THE SWARM
Episode 46
Part E

 

In Sickbay, Kes reports on the condition of the alien survivor. "He's suffering from severe dehydration, damage to the spinal column, there's evidence of trauma to the nervous system, just like they found in B'Elanna and Tom after they were attacked."

Janeway: "Can I talk to him?" Kes: "You can try. I'll work on restoring his cranial nerves, but he's so badly injured I'm not sure it'll help." Janeway looks at the injured man, grim-faced, feeling compassion.

Doctor: "He's a sick man. This is where sick people come." Kes: "Doctor, hold onto this tricorder. Alright." The Doctor examines the scanner. She guides him so that it is pointed at the injured alien. "Keep it pointed right at the patient."

Janeway to the alien survivor: "I'm Kathryn Janeway, the captain of this ship. Can you hear me?" The alien's name is Chardis. "Yes." Janeway: "Can you tell me what happened? Who attacked you?" Chardis: "There were thousands of them, little ships, swarmed around my freighter, covered every square metre of the hull, then they began extracting energy from all the ship's systems. We had no defence. Then they boarded us." Janeway: "Did they use neuro-electric weapons?" Chardis: "I don't know. It was just painful. People screaming, dying." Janeway: "Had you provoked them in any way?" Chardis: "We were in their space. That was enough. Captain, the rest of my crew? Is there anyone else?" Janeway: "I'm sorry. You're the only survivor. This woman is trying to regenerate your motor neurons." Chardis: "We come from Mislen, five parsecs from here, in a yellow dwarf system. If you pass it, will you tell my people?" Janeway: "I'll make a point of it." Chardis: "It happened so quick-" He dies.

Kes looks at the tricorder. "His injuries were too severe."

The Doctor does not realise the man has died. Apparently to Janeway although in fact to no one in particular, he says: "He's a very sick man."

Janeway and Kes move away to converse. Kes: "Captain, the Doctor's getting worse. He doesn't even know who I am any more. He has to be re-initialised. Janeway: "I agree, but I can't spare B'Elanna now. We have to get through this space before we're attacked like his ship was. As soon as it's possible, I'll break her free."

Kes is disappointed but understands. "Is there anything at all I can do for him?" Janeway: "The only thing I can think of is to keep his neural pathways active, ask him questions, keep him thinking, force him to use his neural matrix. That might at least slow down the degradation."

As Janeway leaves, Kes goes back to the Doctor. "Doctor!" She is slightly alarmed because he has gathered up all the medical instruments from the tray. She gets him to put them down. "You mustn't touch those." She picks one out and hands it to him. "Here, this one's alright to hold."

Doctor: "Shall I use it on the sick man?" Kes decides not to enlighten him, at least not yet, that the man is dead. "Yes, that's a good idea." She guides him over to the biobed. He ends up pointing it very stiffly at the dead man. He has no idea what the instrument is for nor how it is used, and still does not realise that the man is dead.

Janeway enters the Bridge. standard doors As she enters she reports: "The pilot of the freighter died. We should keep going. Mr Paris, I want-"

Tuvok interrupts: "Captain, I am detecting a vessel."

A small Swarm ship, hitherto undetected, detaches itself from Chardis' ship and approaches Voyager.

Kim: "It's one of the Swarm."
Paris: "It was still attached to the freighter's hull."
Chakotay: "Red alert. Shields at maximum." The red alert klaxon sounds and the lights dim.
Tuvok: "They are scanning us, Captain."
Janeway: "Hail them."
Tuvok: "I am getting a response. Audio only."
They hear the clicking which is the language of the Swarm.
Janeway: "Harry, how are you coming with the universal translator?"
Kim: "I'm working on it."
Janeway: "Let's see if they might be able to understand us."
Tuvok: "Channel is open."
Janeway: "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. We only want to proceed peacefully through this region of space."
Alien clicking responds to the sound of her voice.
Chakotay: "Do you think they're trying to communicate?"
Janeway: "Though what they're trying to communicate is another question. Progress, Harry?"
Kim: "I'm getting a general idea. Something like: 'Too late. Should've listened.'"

Suddenly the ship lurches. Janeway: "Report." Kim: "We've been hit with some kind of polaron burst."

Tuvok: "The energy expenditure was not high enough to cause any damage. It may not have been a weapon." Paris: "That little ship is high-tailing it out of here." Janeway: "So it scanned us, sent out a polaron burst that caused no damage and then took off." Kim: "Captain, the burst has changed the shield polarity. It's now rotating at 92 gigaHertz."

Janeway: "That means that if anybody wanted to find us, it's a lot easier now." Chakotay: "I'll say. As far as anyone's sensors are concerned, we're lit up like a Christmas tree." Tuvok: "The swarm of ships has powered their engines and turned toward us. They are in pursuit." Janeway: "Do what you can, Tom. We have a head start. We might be able to outrun them." Via comms: "Bridge to Engineering."

Torres, via comms: "Torres here." Janeway, via comms: "How are you coming with the warp drive, B'Elanna?" Torres, via comms: "I'm going to try realigning the dilithium matrix but I need to shut down the warp drive to do it." Janeway, via comms: "We can't shut down. The alien ships are headed toward us." Torres, via comms: "I don't know if I can do this on the run, Captain, but I'll give it a try." Janeway, via comms: "Do the best you can. Janeway out." Contact ends.

In engineering, Torres speaks to Lieutenant Susan Nicoletti. "We're going to have to try a dilithium realignment on the fly." The pair go to a control console. "Let's figure out how to do it without killing everyone in Engineering."

In Sickbay, Kes stands in front of the exit to stop the Doctor leaving. Doctor: "I fail to understand why I can't leave this room! Stand aside, young woman, or I will have you put on report!" Kes: "Doctor, please. I'm just trying to keep you safe." Doctor: "Others can leave. You can leave. Why can't I leave?" Kes: "Because your holoprojectors don't work in the corridors." Doctor: "My what?" Kes: "Please, sit down." She guides him into his office. "Doctor, you know I'm your friend, right?" Doctor: "Yes. You're Kes." Kes: "Yes, yes. Do you remember me?" Doctor: "Of course I remember you. What an absurd question." Kes: "Oh that's wonderful." Doctor: "But why won't you let me leave this place?" Kes: "I'm trying to protect you." Doctor: "Ah. Well, this isn't such a bad place. I remember there were a lot of people here, wounded people. I asked someone to state the nature of the medical emergency, and then enquired as to the status of their Chief Medical Officer. He was dead. And then, everyone disappeared." Kes: "I think that was when you were activated, almost two years ago." Doctor: "Oh, surely not. It seems like last week. And there was a young woman. I was rubbing her feet. She was trying to decide whether or not to have a child." Kes: "That was me." Doctor: "How could that be? I've never seen you before." Kes suppresses the involuntary hurt. "What else do you remember?" Doctor: "What a very odd question? I remember many things." Kes: "Tell me. I enjoy hearing them." Doctor: "That doesn't seem to be the case. You find fault with everything I say." Kes: "Doctor, don't think that-" Doctor: "You claim you're my friend but you don't even call me by my name." Kes is getting frustrated and increasingly desperate: "That's because you don't have a name!" Doctor: "A name. That's ridiculous. My, my- I demand you tell me my name!" Suddenly his program fritzes. "What's happened to me?"