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| In the transporter room Janeway and Chakotay stand ready to meet their rescuer, while Tuvok operates the transporter controls.
Tuvok: "The bio-filters are detecting high levels of theta radiation." Janeway: "Compensate." Tuvok does so and their rescuer beams aboard. "Welcome aboard, I'm afraid we'll have to talk here. You appear to be leaking." Alien: "Yes, yes, my isolation suit. Don't be alarmed." Chakotay: "We prefer to be on the safe side, Mr-?" Alien: "Emck, Controller Emck, Malon export vessel, 11th grade." Janeway: "It's a pleasure to meet you and a relief-" Emck: "I'd advise you to turn around immediately. There are more of those creatures ahead, thousands of vessels. They're almost impossible to detect. You won't survive another attack." Janeway: "We can't turn round. We're crossing this expanse to reach our home." Emck: "Then er...it appears you'll be coming with me." Tuvok: "What do you mean?" Emck: "There's a spatial vortex a few light-years from here. It leads directly to the other side of the expanse. We've been using it for years." Chakotay: "That would get us out of the Void and cut 2 years off our journey home." Janeway: "Thank you again. I'm curious, Mr Emck, what are you doing here, besides rescuing starships in distress?" Emck: "Ah, I'm on a transport mission. My sensors tell me one of the creatures is still aboard your ship." Chakotay: "It was injured during the attack. Our doctor's treating it." Janeway: "Why?" Emck: "Enough questions. Give me the creature and I'll take you to the vortex." Janeway: "Well my apologies, Mr Emck, but I'd like to know what's going on here. Are you at war with these beings?" Emck: "None of your concern." Janeway: "Your vessel seems to be leaking large amounts of theta radiation. What kind of transport mission are you on exactly?" Emck: "My ship will depart in 2 hours. Co-operate or stay behind. I won't be coming to your rescue when the creatures return. I'm finished here." |
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 | In Sickbay.
Doctor: "Watch your step. I've had to lower the lights. My patient is extremely photosensitive." Chakotay: "It would explain why they dampened our power." Doctor: "My feelings exactly. From what I can tell this lifeform may be indigenous to the Void. Its physiology has evolved to survive in complete darkness." Janeway: "His condition?" Doctor: "Minor injuries - phaser wounds to the face and neck, but that's the least of his problems." He shows them the monitor display of the patient's biomedical status. "He's dying, captain. Every organ is degrading at the cellular level." Janeway: "Theta radiation poisoning." Doctor: "The final stages. My guess is he's been exposed to it over a long period. There's nothing I can do." Janeway: "I'd like a word with him." |
| Janeway to the Void alien: "I'm Captain Janeway, captain of this vessel."
Void alien: "You are allies with the Malon." Janeway: "No. We're simply trying to cross this region. We never met the Malon before today." Void alien: "They will want me." Janeway: "Well, I have no intention of giving you to them. You're not a captive here." She calls the Doctor's attention as the Doctor as the patient is in pain. He acknowledges and prepares a hypospray. "Are you at war with the Malon?" Void alien: "Their ships are poison." Janeway: "The theta radiation." Void alien: "They're killing us." Janeway: "Why? What do they want from you?" Void alien: "Nothing." Doctor, as he injects the patient: "This will help alleviate the pain." Janeway: "I don't understand." Void alien: "We were ignorant. We attacked you. Forgive us." Janeway: "Of course, but I need to understand. You say the Malon are killing your people but there must be a reason." Void alien: "They're poisoning our space. We don't know why." Doctor: "He's in respiratory distress. We need to get him back to his people. They might know how to treat him." Void alien: "I will show you how." Janeway: "I need a work station. Route it to the helm. If you enter the co-ordinates, my pilot will set a course." Void alien: "I am grateful." Janeway and Chakotay leave the patient and confer." Janeway: "Take the Bridge. I'll stay here." Chakotay: "We still don't have a defence against their dampening field. If they decide to attack again-" Janeway: "I'm confident they won't. Finally, something to put in my logbook." |
Chakotay calls Tuvok into the Briefing Room.
Chakotay: "I need your advice."
Tuvok: "A first."
Chakotay: "Look, I realise we're not exactly best friends. From day one we've kept each other at arms' length. But I've always respected your judgement and right now I could use a little Vulcan clarity."
Tuvok: "Proceed."
Chakotay: "It's the captain. As you may have noticed she has isolated herself from the crew."
Tuvok: "She believes that she made an error in judgement four years ago, that she's responsible for stranding Voyager in the Delta Quadrant."
Chakotay: "She told you?"
Tuvok: "No. I've been observing her behaviour for the past four years. Guilt has been her constant companion."
| Chakotay: "You've known her longer than anyone. Have you ever seen her like this?"
Tuvok: "Only once. It was during her first year as a Commander on the USS Billings. She'd sent an away team to survey a volcanic moon. Their shuttle was damaged by a magma eruption and three crewmembers were severely injured. The next day she returned to the moon alone to complete the survey. She wanted the crew to know that their suffering had not been in vain. She could have been killed." Chakotay: "Seeking redemption." Tuvok: "Precisely. Captain Janeway's methods are unorthodox. It is her strength as a leader but unfortunately it is also her greatest weakness." Chakotay: "Stubborn as a Klingon." Tuvok: "To put it mildly." Chakotay: "If she tries something like that again I want to be ready. I'm going to need your support." |
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 | Voyager arrives at the co-ordinates given them by the Void alien. Chakotay orders all stop, shields up and informs Janeway that they have arrived.
Void alien: "They're here. But I must tell them that you are a friend." Janeway helps him use the controls at the work station to contact his people. Kim reports photonic surges surrounding the ship. Chakotay reports to Janeway: "We've got company. Eight ships, twelve more approaching." |
 | Void alien: "We have lived here for millions of years undisturbed, until the Malon came."
Doctor: "Captain, every one of them appears to be suffering from theta radiation exposure." Void alien: "We tell them they are killing us. They won't listen. We try to stop them. They're too strong." Janeway: "What about the vortex? Can you close it, keep them out?" Void alien: "We don't know how! Your ship is powerful, your people resourceful. We need your help." Chakotay: "Bridge to captain. They're locking on to the alien in Sickbay." Janeway: "Lower the shields." As the Void aliens' pink transporter beam takes him, the alien makes a desperate appeal: "Will you help us?" |
 | In the Astrometrics Lab Janeway watches the viewscreen thoughtfully. On the screen is the Malon vessel, leaking the pollution that is killing the Void aliens.
Janeway: "Poison." Seven, reading from sensors: "The vessel is ejecting massive quantities of contaminated anti-matter." Chakotay, reading from sensors: "Their cargo holds are loaded with it. Over 30 million isotons." |  |
Janeway: "Hail them."
Emck: "Captain, you've decided to join us. Send the creature to my-"
Janeway: "That won't be possible. We've returned him to his people. You wanted the lifeform because you were afraid we'd uncover your 'transport mission'."
Emck: "I said this was none of your concern."
Janeway: "Well, it is now. You're using their space as a dumping ground for your anti-matter waste. Why?"
Emck: "My civilisation produces over 6 billion isotons of industrial by-product every day. This region is a perfect disposal site."
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Chakotay: "How convenient, for you, a spatial vortex to the middle of nowhere, far from your own system. Out of sight, out of mind. Problem is, somebody lives here."
Emck: "One species." Janeway: "One's enough. We didn't come here to debate the issue. We came here to offer a peaceful solution." Emck: "What kind of solution?" Janeway: "My people use anti-matter as well, but we've found ways to purify the reactant so there's no toxic waste. We'll show you." Chakotay: "Guide us through the vortex. We can meet with your scientists on the other side, exchange information." Emck: "Show me now." Janeway: "Stand by for transport." The communication with Emck is terminated and she tells Chakotay: "Commander, take our guest to Engineering. Give him a demonstration." As Chakotay leaves, she tells Seven: "Let's turn our sensors on that vortex. I want to know how it works, just in case diplomacy fails." Seven: "Do you intend to destroy it?" Janeway does not reply but her look is meaningful. |
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In engineering Torres explains to Emck.
Torres: "The residual anti-matter is then processed in a transkinetic chamber, where it's broken down on a subatomic level." Emck: "What about the theta radiation?" Torres: "Oh, it's absorbed by a series of radiometric converters. We recycle the energy, use it to power everything from life support to replicators." Emck: "We don't have this kind of conversion technology." Torres: "Or our scans of your freighter shows that you have plasma manifolds. The engineering principles are the same." Chakotay: "We're not saying this won't take some effort. You're looking at several months of reclamating depending on the size of your fleet. All the schematics are here," handing Emck a PADD which he examines, "and we'd be willing to work with you, get you started. We can even provide you with some converters." Emck: "Ingenious design. Our engineers would be pleased. This would solve a lot of problems on my world. Unfortunately it would also put me out of business." Chakotay: "Sorry?" Emck: "Your technology would throw the waste export industry into chaos. Before long I'd be obsolete. I came here hoping your claims were exaggerated but I can see they're not. You can keep your solution." Torres: "You lying-" Chakotay: "B'Elanna!" Torres to Chakotay: "We went through this whole song and dance and he never had any intention of working with us!" Chakotay to Torres: "That's not important." To Emck: "What matters is that we're talking now. We're proposing changes, some of them difficult, but progress can also being new opportunities. Given time, this could turn to your advantage." Emck: "I already have the advantage. The vortex - no one knows about it except me and my crew. By ejecting my cargo here I cut expenses in half. I won't sacrifice that." Torres: "I guess mass murder doesn't factor into your profit margin." Emck: "You care so much about these creatures, stay." Chakotay: "I'm sorry you won't listen to reason. But don't expect us to walk away from this." Emck: "You've scanned my vessel. You've seen my firepower. You wouldn't survive ten seconds in a conflict with me." Chakotay turns to the security guards: "Get him out of here." |
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