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SUMMARY: Tuvok becomes interested in a compelling holodeck character who turns out not to be what she seems.
USS Voyager's crew are mystified by the atypical behaviour of an inversion nebula. (This is the same inversion nebula mentioned as one of the "interesting space anomalies in the coming weeks" in the "Galaxy Report" part of Neelix's shipwide talk-show called "Good Morning, Voyager", in [#54 Macrocosm].) An inversion nebula has never been seen in the Alpha Quadrant. According to Federation astro-theorists, inversion nebulae are so unstable they are supposed to burn out within a few years, but this one appears centuries old. The crew take the opportunity to study the unique phenomenon.
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| USS Voyager near the inversion nebula |
While Voyager spends time near the inversion nebula in order to study it, Kim visits Tuvok in his quarters where he is intent on kal-toh, a Vulcan game or puzzle which takes years to learn (Tuvok took lessons in kal-toh from a master, starting at the age of five). Kim calls it Vulcan chess but Tuvok says it is about finding the seeds of order, even in the midst of profound chaos. Kim asks for Tuvok's help in suppressing his emotions because, he reluctantly confesses, he is in love and does not want to be. The object of his infatuation is a holodeck character named Marayna, and she is a hydrosailing instructor in Neelix's Paxau Resort holoprogram. According to Tuvok, Kim is experiencing 'the engulfment', the most intense and psychologically perilous form of eros, which humans call "love at first sight".
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| Kim seeks Tuvok's help, and finds him with kal-toh |
After visiting the holoprogram with Kim to meet Marayna to assess the situation, Tuvok advises Kim to avoid further contact with her, as it is impossible to have a relationship with a computer subroutine. The cure is logical deconstruction of the emotional patterns followed by a regimen of meditative suppression. By Tuvok's analysis, in the holoresort Neelix functioned in Vulcan terms as the third party who by his very lack of interest trivialises Kim's; and the arrival of Kes with Marayna precipitated what the Vulcans identify as the feeling of being completely exposed.
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| Tuvok visits the Paxau Resort holoprogram with Kim to meet Marayna and analyse the situation |
On the Bridge, the crew watches as a plasma strand ignites, but fails to create the expected chain reaction throughout the nebula. Sensors show a dampening effect of unknown origin between the strands.
the crew see plasma strands ignite but the expected subatomic cascade reaction does not occur and the explosive destructive power is contained
That night, despite his vow to avoid Marayna, Kim is persuaded by Paris to discontinue Tuvok's recommended meditation and he accompanies Paris into the Paxau Resort holoprogram where Neelix is hosting a Polynesian-style luau for the crew.
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| Kim does not meditate for long, not with Paris encouraging him to join the luau |
There, while the Vulcan engineer Ensign Vorik seeks the sole company of Torres, Kim sees Marayna in conversation with Tuvok, a conversation which starts with a discussion of kal-toh and becomes increasingly more intent. Troubled, Kim leaves, while Tuvok, not noticing Kim, continues to converse with Marayna. Tuvok is surprised at the depth of her insight into his nature, and he admits that he understands why Kim finds her so compelling.
Torres with Vorik, and Paris looks on |
Marayna with Tuvok |
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| Kim sees Tuvok and Marayna together and, disconcerted, leaves. Tuvok talks with Marayna far into the night |
When Voyager attempts to resume its course, the propulsion system inexplicably goes offline. While the engineering staff explores the problem, Kim goes to the holodeck and finds Tuvok again visiting Marayna. He accuses Tuvok of betraying his trust, and Tuvok opts to delete Marayna's program rather than jeopardise his relationship with Kim. When Voyager tries to leave the inversion nebula and resume course for the Alpha Quadrant, mysteriously propulsion goes offline. Warp drive is still online and the helm appears to be working but the engines do not respond, and they consider it might be a computer malfunction but cannot localise it. They start to leave slowly, on thrusters only. On arriving at his quarters, Tuvok is surprised to find Marayna in his quarters, present by commandeering and using the Doctor's mobile emitter. She wants Tuvok to stay with her, and reveals that she has access to Voyager's systems and it is implicit she is the one preventing them from leaving. To Marayna's annoyance, Tuvok calls Security, but she disappears when they arrive.
Kim confronts Tuvok about Marayna |
Marayna accosts Tuvok in his quarters |
At a staff meeting, Tuvok explains that Marayna is attracted to him and Janeway orders a team (Paris, Torres and Tuvok) to investigate the holodeck. They enter the holodeck but have to beat off luau holograms that have been mysteriously reprogrammed to attack them to try and prevent their investigation. After deactivating the holograms, they discover that someone outside the ship has created an uplink and tapped into its programs. Suddenly, activity in the nebula increases, threatening the safety of the ship.
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| attacked on the holodeck, Paris phasers the holodeck controls to deactivate the attacking holograms |
Tracing the uplink back to its source, Tuvok beams to the uplink's source, and finds himself on an alien space station located inside the nebula. There he meets the real Marayna, a humanoid of quite different appearance to the holo-Marayna.
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| Tuvok meets the real Marayna |
Marayna's job is to control the plasma activity so that her race on the home world can enjoy its beauty. She achieves this by generating a dampening field to contain the subatomic cascade reaction which would otherwise result when plasma strands ignite. She is lonely and on previous occasions has tapped into passing ships for company but on Voyager she met Tuvok who is unlike anyone she has encountered. Marayna wants Tuvok to stay with her and keep her company, and threatens to destroy Voyager if Tuvok refuses. He expresses himself willing to stay in order to save Voyager, but Marayna insists that he must want to stay. Perceptively he asks her to consider that her feelings toward him may be evidence of a deeper need, a more profound loneliness than she is willing to admit. He suggests that she call for a replacement, let another occupy the task of looking after the inversion nebula, while she attempts for a time to live among her own kind. Accepting the logic of the situation, she allows him and Voyager to leave. As he transports back to Voyager, she, who understands him better than many, asks him: "But what about you, Tuvok? Will you always be alone?"
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| Marayna lets Tuvok and Voyager go safely on their way. The problem of her own loneliness to be dealt with by spending time with her own people, she perceptively asks him about his own loneliness. |
Tuvok reconciles himself with Kim by starting to teach him kal-toh.
 | | TUVOK TO KIM: There are many kinds of love, Ensign. You must learn to differentiate. For example, you told me that you met this individual only a few days ago, yet you feel overwhelmed. ..... You are experiencing shon'ha'lock, the "engulfment". It is the most intense and psychologically perilous form of eros. I believe humans call it love at first sight.
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| | MARAYNA TO TUVOK: I never expected to find you. You are like nothing else I've ever encountered. And I can't be without you. Stay here with me, and I will let your ship resume course. ..... But you are more like me than you are like them. I've seen the way you isolate yourself, even in a crowd of people, you alone. We should be together.
TUVOK: I must admit I found our conversation stimulating, your insight and intelligence fresh and unexpected. In other circumstances I would be willing to spend time in your company, to continue to share knowledge and ideas. But I have a home and a spouse on Vulcan. I have a mission and colleagues who depend on me. I do not have a complete understanding of emotion, but I believe that if you truly care for me you will not pursue this course of action.
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