DISPLACED
Episode 66
Part B

 

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 50912.4. It's been twelve hours since these mysterious exchanges began. We still haven't discovered their cause. I've already lost over half my crew."

Chakotay and Janeway discuss the situation as they head along a corridor for Main Engineering.
Chakotay: "Cargo bay 2 is almost full. We'll have to start converting the Shuttlebays."
Janeway: "Then do it. I want them where we can keep an eye on them."
Chakotay: "I'll have to re-assign more crewmembers to security. Our ranks are getting a little thin."
Janeway: "Shut down everything but the ship's essential functions. We'll be operating on a skeleton crew before long."

In Main Engineering, they look at schematic data on a monitor screen. Janeway: "B'Elanna, you've developed a theory about what's happening?" Torres: "A Nyrian astrophysicist, who arrived about an hour ago, told me about some strange graviton fluctuations they detected at their colony. I ran some scans on this end and found the same thing."

Janeway: "A wormhole?" Torres: "Possibly a baby one. And if I'm right, one end is opening intermittently inside Voyager. We could have passed through it while it was forming and snagged on it somehow."

Chakotay: "Then how do we get it unsnagged?" Torres: "Well, now that I have this new information, I'd like to have another talk with Rislan, the Nyrian scientist." Janeway asks Chakotay: "Is Neelix still helping out with the new arrivals?" Chakotay: "I think he's in Cargo Bay 2 now."

Janeway taps her combadge. combadge "Janeway to Neelix." Neelix, via comms: "Neelix here, Captain." Janeway: "I'd like you to find one of the Nyrians who-" She vanishes! translocator

Torres and Chakotay are dismayed. The comm. signal sounds. comms. signal Via comms: "Neelix to Captain Janeway. I lost contact. What did you say?"

Chakotay, via comms: "Chakotay to Neelix. The Captain's gone. We need you to find a Nyrian scientist called Rislan and get him to Engineering as soon as you can." Neelix, via comms: "Right away, Commander." Chakotay: "Do what you have to do to get some answers, B'Elanna." He leaves.

Cargo bay 2, which has been turned into quarters for the Nyrians, is dark and warm.

Neelix searches and comes upon one of the Nyrians, who is shivering. Neelix: "Excuse me, aren't you Dr Rislan?" Rislan: "It's still too cold in here." Neelix: "I'll adjust the environmental controls, again. But I must ask you-" Rislan: "And the air is too humid." Neelix: "I'll take care of it right away. But I must ask you to go to our engineering room. I believe you're urgently needed." Rislan: "I trust it'll be suitably warm and dark there?" Neelix: "I'll make sure you're comfortable." He beckons Ensign Molina. "A security guard will escort you."

USS Voyager.

On the Bridge, there are only two personnel - Chakotay and Ensign Lang. She is at the tactical/security station. Lang: "Commander, there's a problem with the internal sensors on Deck 4. It looks like a circuit relay malfunction."

Chakotay: "I can't spare anyone for repairs. You'll have to make do." As they work, he says conversationally: "How do you like your first day as chief of security, Ensign?" Lang: "It's everything I dreamed of, sir."

Chakotay jokes: "Who says there's no room for advancement on this ship?" She smiles.

Lang reports an instrument reading: "Another disappearance. It's Neelix." Chakotay: "How many people does that leave us?" Lang: "Forty." Chakotay, doing the mathematics: "More than one hundred Nyrians." He orders Lang: "I want access to all systems restricted to authorised voice prints only. Seal off any part of the ship that we're not using. And place security forcefields around sensitive areas - warp core, armoury, torpedo bays. And let's hope I'm just being paranoid."

In Main Engineering, Rislan and Torres are discussing the problem. Molina hovers nearby, mainly by the warp core. Rislan: "If you ask me, a tetryon scan is a waste of time. A multi-spectral sweep would be much more useful." Torres: "Actually, I didn't ask, and I've already initiated the tetryon scan." Rislan: "You're the expert."

Torres checks the read-out from the scan: "Neutrinos, ionised hydrogen, theta-band radiation." Rislan: "Just what you'd expect to find in a wormhole." Torres: "It's what we're not finding that I'm interested in. The scan shows no quantum-level fluctuations whatsoever." Rislan: "That's not so unusual." Torres: "It's more than unusual, it's impossible. I don't think this is a wormhole at all." Rislan: "Perhaps it's a subspace flow field then."

Torres: "I'm going to run a pattern analysis with the original data." She goes over to another console while Rislan remains where he is. "Nope, definitely not a flow field. The spatial harmonics are incompatible. I don't think this is a natural phenomenon."

Rislan moves nearer to Molina and peers down at the warp core. Molina follows his gaze. Rislan turns away but then suddenly turns back. He flings out his fist and knocks Molina unconscious.

He grabs Molina's phaser and aims it at Torres. Rislan: "Don't move. I won't hurt you unless you force me to."

Torres: "Your people have been behind this all along."

Rislan taps a sequence of controls on the console. Torres: "What are you doing?" Rislan: "Moving you to the head of the line."

translocator Torres' view as she is translocated off Voyager.....

.....to a brightly lit indoor environment. Paris is there, and other missing crewmembers too. The weather is perfect and birdsong from the surrounding woodland can be heard.

Janeway comes up to her: "B'Elanna, are you alright?" Torres: "Captain, the Nyrians are responsible for the exchanges. I think they have some kind of technology."

Janeway hushes her as two Nyrians appear. One confiscates Torres' combadge and then they both leave.

Torres: "What do they want with us?" Janeway: "I don't know. They refuse to answer any questions." Kes: "They've given us food, water and medical supplies; everything but information."

Torres: "Where's the rest of the crew?" Janeway: "In other compounds just like this one, scattered throughout the woods." Torres: "This doesn't seem like a Nyrian colony. It's not warm enough or dark enough for them." Paris: "Exactly. It's more like an idyllic version of Earth, as though it were created specifically for us."

Torres: "Do we have any idea what planet we're on?" Janeway: "Not yet. I sent Tuvok to investigate the other compounds and see what he could find out. Until he gets back, all we have are unanswered questions."

Voyager's bridge.

Lang: "Decks 11 through 15 are completely shut down. Most of the remaining crew are on security detail near the cargo and shuttle bays."

Chakotay: "What, all thirteen of them?" Lang: "Twelve, sir."

The comm. signal sounds. comms. signal Via comms: "Crewman Gennaro to bridge. I'm in Engineering and I just found Ensign Molina. He's unconscious but OK." Chakotay: "What about the Nyrian scientist he was watching?" Gennaro, via comms: "There's no sign of him, sir." Chakotay: "Find him. That's a priority." He heads for the turbolift.

Lang: "Where are you going?" Chakotay: "To have a talk with the Nyrians."

Now very suspicious, Chakotay draws his phaser as he hurries to Cargo Bay 2.

Chakotay enters Cargo Bay 2. cargo bay doors He sees that all the Nyrians have left. Chakotay taps his combadge. combadge Via comms: "Chakotay to all hands. Security alert. The Nyrians may be trying to take control of the ship. Everyone, get to the Bridge or Main Engineering and secure them against possible intruders."