EPISODES 76 & 77 : PART G

DAY 133

Janeway: "Captain's log stardate 51425.4. Our condition has left us vulnerable to spatial anomalies and to any alien species eager for a piece of hardware. We've taken refuge in a class 9 nebula."

Gas from the nebula gets onto Voyager due to a malfunction in the ventilation system. Janeway and Kim repair it. They have only a few minutes of air but by holding their breath they exceed the Doctor's specified time limit. The Doctor scolds Janeway for not sparing the time to be treated. He tells her that Kim made the time to be treated, and that as the alveoli in her lungs are chemically burned she needs to stay off her feet for 48 hours. She says she has too much work to do. She orders him to inject her with trioxin in order to help her breathe better. He points out that trioxin is only used in emergency situations as a stop-gap measure. Torres reports that one of the warp nacelles is offline and the other is a lost cause, so Janeway orders her to re-route all available power to the good one.

Bright light awakes Chakotay, captive and subject of analysis aboard Annorax's time-ship.

He is given facilities to wash and freshen up, given Krenim civilian clothing and brought to Annorax's quarters for a sumptuous dinner.

Annorax pours for Chakotay and Paris a glass each of Malkothian spirits. He says the Malkoth race was once a powerful race in the region and the bottle of Malkothian spirits is an extremely rare vintage and the only component left of the race which never existed (because Annorax erased them from history). He tells Paris that he (Paris) is devouring the last remnants from the Alsuran Empire.

Annorax: "This vessel is more than a weapon. It's a museum of lost histories. You two gentlemen almost became artefacts yourselves. But I've decided to spare your vessel." Paris: "Why?" Annorax: "Call it an act of compassion. You're trying to reach home. In a way so am I. We can work together to achieve both our goals." Chakotay: "What do you propose?" Annorax: "In order to make the calculations I need to restore Voyager, I need to know about some of your experiences in this Quadrant what species you interacted with, how other components were affected by your presence." Paris: "You can't find her, can you? I think Captain Janeway's been eluding you over the past two months, otherwise you'd have destroyed Voyager by now." Annorax: "I'm offering you a way out of this situation. You accept my offer or when I do find Voyager I will destroy it." Paris: "And how many civilisations will you have to erase to send us merrily on our way? No thanks, we don't want that kind of blood on our hands." Chakotay: "Tom, hold on!" To Annorax: "You said you could control the destiny of a single molecule. If you made a precise enough calculation could you restore Voyager without harming anyone?" Annorax: "It is possible. But it's extremely difficult. That's why I need your co-operation." Paris: "I'd rather spend a year in solitary confinement rather than listen to any of this." Chakotay: "Tom, have a seat." Paris: "Chakotay, we can't trust him!" Annorax: "You are correct. Given the circumstances there is no reason to trust me. But trust isn't necessary. We need each other." He summons Obrist. "Obrist, show our guest to his new quarters. I'll do everything in my power to make you comfortable here, Mr Paris. All I ask in return is that you keep an open mind." Once Obrist and Paris have left, to Chakotay: "I was very impressed with your question. You seem to understand the subtleties of time." Chakotay: "Professor Vassbinder might have disagreed with you. I failed his course in temporal mechanics." Annorax: "Beyond study and instrumentation there is an instinct. Not everyone has the ability to truly perceive time, its colours, its moods, perhaps you do." Chakotay: "I'm certainly willing to give it a try."

Aboard Voyager, the senior staff gather in the Messhall, the first time for some while that they have all met together. The toast is "to distant friends". None of them like Neelix's concoction which he calls "the Elixir of Endurance - it's loaded amino acids, carbohydrates, all the nutrients required for the crew to withstand these stressful conditions." Torres: "Ration cubes." Neelix: "Well, yes, yes, but this time puréed, and mixed with water, and enhanced it with Talaxian spices." Seven: "It is offensive. Fortunately taste is irrelevant."

Janeway: "We've got to get back into open space, find allies, put together a fighting force to take on Annorax. We're leaving this damn cloud first thing tomorrow morning."
Seven: "Captain, you are in error. ... At the moment this vessel is defenceless. We should remain here until we are functioning at our peak efficiency."
Janeway: "I appreciate your opinion, Seven, but I disagree. We leave tomorrow, 0800 hours."

Tuvok: "It is inappropriate to contradict the Captain in front of the crew." Seven: "That was not my intention. I simply pointed out that her decision was wrong." Tuvok: "In your view." Seven: "And yours. I know you well enough to say that." Tuvok: "Then you should also know that my trust in Captain Janeway is absolute. The decision you or I might have made is irrelevant." Seven: "As a Borg I submitted to a single authority, the Collective. Over the past several months I've been encouraged to think and act as an individual. It is difficult to know when to restrain myself." Tuvok: "Remember this guideline: the Captain is always right." Seven: "Even when you know her logic is flawed." Tuvok: "Perhaps."

DAY 161

Aboard the Krenim time-ship, Chakotay and Annorax discuss Chakotay's calculations: Chakotay says that eight months ago Voyager made a course correction to avoid a rogue comet (designation 37329) and so entered Krenim space. Chakotay's solution is to erase the comet from history - without the comet Voyager would have stayed on course and avoided Krenim space. But when the simulation of a temporal incursion is conducted, the results are not what Chakotay expected.

Annorax: "Had you actually eradicated that comet all life within 50 lightyears would never have existed. Congratulations. You almost wiped out eight thousand civilistions."
Chakotay: "I didn't consider the entire history of the comet."
Annorax: "Four billion years ago, fragments from that comet impacted a planet. Hydrocarbons from those fragments from that planet gave rise to several species of plant life which in turn sustained more complex organisms, ultimate several space-faring civilisations evolved and colonised the entire sector."
Chakotay: "By erasing the comet I altered all evolution in this region."
Annorax: "Past, present and future - they exist as one, they breath together. You're not the only person to make this mistake. When I first constructed this weapons ship, I turned it against our greatest enemy, the Rilnar. The result was miraculous. With the Rilnar gone from history my people in an instant became powerful again. But there were problems. A rare disease broke out among our colonies. Within a year 50 milion were dead. I had failed to realise that the Rilnar had introduced a crucial anti-body into the Krenim genome, and my weapon had eliminated that anti-body as well."
Chakotay: "You've been trying to undo that damage ever since. But each time you pull out a new thread, another one begins to unravel."
Annorax: "You can't begin to imagine the burden of memory that I carry, thousands of worlds, billions of lives, gone, brought back, gone again. I try to rationalise the loss: they're not really being destroyed because they never existed. Sometimes I can almost convince myself."
Chakotay: "You've been at this for 200 years, Annorax. What makes you think you're ever going to succeed?"
Annorax: "What makes you think Voyager will ever reach Earth? The odds against you are astronomical yet you keep trying."
Chakotay: "You're right, but we don't destroy everything that stands in our way."
Annorax: "You can help me to change that, Chakotay. Together we'll restore the Krenim and Voyager, and we'll undo the damage that I've caused."
Annorax then says he will show Chakotay "the heart of this vessel", its temporal core.

DAY 180

When Voyager is being bombarded by the micro-meteorites, Janeway goes to Deflector Control to get the deflectors back online manually, despite Tuvok's reminder that the area around Deflector Control has been designated hazard level 4.

There is a fire in Deflector Control. Janeway: "Oh, why do I get the feeling you're testing me, Voyager." Janeway uses a loose piece of Voyager's metal which she finds on the ground as a shield. She tells them to alert the Doctor that she will be coming back with severe burns. To Voyager, "Be kind." She successfully accesses the manual controls but collapses on the floor, horribly burnt.

Condition of Voyager.

In the Messhall, the Doctor revives an unconscious Janeway. He tells her she suffered third degree burns to 60% of her body. He has healed most of them but without a dermal regenerator he cannot repair all the damage to her skin. She has been left with scars on her face and arms. "I'll consider them mementoes," she says. The Doctor says she is staying for the next few days with him, for observation. Janeway: "Is there something else wrong with me?" Doctor: "Not physically." Janeway: "What are you suggesting?" Doctor: "Traumatic stress syndrome. Symptoms: irritability, sleeplessness, obsessional thoughts, reckless behaviour, all of which you've demonstrated over the last few weeks." Janeway: "My only obsession is with saving my ship, my people. If I've been taking some chances in order to do that it's hardly a medical condition." Doctor: "I'm not going to stand here while you rationalise yet another brush with death." Janeway: "You don't have to." Doctor: "As Chief Medical Officer I have the authority to relieve you of your command. Janeway: "You're not going to do that." Doctor: "If in my medical opinion your judgement has been impaired, I can, and I will. Janeway: "Try it and I'll shut down your program." Doctor: "That threat in itself is evidence of your unstable condition." Janeway: "I am sorry, Doctor. I've been operating on instinct for so long I did not think before I spoke. I have no intention of de-activating you, but I won't stay in this Messhall." Doctor: "Is that final?" Janeway: "Final." Doctor: "Then you leave me no choice. Captain Kathryn Janeway, under Starfleet Medical Regulation 121, Section A, I the Chief Medical Officer do hereby relieve you of your active command, effective immediately. Have a seat." Janeway: "How do you plan to implement this protocol, Doctor? Mr Tuvok doesn't have a security team, both the Brigs have been destroyed, and with the internal forcefields offline you'll have a hell of a time keeping me confined. You've got to grab a phaser because before I give up command you'll have to shoot me." Doctor: "You realise this incident will be noted in my official logs. By refusing my orders you risk a general court martial." Janeway: "Compared with what I've been through the past few months, court martial would be a small price to pay. If we make it back home, I'll be happy to face the music."

DAY 207

Janeway and Neelix survey damage to the ship and find 35 ruptured EPS conduits, "and that fluidic converter needs to be purged, and the gravitational plating in this room needs to be purged," to which Neelix responds, "Chakotay's quarters."