In [#140 Good Shepherd], Janeway takes three under-achieving crewmen on an eventful astronomical survey in the Delta Flyer.

Seven presents a shipwide efficiency analysis to the senior staff showing among other things that three crewmen have, as Janeway puts it, "slipped through the cracks" on the ship and do not function in line with typical Starfleet standards. Since the three crewmen, William Telfer, Tal Celes (a female Bajoran) and Mortimer Harren, cannot be transferred to another Federation starship, which is standard procedure, Janeway insteads decides to handle the matter herself by taking them on an astronomical survey mission in the Delta Flyer.

in Voyager's astrometrics lab Janeway briefs the away team;
next to Janeway from left to right: Crewman Tal Celes, Crewman Mortimer Harren, Crewman William ('Billy') Telfer

the Delta Flyer at the start of the astronomical survey

the Delta Flyer with the rip in its hull plating

Not long into the mission, an invisible force suddenly strikes the Delta Flyer. It is a dark matter lifeform, and the strike tears off a plating section of the Delta Flyer's outer hull (two pictures), part of which is retrieved and analysed upon Celes' suggestion.

the Delta Flyer with the rip in its hull plating

in the Delta Flyer's aft compartment, tricorder readings are taken in an analysis of the ripped-off hull plating

Tal Celes at a computer console in the rear compartment of the Delta Flyer, analysing the sample hull plating

The Delta Flyer's propulsion is knocked offline and 90 per cent of its antimatter has been neutralised, leaving the reactor cold. Harren suggests to Janeway that a comet-like assemblage of dark matter is responsible for the neutralisation, and proposes that they eject their remaining antimatter in order to avoid another impact. Janeway refuses as his theory is still an unproven hypothesis and she needs more convincing evidence. Returning once again, Janeway decides to fire a photon torpedo at the force. Suddenly, the three crewmembers hear a sound and look on as Telfer begins to unexpectedly dematerialise and then disappear. Suddenly, he re-appears and collapses to the floor, and it looks as if something is writhing beneath his skin. Janeway fires a phaser at Telfer when he reveals that the phenomenon is activating his motor neurons. As he struggles to stay on his feet, a stick-like, segmented entity extends out of an incision wound on his neck. The entity flings itself onto a console and attaches itself to the surface. Harren fires and vapourises the entity, against Janeway's orders. She suggests the entity was simply trying to communicate with the crew.

the entity on a control console

Janeway decides to lead the Delta Flyer to a nearby planet where she hopes to reinitialise its warp core. Suddenly, a slow-moving swathe begins to open up in the glowing particles of the planet's radiogenic ring - an unknown force is heading toward the vessel.

one of the Delta Flyer's escape pods

Janeway orders her crew to get into the escape pods and to plot a course away from the planet but they refuse to abandon her. Then Harren takes one of the escape pods and heads toward the force. He tells Janeway that it will allow the Delta Flyer some extra time to make an escape. Janeway decides to rescue him instead and the Delta Flyer's transporters lock onto the pod just as it encounters the force. The Delta Flyer then begins to fire phaser volleys at the glowing ring behind it, igniting a chain reaction of blazing, exploding light. Suddenly, the Flyer begins to shake as bright light pours in the windows. The vessel is rocked hard and a blinding white light flashes outside the windows.

Later Janeway wakes in sickbay where Chakotay reports that Voyager received her initial distress call and found the Delta Flyer drifting above a gas giant with everyone unconscious inside.

Damage to the Delta Flyer: The dark matter lifeform tears off a plating section of the Delta Flyer's outer hull, and 90 per cent of the antimatter is neutralised leaving the reactor cold. Impulse engines are damaged and they can only get to one-eighth impulse. The away team uses radiogenic particles in the rings of a class-T gas giant to reinitialise the warp reaction, but with only 10 percent of the antimatter supply remaining, they can only achieve warp 2.