THE SWARM
Episode 46
Part B

 

USS Voyager cruising at impulse speed.

In Voyager's Sickbay, Paris is still unconscious. He has been placed on a biobed. Torres, who was not as badly injured as him, is sitting on an adjacent biobed, being treated by the Doctor with a retinal imager.

Doctor: "Their nervous systems suffered trauma from some kind of neuro-electric weapon. It must've been extremely painful." Torres: "It certainly was."

Janeway: "Do you know why they attacked you?" Torres: "No idea. They seemed to be trying to communicate with us but we couldn't understand them and then they lifted their weapons." Doctor: "The injuries are treatable. It shouldn't be long."

Janeway makes decisions and issues orders briskly: "Tuvok, send a message on all subspace bands. I want to find out why my people were attacked." Tuvok: "Aye, Captain." He leaves to carry out her order. Janeway: "I'll ask Neelix if he knows anything about these people. Doctor, keep me posted." She leaves.

The Doctor is impatient with Torres. "It would help if you didn't fidget so much." Torres: "I'm really feeling better. Can't I get out of here?" Doctor: "When you are ready to leave, I will tell you." Kes: "Doctor, Tom doesn't seem to be responding to the treatment." Doctor: "I'll look at him." He cannot find the instrument he wants. "Where's my retinal imager?"

Kes: "I haven't seen it." Doctor: "Did you move it from the instrument tray?" Kes: "I haven't been near the instrument tray." He goes over to Torres' biobed and finds it. "I've just had an unpleasant encounter with a madwoman on the Holodeck. She must've upset me more than I realised." Forgetting what he had told Torres earlier, he notices that she is still there. "Lieutenant, you're perfectly alright. What are you still doing here?" Torres replies sourly: "Thank you." She leaves.

Kes tells the Doctor as he examines Paris: "I think he must have suffered some very deep tissue damage. The regenerator isn't helping."

She looks at the Doctor when he does not respond. He is looking deeply worried and puzzled. "Doctor?"

Senior staff meeting in Voyager's Briefing Room. On the wall monitor is a display of the region ahead. Marked on the chart is the known extent of the aliens' territory. Tuvok: "I've made numerous hails on widespand subspace. The only response is a single repeating message." When it is played back they hear the same kind of clicking sounds that Paris and Torres heard the two attacking aliens use to speak to each other. Chakotay: "What's that?"

Janeway: "I guess it's a language so unlike ours that the universal translator can't interpret it."

Janeway orders Kim: "Harry, remodulate the translators. See if we can decipher those sounds."

Janeway: "Neelix, what can you tell us?" Neelix: "If these people are who I think they are, I can tell you this is very bad news. I've never actually encountered them but from what I've heard I'm glad I didn't. Most ships that enter their space are never heard from again. Some have returned, with everyone on board dead! They're a complete mystery. No one knows their name, how many of them there are, what their culture is like, just that they really don't want people violating their territory."

Kim: "If this is any indication of their borders, it's a huge area of space, hundreds of sectors. If we were to go around it, it would take months." Chakotay: "I'd say over 15 months, even if we could sustain maximum warp, which we can't." Janeway: "I'm not going to tell this crew we're adding another 15 months to this journey. We'll have to find another option." Tuvok sets out the logic of the situation: "If we are not to go around their space, the only available option is to go through it." Janeway: "Precisely."

Kim: "Tom and B'Elanna hit a sensor net as they crossed the border. We have to figure we'll run into it when we try to cross, but there are ways around sensor nets." Chakotay: "They can't possibly have enough ships to patrol a border this size. We can probably find an unguarded section." Tuvok: "Would it affect your decision if I pointed out that encroaching on the territory of an alien species is prohibited by Starfleet regulations?" Janeway: "No, it wouldn't." Tuvok: "Captain, you have managed to surprise me." Janeway: "We're a long way from Starfleet, Lieutenant. I'm not about to waste 15 months because we've run into a bunch of bullies."

The comm. signal sounds. comms. signal Doctor, via comms: "Sickbay to Captain Janeway." Janeway, via comms: "Go ahead, Doctor."

Doctor, via comms: "Please turn to your Emergency Medical Holographic channel." Janeway activates the controls on the conference table's panel and the Doctor's image appears on the screen. "I'm afraid Lieutenant Paris suffered greater neurological damage than my initial scan revealed. I'm going to have perform a motor-cortex reconstruction. There's no need to be overly concerned. His condition is not life-threatening. The procedure is a relatively simple one for a skilled physician." Janeway, via comms: "Very good, Doctor. Keep me informed." The screen is turned off and the Doctor's image disappears.

Janeway: "Alright. I want a plan for crossing that border, as quickly and as quietly as possible. We'll reconvene in an hour. Dismissed."

In Sickbay, Kes fetches some cortical analeptics from the Science Lab. As she does so she hears singing coming from the Doctor.

The Doctor is singing opera to himself.

Kes goes up to him: "Doctor, I have the cortical analeptics you asked for." Doctor: "Good. Fill the hyposprays. We'll begin as soon as I finish scrubbing." Kes: "Did I hear you singing?" Doctor: "Yes. O soave fanciulla. It's an aria from La Bohème, a truly exquisite opera by Giacomo Puccini, a human composer of the 19th century." Kes: "I didn't realise you enjoyed music." Doctor: "I've recently begun a thorough study of opera. I find it quite satisfying, but I'm having difficulty finding a holographic partner for the role of Mimi."

Paris has been prepped for surgery - he is in the main biobed. The Doctor activates the 'clamshell', which is the unofficial term for the device containing diagnostic scanners which rises to encircle part of the patient. "All the soprani seem to have the most irritating personalities. These women are arrogant, superior, condescending. I can't imagine anyone behaving that way." Suddenly he looks very worried - he has forgotten something! Kes: "What is it?" The Doctor tries to cover his lapse. "A quiz for you. What is the first step in this procedure?" Kes: "Establish the axonal connections and test for synaptic potentials." Doctor: "Ah, quite right, very good." But he continues to forget. Kes see his anxious expression. "Doctor, what is it?" Doctor: "We seem to have a small problem. I can't remember how to perform this operation."

Kes is forced to take charge. Under her supervision, the Doctor later reports: "Alright, I've repaired the damaged pre-ganglionic fibres in the spinal column." Kes: "The final step is to restore the nerve sheath. You'll need the myelin regenerator." She hands it to him. Suddenly audio alarms sound. Doctor: "What is it?" Kes: "He's going into respiratory arrest!" Doctor: "What do I do?" Kes: "Er, apply an efferent impulse to stabilise his motor neurons."

Doctor: "Apply a what?" Kes shows him. Kes checks the read-outs. "Lifesigns are returning to normal." She sighs with relief. "Regeneration is complete. What's the synaptic potential reading?" She has to indicate which read-out he should look at. He looks at it. "Synaptic potentials are normal. Autonomic and somatic systems are functioning."

Kes: "Very good, Doctor." Although she supervised the operation, she tells him: "I think you've done it." But the Doctor is not comforted - there is obviously something wrong with his memory.