WARLORD
Episode 52

 

SUMMARY: Kes struggles to resists a brutal tyrant when he transfers his consciousness to Kes' body. Neelix presents a new holoprogram to Paris and Kim, to be enjoyed by all the crew - a holographic resort based on the luxury Paxau Resort on Talax. Paris and Kim modify the program by adding more colour and fun, and sexy new holocharacters. the new holoprogram The crew beam aboard three Ilarians named Tieran, Nori, and Adin, moments before their damaged ship explodes. Despite the Doctor's efforts, Tieran dies. Kes, at his side, comforts Nori his widow. Tieran dies his wife, Nori, is distraught As Voyager journeys to the Ilari home planet to deliver the survivors who are related to the Ilari Autarch, Kes becomes close to the survivors, spending a lot of time with them. Shortly afterwards, during a romantic meal in the Paxau Resort holoprogram, Neelix is shocked when Kes announces that she would like to spend some time apart from him, in effect breaking up their romantic relationship. Kes dumps Neelix When Voyager arrives at llari, the Autarch sends a representative aboard Voyager rather than coming himself. Inexplicably, Kes pulls out a phaser, kills the representative and the transporter duty officer Ensign Martin, while Janeway is unable to prevent Kes, Nori and Adin from beaming to a stolen Voyager shuttlecraft. Tieran, in Kes' body, murders the Autarch's representative and Ensign Martin Kes alters the hijacked shuttlecraft's shields so that it scatters Voyager's tractor beam and remodulates the shuttle's plasma injectors to hide the warp signature. It turns out that Tieran's essence has transferred itself into Kes. Tieran/Kes brings Resh aboard the shuttlecraft, and when Resh doubts that the young woman is really Tieran he becomes the first to suffer from Kes' mental powers that Tieran now enjoys and uses to enforce discipline. Tieran/Kes, with Resh's loyalty re-confirmed, takes the shuttle to an llarian military encampment and assumes command of the waiting troops. Tieran/Kes makes the doubting Resh bleed: "I've been exploring the mind of this 'little girl' and I've discovered some other interesting abilities. She'd barely begun to tap into them. It's a good thing I came along so that all that wasted potential could be turned to a greater purpose. Now, do I continue the demonstration or do I have your loyalty?" Demmas, the Autarch's elder son and heir, transports aboard Voyager to discuss the hostile activity. He is convinced the real target was the Autarch, and indicates that Kes' uncharacteristic behaviour can be explained - her body is inhabited by the consciousness of Tieran, a brilliant war hero who had ruled Ilari two centuries previously. Tieran was overthrown when he became tyrannical, treating his friends as enemies. He also became obsessed with his own mortality, and used Ilari resources to research ways to overcome death: "Somehow he's discovered a way to transfer his own mind into someone else's body, as he's done with Kes." So Tieran is controlling Kes. "Tieran may have access to Kes and her feelings, but the Kes you know is lost. I'm very sorry." Demmas tells Voyager's senior officers what has happened to Kes Tieran/Kes leads his forces in an assault on the Ilari palace, where he usurps the Autarch, murdering him and capturing his younger son Ameron. Tieran/Kes dons the talisman, the Autarch's symbol of authority. Tieran/Kes storms the palace Tieran/Kes murders the Autarch Tieran/Kes dons the talisman Tieran/Kes offers the weak-willed Ameron the opportunity to change sides and support him, in return for exercising some power. Meanwhile, the Ilari planet is set upon a bloody civil war, with one faction supporting Demmas as the rightful Autarch, and the other supporting the usurper Tieran, Janeway persuades Demmas to listen first to the Doctor to see if Tieran can be safely removed from Kes' body and so avoid war. The Doctor explains that a cortical implant is automatically activated at the moment of the host body's death, which enhances Tieran's neural pattern, and sends it out along the peripheral nerves. The actual transfer to the new host body takes place through bioelectric microfibres located in the hands. When he came into direct contact with Kes at the moment of his host's death, Tieran's pattern was transferred through her nervous system and into her brain. The Doctor produces a device he has developed; it is a synaptic stimulator device designed to drive Tieran's consciousness from the host's body, and the device has to be directly attached to the host's face. Demmas agrees to try this method to rid Ilari of Tieran. the Doctor explains his findings about how Tieran transferred his consciousness to Kes, and provides the synaptic stimulator device designed to act against Tieran Tuvok infiltrates the palace in an attempt to reach Tieran/Kes and apply the synaptic stimulator, but Kes' mental powers aid Tieran and Tuvok is captured before he can complete the task. Tieran/Kes taunts Tuvok before confining him to a detention cell, telling him that Tuvok has feelings for Kes but Tuvok denies it. Tieran/Kes then informs Voyager that he has captured Tuvok and is aware they are planning another rescue, telling them he does know that the imperial hall's detection grid has a glitch. He says that he has not forgotten they saved him from the exploding ship, and orders Voyager to accept their losses and leave orbit within 30 seconds. Voyager apparently obeys. But history is repeating itself - Tieran/Kes increasingly fears being betrayed and overthrown. He is also under strain because Kes' consciousness is fighting his appropriation of her body. In a burst of rage, Tieran/Kes abuses Kes' mental abilities to kill Adin. Tieran/Kes orders Voyager to leave orbit Tieran and Kes in a battle of wills inside Kes' mind Adin tries to treat Tieran/Kes for the bad headaches he is suffering thanks to Kes' resistance Adin angers Tieran/Kes and pays the price Later, at a dinner with Nori and his closest officers, Tieran/Kes presents Ameron his future bride. It will be a political marriage, designed to legitimise Tieran's rule, but Nori is still upset. Kes' personality continues to surface, indicated by the love of flowers and gardens, and Nori urges her husband to fight Kes' attempt to wrest mental control. at a dinner, Tieran/Kes announces his future marriage to Ameron Suddenly a coalition of Voyager's crew and Demmas's forces burst into the palace. Paris rescues Tuvok. Nori is killed trying to protect her husband as they retreat. during the attack on the palace, Neelix stuns Tieran/Kes Neelix places the synaptic stimulator on Tieran/Kes. Tieran jumps to a new body, that of Ameron, but newly freed Kes places the device on Tieran/Ameron. Tieran is forced from Ameron's body but with no other host body within reach, Tieran's consciousness dies. Kes hands the talisman to Demmas who assumes his rightful place as Autarch. Tieran is driven from Kes' body Tieran is driven from Ameron's body to which he went after being driven from Kes' Back on Voyager, Kes tells Tuvok that despite using all of his meditation exercises she cannot get past the horrible experience. But with Tuvok's help, she at last begins to adapt as she attempts to deal with the painful memories of actions over which she had no control. Kes tries to come to term with the violence her body committed while under Tieran's control      KES, INSIDE TIERAN/KES' MIND: I'm fighting you with every bit of strength I have and it's wearing you down. You're getting more unstable every day. The headaches alone are almost more than you can stand. I know all about your life and about your suffering. It doesn't justify what you've become. You're a monster, Tieran, and I have no compassion for you. You may have my body but you'll never have my mind, I wont surrender it. You're already deteriorating and it's going to get worse. I'll find every little crack in your defences. You'll find yourself crumbling from within, your sanity slipping away. I wont stop until you're broken and helpless. There's nowhere you can go to get away from me. I'll be relentless and merciless, just like you.