Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 48579.4. The crew has been scanning constantly for anomalies that might help us shorten our journey home. Ensign Kim has reported an exciting new discovery: a subspace disturbance which may be a wormhole."
 | Janeway enters the Bridge. |
 | She goes to the Ops station where Chakotay and Tuvok have gathered round Kim. |  |
 Monitor on the Ops forward console. | Janeway: "Let's see what you have, Mr Kim."
Kim: "There. It's registering only on subspace bands. We don't even have it on long-range sensors yet." Janeway: "Verteron emanations, tunnelling, secondary particles. It certainly looks like a wormhole." Chakotay: "But is it stable enough for us to enter? and if it is, where does it lead?" |
 | Tuvok: "There is of course a 75 per cent chance that the wormhole will not lead to the Alpha Quadrant."
Janeway: "Very true, but you could also say that there's a one in four chance it will. Those aren't bad odds. Any analysis yet, Ensign?" Kim: "It's too far away. We'd have to be within a thousand kilometres to get a detailed analysis. That would mean a significant course change." |
 | Janeway: "Well, Mr Kim? If there's even a possibility of finding a wormhole I think we can afford a detour."
Kim and Chakotay smile. |  |
 | She turns to Paris at the helm. "Lieutenant, input the co-ordinates and change course." |
 | Paris: "Aye, Captain. And may I suggest that if this works we petition the Federation Astronomical Committee to officially designate this the Harry Kim Wormhole." They turn to see Kim's reaction. |  |
 | Later, USS Voyager arrives at the co-ordinates. |
| Paris: "Captain, we're approaching the co-ordinates of the wormhole."
Janeway: "On screen. Are we in visual range?" Kim: Affirmative, Captain, and the anomaly is still registering on subspace bands." Paris: "Sensors also indicate it's there." Janeway: "Magnify." Nothing seems to show on the main viewscreen. "Increase to highest magnification." At last they see it. Chakotay: "If that's a wormhole it must be the smallest one on record." Janeway: "Mr Kim, are you able to analyse it?" Kim: "Aye, Captain. It's virtually microscopic. The aperture's only about 30 centimetres in diameter." Paris: "I guess it's a little too small for us to fly through." Tuvok: "However, it might be large enough to act as a conduit for a message." Kim: "That's right. It could carry a compressed data transmission to Federation space in minutes." Janeway: "We still have to find out if it goes anywhere near the Alpha Quadrant. Can you trace its subspace bearing?" Kim: "I can't get any directional readings at all. The aperture is too small." Tuvok: "I recommend we launch a microprobe into the wormhole." Janeway: "Agreed. Do it, Lieutenant." Tuvok: "Aye, Captain." Kim: "We're receiving telemetry." Paris: "Doesn't look like any wormhole I've ever studied." Kim: "Microscopic gravitational eddies. Extremely constricted spatial dimensions. Pathway's barely wider than the probe itself." Janeway: "I think what we're seeing is a wormhole in an advanced state of decay. It must be ancient, probably been collapsing for centuries." Paris: "Does that mean we can't send a message through it?" Kim: "No, I can do it. Maybe it'll take longer to get through but the wormhole's still stable enough to carry a transmission." Chakotay: "Any idea yet where that message will end up, Ensign?" Kim: "I'll try extrapolating the verteron exit vector. No, I can't get it. There's a strange phase variance in the radiation stream. We'll have to wait until the probe exits." Janeway: "That shouldn't take long." Paris: "Captain, I'm getting a distorted energy reading." Tuvok: "The probe's telemetry has changed." Paris: "It's stuck." Janeway: "Stuck?" Kim: "It's mired in a gravitational eddy and because the wormhole's in a state of collapse those eddies are incredibly dense. That probe will never break free, Captain, and we'll have no way of knowing where the wormhole ends." Janeway: "Let's give it some time. Maybe it'll work itself loose." Kim: "Captain." Janeway: "What is it, Ensign?" Kim: "Our probe, it's just been scanned - there's somebody on the other side of the wormhole." |
| In Sickbay a member of the crew, Walter Baxter is being attended by the Doctor. He talks to Kes, however, not the Doctor.
Baxter: "It started acting up a couple of days ago. I've been working out in the gym. Maybe I overdid it." Doctor: "Is it sore here?" Baxter: "Yes." The Doctor asks Kes to suggest possible diagnoses. Kes: "Epicondylitis, strained ligament, torn muscle and hairline fracture." Doctor: "That's exactly right." Kes: "I've studied all the material you gave me. I'm ready for more." Doctor: "Good. There's a great deal more for you to learn. The tricorder indicates a small stress fracture." Baxter: "Can this guy do everything a real doctor does?" Doctor: "Yes, he can." He hands her a medical instrument. "Activate it and direct the beam here. That's it. Not quite so fast." Baxter: "If I had to get treatment for something serious, if I needed surgery for instance, would he be performing it?" Doctor: "Of course and quite expertly too." Baxter: "I don't know. I'd have to think twice about that." Doctor: "Fine, and if you were lucky you wouldn't die on the table while you were making up your mind." Baxter is surprised to be addressed with a comment by the Doctor. "That should do it. How does it feel?" Baxter: "Not bad." Baxter gets off the bio-bed and says, "Thanks," to Kes and leaves without a word or acknowledgement to the Doctor. Kes watches Baxter leave, feeling indignant on the Doctor's behalf at Baxter's lack of respect toward the Doctor. |
 | Kes: "Doctor, did you notice how rudely that officer treated you?"
Doctor: "No more so than most." Kes: "You mean others act that way too?" Doctor: "Let's just say I've become accustomed to being treated like a hypospray." |
 | He hands her a PADD. "Now here's some material on first aid for burns." |
 | Kes: "Doctor, I think I'd like to do more than study first aid. I'd be interested in knowing more about anatomy and physiology."
Doctor: "You're intellectually curious. I like that." He hands her two more PADDs, one a large one. "These deal with human anatomy and physiology but they weren't written for the layman. They're quite technical." Kes: "I understand. I'll do my best. And I really appreciate your help." |
 | After Kes leaves, the Doctor ponders, somewhat taken aback by her treatment of him. |
 | Briefing room.
Kim: "We've analysed the data. So far our sensors have detected four separate scans of the microprobe, each one on a progressively narrower band. Someone on the other end of that wormhole is definitely interested in that probe." |
 | Tuvok: "We cannot preclude the possibility that there is a microscopic entity within the wormhole curious about an intruder."
Kim: "That's possible but I think our probe would've detected something like that." Janeway: "What's the condition of the probe now?" Torres: "I've been monitoring it from engineering. It's still embedded in the gravitational eddy but within 72 hours it will be crushed." Kim: "But until then it will continue to transmit telemetry." |
 | Janeway: "If we're reading scans from the other side it's possible the probe is acting as a relay. If that's true we should be able to transmit a message to whoever is executing the scan."
Kim: "Yes! We can modify our subspace communication band to accept the probe as a booster." Janeway: "Let's try it, Mr Kim." Kim gets up. Torres: "I'll give you a hand." Kim and Torres leave to start work on the modification to the subspace communication band. |
 | Tuvok: "I fear Mr Kim's exuberance may turn into an equally intense disappointment if his efforts prove in vain."
Janeway: "You may be right, but I'd rather assume that he's going to be successful." |
| Engineering.
Kim: "Ok, I've boosted power to the communication bandwidth. Now all we have to is reconfigure the signal generator so it's compatible with the probe's long-range sensors." Torres: "I'm on it. Just a few minutes more." Kim: "This has to work. It'll mean so much to people back home to know we're alive and headed for Federation space." Torres: "We haven't been gone that long. People won't give up on us so soon. They probably just think we're lost." Kim: "It's still going to be hard on my folks. I always called them once a week, even when I was on my training missions. I've never been out of contact for so long." Torres: "Well, it is going to work, Starfleet, so pretty soon they're going to know you're alright." Kim: "How about you, any family?" Torres: "I haven't seen my father since I was 5. He and my father separated, he went back to Earth and that was the last I saw of him." Kim: "And your mum?" Torres: "I think she's on the Klingon homeworld." Kim: "You think?" Torres: "We didn't get along very well. Ok. The signal generator should be tuned to the probe's long-range sensors." Kim: "Isn't there anyone back home who'd be worried about you?" Torres: "The Maquis is as close a family as I've ever had. Most of my friends are here, on the ship, so no, there's no one back home who's going to care one way or another whether I'm alive. We're ready to transmit." |
 | Kim taps his combadge. Via comms: "Engineering to Bridge."
Janeway replies via comms: "Janeway here." Kim: "We have a communications link with the microprobe. We're going to try sending a preliminary test signal, a series of subharmonic pulses - they stand the best chance of transmission through the wormhole." Janeway: "Acknowledged. Proceed." Kim: "Aye, Captain." |
 | Chakotay: "I'm reading transmission of the test signal. The probe has received it and relayed it."
Paris: "How will we know if the signal reaches somebody?" Janeway: "The only way is if that somebody answers." |
 | Kim: "There's no response."
Torres: "It's too soon. Remember, we have no idea how long it takes to reach the other side." |
| Janeway: "Are you reading anything, Mr Tuvok?"
Tuvok: "Negative, Captain. There's nothing that would suggest a response." Janeway: "Even if someone receives our signal it might take them sometime to figure out how to return it." Janeway: "You're right. Janeway to Kim. Continue transmitting." Kim: "Aye, Captain. How long shall we keep it up?" Janeway: "Until I tell you otherwise. You have the Bridge, Commander." She goes to leave the Bridge but stops when Tuvok says: "Captain." Janeway: "Mr Tuvok?" Tuvok: "I'm getting something, Captain." Paris: "I'm getting it too. A subspace signal relayed through the probe." Tuvok: "That signal is being transmitted at exactly the same frequency and amplitude as our signal. It's a response. Someone received our transmission and sent one back, and their signal originated in the Alpha Quadrant." |
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