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SUMMARY: Neelix becomes an investigative journalist and risks his life to expose the traitor on Voyager. But he finds that he is not the only to be risking his life for the same reason.
Neelix makes the first of his daily news and entertainment broadcasts in the series 'A Briefing With Neelix', which he takes on in his self-appointed role as Voyager's morale officer. In giving feedback, Kim tells him: "Recipes, music, jugglers - it's sort of like a steady diet of dessert, which is fine, but pretty soon you want some meat and potatoes." Kim explains about investigative journalism, citing an example of his own time as editor of a newsletter.
Neelix shows the Doctor his first broadcast of 'A Briefing With Neelix' and persuades him that he would like to have a medical briefing slot on the show |
Kim gives Neelix feedback about his show and encourages him to take up investigative journalism |
An old colleague, a Talaxian named Laxeth, informs him that a member of Voyager's crew plans to join his Talaxian convoy. Neelix visits Janeway who, in Tuvok's presence, confirms this - Paris has requested to leave Voyager permanently after being relieved of duty. He had been experiencing behavioural problems recently involving his being disciplined and which culminated, in [#35 Lifesigns], in his being confined to the Brig for assaulting an officer (Chakotay).
Laxeth in contact with Neelix |
Janeway and Tuvok reveal that the crewmember to leave Voyager is Tom Paris |
The Doctor, promised a segment on 'A Briefing With Neelix', has his slot replaced by Neelix's farewell tribute to Paris. After a quiet farewell to Neelix, Kim and Kes, Paris departs Voyager forever.
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| Neelix gives a farewell tribute to Paris on 'A Briefing With Neelix'; among those watching are Michael Jonas, the traitor giving information to the Kazon-Nistrim |
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| Paris says farewell then beams off Voyager |
While Janeway ponders who will be Paris' replacement as conn officer, Neelix busies himself journalistically by covering an accident in Engineering. He tries to interview Crewman Michael Jonas who had heroically tried to prevent the accident and ended up suffering plasma burns as a result. However, Jonas is a traitor, having established contact with Seska and the Kazon-Nistrim in [#30 Alliances], and the accident actually occurred because he sabotaged the engines, as per Seska's instructions, as part of a plot to lure Voyager into an ambush at Hemikek IV. As a result of the sabotage, Voyager diverts to Hemikek IV to obtain substances necessary in repairing the warp engines.
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| Neelix is present when Jonas' sabotage cripples Voyager's warp engines, and the explosion injures Jonas. In Sickbay, Neelix tries to conduct a short interview of Jonas the hero. |
Shortly afterwards, Laxeth informs Voyager that his convoy has been attacked by the Kazon-Nistrim, who did not steal any cargo but took Paris away - it is as if their deliberate target was Paris.
Seska welcomes Paris aboard the Kazon vessel. She has heard about Paris' rebellious behaviour. She leaves him alone to realise for himself where his interests now lie i.e. with the Kazon. During their talk, she reveals that her baby will be born in a month; it seems this baby is the result of her impregnating herself with DNA stolen from Chakotay. As soon as Seska leaves the room, Paris starts accessing the Kazon ship computer.
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| Seska and Paris, on board a Kazon-Nistrim ship |
Back on Voyager, Neelix wonders how the Kazon knew that Paris was aboard the Talaxian ship. Following his new career as an investigative journalist, Neelix asks questions in Engineering.
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Neelix finds suspicious gaps in the subspace communications logs. These are erasures by Jonas to hide his secret communications with Seska. Afraid of being discovered, Jonas prepares to kill him with a plasma torch, but the Doctor makes audio-visual contact with Neelix to protest about his slot on 'A Briefing With Neelix' again being postponed. Jonas quickly hides the plasma torch. Neelix leaves, narrowly escaping being murdered. |
Tuvok orders Neelix to leave the matter in his hands..... |
....but Neelix disobeys and, with Hogan's aid and with Jonas watching in the background, finds another lead to the traitor |
Neelix informs Tuvok of his suspicions that a crewmember has been making covert transmissions to the Kazon. Tuvok says he will conduct an investigation and orders Neelix to take the matter no further himself. But Neelix, true to the principles of an investigative journalist, ignores him and explores further, uncovering evidence from Paris' own computer that Paris was the traitor. It seems that Paris betrayed information to the Kazon-Nistrim and then left to join them.
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| Neelix enters Paris' old quarters and decrypts his computer records |
When Neelix broadcasts his findings on 'A Briefing With Neelix', Janeway has Neelix brought to her Ready Room immediately. There, in the presence of Chakotay and Tuvok, it is revealed that Paris' recent departure was a ruse to flush out a suspected spy on board, as Tuvok had discovered the discrepancies in the communications some time ago and had investigated. At first Chakotay, who had suffered the brunt of Paris' rebellious behaviour, is annoyed that he was not let in on the ruse, to be told that he (Chakotay) gave a convincing performance due to not knowing. They believe that, due to Neelix's unexpected investigations, the traitor feels secure, now that the false evidence against Paris has been revealed, but they actually want the traitor to feel vulnerable and expose himself by making a mistake. When asked, Neelix eagerly accepts the by now highly dangerous task of carrying on poking around journalistically, in order to prompt the traitor to act and unmask himself. Neelix is promised an open com. link in case he encounters trouble.
Chakotay feels insulted that he was not trusted by being made party to the ruse |
Neelix agrees to help by carrying on with his journalistic probings |
On the Kazon ship, Paris plays back Kazon communication logs which prove that Jonas is the turncoat, but he is discovered by Seska. He manages to steal a Kazon shuttlecraft and flees, pursued by the Kazon ship.
Paris sees from Kazon logs that Jonas is the traitor |
in a stolen Kazon shuttle, Paris
flees under fire and is hotly pursued |
Back on Voyager, Neelix's penetrating questions make Jonas seal the pair of them within Engineering. Neelix recognises that Jonas is disabling Voyager's phaser arrays, but when he goes to report this Jonas lays him out. When Neelix regains consciousness shortly afterwards, he discovers that Jonas has removed his combadge - he cannot contact Security and no one can beam him to safety. Jonas has also removed his combadge so that, when Paris manages to report to Janeway who the traitor is, he also cannot be beamed away. Voyager is attacked by the Kazon ship.
Neelix discovers that Jonas has set up a forcefield around Engineering |
after knocking Neelix unconscious, Jonas removes his combadge |
Neelix, realising he is the only one who can stop Jonas and re-enable the weapons, goes after Jonas. They fight, with Jonas out to kill him. But Jonas rushes Neelix, who ducks out of the way, and Jonas dies when he falls into a plasma stream. Neelix puts weapons back online and Voyager opens fire on the Kazon ship, crippling it. At the same time, Tuvok and security guards manage to disable the forcefield Jonas erected.
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| above 6 pictures: the fight to the death between Neelix and Jonas |
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Paris is now a hero, whom Neelix wastes no time in interviewing for 'A Briefing With Neelix', and Paris publicly apologises to Chakotay for his behaviour. |
 | | NEELIX TO CREW, A TRIBUTE TO TOM PARIS: Good morning, Voyager. I want to tell you about a friend of mine. I first met this man almost a year ago, and to tell you the truth, I didn't like him much. He seemed a little too cocky, a little too sure of himself. A lot of people had questions about him. He'd proven he'd pretty much sell himself out to the highest bidder, go wherever the wind blew him, so people wondered, could you trust this person when things got tough? Would he stand side by side with you, or would he let you down when you needed him most? But the fact of the matter is, he proved himself right from the beginning. I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for him. And the same goes for many of you. It took me a while to realise it. Like a lot of people, I was too caught up in first impressions to see the truth that was right in front of me. I overlooked his bravery because I was focussing of his brashness. I ignored his courage because I saw it as arrogance. And I resented his friendliness because I mistook it for licentiousness. So while this man was giving us his best every minute of every day, I was busy judging him. And now he's leaving. I'm proud to say that in spite of my narrow-mindedness, Thomas Eugene Paris became my friend. I'm going to miss him. No more laughs over a game of pool. No more sitting up into the wee hours swapping stories. No more complaints about my cooking (laughs). Goodbye, Tom. I think I speak for more of us than you might imagine when I say you're going to leave an empty space when you go. I hope you find what you're looking for. |
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