Holo-Seska: "Fire on my order." Holo-Chakotay: "Belay that!" Holo-Seska: "What are you doing? We planned this!" Holo-Chakotay: "I'm not sure it's necessary to kill them."

Tuvok to Paris: "If I'm not mistaken, the Chakotay hologram is undergoing some sort of character change." Paris replies: "You think they're trying to help us again?" Holo-Seska: "These two rodents betrayed us. They deserve to die!" Tuvok to Holo-Chakotay: "Don't listen to her, Commander. You've taken the ship. There is no need to add murder to your list of offences." Holo-Seska to Tuvok: "Quiet!" Holo-Chakotay to the firing squad: "Lower your weapons."

Torres: "It's working." Janeway: "Now, if I can just modify the Chakotay hologram..."

Holo-Chakotay: "We have what we want. There's no reason to kill them." Holo-Seska ignores him and gives orders to the firing squad: "Prepare to fire on my order."

Holo-Chakotay: "Seska! I'm in command of this operation." Holo-Seska: "Not any more!" She fires at him and kills him! Janeway witnesses it all on the monitor. Torres: "I don't believe it. The program is reconfiguring the subprocessors to counter every change we make. No matter what we do, it rewrites itself so that Tom and Tuvok will die." Janeway, grimly: "I'm not out of ideas yet."

Holo-Seska: "Is there anyone else who wants to challenge my authority?" When no one says anything, Holo-Seska comments to Paris and Tuvok: "Isn't their loyalty inspiring?" To the firing squad: "Set your phasers to kill." As the firing squad obey her, Paris tries to appeal to them: "Don't listen to her." Holo-Seska to the firing squad: "Fire on my order."

Suddenly the ship lurches as it is fired upon! Holo-Seska: "What the hell was that?!" The mutineers lose their balance. The ship is fired on again.

In the confusion Tuvok and Paris attack the mutineers. Tuvok knocks over O'Donnell and seizes his phaser rifle. Paris disarms another mutineer. Paris and Tuvok aim the weapons at Holo-Seska and the mutineers.

Tuvok: "Don't move, Seska."

A com. signal sounds. comms. signal "Bridge to Seska. We're under attack by the Rukani." Holo-Seska: "The Rukani!" Paris surmises how Janeway has rewritten Seska's program and plays along: "The people the Captain and I were visiting while you were busy taking over the ship. When we realised there was a mutiny in progress we called them for a little assistance.

Janeway taps her combadge. combadge "Harry, have you got transporters yet?"
Kim, via comms: "Still working on it, Captain."

Holo-Seska: "They're not getting this ship back." Tuvok: "That is rather a bold statement for someone in your position." Holo-Seska: "Computer, initiate 60-second self-destruct sequence, authorisation zeta-one." Holo-computer: "This ship will self-destruct in 60 seconds." Tuvok: "Computer, belay that order. Authorisation Tuvok 4774." Holo-computer: "Unable to comply. Voice print not recognised." Holo-Seska, holding out her hand for the weapon: "If you don't hand over that phaser rifle, everyone on this ship is going to be dead in-" Holo-computer: "Self-destruct in 45 seconds."

Torres to Janeway: "I don't know how she rigged it, Captain, but when she ordered the self-destruct, it initiated an overload in the Holodeck power relays. The whole grid is going to blow."

Holo-computer: "Self-destruct in 30 seconds."
Holo-Seska: "Hand over the weapon, or the ship is going to be destroyed."
Tuvok sets a control on the phaser rifle. "I have set this phaser to kill. If you do not deactivate the self-destruct sequence, I will fire."
Holo-Seska: "I'm surprised at you, Tuvok. It's not very logical. If I'm dead, who'll turn off the self-destruct?" 15 seconds to self-destruct. 13...12...11...10...9..."

Tuvok hands the phaser rifle to Holo-Seska. She orders: "Computer, terminate the self-destruct sequence, authorisation zeta-one." Holo-computer: "Self-destruct sequence has been terminated."

Holo-Seska: "Now call off your Rukani friends."
Tuvok to Paris: "Do as she says."
Paris: "Tuvok-"
Tuvok: "That's an order, Mr Paris."
Paris taps his combadge. combadge "Paris to the Rukani vessel. Thank you for your assistance, but everything's under control now." Contact ends.

Holo-Seska: "It is, isn't it? I guess if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself." She aims the phaser rifle firmly and squeezes the trigger. But the phaser rifle backfires, destroying her!

Paris compliments Tuvok on his clever ploy: "Not bad." Tuvok: "Seska's not the only one who knows how to cause a phaser malfunction."

The holoprogram ends, and the (real) computer reports: "The holographic simulation has ended." Tuvok and Paris are in the empty holodeck.

Torres: "It's over." A com. alert sounds. "Kim to Engineering. I think I can give you transporters now, Captain." Janeway, via comms: "That's alright, Harry. No rush."

On the Bridge, at Ops, Kim, who looks worn out by his efforts to repair the transporters, is relieved that the crisis is over.

In the Messhall the senior staff raise their mugs and drink a toast. They are all there except for the Doctor and Kes, and except for Kim who is presumably in command on the Bridge.

Janeway: "Here's to stories with happy endings."   Tuvok: "I must say, Captain, causing the alien ship to come to our aid was a very effective plot development."   Janeway: "Who says 'deus ex machina' is an outmoded literary device?"   Paris: "I'm just glad you didn't come down with a case of writer's block."   Torres: "So, you two are going to have to come up with a new idea for your next literary collaboration. What about doing a Western, or a detective story?"   Chakotay jokes: "I don't care what kind of story it is as long as I'm not the bad guy this time." All (except of course Tuvok) laugh at this."   Neelix: "I've got a great idea for a holonovel, about a daring trader who becomes a cook on a starship. Eventually, he rises to-"   Tuvok: "Mr Neelix, if Mr Paris and I do create another work of holofiction, I assure you we will choose a subject much less close to home."   The others chuckle at this, and the social gathering continues.