of my life!" 'Admiral Paris' (Bothan): "Just telling you what you already know: when the going gets tough, you crumble." Paris: "Not any more. NOT ANY MORE." 'Admiral Paris' (Bothan): "You don't really believe that, in your heart. You believe you'll fail again, and of course you will. You can't do anything right. You'll fail. Why even try?"
	Janeway finds that Paris is lost, like the others: "Tom. Tom!" She opens a comlink. "Janeway to Engineering. Janeway to Torres. Are you there? Engineering, respond. If anyone in Engineering can hear me, I'm on my way." As she heads for the turbolift, she orders: "Computer, put the Bridge controls on security lock-out."
	In the turbolift she discovers Chakotay. He is standing stiff and straight, and delusional! It means that he never got to Engineering, and that Torres' passionate affair with Chakotay is her illusion!
	Janeway orders the turbolift: "Deck 11." Suddenly she finds the Bothan, in the guise of Mark, is standing on the other side of her. He says: "Now, maybe you've got time to talk to me. You're so strong, Kath. It's always one of the things I loved in you." He bends to kiss her neck but she strikes his hand away. "What's the matter? You used to love it when I kissed you there." Janeway says grimly: "I don't know who you are, what you are, but I won't let you touch me." 'Mark' (Bothan): "What about the man on the Holodeck? You didn't seem to mind him touching you, did you? In fact, I think you liked it. Now I ask you, Kath, is that fair to me? I've stayed faithful to you. I've vowed to wait for you no matter how long it takes. Shouldn't you do the same?"
	These words are too much for Janeway, who gives in to the desire that he be Mark. She turns to him and protests: "I haven't been unfaithful."
	'Mark' (Bothan): "Oh, Kath." They kiss passionately, reunited at last.
	But when the turbolift reaches deck 11, Janeway has become like the rest of the crew - lost in the illusion of her heart's desire.