Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 50348.1. We've entered orbit around Ilari and sent a message to the Autarch inviting him to visit the ship. Instead he'll be sending an official representative."

Janeway, Nori and Adin arrive in Transporter Room 1. Nori: "The Autarch might have taken a personal interest in our welfare." Janeway: "I'm sure he does. Our message made it very clear that you had both completely recovered."

Kes enters. Adin tells her: "I'm so glad you could join us."

Janeway, Adin, Nori and Kes await the beam-in of the Autarch's representative. Behind them Ensign Martin is at the transporter controls. Janeway to Martin: "Beam our guest aboard."

The Autarch's representative is beamed aboard.

Janeway to the representative: "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway-" Kes draws a phaser and kills the representative!

Kes kills Ensign Martin too.

Before Kes can direct the phaser at her Janeway rushes Kes, pushing her back against the wall. On the Bridge, Tuvok reports: "Commander, a phaser has been fired in Transporter Room 1." Chakotay, via comms: "Bridge to Janeway." Janeway, via comms, struggling with Kes: "Emergency in transporter room-" but Adin attacks her from behind and knocks her out. On the Bridge, Tuvok immediately leaves to deal with the matter.

Kes (but really it is Tieran, who has taken over Kes' body) to Adin and Nori, as he/(she) hurries to the transporter console: "They've activated security alert. Seal the door like I showed you." He/(she) snatches off Kes' combadge and dumps it.

Kim: "There's a transport in progress." Chakotay: "Block it." Kim: "I'm locked out. Commander, it's one of the shuttlecraft. Someone's beaming it into space."

Nori: "They're right outside the door." Tieran/(Kes): "Everyone on the transporter pad, NOW!"

Adin: "You're sure this is safe?" Tieran/(Kes): "Maybe you'd rather stay here!"

Kim: "Commander, three people just beamed to the shuttle - the two Ilari and Kes." Chakotay: "Lock on a tractor beam." Paris: "I'm trying but the shields around the shuttle have been altered. They're scattering the beam."

Chakotay turns to Lieutenant Ayala who is manning the security/tactical station: "Target phasers at their engine core, just enough to knock out propulsion."

Paris: "It's too late. They've gone to warp."

The stolen shuttlecraft hurtling through space at warp speed.

Chakotay to Paris: "Set a course to follow them." Paris: "I can't find the shuttle's warp trail. There's no sign of them on long range sensors." Tuvok, via comms: "Transporter room to bridge. Ensign Martin and the Ilari representative are dead. The Captain is injured and has been beamed to Sickbay." Chakotay: "Acknowledged."

Kim: "It looks like the shuttle's plasma injectors were remodulated to suppress their warp signature." Chakotay: "You wouldn't think it was possible to make those adjustments so quickly." Kim: "It takes some incredibly precise calibrations. Someone on that shuttle really knows what they're doing."

Adin, Nori and Tieran in Kes' body are aboard the stolen shuttlecraft. Adin: "They didn't follow us." Tieran/(Kes): "'Course not. They're still trying to figure out what happened." Tieran/(Kes) suffers a twinge of pain in his head, and Nori is concerned, but he says: "It's nothing." Nori: "Adin should take a look." Tieran/(Kes): "I said it's nothing! You're worse than that Talaxian."

The shuttlecraft descends towards planetfall on Ilari. Adin reports: "We're in right over the encampment now. Looks like Resh has assembled the men right on schedule. Four hundred men, awaiting your orders." Tieran/(Kes): "Maybe we should give them some."

Tieran/(Kes) activates the shuttle's controls.....

.....and beams aboard Resh, his military advisor.

Resh hurries over to Nori. "What is this? Nori, I heard your ship had been destroyed." Tieran/(Kes): "You didn't think I'd let a little accident stop me, do you?" Resh to Nori, incredulously: "That's Tieran?"

Tieran/(Kes) to Resh: "The host body you were expecting is dead. Fortunately a young nurse was with me at the right time and she's provided me with a very suitable replacement."

Resh: "Oh, I'm very relieved that you've survived." Tieran/(Kes), sarcastically: "I'm sure you are, at least for your own ambitions." He/(she) gives orders: "I want you to advance my troops to the northern ridge." Resh: "But we can't go ahead with the attack now." Tieran/(Kes): "Are you questioning my orders?"

Resh: "This is insane. We've spent years planning this, every move, every detail, and now suddenly our leader's been reduced to a little girl!"

Suddenly Resh is on the floor, his mind in agony as Tieran/(Kes) attacks him mentally using Kes' telepathic powers: "I've been exploring the mind of this 'little girl' and I've discovered some other interesting abilities." He/(she) continues the attack Resh's mind, and bears down on him. Resh collapses with blood seeping from his face. "She'd barely begun to tap into them. It's a good thing I came along so that all that wasted potential could be turned to a greater purpose. Now, do I continue the demonstration or do I have your loyalty?"

Resh: "You shall have it, sir."

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 50351.4. We're holding a meeting with Demmas, the Autarch's elder son and heir, in an effort to understand the recent hostile activity." In Voyager's Briefing Room. Demmas: "I'm sure they really wanted to kill my father. He's the one they invited up to your ship. Adin and Nori are known to be political extremists. " Janeway: "How could Kes be involved?" Demmas: "I may be able to explain that. You mentioned that she was with the third patient when he died." Doctor: "That's right. Why?" Demmas: "I believe your crewmember has been inhabited by the consciousness of a very dangerous man named Tieran." Neelix: "Who's that? What does he want with Kes?" Demmas: "Oh I know exactly what he wants, to overthrow my family's government and to reinstate himself as the Autarch. " Tuvok: "He has held title before?" Demmas: "Tieran ruled Ilari over two centuries ago. He was a war hero, a brilliant military leader. He brought security and stability at a difficult time in our history. But in peacetime he began to treat his own subjects as enemies. He became convinced everyone was a potential traitor." Chakotay: "At some point your people must have rebelled." Demmas: "They did, led by one of my ancestors. They laid siege to the imperial hall for over a year and the city around it was burned to the ground, but Tieran was finally defeated." Tuvok: "And yet you believe that he or at least his consciousness has survived." Demmas: "During his reign he became obsessed with his own mortality. He spent most of his time and Ilari's resources searching for ways to overcome death. Somehow he's discovered a way to transfer his own mind into someone else's body, as he's done with Kes." Neelix: "So he's been controlling her." Demmas: "Yes, completely." Neelix: "But she, he knew things about Kes' life. He acted enough like Kes to fool us all. The real Kes must still be in there somewhere." Demmas: "Tieran may have access to Kes and her feelings, but the Kes you know is lost. I'm very sorry." Janeway: "I'm not prepared to accept that yet." To the Doctor: "Examine the body of the man who died. We need more information about how the transfer works if we want to get Kes back." Demmas: "That's certainly worth exploring, Captain, but our priority must be to stop Tieran, by force if necessary. Voyager is a powerful ship." Janeway: "You may be considering force, but my only intention is to rescue Kes and remove Tieran's consciousness. That should serve both our interests." Demmas: "You don't understand what's at stake here, Captain, you must help me to defend my people." Paris, via comms: "Bridge to the Captain." Janeway: "Go ahead." Paris: "We've located the missing shuttle." Janeway: "On my way. Let's hope we can put an end to this right now."

Janeway and the others arrive on the Bridge.

Paris: "They entered orbit, then dropped their shields and cut their engines." Kim: "There's a residual trace of transporter activity. It looks like four people beamed from the shuttle to the surface." Demmas: "They're in the main chamber of the imperial hall." Janeway: "Lock onto those patterns and beam them to Voyager." Paris: "I can't. Some kind of interference has gone up around the whole hall."

Demmas: "He's after my family. My father and brother are down there."

 

TOP

BACK

PREVIOUS

NEXT

EPISODE INDEX

SEASON INDEX

BRIDGE