Episode 89: THE OMEGA DIRECTIVE: Part D

 

	In the alien laboratory transport pattern enhancers are set up. Janeway: "Set the confinement beam to its narrowest dispersion." Tuvok: "Understood." Janeway: "We'll target this facility with the gravimetric torpedo. If anything goes wrong during transport, that'll be our only hope."
	Suddenly Chakotay signals: "Bridge to Janeway. We've detected two ships on an intercept course. They're not responding to hails." Janeway: "How long until they get here?" Paris: "Less than four minutes, Captain." Janeway: "Stand by to transport the molecules directly to the harmonic chamber." Chakotay: "Understood."
	Chakotay: "Bridge to Cargo Bay." Seven is checking the harmonic chamber." Seven: "Yes, Commander." Chakotay: "Get ready, Seven. We'll have to do this quickly." Seven: "That's not advisable." Chakotay: "We don't have a choice. The alien ships are on their way." Seven: "Then I recommend moving the ship within five thousand kilometres of the surface."
	Paris: "That'll take us right into the atmosphere. With our shields down we won't withstand the thermal reaction for more than a few seconds." Chakotay: "Then we'll only get one shot at this. Take us in." Paris: "Aye, sir." Chakotay to Kim: "Transporter status?" Kim: "Targetting scanners are locked."
	Chakotay: "Captain? Are you ready?" Tuvok: "Pattern enhancers are active." Janeway: "Do it."
	Paris: "We're eleven thousand kilometers from the surface. If we get much closer, we'll incinerate." Kim: "We're losing structural integrity." Paris: "Nine thousand kilometers." Janeway: "We're close enough. Energise." Chakotay: "Initiating transport."
	The Omega molecules are beamed into the harmonic resonance chamber. Seven: "The Omega molecules are stable. Transport was successful." Kim: "I've got the away team in Transporter Room 2."
	Chakotay: "Get us out of here, maximum impulse." Paris: "Already on it." Chakotay: "How far away are those ships?" Paris: "They're right on our tail."

Janeway and Chakotay are with Paris at the helm, looking at one of the monitors. Chakotay: "We're heading into an area of open space. No indications of life or any kind of technology. We can carry out the procedure with no risk to anyone else." Paris: "Except those two ships behind us." Janeway: "Can we stay ahead of them?" Paris: "Not for long." Chakotay: "How soon can we clear the subspace ruptures and go to warp?" Paris: "Ten, maybe fifteen minutes. But those ships will catch up to us before then." Janeway: "Well, we have one advantage. We've got Omega. They won't risk firing at us, at least not until they run out of options. That should give us a chance to neutralise the molecules."

Chakotay: "Captain, we might have another problem."
Janeway: "Seven?"
Chakotay nods. "She's convinced she can stabilise Omega."
Janeway: "I thought we'd settled that question."
Chakotay: "While you were on the surface, she showed me a pretty convincing simulation of how it could be done."
Janeway: "I should have known she wouldn't just let this go." She heads for the turbolift. "I'll be in cargo bay two."

In the cargo bay Seven is working at the harmonic chamber. Janeway enters. Janeway: "Seven, the procedure?" Seven: "It's working. Eleven percent of the molecules have already been neutralised." Janeway: "Let's see if we can speed up the process a little." Seven: "Did Chakotay tell you about my idea?" Janeway: "Yes." Seven: "Then you will allow me to stabilise the remaining molecules." Janeway: "You know I can't do that." Seven: "Your Starfleet Directive is no longer relevant. I have found a way to control Omega." Janeway: "I don't care if you can make it sing and dance. We're getting rid of it." Seven: "A foolish decision." Janeway: "Yes, but it's mine to make. Now, step aside." Seven: "I could have done this without your permission, but I chose to follow your command structure. I should've made the attempt. I still can." Janeway: "But you won't. You know I'm not trying to stop you from finding perfection, but I can't risk the safety of this Quadrant. Omega must end here, we both know that." Seven concedes and they start work at the chamber's controls. Janeway: "Status?" Seven: "Eighteen percent." Janeway: "This could take hours. Can you increase the harmonic resonance?" Seven: "Yes, but it would rupture the chamber." Janeway: "How many molecules would we neutralise?" Seven: "Forty, fifty percent at best." Janeway: "That's good enough. Our torpedo can take care of the rest." She signals the Bridge. combadge "Janeway to bridge." Chakotay: "Chakotay here." Janeway: "Chakotay, I want you to clear deck 4. Put emergency forcefields around this section. Prepare to decompress Cargo Bay 2 on my command." Chakotay: "Understood." Janeway: "Tuvok, load the gravimetric torpedo. Once we've jettisoned the chamber, fire." Tuvok: "Aye, Captain." Janeway to Seven: "Harmonic resonance to maximum."

	Paris: "Commander, they're closing on us ."
	Tuvok: "They're attempting to stop us with a tractor beam." Chakotay: "Adjust shields to compensate."
	Kim: "They're hailing us." Chakotay: "On screen."
	The alien captain appears on screen, a member of Allos' species. Alien Captain: "Disengage your engines and prepare to be boarded." Chakotay: "I can't do that." Alien Captain: "You've stolen our technology, abducted our people."
	Chakotay: "Your people are safe. They're receiving medical care. I'll be glad to get them back to you when this is over. But we're keeping the molecules." Alien Captain: "I won't allow this substance to fall into enemy hands. I'll destroy it first." Tuvok reports to Chakotay: "They're charging weapons." Chakotay to the Alien Captain: "You'll destabilise the molecules - we'll both be destroyed!" Alien Captain: "Then return our technology. Now." Chakotay: "I'm sorry. That's not possible." The communication terminates.
	Tuvok: "Direct hit. Shields down ten percent." Chakotay: "Evasive maneuvers. Try to shake them off."
	In Cargo Bay 2 Janeway and Seven are still at work. Seven: "Harmonic resonance is at maximum, Captain." Janeway: "The molecules?" Seven: "Eighty percent remaining." Janeway: "We need to get that down to sixty." The ship is shaken by alien weapons fire. Seven: "Any damage to our power grid could overload the chamber. Omega will chain react!" Janeway: "The same thought crossed my mind!" Janeway: "Where are we now?" Seven: "Seventy-two percent." Janeway: "It's close enough!" She signals the Bridge: "Bridge, start the decompression sequence!" Chakotay: "Acknowledged."
	Suddenly an alert sounds and Seven stares into the viewer. Janeway: "What's wrong? What's happening?" Seven: "The molecules are stabilising!" Janeway: "What?" Seven: "I've done nothing. It's occurring spontaneously." Janeway: "That's impossible."
	Seven stares into the chamber's viewer, transfixed. Computer voice: "Decompression in fifteen seconds... Decompression in ten seconds..." Janeway: "Seven, let's move!" Seven hesitates but Janeway grabs her by the arm and they rush out of the cargo bay doors. After they leave the computer states: "Decompression in five seconds."
	On the Bridge Chakotay asks Paris: "Tom, are we clear of the subspace ruptures?" Paris: "Almost." Chakotay: "I need maximum warp in the next ten seconds or we'll be stuck at ground zero." Paris: "Yes, sir."
	Chakotay: Tuvok: "Decompression is complete. Targetting the harmonic chamber." Chakotay: "Fire." Voyager fires two photon torpedoes from the aft torpedo launchers, and the chamber explodes.
	Paris: "We made it. We're at warp one." Janeway and Seven enter. Janeway: "The alien ships?" Paris: "Out of range." Janeway: "Tuvok?" Tuvok: "Sensors show no traces of Omega molecules." Janeway: "Mission accomplished."

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 51793.4. We've arranged for our guests in Sickbay to be taken back to their homeworld, and we can finally put this mission behind us. This will be my last encrypted log concerning the Omega Directive. The classified datafiles will now be destroyed."

Seven is in the Leonardo da Vinci holoprogram. She stares at the crucifix on the wall thoughtfully.

Janeway enters and comments: "I wondered who was running my program. Master da Vinci doesn't like visitors after midnight." Seven: "He protested. I deactivated him." Janeway: "What are you doing here, Seven?" Seven: "This simulation contains many religious components. I was studying them to help me understand what I saw in cargo bay two." Janeway: "The data wasn't clear on why Omega stabilised in the last few seconds. Chances are it was simply a chaotic anomaly, nothing more." Seven: "For 3.2 seconds, I saw perfection. When Omega stabilised, I felt a curious sensation. As I was watching it, it seemed to be watching me. The Borg have assimilated many species with mythologies to explain such moments of clarity. I've always dismissed them as trivial. Perhaps I was wrong." Janeway: "If I didn't know you better. I'd say you just had your first spiritual experience."