FLASHBACK
Episode 44
Part C

 

With Tuvok a patient in Sickbay, the Doctor explains the medical situation to Janeway. A three-dimensional live scan of Tuvok's brain is displayed on the monitor he is showing her. Doctor: "I think we may be dealing with a repressed memory. The memory engrams in the dorsal region of the hoppocampus are being disrupted. It's causing physical damage to the surrounding tissue. In Vulcan medicine, this is known as t'lokan schism. It means that the subject is inhibiting a traumatic memory which is beginning to resurface." Janeway: "And that's causing brain damage?" Doctor: "Strange, I know. In human subjects, repressed memories are nothing more than psychological traumas which can be dealt with through standard therapeutic techniques. But in Vulcans, there is a physical reaction to the battle between the conscious and the unconscious. In extreme cases, the mind of the patient can literally lobotomise itself." Janeway: "What's the treatment?" Doctor: "There is no medical treatment for this condition. Vulcan psycho-cognitive research suggests that the patient initiate a mind-meld with a family member and the two of them attempt to bring the repressed memory into the conscious mind." Janeway: "I'm the closest thing Tuvok has to a family member on this ship." Doctor: "That's why I've asked you to come. He has a request to make of you."

Janeway approaches the biobed and bends over Tuvok."
Tuvok: "The Doctor explained the situation to you?"
Janeway: "Yes. Tuvok, are you sure it's the right thing to do?"
Tuvok: "I don't know how else to proceed. The Doctor tells me that this is a memory, and yet no matter how hard I try I cannot remember. If the Doctor is correct, if this is an experience I have pushed into my unconscious mind, it could be very dangerous to me. Even life-threatening. I realise it is asking a great deal of you, Captain, and I did consider turning to one of the Vulcans on the ship. But this meld would be more intimate than most. A family member is normally chosen because of the implicit trust that usually exists. On this ship, I trust you more than anyone else."
Janeway: "Whatever happens, I'll be there for you, Tuvok. I'll help you get through this."
Tuvok: "I will initiate the meld and attempt to access the memory fragment. Once that has been accomplished, you will act as my pyllora."
Janeway queries the unfamiliar term: "Your 'pyllora'?"
Tuvok: "My guide, my counsellor. You will help me reconstruct the memory in its entirety. And as I am reliving it, you will help me to objectify the experience. By processing the experience rather than repressing it, I can begin to overcome my fear, anger and the other emotional responses, and to reintegrate the memory into my conscious mind."
Janeway: "When I'm in your memory, will I actually be reliving it with you?"
Tuvok: "No. I will be the only one who notices your presence. You will be an observer in the memory but not a participant. This will give you the freedom to guide me objectively."
Janeway: "When do we start?"
Tuvok: "I will need time to prepare. Please return in one hour."
So she leaves him.

An hour later, Janeway is back in Sickbay. Two chairs have replaced the biobed in the surgical bay, ready for the mind-meld. She and Tuvok sit waiting.

Doctor: "We're ready when you are, Captain."

Tuvok lifted his hands and, fingers splayed in the ritual position, solemnly commences the mind-meld. "Your mind to my mind. Your thoughts to my thoughts. I am taking us back, back to the boy that I was, the boy lying on the precipice."

Janeway suddenly finds herself on the deck of a Federation starship. Its appearance indicates it is the Bridge. It is not Voyager, but a definitely Starfleet - this bridge is smaller than Voyager's; it is compact, tightly arranged, with a distinct central design. And, judging by the uniforms, she realises as she recalls Starfleet history, it is the late 23rd century! No one can see her - they are busy rushing here and there, dealing with a ship emergency. A hard force strikes the ship, rocking it violently. She, like other officers there, are flung about and she grabs hold of the helm and navigation consoles to keep herself upright. She hears an officer call out a report: "They've knocked out our targetting scanners!"

So, the ship is under attack. The experience is amazing: it does not feel like a memory, though she had not known really what to expect. But everything feels so real! - the sights, the sounds, even the smell of burning and smoke as the enemy, whoever they were, scores a hit on the Bridge. The unfamiliar sights and sounds mean that she does not hear the detail of the words shouted. The name Valtane is called, but she cannot tell who is speaking as the klaxons and shouting drowns out the detail, but someone somewhere is being warned to get away from a console which is about to explode, then there is the explosion. She has an urgent job to do. She looks round for Tuvok but cannot see him. Instead she turns as she hears a male voice. It is adeep-toned voice, rich and pleasant, and authorative. The voice demands: "Damage report!"

She sees dense smoke resulting from damage caused by enemy weapons fire. Suddenly through it steps......Captain Hikaru Sulu! She stares at him for a moment. This is Sulu, one of Starfleet's famous officers who, as a younger man, served as under the legendary Starfleet hero Captain James T. Kirk on his historic mission of deep space exploration.

Someone shouts: "Seal that conduit!" A female officer reports: "Hull breach on deck 12 section 47. We've lost power on decks 5, 6 and 10. Casualty reports coming in: 19 wounded."

Now Janeway spots Tuvok. She hurries over to him. He is crouching on the deck, wearing the same style of uniform as the others on the Bridge, with ensign's insignia and science department designation. He is bending over a human shipmate, a young lieutenant. The young officer has just died - he was badly burned, with blood in numerous wounds. She recognises the kind of injuries - electrical burns from exploded circuits. All around them the battle raged and battle commands were shouted back and forth.

Janeway: "Tuvok, can you see me?"
He looks up. "Yes."
Janeway: "Where are we?"
Tuvok to Janeway: "My first deep space assignment, aboard the Excelsior."
The Excelsior, a famous starship. Primarily a science research ship, it had started as 'the Great Experiment', a prototype starship fitted with transwarp drive, but when that proved unworkable, the starship was redesignated with a normal Starfleet registry number, NCC-2000, and enter normal service.

Janeway: "Why did you bring us here?" Tuvok to Janeway: "I did not intend to." Janeway: "Can you take us to the precipice, to the girl?" Tuvok to Janeway: "That is precisely what I attempted to do." He is perplexed. Janeway to Janeway: "There must be some reason your mind brought us here. Maybe the memory is connected to the girl in some way. How long ago is this?" Tuvok to Janeway: "Stardate 9521. Approximately 80 years ago." He remembers the occasion: they are ending a survey mission in the Beta Quadrant. Janeway: "Who are you fighting?" Tuvok to Janeway: "The Klingons." Janeway: "Klingons! Before you passed out in Engineering, you thought we were approaching Klingon space. Why are you fighting the Klingons?" Tuvok to Janeway: "This battle was precipated by an incident that took place three days earlier."

Suddenly they are 'transported' back in time to three days earlier. Janeway finds herself observing a set of personnel quarters. The personnel there are preparing for duty. Ensign Tuvok is there, carefully preparing a flask of tea. The door opens and the female officer she had seen on the Bridge enters. She is Commander Janice Rand, communications officer. Rand has her own piece of fame in Starfleet history. If Janeway could immediately recall all the historical records, she would know that as a young woman Rand had served as Yeoman under the most famous Starfleet captain of them all, Captain James T. Kirk, and therefore she and Sulu had served together too.

Rand addresses the personnel. "Alright, Gamma shift. Time to defend the Federation against gaseous anomalies!"
Gamma shift, except for Tuvok, chuckle at her joke and they start leaving the room to go on duty.

Janeway picks up on her last words. "Gaseous anomalies. We were charting a gaseous anomaly on Voyager." Tuvok answers her, but keeps his voice low because he knows the others in the room would be able to hear him - it is only Janeway they cannot see or hear. "And that's when my problem began." Janeway: "That's more than a coincidence."

Rand comes up to Tuvok. "How are you this morning, Ensign?" Tuvok: "I am well, Commander. Thank you." Rand: "I thought you might like to see some of this morning's comm. traffic before you went on duty." She hands him the data storage device she is carrying. It is the equivalent of a 24th century PADD. Unlike the smaller and slimmer PADDs of the 24th century, this one is quite large. "There's a message from the Yorktown I thought you might be interested in. It's from your father." Tuvok reads the communication and hands it back to her. "Thank you."

Sociably Rand indicates the tea. "You're not going to have time to drink that, you know. You're due on the Bridge in five minutes." Tuvok: "It's not for me. It's for the Captain. I've observed that Captain Sulu drinks a cup of tea each morning. I thought he might enjoy a Vulcan blend." "Oh, I see." She jokes: "Trying to make lieutenant in your first month? I wish I'd've thought of that when I was your age. Took me three years just to make ensign." Tuvok: "I assure you, I have no ulterior motive." Rand: "Whatever you say, Ensign. See you on the Bridge." She leaves.

Janeway falls in beside him. "You've never brought me tea," she complains. Perhaps she is making a mock complaint, perhaps not. She moves away with the air of being in a slight huff.

On the Bridge of USS Excelsior, Janeway can observe the place as it should be, with no emergency like an enemy attack. Tuvok pours tea for Sulu.

Sulu sips it and remarks: "Outstanding. I may have to give you a promotion." Tuvok: "That was not my motivation, Captain. I am not attempting to curry favour with you in any way." Sulu: "Mr Tuvok, if you're going to remain on my ship you're going to have to learn how to appreciate a joke. And don't tell me Vulcans don't have a sense of humour, because I know better." Tuvok: "I will.....work on it, sir." Sulu: "Very good." He indicates the tea: "And thanks again."

Janeway joins Tuvok as he heads for his work station. "He doesn't look anything like his portrait at Starfleet Headquarters."
Tuvok: "In the 23rd century, holographic imaging resolution was less accurate."

Janeway: "This is a science station, isn't it?" Tuvok: "Yes. I am one of several junior science officers." Janeway: "Tuvok, why doesn't your service record reflect any of this? I thought your first assignment was aboard the Wyoming." Tuvok: "It's a long story, Captain, but suffice it to say this was my first Starfleet career. I was 29 years old."

Janeway: "So what's happening? Are we about to encounter the Klingons?"
Tuvok to Janeway: "Not exactly. The Klingon moon Praxis is about to explode."
Janeway tries to recall history. "Praxis..."
Tuvok to Janeway: "During this period, it was the primary source of energy for the Klingon homeworld."
Janeway: "Praxis. Yes. Its destruction would have lasting repercussions throughout the Quadrant. And it led to the first Federation-Klingon peace treaty."
Tuvok to Janeway: "That is correct."
Janeway scours her history knowledge, struggling to find a link with events she is observing from that time as they "happen" around her, with Tuvok's repressed memory of the little girl and the precipice. A reactor had exploded - would explode - on Praxis, causing a massive chain reaction which rocked - would rock - the Klingon homeworld and contaminate(d) the atmosphere. The loss of energy production and dilithium, which everyone at that time needed to travel at hyperlight speeds, force(d) the Klingons to seek a treaty with the Federation, their long-standing enemy. So the Federation had sent - would send - Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701-A to reach out to the Klingon chancellor Gorkon in a symbolic gesture of peace.
Janeway is perplexed. "But what does all this have to do with the girl on the precipice?"

Suddenly the ship starts vibrating. The vibrations become stronger. The ships starts shaking violently. Sulu's teacup rattles on its saucer. Science officer Lieutenant Dmitri Valtane and Sulu observe this.

The cup and saucer are mobilised by the vibrations so that they moves to the edge of the table, then fall on the floor and shatter. Valtane returns to his station to investigate.

Valtane: "I've an energy wave at 204 degrees mark six port, sir."

Sulu: "Visual." On the mainscreen they see a vast wave of superheated gas and debris roaring toward them out of deep space. Sulu stands, stunned by the vast power of it. "My God!"