Young Naomi Wildman enters the beautiful sunny Forest of Forever in the children's holographic program 'The Adventures of Flotter'.
At a pool in a glade she picks up a stone and throws it in. "Ouch!" comes a voice. Naomi: "Wake up!" Grouchy voice: "Who's there?" Naomi: "Naomi." Grouchy voice: "Come back later." Naomi: "You know what I think? I think you're scared of the Tree Monster."
At this a small part of the pool bubbles up into a water spout and Flotter appears. He presents himself. "I'm not scared of any Tree Monster, Miss Wildman." He walks over across the water to her. "But, as you know, I need my beauty sleep." Naomi: "I'm sorry I woke you, but we have a mission. Flotter, indulgently: "You and your missions!" Naomi smiles. "Lucky for you, your old pal Flotter has everything ready. Follow me."
Flotter takes Naomi into the forest. "I've laid a trap." He shows her a rope hanging down from the branches. "When he climbs this tree, he'll trip the alarm." He pulls the rope and lots of little windchime-type bells ring. "Tree Monsters are terrified of high-pitched noises." Naomi: "I've never heard that." Flotter: "Ah! It's a well-known fact. The bells'll scare him high into those branches, where counterweights will pin the tree-top 'til it springs back, catapulting him pondward and....splash! He'll sink like a log." Naomi: "But Flotter, logs float." Flotter: "Details, details."

From the branches comes a deep resounding voice. "That is a terrible plan." Naomi and Flotter look up. A tree-creature is looking down at them from the branches. Naomi is rather frightened. "It's him!"

The tree-creature introduces himself. "The name's Trevis. And you are?" Flotter: "Flotter, Flotter T. Water III." Trevis: "Well of course you are, Drippy." To Naomi: "You!" Naomi, who is no longer scared of the Tree Monster (it is, after all, only a holoprogram): "Naomi Wildman, but my friends call me Naomi." Trevis: "I don't recognise your element. You're not Earth or Water or Plasma." Naomi: "I'm human." Trevis: "Where do you live?" Naomi: "In space." Trevis: "Nobody lives in space!" Flotter: "She does. On a starship, called Voyager." Naomi, proudly: "I'm an explorer." Trevis: "Really!" He is fascinated. "An explorer!" Now down from the tree, he lets himself flop into a comfortable position on the turf, saying as he does so: "Timber." He is very interested in this young explorer. "What's that like?" Naomi: "Well, you know: space battles with aliens, strange anomalies..." Trevis: "May I visit your starship?" Naomi: "Well, I'll have to ask my Mom." Flotter: "You know, for a monster you're very polite." Trevis: "That's because I'm NOT a monster." He pulls the rope and rings the bells. "You see that? I'm not scared one bit. My bark is worse than my bite."

Naomi to Flotter: "Maybe we jumped to conclusions about him." Flotter: "Well, he may not be a monster, but he is stealing my water with his roots." Trevis: "Stealing?! Absurd. Why, I ought to dry you out-" Flotter: "And I ought to chop you down!" Trevis: "You want a piece of me?" They start pushing at each other.
Naomi interrupts before the fight gets serious: "Excuse me!" She pushes them apart and addresses them both. "Sounds like you two need each other. I mean, think about it." To Flotter: "Flotter, your water helps his trees grow."
Naomi tells Trevis: "And Trevis, your branches shade his pond from the sun. It's a well-known fact that the sun makes water evaporate." Flotter to Trevis: "She's got a point." Trevis to Flotter: "The girl's a thinker."

Naomi: "Shake hands and make up." They do so. Trevis, commenting on Flotter's handshake: "Ugh, moist palms." Flotter, trying to wipe his hands, comments on Trevis' handshake: "Sappy fingers."

A com alert sounds. comms. signal It is from Neelix, who is calling from the Messhall: "Neelix to Holodeck 2." Naomi: "Naomi here." Neelix: It's bedtime. Naomi: "Can't I stay a little longer?" Neelix: "You know the rules. Besides, someone special wants to say goodnight."
Naomi realises: "Mom!" She orders: "Computer, end program." and hurriedly leaves.

	In the Wildman quarters, Naomi speaks to her mother via a comlink set up on the portable computer, but the signal is rather poor. Samantha: "And how's Flotter?" Naomi: "Grouchy as ever. But we made a new friend today named Trevis. I'll introduce you to him tomorrow as soon as you get home."
	Samantha: "I'm afraid the away mission may take a few more days, sweetheart." Naomi: "Days?" Samantha: "Yes, but I'm bringing you back some beautiful selinite crystals, and lots of holopictures for your data-album. Now be a good girl and get ready for bed while I talk to Neelix." Naomi: "Alright." Samantha: "Sweet dreams." Naomi goes into her bedroom.
	Neelix comes up to the computer screen. "Samantha?" Samantha: "We ran into an ion storm." Neelix: "How bad is it?" Samantha: "We took a real beating. We're trying to make repairs but there's another storm on the way. Better go. Say 'goodnight' for me." The communication comes to a sudden end as the signal breaks up.

Aboard the Delta Flyer the situation is becoming critical. Samantha: "I've lost the com signal." Quickly she takes up her post.

Tuvok, at tactical, reports: "Level-7 ionic front is closing aft at 33,000 k.p.h." Paris, at the helm, is working hard. "I need more power to the thrusters if I'm going to outrun it." Samantha: "I'll see what I can do."

Tuvok: "The leading edge is approaching."

Samantha: "I've given you all the power I can spare, Tom." Paris: "It's not enough. I can't keep ahead of this thing. Brace for impact!" The storm hits and the Delta Flyer is pounded!

In the Briefing Room, the senior staff listen to an audio recording of the Delta Flyer's last message. The signal is poor. It is Tuvok's voice: "Mayday, mayday. Delta Flyer to Voyager. We need assistance. Warp drive, impulse power is down. Thrusters only. The ion storm damaged the primary systems. Life support is failing. Searching for an emergency landing site. Require immediate assistance." The message comes to an abrupt end as the signal is lost.

listening to the distress call

Chakotay: "That was their last transmission. We haven't been able to raise them since." Torres: "If they're looking for a place to land they must be in pretty bad shape."
Janeway: "Anything on long-range sensors?" Kim: "We lost their signature when the second ion storm hit but we've triangulated the co-ordinates of the distress call. They've entered a planetary system about .6 light-years from here."

Torres: "Problem is: there's another ion storm, level-5, blocking our path." Janeway: "Level-5? We've been through worse. Let's just batten down the hatches and reinforce the shields." She gets up as she speaks, bringing the meeting to an end. "I'm not going to let a little bad weather stand in our way." As the others start to leave, Neelix asks: "What about Naomi?" They turn, realising they had not considered her.

Chakotay: "I guess somebody's going to have to explain why her mother's not back." Neelix: "Maybe we shouldn't tell her anything." Janeway: "Why not?" Neelix: "She's a very sensitive girl. I don't want to alarm her unnecessarily. With any luck, we'll have her mother back before she starts to worry."
Janeway: "Well, you're closer to her than anyone. I'm inclined to let you take the lead on this." Neelix: "Thanks, Captain." Janeway: "Alright, consider it your mission to keep her occupied." Neelix: "Aye, Captain." Janeway to everyone: "Dismissed." The others leave but Neelix stays - he is anxious and very concerned.