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SUMMARY: Trapped in a hostile environment, Paris and Neelix must overcome their differences to survive and to help an alien baby survive.
While giving Kes a shuttlecraft-piloting lesson on the holodeck, he suddenly realises that he has romantic feelings for her, which he hides. But Neelix, already jealous since Kes' second birthday at which Paris gave her the very personal gift of a locket (ref. [#19 Twisted]), secretly watches as they leave the holodeck laughing and obviously close friends, and his jealousy is stirred to boiling point.
Paris catches Kes as she stumbles and he suddenly realises he is attracted to her |
Neelix secretly watches as Kes and Paris leave the holodeck |
Janeway orders a course for the M-Class planet which Stellar Cartography identifies as a likely source of food and supplies. Food reserves are down thirty percent of capacity, since the crew have not had the opportunity to restock the food stores in weeks. Stellar Cartography have nicknamed the world "Planet Hell" due to its similarities to primordial Earth. The planet's hostile atmosphere of trigemic vapours obscure Voyager's scans so details of food and life are obscured. But the planet shows high amino acid and protein levels, leading the crew to conclude that this means the planet does support plant life. The electromagnetic activity in the atmosphere renders it unfeasible to use the ship's transporters, so a shuttlecraft will have to be despatched. The EM activity would also disrupting communications. The Doctor reports that the trigemic vapours can also cause severe skin irritation, and he is preparing a batch of dermal osmotic sealant for whoever goes on the away team to use to help protect them although even while using the sealant they should keep skin exposure at a minimum.
Janeway decides to set course for "Planet Hell" |
Voyager jumps to warp, heading for the planet |
Paris visits his best friend Kim and finds him playing clarinet. Kim left his clarinet on Earth and after saving a week's worth of replicator rations has replicated a clarinet so that he can resume practicing. Paris confides in Kim about his newly-discovered feelings for Kes, confiding that he does not intend to woo Kes as she is in love with Neelix.
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| Paris confides in Kim |
Paris and Kim arrive in the Messhall. Kes sees them and Paris, who is feeling guilty, decides that Neelix, who is there serving lunch, might misinterpret it if they join her. So they go to a separate table, but their odd behaviour rouses Neelix's suspicions even more. After Kes leaves and Kim is called away, the jealous Neelix challenges Paris and instigates a food fight. They are interrupted by a summons to see the Captain immediately.
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| Paris and Kim give fake broad grins to Kes as Paris decides the best thing, with Neelix there, is not to join Kes |
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| they end up with Alfarian hair pasta over them |
Noticing the food remnants clinging to their clothes, she elicits that they are not getting along but does not ask for details of their "personal problem". She assigns the pair to the away mission to Planet Hell. When they are admit their reluctant to work together, she brusquely orders them to resolve their differences.
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| in the Captain's Ready Room, Paris and Neelix, still covered with food, receive orders from Janeway |
The mission briefing takes place with Paris and Neelix seated side by side but still angry with each other. Kim reports that running computer simulations has determined that the planet's EM disturbances follow a kind of pattern, with occasional atmospheric windows that would allow a transporter beam to get through. The windows are every thirty hours or so, but they may only last for a matter of minutes, enough time gathered food supplies to be beamed up. When they exit the meeting, Neelix has not time and is in no mood to discuss his fight with Paris, and so both he and Paris head for the shuttlebay leaving Kes feeling annoyed and frustrated.
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| the mission briefing, and Neelix puts off Kes' wish to discuss his fight with Paris |
When the Doctor, learning from Kes about the fight between Paris and Neelix over her, opens her eyes to the fact that Paris is attracted to her. She protests that she loves Neelix. She feels she cannot cope with the complication, saying that her people the Ocampa choose a mate for life, and have no concept of distrust, envy or betrayal. When she asks him what she should do, the Doctor advises that there may be nothing she can do.
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| the Doctor advises Kes |
As Paris and Neelix approach the planet, electromagnetic disturbances in the atmosphere cause their shuttlecraft to lose power. (There is a reaction in the driver coil assembly to the electromagnetic anomalies in the atmosphere. They lose impulse drive, and Neelix shuts off the deuterium flow so that Paris can dump the fuel. Paris then engages thrusters.) Paris sends out an EMS pulse to be picked up by Voyager. The shuttlecraft is further damaged in the emergency landing, and with trigemic vapours seeping inside it Paris, as senior officer, orders that they leave the shuttlecraft and search for shelter to await rescue, even though they do not know if the EMS pulse got through to Voyager.
Neelix and Paris spar with each other during the shuttlecraft journey.... |
....and they argue after the crashlanding |
Neelix and Paris, as they search for shelter, discover that the planet has no readily available food supplies. The dermal osmotic sealant only partly relieves the itching and respiratory discomfort caused by the trigemic vapours, and they are glad to find a cave. They enter, block the entrance and set about exploring it. They discover garnesite, and use phaser blasts to heat a garnesite rock so that they can huddle round it for warmth; it also provides a source of light enabling them to turn off their wrist-beacons to conserve power.
feeling discomfort caused by the trigemic vapours |
entering the cave |
Tracking the shuttle, Voyager's crew launches a search and rescue mission. Due to the atmospheric disturbances, they cannot beam down to investigate, or even scan for lifeforms from their present position. The only solution is to bring the ship into the planet's atmosphere and beam up the away team from close range.
Kim visits Kes and explains Neelix's and Paris' situation, offering what comfort he can about the missing pair. Kes, who is fond of both the missing me, is angry with them for fighting over her but at the same time she is frightened and anxious for their safety.
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| Kes: "Oh, they better be alright, because when I see them, I'm personally going to tell them that I never intend to speak to either one of them again!" |
An unidentified alien vessel attacks Voyager. Voyager suffers minor damage to the port nacelle and switches to the lateral thrusters. The alien ship takes up position between Voyager and the planet, clearly trying to prevent Voyager reaching the planet. The alien ship's weapons are comparable to Voyager's but Tuvok detects a vulnerability in the shield configuration. Tuvok devises a successful plan to disable the alien ship's weapons system, and Voyager proceeds toward the planet.
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| the alien ship takes up a protective stance between Voyager and the planet |
Meanwhile, in the cave, Paris and Neelix find footprints leading to a nest of eggs. As they watch, a repto-humanoid creature hatches from one of the eggs. The hatchling's species has the skeletal system of a humanoid, iscold blooded with a reptilian epidermis, and has a brain significantly larger than most reptilian species. With the baby's mother nowhere in sight, Neelix decides it is their responsibility to care for it. When the baby's heartbeat begins to weaken, Paris realises that by sealing the cave they have cut off the supply of trigemic vapours which the newborn needs to survive. They hasten to the cave entrance, unseal it and hurry into the open air. They notice that the weakened infant is sucking at Neelix's jacket, and Paris uses a hypospray as an eye-dropper in order to get some of the nutrients from the air into the baby's system. As a result, the infant grows stronger.
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| finding the alien hatchling |
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| realising that the alien infant needs nutrients from the outside atmosphere, and, outside the cave, feeding it with a makeshift eye-dropper (hypospray) |
Paris and Neelix wait for rescue out in the open, and they start to bond as they share concern for the infant which also involves them suffering the discomfort from the trigemic vapours for its sake. They discuss and resolve their differences over Kes, with Paris assuring Neelix that Kes loves him. As they talk, they gain deeper respect and warmth toward each other.
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| Paris and Neelix resolve their differences |
Voyager comes within range and contacts the pair. Scans show the imminent arrival of a parent (who is from the alien ship which attacked Voyager earlier). They may have only minutes to beam aboard, but Neelix insists they delay in case the parent rejects it. Paris and Neelix set the alien infant on a conspicuous rock and hide. Soon they see the parent arrive, pick up the infant and cradle it. The parent snarls at Paris and Neelix, aware of their presence - it could be a warning or a thank you. Not waiting to learn which, Paris and Neelix get themselves beamed up urgently.
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| the alien parent accepts the infant, cradling it, watched by Paris and Neelix |
Arriving safely, the pair find Kes anxiously waiting for them. She is surprised to find that the pair are now good friends, and Neelix takes them all away to partake of a rare drink (there are only 27 bottles of Potuk cold fowl in existence) in celebration.
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| back on Voyager - all good friends |
 | | PARIS: If you ever doubt yourself, just look into her eyes, see the way she looks at you. You'll never doubt yourself again. And as far as I'm concerned, I'll just be her friend. I mean, if you don't mind.
NEELIX: I don't pick Kes' friends for her. Just my own. |
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