REAL LIFE
Episode 64
Part E

 

In the holoprogram, he enters the family home to see Jeffrey and his two Klingon friends. Larg: "Be certain that everything is done exactly-"

Jeffrey starts guiltily when he sees his father. Jeffrey: "Dad. What are you doing here?" Doctor: "I live here, Jeffrey, in case you've forgotten." Jeffrey: "I mean, you're home early." Doctor: "Am I interrupting something?" Jeffrey: "No, no, just talking with my friends."

Doctor: "I'd like to get to know your friends. Larg, K'kath, please - sit down."

Reluctantly they go over and sit on the sofa. The Doctor indicates an object in Larg's hand. "What is that?" Larg growls: "What?" Doctor: "You're holding something." Larg: "This?" Doctor: "Yes. What is it?" Jeffrey: "It's a knife, what does it look like."

Doctor: "Why do you boys have a knife?" Larg: "A d'k tahg knife is an important part of our culture. Every Klingon is given one at preparation for his Rite of Ascension."

Doctor: "Hmm." The Doctor holds out his hand for it and Larg turns it and holds it for him to take.

The Doctor looks at it. "I happen to know something about Klingon rituals, and I believe this is actually a dagger of kut'luch, isn't it. Well?"

Larg: "Yes." Doctor: "This dagger is used in a ritual of violence, a first blood-letting in preparation for becoming a warrior. Who's supposed to use this?" There is no reply. "Well?" Silence. "Is one of you preparing for the kut'luch ceremony?" More silence. "I'm waiting for an answer!" Kk'ath, like Larg and Jeffrey, does not answer.

Jeffrey: "Dad, you're making something out of nothing."
Doctor: "I don't think so." To the Klingons: "I'm going to have to ask you boys to leave."
Jeffrey protests: "Dad."
Doctor tells the Klingons: "And don't bring a weapon into this house again."
Larg to K'Kath as they head for the door: "I told you, humans are weak, cowardly."
Jeffrey calls after them as they leave: "Call me later."

As soon as his friends have gone, he jumps to his feet. Furiously: "Now look what you've done! You've ruined it!" Doctor: "What exactly have I ruined?" Jeffrey, surlily: "Nothing. Never mind."

He turns his back, heading for his room, but the Doctor puts his hand on his shoulder and forces him to turn round to answer him. Doctor: "You were going to use that knife, weren't you?! Did they talk you into some kind of ritual violence?"

Jeffrey: "They didn't talk me into anything. I asked them. It's an honour to get to perform the kut'luch. They don't just let anybody do it. They trusted me, and now you've made me look like, like a human." Doctor: "You were going to attack someone, draw blood, just so you could appear daring in the eyes of your friends?" Jeffrey: "I was doing it to become honourable. Something that you wouldn't understand."

Doctor: "Jeffrey, how can I make you understand that what you are going to do is wrong."
Jeffrey: "It isn't wrong, it's just the custom of another culture! Who're you to say there's something wrong about it."
Doctor: "I am your father and I expect you to be guided by my ethical standards."
Jeffrey: "Well, I'm not going to be. Your standards are human standards. They're weak and inferior. Klingon ideals are much nobler, and they're the ones I'm going to follow."
Doctor: "If you expect to live in this household you will abide by the rules."
Jeffrey: "If that's the way you want it, then I won't live here." He pushes past.
Doctor: "Jeffrey, think about this."
Jeffrey: "Oh, I've thought about it. I'm going to become a warrior, and I can't do that if I'm being led around on leash by some bloodless p'tahk."

Jeffrey departs, leaving the Doctor pondering this new quandary of teenage rebellion.

His thoughts are interrupted by the call alert from the personal computer. He goes over to the computer and activates it. Charlene's image appears. Charlene, on screen, looking worried and as if she has been crying: "Kenneth?"

Doctor: "What is it? What's happened?" Charlene, on screen: "It's Belle - there's been an accident."

Hours later, in the darkened hospital room, the Doctor pulls up the blanket to keep his daughter warm. She is still unconscious after emergency surgery.

Charlene: "How is she?" Doctor: "Dr Finley and I operated on her for three hours. We've tried everything. We shut down one haemorrhage and another starts." Charlene: "I don't understand. She just hit her head on the corner of the court. How could that've injured her so badly?"

Doctor: "She suffered severe cranial trauma. It's compromised her brain stem and motor cortex. No matter how we try to control the vascular injuries, blood clots keep forming. The haemorrhaging is....intractable."

Charlene: "Then what do you do? What's the treatment?" Doctor: "Unfortunately, the brain is still a, a somewhat mysterious organ." Charlene: "What does that mean? What's going to happen to her?" Doctor: "There's nothing more to be done, nothing medical anyway." Charlene: "But there has to be. Kenneth, you can do something. You have to. You can't just let her... No. No I won't accept it! I'm going to talk to Dr Finley." She leaves.

The Doctor sits down. He mutters, anguished: "Belle."

Belle, waking up: "Daddy?" Doctor, hurrying over to her: "Yes, I'm here." Belle: "Everything's all blurry. What's the matter?"

Doctor: "You took a tumble, hit your head." Belle: "It doesn't hurt." Doctor: "No, because we gave you some medicine." Belle: "Is that why I can't feel my legs?" Doctor: "Yes."

Belle: "What's going to happen? When will I be able to see again?" Doctor, brokenly: "Computer, end program."

The program deactivates and the Doctor is in the empty holodeck.

Kes enters Sickbay later. Kes: "Oh, you're back." Doctor, pretending to be his usual cheerful self, not wanting to discuss his grief: "Yes." Kes: "Did you find the culture I did on Ensign Parson's glial cells?" Doctor: "I did, thank you. Good job." Kes: "How's the family?" Doctor: "I suppose they're fine. I've actually finished the program." Kes: "Finished? Already?" Doctor, with unnatural cheefulness: "Well, I'd gotten what I needed from the experience. It was thoroughly pleasurable, of course, but to continue would be a waste of time." Kes: "I was hoping to visit them again. I really enjoyed our dinner together." Doctor: "Well if I ever create a new family, I'll be sure to invite you." Kes suspects nothing and leaves to do some work. The Doctor's facade of cheerful demeanour gives way. He cannot concentrate on his own work. He is heartbroken by his daughter's imminent death.

"Janeway to Paris. How's the transmission now?" Paris: "This looks like the spawning ground for the astral eddies." "Inside one of the eddies?" "I don't see that there's much choice. So far so good, Captain. I'm almost inside the eye." view looking forward through the shuttlecraft's windows "Here it comes!" Paris sees a large piece of debris heading right for him! Fortunately it impacts the shields and is repelled. Janeway: "Chakotay, move us away." Chakotay: "Yes, ma'am."

Voyager's bridge. Torres: "The communications bandwidth is as wide as I can get it." Janeway, via comms: "Janeway to Paris. How's the transmission now?" Paris, via comms: "Loud and clear, Captain. I've been analysing the shuttle's sensor readings. As nearly as I can figure, I'm in the interfold layer that we talked about somewhere between space and subspace." Janeway, via comms: "That's why we can't find you on any of our scans." Paris, via comms: "Harry was right. This looks like the spawning ground for the astral eddies. There are thousands of baby ones in here." Janeway, via comms: "That's very interesting, Tom, but it doesn't address the problem of how to get you out of there." Paris, via comms: "Well, I've been giving that some careful thought, Captain, and it seems to me the only way to get out is the same way that I got in." Janeway, via comms: "Inside one of the eddies?" Paris, via comms: "Exactly. I've been watching one that seems about ready to erupt into normal space. If I can position the shuttle on its leading edge I should be able to ride it back." Janeway, via comms: "If I had another idea I'd suggest it, but I don't. It's your call, Tom." Paris, via comms: "I don't see that there's much choice. So far so good, Captain. I'm almost inside the eye. I think this one is just about big enough to enter normal space." There is an enormous turbulent whoosh as the astral eddy forms. Kim: "Here it comes!" They have to shout to make themselves heard. Tuvok ducks as the eddy's impact on Voyager shorts out a system. Paris, via comms: "Captain?" Janeway, via comms: "Yes, Tom." Paris, via comms: "I think you should get Voyager away from here." Janeway, via comms: "What's wrong?" Paris, via comms: "This one's turning out to be a whopper! The biggest one we've seen by far. I don't think you should put the ship in danger." Janeway, via comms: "I'm not leaving, Tom. We've got to stay in close if we're going to beam you out." Tuvok: "The eddy is moving towards us at a velocity of 300 kilometres per second." Janeway: "Chakotay, take the conn." Chakotay heads for the helm. "Keep us ahead of it but stay within transporter range." Chakotay: "Right!" Paris, via comms: "I'm going to try to get out of this. Oh!" He is thrown to the rear of the cockpit but manages to regain the helm seat. Janeway: "Harry, can you get a lock on him?" Kim: "Not yet. Everything's too unstable." Janeway, via comms: "Tom, how much longer before you clear the eddy?" Paris, via comms: "It'd better be soon, the hull is beginning to buckle." He sees a large piece of debris heading right for him! Fortunately it impacts the shields and is repelled. Torres: "I've got the shuttle on sensors. The hull is breaching." Janeway: "Harry, can you get a lock on him yet?" Kim: "I'm trying. Hang on! Got it! The shuttle's aboard, Captain. One lifesign." Torres: "He's injured!" Janeway: "Beam him to Sickbay. Chakotay, move us away." Chakotay: "Yes, ma'am." Voyager hurtles away, just in time escaping the force of the astral eddy.