WAKING MOMENTS
Episode 81 : Part C
| In Voyager's Briefing Room, some of the senior staff are trying to obtain a visual likeness of the alien.
Paris: "I'd say his ridges were a little more pronounced." Torres: "Computer, increase facial ridge height by 4 centimetres." Paris: "That's closer." Chakotay: "I think his eyes were wider apart." Torres: "Computer, increase the space between the eyes by 3 centimetres. Increase skin colour and texture." Janeway: "That's him." Chakotay: "Has anybody seen this species before, while you were awake, I mean? Seven." Seven: "He doesn't resemble any species assimilated by the Borg." Paris: "So is he just a figment of our imagination?" Torres: "If he is, we've all been imagining the exact same thing." Tuvok: "One possible explanation is that he's attempting to make telepathic contact." Janeway: "He's doing more than making contact. We've got six crewmembers who can't wake up. For all we know, it's some sort of attack!" Seven: "From where? Astrometric scans haven't revealed any ships in this vicinity or planets capable of sustaining humanoid life." Paris: "So where do we look?" Chakotay: "In our dreams. That's the only place any of us have seen him, right? So if we want to communicate with him, find out what he wants, we'll have to do it on his terms." Tuvok: "How do you propose we do that?" Chakotay: "Lucid dreaming." Torres: "What's that?" Chakotay: "It's a technique which allows you to take control of your dream." Paris: "That happened to me once. I dreamt I was falling and suddenly I realised I was dreaming and I could fly, land or do whatever I wanted. I was in complete control of the dream." Chakotay: "What happened to you by accident is what some people can do by design. I've been able to have a lucid dream by using the same technology I use for a vision quest. I may be able to use it to communicate with this alien." Janeway: "Maybe so, but how do we know you'd be able to wake up again?" Chakotay: "It's kind of like self-hypnosis. Before I go to sleep I choose a visual cue, something to let me know I'm dreaming, Earth's moon, say. Once I see it I can wake myself by tapping the back of my hand three times." Tuvok: "Perhaps you are capable of doing this under normal circumstances. But these were hardly conventional dreams we experienced." Chakotay: "I don't see any other way of finding out what our friend here is after, or how we can wake up Harry and the others. Besides, we can't stay awake forever." Janeway: "You'll do this in Sickbay, under the Doctor's supervision. The rest of you: keep scanning the region, analyse this ship from stem to stern. Wherever he is, find him." |
 | Chakotay is in Sickbay, on the main biobed in the surgery bay.
Doctor: "Normally I consider a good night's sleep an important part of any health regimen, but in this case I can't recommend it." |
 | Chakotay: "I respect your medical opinion, Doctor, but at this point we're out of options."
Doctor: "This will regulate your hypathalamus, but in all probability I won't be able to wake you. You'll be on your own." Chakotay: "I understand." |
 | Janeway: "Ready?" Chakotay nods. "Pleasant dreams." |
 | Chakotay invokes the lucid dreaming: "A-koo-chee-moya, far from the sacred places of my grandfathers, far from the bones of my people, I seek to sleep, to meet the one who has visited us in our dreams." |
Chakotay's lucid dream begins. He is on Voyager, in a corridor, carrying a spear. He sees a deer and follows it into the Messhall, entering through the port-side door. As he moves cautiously through the room, he sees Earth's moon shining brightly through the window which confirms he is dreaming. He reaches the starboard-side door. The door opens. The deer is standing there. Suddenly the deer morphs, reverting to its true form - the alien!
music as Chakotay moves through the messhall, sound of alien morphing, clatter of spear knocked to the ground
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 | The alien reverts to its true form He strides forward and knocks the spear from Chakotay's hands. |  |
 | The alien attacks but Chakotay manages to gain the advantage. |  |
 | Chakotay: "I know this is a dream, my dream. I'm in control."
Alien: "You're mistaken." Chakotay: "Am I?" Alien: "This is more than a dream. It's my reality, and you're no different than the others." Chakotay: "The others?" Alien: "The waking species. For centuries you've come and found us in the state you call 'sleep' and tried to destroy us, but not any more. Now we are in control. One by one you will fall asleep and enter our reality, where it is you who will be destroyed." Chakotay: "We didn't attack you. We didn't even know you existed until we started seeing you in our dreams. Tell me how I can wake my crew and I promise we'll leave." Alien: "As long as you're asleep you're no threat to us." Chakotay: "I can wake myself any time I want and if I do, I'm going to start looking for you in the waking world, find where you're sleeping. You wouldn't want that." Alien: "Leave our space. Once you're beyond it your people will awaken." Chakotay: "Just tell me how far we need to go." Alien: "There's a six planet system less than a parsec away. It marks the nearest border of our space." Chakotay: "We can be past it in one day." Alien: "Then wake yourself, and pray you never dream of us again." Chakotay taps the back of his hand three times. He wakes in Sickbay. |
 | Doctor: "Congratulations, Commander! You're awake." |
 | Janeway: "Chakotay."
Chakotay: "I'm fine." Janeway: "The alien, did you see it?" When he indicates yes, she asks: "And?" |
 | Chakotay: "Well, it was certainly one of the most interesting away missions I've ever been on. I'll tell you about it on the way to the Bridge." They leave Sickbay together. |
 | Janeway and Chakotay enter Voyager's bridge.
Janeway: "Tuvok, scan for a six-planet system. It should be less than a parsec from here." Tuvok: "I have it, Captain, at co-ordinates 139 mark 42." |
 | Janeway: "Tom, lay in a course."
Paris: "Aye, Captain. Course laid in. Do you mind if I ask where we're heading? Chakotay: "Past the aliens' territory. Once we're clear of it, Harry and the others should wake up." Paris: "And the rest of us can finally get some sleep." Janeway: "One step at a time, Tom." |
 | She and Chakotay discuss the aliens privately. Chakotay comments: "From what the alien told me, it sounds like they have corporeal form, but they communicate through their dreams. For them it's as real as the waking world."
Janeway: "Extraordinary." |
 | Chakotay: "It reminds me of the Australian Aborigines. They believed the dream world was no more or less real than the waking world. In fact, their creation mythology says their ancestors actually dreamed the universe into existence."
Janeway: "That's mythology. This seems to be fact." |
 | Chakotay: "I wonder, do they ever wake up? How did they evolve this way?"
Janeway: "We may never know. Sometimes first contact is last contact." Chakotay accepts this with a smile. |  |
Some time later Paris reports: "We're approaching the border of the alien space."
Janeway: "Commander Tuvok, inform the Doctor."
Tuvok: "Aye, Captain."
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