Part  E  

Chakotay's flashbacks to his youth are noted in this style, and words directly translated from the old tribal language are in this style.

 

Chakotay comes to. The tree has fallen across him. He goes to tap his combadge but finds it is missing.

He scrambles up and moves away from the tree. He still has his tricorder, which he activates and checks. "No shuttle. Well, at least they got out OK."

He puts the tricorder away and heads back to the deserted village. Addressing the unseen watchers: "You have nothing to fear from me. Talk to me. Let me see you."

Recalling his father's expedition, he starts to take off his uniform.

The Chief tells his people: "Make our cousins one with us!"
His people help the visitors undress and put on native clothing.

The Chief starts to tattoo Kolopak.

But when native women try to do the same with Young Chakotay he clings onto his clothes: "No! Thank you." They leave him alone.

The Chief declares: "He is one of us!" and Kolopak, wearing the completed tattoo, beams with pleasure.

But Kolopak's smile dies when he sees his son has not joined in. Young Chakotay looks at him with disapproval.

Chakotay undresses and dons a plain robe from the village, calling out: "You have nothing to fear from me. Talk to me. Let me see you."

Janeway and the away team are in the transporter room ready to beam down, but there is a problem.

Torres: "I don't understand it. It's the same thing that happened the first time we tried to go down. A storm develops wherever we try to lock on."

Janeway: "Why would we have the ability to beam people up, but not to beam them down?" Tuvok: "I believe we have seen enough to discern a pattern, Captain. The logical conclusion is that someone is controlling the elements of nature to ward us off. The transporter anomaly is evidence of this conclusion. We are allowed to leave the planet, but not to approach."

Janeway: "If that's true, I'd be happy to respect their wishes, but unfortunately I have a missing crewman to get back first." She taps her combadge. "Janeway to Paris." Paris, via comms: "Yes, Captain." Janeway, via comms: "Mr Paris, we're going to land Voyager on the surface. Take us into the atmosphere." Paris, via comms: "Acknowledged. Beginning entry sequence." Contact ends.

Kim: "I'm reading a electrical storms forming all around us." Paris: "Adjusting flight path."

Kim: "The barometric pressure is continuing to fall. We're looking at monsoon conditions out there." Paris looks at him worriedly.

On the planet surface, Chakotay makes his way through the storm and sees a cave entrance, where he believes the natives went when they abandoned their village. He dodges the lightning and enters.

Kim: "Captain, it's a cyclone."

Janeway and Tuvok enter the Bridge from the corridor entrance. The ship is shaking violently. Janeway: "Mr Paris, the shuttle crew didn't report turbulence this severe during their landing." Paris: "I'm doing the best I can, Captain. I'm showing gale force winds out there." Tuvok: "It is conceivable that the aliens have been able to intensify their response now that they are familiar with our capabilities." Janeway: "Red alert." The lights dim and klaxons sound the red alert status. Paris: "Inertial dampers are offline. We seem to be caught in some kind of vortex. I can't maintain altitude!" Kim: "Captain, it's a cyclone." Paris: "Altitude, 20,000 meters and falling. I can't get us out of this thing, Captain." Janeway: "Bridge to Torres. We need more power from the engines." Torres, in Engineering, via comms: "I've got them running 20 per cent over rated maximum, Captain." Janeway: "It's not enough." Kim: "Could we go to low warp under these conditions?" Paris: "The ship might make it without inertial dampers, but we'd all just be stains on the back wall." Torres: "I can try to augment the engines with power from the auxiliary fusion reactors, but it's going to take at least 20 minutes." Janeway: "How much time do we have, Mr Paris?" Paris: "Altitude at 18,000 metres and falling. At this rate, we're looking at about 10 minutes."