FAVORITE SON
Episode 62
Part A

 

USS Voyager, cruising in space.

Voyager's Bridge. Chakotay: "Let's mark the co-ordinates of that trinary star. It'll be a good reference point for this sector." Kim: "Just seems familiar." Tuvok: "Perhaps you're experiencing a paradoxical state-dependent associated phenomenon."

Kim: "Didn't we already pass a trinary system like this?" Chakotay: "Not that I remember. Why?" Janeway, as Kim looks puzzled: "Deja-vu." Kim: "Yeah, I guess so."

Tuvok: "Captain, there is a ship approaching, bearing 215 mark 8." Janeway: "On screen." Tuvok: "Their shields are down and their weapon systems are unpowered." Kim: "They're hailing us." The alien commander appears on the viewscreen. "My respects to you. I'm Alben, Captain of the Nerada."

Janeway: "Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager." Alben, on viewscreen: "I thought I was familiar with every type of ship in this sector, but I've never seen anything like yours before." Janeway: "We're not from around here." Alben, on viewscreen: "In that case, let me welcome you to Nasari territory."

Kim interrupts: "That ship's going to fire!"

Chakotay: "What?!"

Kim: "Captain, we've got to defend ourselves." Tuvok: "I am detecting no threat. Tactical control has been moved to the Ops station. Our weapons systems are charging." Kim: "Raising shields and firing phasers."

Voyager opens fire. Tuvok: "Direct hit. They're returning fire." Janeway, glaring at Kim: "Red alert!" Lights dim, the red alert lights flash and klaxons sound.

Voyage and Nerada exchange fire.

Janeway and other crew lurch when the Nerada scores a hit.

Janeway: "Hail them. We've got to put a stop to this." Kim: "Captain, I had to act quickly-" Janeway: "You will explain yourself, Mr Kim, but right now you're relieved. Commander, you're at ops."

Chakotay vaults the rail to reach Ops quickly. Tuvok: "They are not responding to hails."

Engineering. Torres: "There's pressure building up in plasma conduit G6. Ashmore, open up the emergency vent. I'll try to reroute the plasma flow."

Voyager's Bridge. Nerada continues to fire at Voyager. Tuvok: "Shields are down to 70 per cent." Janeway: "Get us out of here." Chakotay: "Warp engines are down." Tuvok: "They are in pursuit."

Janeway, via comms: "Bridge to Engineering, what's the status of the warp drive?"

Engineering. Torres: "The plasma injectors are off line, Captain. We're working on them now."

As she looks up, suddenly a plasma conduit blows and she is hit in the face by plasma!

Voyager's Bridge." Chakotay: "A plasma conduit just blew in engineering. Propulsion systems are down. They're reporting casualties." Kim looks on, upset about the casualties. Janeway to Tuvok, grimly: "Target their weapons array and fire."

Tuvok fires phasers and makes a direct hit.

Tuvok: "They've suffered damage to their weapon systems and shield emitters. They are moving away."

Red alert is cancelled. Janeway to Kim: "I want to know exactly what you thought you were doing." Kim: "Their weapons were charging, they were about to fire at us. We could've been destroyed." Tuvok: "Sensor logs indicate that their weapon systems were not powered." Kim: "Then they must have fooled our sensors somehow. I detected a tetryon surge coming from their ship." Tuvok: "There are possible many sources of increased tetryon emissions. It may have been an irregularity in their warp field." Kim: "No! It was their weapons. That whole welcome to Nasari territory was a trick." Chakotay: "How could you know that?" Kim: "Er, I can't explain that. I just knew. I was only trying to protect the ship."

Janeway: "I trust your intentions, Ensign, but your actions are going to need a little more justification. I want you to analyse the sensor logs, and see if there's any basis for Mr Kim's hunch." Tuvok: "Aye Captain."

Janeway: "In the meantime I'm suspending you from duty. Go to Sickbay. Let the Doctor have a look at that cut."

Kim feels worse when he sees he is to be accompanied by a security guard. He would like to say more but realises he cannot. Silently he goes into the turbolift, followed by the guard.

In Voyager's Sickbay, Torres is critically ill on the main biobed. Kes: "Still no respiration. Her blood pressure's 90 over 40 and dropping." Doctor: "She has second degree burns on her lungs. I'll need to do a pulmonary regeneration." Kes: "Her neural tissues are starting to degenerate." Kim enters. An injured crewman is helped in. Kim approaches the main console, watching as the Doctor treats Torres. Doctor: "Oxygen deprivation. We've got to get her breathing. Try ten milligrammes of pulmozine." Kes: "No effect." Doctor: "Twenty milligrammes."

This injection works. Torres suddenly starts breathing, gasping as her body instinctively pulls air into her lungs in a massive gulp.

Kim: "Is she going to be alright?" Doctor: "Yes. Another patient snatched from the jaws of death." He moves off to finish treating Torres.

Kes, noticing Kim's cut: "Let me take care of that." Kim, as Kes treats him: "B'Elanna almost got killed. It's my fault."

Kes: "What do you mean?" Kim: "I started that fight. I thought I was doing the right thing. For a moment I was absolutely sure." Kes: "And now you're not?" Kim: "It's fading. What I did, and how I felt. It doesn't make any sense. And it could've been worse. What if they'd been more powerful than we were? I could've gotten everyone killed." Kes: "But none of that happened. B'Elanna got hurt, but she'll recover. Harry, you can't undo what's been done." He realises that Kes means well and her words are sound, so there is no point pursuing it. "You're right. Thanks." But as he turns to head for the door, he still feels guilty.

He heads for the door. The door opens and the security guard is there waiting for him. Kim had momentarily forgotten him. He leaves, accompanied by the guard.

In his quarters that night, Kim has a dream. Dream Kim: "Raising shields and firing phasers."

He sees an unknown planet. Dream Kim: "I can't explain it. I just knew."

Dream Kim: "I never wanted you to get hurt." Dream Torres: "That's supposed to make me feel better?" Dream Kim: "I'm sorry."

Dream Kim's mother to a young dream Kim who has spots on his face: "Harry, I'm here. Don't worry, you'll feel better soon. I can make some soup for you, would you like that?" The young dream Kim nods and plucks at her sleep. His dream mother replies: "I won't go away anywhere as long as you need me. We raised you to be a responsible boy."

Dream Kim: "I try to be." Dream Kim's mother, firmly, like Captain Janeway: "I'm suspending you from duty."

Dream Kim: "Mom!"

Kim wakes, disturbed by the unsettling dream. He gets up and goes into the bathroom.

He runs some water, then suddenly notices strange spots on his face!