THRESHOLD
Episode 31
Part B

 

Engineering, upper level. Torres and Crewman Michael Jonas are at a control console. Torres, via comms: "Torres to Bridge. The pre-launch sequence is complete, Captain."

Bridge. Janeway: "Acknowledged. Ensign Kim, depressurise the Shuttlebay and open the space doors." Kim: "Aye, Captain." Janeway, via comms: "Bridge to Shuttlecraft Cochrane. You're cleared for launch." Paris, via comms: "Aye, Captain."

Shuttlecraft Cochrane. Paris, via comms: "See you at warp ten."

Paris launches in the shuttlecraft Cochrane, and heads round to the front of Voyager. The Type-12 shuttlecraft, called Cochrane after Zefram Cochrane the inventor of warp drive technology, and piloted by Tom Paris, exits Voyager's Shuttlebay. As it jumps to warp, Voyager does the same. (pop-up window) Paris, via comms: "Cochrane to Voyager. All systems are nominal. I'm increasing speed." Janeway, via comms: "We'll keep up with you as long as we can." Paris, via comms: "Warp 7.....warp 8....."

USS Voyager's nacelles fold upward as the starship prepares to jump to warp speed. The ship makes the jump, following Paris.

Engineering.
Torres to Jonas: "How's his dilithium matrix holding up?"
Paris, via comms: "Warp 9....."
Jonas to Torres: "There's a slight variance in the warp field, but nothing to worry about."
Torres: "OK." Via comms: "Torres to shuttlecraft Cochrane. You're clear for transwarp velocity."

Shuttlecraft Cochrane. Paris, via comms: "Acknowledged. Engaging transwarp drive in 4....3....2.... Warp 9.7.....9.8......9.9......" Tuvok: "He's exceeding our maximum velocity. I'm switching to long-range sensors." Paris, via comms: "Warp 9.95....."

Paris reaches warp 10

Voyager's Bridge. Tuvok: "He is approaching the threshold. Engine output at maximum. Velocity, warp 10."

Kim: "Yes!"

Paris, via comms: "Transwarp engines are stable. So are the nacelle pylons. I'm going to-" Suddenly a strange sound is heard then silence. Janeway: "Lieutenant, can you hear me?"

Kim: "Captain, he just disappeared off sensors." Chakotay: "Increase sensor gain to maximum." Kim: "Nothing. I can't find him. He's gone."

Kim: "I've done three full sensor sweeps. No sign of the shuttle within five parsecs."

Janeway: "Tuvok, could the shuttle have been destroyed?" Tuvok: "I don't believe so. Sensors indicate that he did cross the warp threshold." Kim: "If that's true, then he could be anywhere in the universe." Janeway: "We'll just have to keep searching our small corner. Run a multispectral sweep. I want to see if-"

Tuvok: "Captain, there's a quantum surge off the port bow. Something is coming out of subspace."

Shuttlecraft Cochrane emerges from subspace.

Janeway, via comms: "Janeway to Paris." There is no response. Kim: "He's alive. But his lifesigns are weak." Janeway, via comms: "Bridge to Transporter Room 2. Beam Mr Paris directly to Sickbay. Commander, bring the shuttle aboard. I'll be in Sickbay." She enters the turbolift.

Chakotay: "Aye, Captain."

In Sickbay the Doctor scans Paris with a medical tricorder. Doctor: "His lifesigns are normal, a few elevated serotonin readings in the hypothalamus. From what I can tell, he's just.......asleep." Janeway: "Can you wake him?"

Doctor: "I don't see why not." He leans close to Paris' ear and calls loudly: "Wake up, Lieutenant!"

Paris startles awake. Janeway gives the Doctor a look.

Janeway: "Are you alright, Tom?" Paris looks round, surprised: "I'm back." Janeway: "We tracked you until you crossed the threshold. Then you disappeared from our sensors. Do you remember what happened?"

Paris, awed by his experience: "Oh, oh, yeah. I was, I was staring at the velocity indicator. It said warp 10. And then, as I watched it, I suddenly realised that I was watching myself as well. I could see the outside of the shuttle. I-I could see Voyager. I could see inside Voyager. I could see inside this room. For a moment, I was everywhere. I mean everywhere, Captain, with the Kazon, back home, with the Klingons, other galaxies. It was all there. I don't know how else to explain it. It was like..... Well, no, it wasn't like anything."

Doctor: "Well, I'm glad you had a good time." Janeway: "How did you get back to Voyager?" Paris: "I saw that you were looking for me, so I took the new engines offline and ended up back where I started. But it's starting to slip away. Oh, it all was so vivid, and now..."

Torres enters full of excitement. Torres: "Tom!"

Paris: "Oh, I'm fine. How's the shuttle?" Torres: "You brought it back without a scratch. The on-board sensors confirm that you did it. You made it to warp 10."

Janeway: "Congratulations, Mr Paris. You've just made the history books."

Paris: "We should download the shuttle's sensor logs, analyse the telemetry they picked up during the flight before we make another attempt." Doctor to Paris: "You're not going anywhere, at least not for a few hours. I have some tests I'd like to run on Your Majesty before I release you back into the realm of ordinary humans."

Paris, lying down again, putting on a Majesty's lofty tone: "You may proceed." Janeway, as she and Torres leave: "We'll download the logs. I'll let you know what we find." The Doctor starts the tests as Torres and Janeway leave.

USS Voyager at impulse speed.

Engineering. Janeway taps her combadge. Via comms: "Janeway to Kim. We're ready."

Shuttlecraft Cochrane. Kim, via comms: "Acknowledged. I'm downloading the logs into the engineering computer core."

Engineering. Torres, amazed: "This data describes, literally, every cubic centimetre in this sector. It's over five billion gigaquads of information."

Janeway: "It would appear that the theory of infinite velocity is correct. It may be possible to occupy every point in the universe simultaneously." Jonas turns to look, his attention taken by what he overhears.

Torres: "Then it's just a matter of navigation. If we could figure out how to come out of transwarp at a specific point, this could get us home."

Janeway: "It could do more than that. It could change the very nature of our existence. Think of it. There would be nothing beyond our reach. This telemetry is giving us an invaluable record of this sector. We can use it to make a star chart. Transfer the shuttle logs to Stellar Cartography for analysis." Torres: "Right." She does so.

Messhall. Neelix, pouring coffee: "This is a new blend. I'm calling it 'Paris Delight'. It's in honour of you."

Paris, distracted by work: "What? Oh! Oh, thanks. That's very flattering." Neelix: "I can tell." He moves away. Torres: "Well, you might as well get used to it. You're a hero now." Paris: "Huh, I wish I could say it was nothing."

Suddenly he feels ill. "Oh. Oh! I wish Neelix would name something after me that tasted a little better."

Torres checks her coffee: "Smells OK." Paris: "No, trust me. You're taking your life into your hands." Feeling better he returns to the work: "So, I think the next step is to try to duplicate the first shuttle flight, verify our results." Torres: "I agree. We have to confirm that none of this was a fluke." Paris: "But I do think that we should increase the shuttle's memory core by at least-"

Suddenly he feels ill again, but worse. Torres: "What? What's wrong?" Paris: "Phew. I don't think that coffee is settling too well." Torres: "Do you want to go back to Sickbay?" Paris: "No! No, I've seen enough of the Doctor for one day. Ah, oh! On second thought, maybe I should-"

He tries to get up but collapses.

Torres and Neelix rush over to him.

Torres taps her combadge. "Torres to Transporter Room 2! Medical emergency! Beam Lieutenant Paris directly to Sickbay." Transporter duty officer, via comms: "I can't lock onto him. His pattern keeps changing." Torres, via comms: "Torres to Sickbay. We need a medical team in the Messhall right away!" Contact ends.

Torres: "Hang on, Tom."