Caretaker Part II ******************************** Stardate: 48315.6 Story by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, & Jeri Taylor Teleplay by Michael Piller & Jeri Taylor Directed by Winrich Kolbe -------------------------------- NARRATOR (V.O.): Last time on Star Trek Voyager. KIM: Wave will intercept us in 12 seconds. JANEWAY: Brace for impact. KIM: Computer, initiate Emergency Medical Holographic Program. PARIS: We may be stuck with you for a while, Doc. DOCTOR: There's no need for concern. I am capable of treating any injury or disease. KIM: If these sensors are working, we are over 70,000 light years from where we were. We're on the other side of the galaxy. JANEWAY: Initiate emergency lock off. JANEWAY: Don't believe your eyes, Mr. Paris. We've only transported 100 kilometers. We are inside the array. KIM: There's a life form here. Just one. PARIS: Where? KIM: It's everywhere. TUVOK: I am convinced we are dealing with a single entity in the array. I would suggest he scanned our computers in order to select a comfortable holographic environment. Why else would he have released us unharmed? PARIS: Not all of us were. JANEWAY: We have no way back unless you send us and we won't leave without the others. BANJO MAN: I don't have time. Not enough time! TORRES: We weren't sick until we met your caretaker. OCAMPA DOCTOR: Your condition is serious. We don't know exactly how to treat it. I'm afraid the others did not recover. NARRATOR (V.O.): And now the conclusion. -------------------------------- [Bridge] JANEWAY (V.O.): Captain's log, supplemental. The Maquis ship and Voyager have encountered a debris field where sensors have detected a small vessel. One humanoid life form is on board. JANEWAY: Hail them. NEELIX: Whoever you are, I found this waste zone first. JANEWAY: We're not interested in this debris, Mr... NEELIX: Neelix. And since you're not interested in my debris... Well, I'm delighted to know you. JANEWAY: Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. NEELIX: A very impressive title. I have no idea what it means, but it sounds very impressive. JANEWAY: Do you know this area of space well, Mr. Neelix? NEELIX: I am famous for knowing it well. How may I be of service? JANEWAY: Do you know anything about the array that's sending energy pulses to the fifth planet? NEELIX: I know enough to stay as far away from it as possible. Wait. Let me guess. You were whisked away from somewhere else in the galaxy, and brought here against your will. JANEWAY: Sounds as though you've heard this story before. NEELIX: Sadly, yes. Thousands of times. Well, hundreds of times. Maybe fifty times. The Caretaker has been bringing ships here for months now. JANEWAY: The Caretaker? NEELIX: That's what the Ocampa call him. They live on the fifth planet. Did he kidnap members of your crew? JANEWAY: As a matter of fact, he did. NEELIX: It's not the first time. JANEWAY: Do you know where he might have taken them? NEELIX: Just that they're brought to the Ocampa. Nothing more. JANEWAY: We'd appreciate any help you could give us in finding these Ocampa. NEELIX: I-I-I really wish that I could help you. I-I do. But as you can see, there's just this... So much debris for me to investigate today. You'd be surprised the things of value some people abandon. JANEWAY: Of course, we'd wanna compensate you for your trouble. NEELIX: Da... Well, there's really very little that you could offer me. Unless... JANEWAY: Yes? NEELIX: Unless of course, you had...water. JANEWAY: If you help us find our missing crew members, you can have all the water you want. NEELIX: Tha-tha-that sounds like a very reasonable arrangement. JANEWAY: Good. We'll beam you over and tow your ship into our shuttle bay. Mr. Tuvok, go to Transpoter Room Two and meet our guest. NEELIX: Beam? JANEWAY: We have a technology which can take you instantly from your ship to ours. It's quite harmless. May we? -------------------------------- [Transpoter Room] TUVOK: Energize. NEELIX: That... Astonishing! You Federations are obviously an advanced culture. TUVOK: The Federation is made up of many cultures. I am Vulcan. NEELIX: Neelix. Good to meet you! Interesting. What... What exactly... What exactly does all this, all this do? TUVOK: I assure you everything in this room has a specific function. However, it would take several hours to explain it all. I suggest we proceed to your quarters. Perhaps you would care for a bath. NEELIX: A what? -------------------------------- [Opening Credits] -------------------------------- [Neelix's Quarters] TUVOK: Sir. NEELIX: Ah, Mr. Vulcan. Come in, come in, please. I can hardly see you. I wanna thank you for your hospitality. I must admit, I haven't had access to a food rebel... Uh, uh, uh, replicator before. TUVOK: I'd never have guessed. NEELIX: And to immerse myself in water. Oh, do you know what joy this is? No one around here wastes water in this manner. Good sand scrub...that's the best we can hope for. TUVOK: I'm pleased you are enjoying yourself but we are in orbit of the fifth planet. We need your assistance. NEELIX: Oh! Uh... Could you hand me the, uh, towel? If you will scan the large southern continent you'll find a range of extinct volcanoes. Follow the foothills north until you discover a dry riverbed. You'll find an encampment there. TUVOK: Do you believe our people might be at this location? NEELIX: It's not impossible. Maybe. Perhaps not. But we'll find them. We'll need several containers of water to bring for barter. Do these, uh, replicators make clothing as well? TUVOK: Yes. NEELIX: Will it make me a uniform like yours? TUVOK: No, it most certainly will not. -------------------------------- [Planet Surface] PARIS: Why would anyone wanna live in a place like this? NEELIX: The rich cormaline deposits are very much in demand. CHAKOTAY: The Ocampa use it for barter? NEELIX: Not the Ocampa. The Kazon-Ogla. JANEWAY: The Kazon-Ogla? Who are the Kazon-Ogla? NEELIX: They are. Kazon sects control this part of the quadrant. Some have food, some have ore, some have water. They all trade and they all kill each other for it. JANEWAY: I thought you said the Ocampa had our people. NEELIX: My friends! It's good to see you again! I must speak with your Maje, the ever-wise Jabin! I... Very amusing. KAZON: Destroy him. NEELIX: Very amusing. I, uh... I enjoy a joke as much as the next man. Jabin! My old friend! Water. Water, Jabin. I have water to replace all that I borrowed. Show them Mr. Paris. Their ship has technology that makes water out of thin air! JABIN: You have more? JANEWAY: Janeway to Voyager. Energize. There's more where that came form, if you can help us. JABIN: How can we help someone so powerful they can create water out of thin air? JANEWAY: This man led us here suggesting we might find a people called the Ocampa. Do you know where they are? JABIN: Ocampa. (Points to Kes) She is Ocampa. Why would you be interested in such worthless creatures? They live only nine years. They make poor servants. We caught her when she wandered to the surface. JANEWAY: To the surface? You mean they live underground? JABIN: The entity in space that gives them food and power also gives them sole access to the only water on this world, two miles below the surface. JANEWAY: This same entity has abducted two of our people. We believe they might be with the Ocampa. JABIN: There's no way to get to them. We tried. The entity has established some kind of subterranean barrier we can not penetrate. CHAKOTAY: But she got out. JABIN: Occasionally, some of them do find their way to the surface. We don't know how. But the Ocampa seal the tunnels afterwards. NEELIX: Maybe she can help these good people find a way down. JABIN: You'd be wasting your time. I've used every method of persuasion I know to get her to help us. She won't. NEELIX: Then she's worthless to you. Let us trade you water for the scrawny little thing. JABIN: I'd be more interested in acquiring this technology that allows you to create water from thin air. JANEWAY: That would be difficult. It's integrated into our ship's systems. NEELIX: Tell them to drop their weapons. Drop them, my friends, or he dies in an instant. JABIN: Do it. Do it! NEELIX: Step aside. (to Kes) Come on! NEELIX: I strongly suggest you get us out of here. JANEAY: Six to beam up! -------------------------------- [Transporter Room] NEELIX: My dearest. Didn't I promise I'd save you? -------------------------------- [Ocampa Settlement] KIM: Look. I'm sure Captain Janeway is doing everything she can to find us. TORRES: What makes you think any of them are still alive? KIM: Should I call for some help? TORRES: No. OCAMPA NURSE: Are you in pain? TORRES: Are you watching us? I thought we weren't supposed to be your prisoners. OCAMPA NURSE: I wasn't watching you. I was coming to give you something. I don't know if it'll help. It's a medicine. There are people who have broken from tradition and left the city. The colony grows fruits and vegetables. They discovered quite by accident that the moss that grows on certain fruit trees has healing properties. I'm sorry for what has happened to you. KIM: Appreciate this, but the only way we're gonna survive is if we can get to the surface and find our own people. OCAMPA NURSE: The elders would say that's against the Caretaker's wishes. TORRES: What do you say? OCAMPA NURSE: The Caretaker's been behaving strangely for the past several months. Abducting people, increasing the power supply. KIM: Power supply. OCAMPA NURSE: He's tripled the energy he sends us. They say we have enough stored now to run the city for five years. KIM: Nobody knows why? OCAMPA NURSE: When we ask, we're told to trust the Caretaker's decisions. One person I knew did get to the surface. We never saw her again. KIM: How? OCAMPA NURSE: The ancient tunnels that brought us here still exist. Over the years, small breaches in security barriers have appeared just large enough for someone to get through. But it still requires digging through meters of rock to get out. TORRES: Can you get us tools to dig with? OCAMPA NURSE: It would take days, maybe even weeks to break through. You have to rest. Conserve your strength. KIM: Please. It's our only chance. -------------------------------- [Sickbay] TUVOK: If you had told us what you had planned, we might have anticipated your irrational behavior. NEELIX: Irrational? We got out of there, didn't we? KES: Excuse me. Don't blame Neelix. DOCTOR: That's enough. This is a sickbay, not a conference room. Visiting hours are over. Everyone except my patient is to leave immediately. JANEWAY: Computer, end Medical Holographic Program. KES: I never should have gone to the surface. I'm too curious. I'm told it's my worst failing. NEELIX: No, no. It's a wonderful quality, your most endearing. JANEWAY: Would you be willing to take us underground to look for our missing crew? KES: I'm afraid Jabin was right. There's no way to get down. The tunnel I came out has been sealed. JANEWAY: We don't need a tunnel. We have the ability to transport there directly. TUVOK: Captain, our sensors did not pick up any indication of an underground civilization. The subterranean barrier Jabin described may be responsible. It might also block our transporter. KES: There are breaches in the security barrier where it's begun to decay. That's how I got out. JANEWAY: (to Tuvok) Have the transporter room begin a sweep for any breaches we might be able to beam through. NEELIX: Kes can tell you where to go. But now that she's free, we're leaving this system together. KES: Neelix, these people rescued me. NEELIX: I rescued you. KES: With their help. It would be wrong not to help them now. -------------------------------- [Ocampa Settlement] TUVOK: Captain, the pulses from the array continue to accelerate. The intervals between them have decreased another point-eight seconds. DAGGIN: Kes. KES: Hello, Daggin. DAGGIN: We thought we'd never see you again. How did you get back? KES: These people rescued me from the Kazon. I'm trying to help them find two of their crewmen. Does anyone know where the aliens are kept? The ones the Caretaker sends here? DAGGIN: I think they're at the central clinic. JANEWAY: Can you take us there? TOSCAT: <> KES: They can't speak telepathically, Toscat. Please talk aloud. TOSCAT: I didn't meant to be rude but you should not be here. JANEWAY: We'll be glad to leave once we find our crewmen. TOSCAT: That won't be possible. We can not interfere with the Caretaker's wishes. CHAKOTAY: Maybe you can't, but we can. TOSCAT: You don't understand. KES: That's right. They don't understand. They have no way of knowing that the Ocampa have been dependent on the Caretaker for so long, we can't even think for ourselves anymore. They don't understand we were once a people who had full command of our mind's abilities. We lost those abilities because we stopped using them. TOSCAT: We should not dwell on what's been lost but on all that's been gained. KES: We've gained a talent for dependence for simply taking what we're given. I'm going to help them Toscat, whether you like it or not. And I think my friends will join me. Come with me. We'll find your people. -------------------------------- [Tunnel] TORRES: Come on. TORRES: Don't let it beat you, Starfleet. Come on. KIM: I'm sorry. TORRES: All right. It's all right. We'll rest a minute. KIM: You know, I spent my whole life getting ready for Starfleet. And on my very first mission, I'm gonna die. TORRES: We're not finished yet. I know a few things that old Sneezy didn't teach in his survival course. KIM: Sneezy? TORRES: Commander Zakarian. Remember? He must have been allergic to everything. KIM: You went to the Academy? TORRES: Actually made it into the second year before we, uh...we mutually agreed that it wasn't the place for me. KIM: You know, I never really liked Zakarian. TORRES: Listen. They're getting faster. -------------------------------- [Ocampa Settlement] JANEWAY: Away team to Voyager. ROLLINS (O.C.): Voyager here. JANEWAY: What's going on with the array? -------------------------------- [Bridge] ROLLINS: It's no longer sending out pulses, Captain. And it appears to be realigning its position. JANEWAY (O.C.): Keep me informed. Janeway out. -------------------------------- [Ocampa Settlement] KES: They haven't been at the clinic for hours. DAGGIN: We can search the city. Ask if anyone's seen them. JANEWAY: If they were trying to get to the surface, how would they go? KES: Probably the same way I did. Up one of the ancient tunnels. JANEWAY: Mr. Paris, you and Neelix go with her and start checking them out. We need to talk to every doctor and nurse at this hospital, see what they can tell about Torres and Kim. ROLLINS (O.C.): Voyager to Captain Janeway. JANEWAY: Go ahead. -------------------------------- [Bridge] ROLLINS: Captain, the array is firing some kind of weapon at the surface. It seems to be trying to seal the energy conduits. JANEWAY (O.C.): Understood. Keep a channel open. -------------------------------- [Ocampa Settlement] CHAKOTAY: If the array is the Ocampa's sole source of energy, why would the Caretaker seal the conduits? TUVOK: He would seal them if he no longer intended to use them. To protect the Ocampa from their enemies. Captain, there is now enough evidence to form a reasonable hypothesis. I believe the Caretaker is dying. JANEWAY: Explain. TUVOK: First, he increases the energy supply to provide the city with a surplus to last at least five years. Then he seals the conduits. The logical conclusion is that he does not intend to continue his role as Caretaker. CHAKOTAY: That doesn't necessarily mean he's dying. He could be leaving. TUVOK: Doubtful. Not after a millennium of providing for these people. I believe the Caretaker owes something to the Ocampa. I believe "the debt that can never repaid" is very likely a debt to them. In addition, there were his frequent references to running out of time. I think he knew his death was imminent. JANEWAY: If he dies, how the hell are we supposed to get home? -------------------------------- [Tunnel] PARIS: They're in this one! Harry! Paris to Janeway. JANEWAY (O.C.): Go ahead. PARIS: They are in one of the tunnels, Captain. I can't see them. But they're up there. We're going after them. -------------------------------- [Ocampa Settlement] JANEWAY: Call for transport when you have them, Paris. We'll meet you on the ship. Janeway to Voyager. ROLLINS (O.C.): Voyager here. JANEWAY: Three to beam up. ROLLINS (O.C.): Stand by. -------------------------------- [Bridge] ROLLINS: Captain, I can't get a lock on you. The weapons fire from the array has irradiated the planet's crust. The transport sensors can't find the breaches in the security barrier. -------------------------------- [Ocampa Settlement] JANEWAY: Come on. There's only one other way outta here. -------------------------------- [Tunnel] JANEWAY (O.C.): Janeway to Paris. PARIS: Go ahead. JANEWAY (O.C.): The transporters aren't working. You're going to have to find a breach in the security barrier when you get to the top. PARIS: Understood. JANEWAY (O.C.): We're a few minutes behind you. Janeway out. PARIS: I see them! * * * KIM: Took you long enough. PARIS: How could I let down the only friend I got? KIM: Friend? What makes you think I'm your friend? PARIS: Paris to Janeway. JANEWAY (O.C.): Go ahead. PARIS: We found them, Captain. JANEWAY (O.C.): Don't wait for us. Get them to safety. * * * KES: Don't worry. I know we can get through the barrier. * * * JANEWAY: They're not far ahead of us. Keep going. * * * PARIS: I think we've reached the top. Neelix, get out your phaser. -------------------------------- [Planet Surface] PARIS: Voyager, can you get a lock on us now? ROLLINS (O.C.): Affirmative. But I'm only reading five signals. PARIS: The others are... Get down! * * * PARIS: Paris to Janeway. Chakotay, Tuvok, do you read? Voyager, prepare to transport everyone in this group except me. ROLLINS (O.C.): Aye, sir. NEELIX: You're not thinking of going back there. NEELIX: Well, if a fool needs company... (to Kes) Take care of them, dearest. I'll see you later. PARIS: Voyager, make that three to beam up. Lock on the other comm badge and energize. -------------------------------- [Tunnel] CHAKOTAY: My leg is broken. I can't move. JANEWAY: Hold on. NEELIX: There they are. JANEWAY: Neelix, help me with Tuvok. PARIS: I'll get Chakotay. * * * CHAKOTAY: Get out of here Paris, before the whole thing comes down! PARIS: I intend to. As soon as I get you up. CHAKOTAY: You get on those stairs, they'll collapse! We'll both die! PARIS: Yeah? But on the other hand, if I save your butt your life belongs to me. Isn't that some kind of Indian custom? CHAKOTAY: Wrong tribe. PARIS: I don't believe you. You'd rather die than let me be the one to rescue you? CHAKOTAY: Fine. Be a fool. If I have to die, at least I'll have the pleasure of watching you go with me. PARIS: Isn't there some Indian trick where you can turn yourself into a bird and fly us out of here? CHAKOTAY: You're too heavy. -------------------------------- [Sickbay] ROLLINS (O.C.): Bridge to Janeway. JANEWAY: Go ahead. ROLLINS (O.C.): Captain, two Kazon ships are approaching the array. JANEWAY: Set a course. I'm on my way. CHAKOTAY: We've gotta get back to our ship. DOCTOR: I-I strongly advise you to rest. I will not be held responsible for the consequences. Is the crew always this difficult? KIM: I don't know, Doc. It's my first mission. DOCOTR: Doesn't anyone know how to turn me off the program when they leave? -------------------------------- [Bridge] JANEWAY: Bring the weapons systems on line. TUVOK: Powering up phase banks and photon systems. JANEWAY: Red alert. * * * TUVOK: The lead Kazon ship is hailing us, Captain. JANEWAY: On screen. JABIN: Have you come to investigate the entity's strange behavior too, Captain? JANEWAY: All we care about is getting home, Jabin. We're about to transport over to the array to see if we can arrange it. JABIN: I'm afraid I can not permit that. JANEWAY: We have no dispute with you. JABIN: I have a dispute with anyone who would challenge us. JANEWAY: This is ridiculous. We have no intention of challenging you. JABIN: And I have no intention of letting anyone with your technological knowledge board the array. JANEWAY: Jabin, can we discuss this like two civilized... TUVOK: They're powering up their weapons. JANEWAY: I guess we can't. TUVOK: Shields are holding. JANEWAY: Fire phasers. Evasive pattern, Delta 4. -------------------------------- [Maquis Ship] JANEWAY (O.C.): Janeway to Chakotay. Tuvok and I are beaming to the array. Can you hold off the Kazon? CHAKOTAY: I think so, Captain. -------------------------------- [Bridge] JANEWAY: Good. Mr. Paris, take the conn. PARIS: Yes, ma'am. JANEWAY: Maintain transporter locks, Ensign. Emergency beam out status. KIM: Aye, Captain. -------------------------------- [Array] TUVOK: The data processing system is behind this wall, Captain. JANEWAY: You know what to do. BANJO MAN: Well. You're nothing if not persistent. JANEWAY: We need you to send us back where we came from. BANJO MAN: That isn't possible. I've barely enough strength to complete my work. JANEWAY: You're sealing the conduits before you die. BANJO MAN: If I don't, the Kazon will steal the water. But in a few years when the Ocampa's energy runs out, it won't matter. They'll be forced to come to the surface and they won't be able to survive. JANEWAY: Something you did turned their planet into a dessert, didn't it? That was "the debt that could never be repaid". BANJO MAN: Well... We're explorers from another galaxy. But we had no idea that our technology would be so destructive to their atmosphere. Two... Two of us were chosen to stay behind and care for them. JANEWAY: There's another like you here? BANJO MAN: Not anymore. No, no. She... She went off to look for more interesting places. JANEWAY: Why were you bringing ships here, infecting people with a fatal illness? BANJO MAN: Oh, they... They didn't die of an illness. They died because they were incompatible. JANEWAY: Incompatible? BANJO MAN: I've been searching the galaxy for a compatible biomolecular pattern. Now, in some individuals I found cellular structures that were similar, but I... JANEWAY: You've been trying to procreate? BANJO MAN: I need someone to replace me. Someone who'd understand the enormous responsibility of caring for the Ocampa. Only my offspring could do that. JANEWAY: Did you ever consider allowing the Ocampa to care for themselves? BANJO MAN: They're children. JANEWAY: Children have to grow up. We're explorers too. Most of the species we've encountered have overcome all kinds of adversity without a caretaker. It's the challenge of surviving on their own that helps them to evolve. Maybe your children will do better than you think. KIM (O.C.): Voyager to Janeway. JANEWAY: Go ahead. KIM (O.C.): We've got problems here. -------------------------------- [Bridge] KIM: Kazon just got some back up. JANEWAY (O.C.): We need more time. Can you hold them off for another few minutes? KIM: We'll do our best. Kim out. -------------------------------- [Maquis Ship] CHAKOTAY: Their weapons array has been hit. They're in trouble. TORRES: Neither of us has enough fire power to stop that ship. CHAKOTAY: I'm setting a collision course but the guidance system is disabled. I'll have to pilot the ship manually. Get the crew ready to beam to Voyager. And drop shields for transport. CHAKOTAY: Paris, my crew's coming over. Tell one of your cracker jack Starfleet transporter chiefs to keep a lock on me. I'm gonna try and take some heat off your tail. PARIS (O.C.): Acknowledged. -------------------------------- [Bridge] ROLLINS: I'm holding the lock on him sir, but he's getting too close. PARIS: I'm getting you out of there, Chakotay. CHAKOTAY (O.C.): Not Yet! -------------------------------- [Maquis Ship] PARIS (O.C.): You're breaking up. Stand by to transport. CHAKOTAY: Wait. CHAKOTAY: Now! -------------------------------- [Transporter Room] PARIS (O.C.): Transporter Room Two, do you have him? CHAKOTAY: They've got me. -------------------------------- [Array] TUVOK: Captain, I can access the system to send us back to Federation space, but it will take several hours to activate. JANEWAY: Unless you help us. BANJO MAN: Oh, I wish I could but I have very little time left, so I have initiated a self-destruct program. JANEWAY: If you destroy the array, we'll have no way to get home. BANJO MAN: The Ocampa's enemies can not be allowed to...to control this installation. In minutes, it will be destroyed. You have to go. Go now. * * * TUVOK: The Caretaker? JANEWAY: Voyager, report. -------------------------------- [Bridge] PARIS: Kazon vessel just collided with the array, Captain. Are you all right? JANEWAY (O.C.): Affirmative. Stand by. -------------------------------- [Array] CARETAKER: The self-destruct program has been damaged. Now this installation will not be destroyed. But it must be. The Kazon must not be allowed to gain control of it. They will annihilate the Ocampa. (Caretaker dies.) TUVOK: Shall I activate the program to get us back? JANEWAY: And what happens to the Ocampa after we're gone? TUVOK: Captain. Any action we take to protect the Ocampa would affect the balance of power in this system. The Prime Directive would seem to apply. JANEWAY: Would it? We never asked to be involved, Tuvok. But we are. We are. -------------------------------- [Bridge] JANEWAY: Mr. Tuvok, ready the tricobalt devices. TUVOK: Aye, Captain. JANEWAY: Open a channel to the Kazon. KIM: Channel open. JABIN: Be advised, Captain. I have called for additional ships. JANEWAY: I'm calling to warn you to move your vessels to a safe distance. I intend to destroy the array. JABIN: You can't do that! JANEWAY: I can and I will. End transmission. KIM: They're increasing fire, Captain. Shields are holding. JANEWAY: Move us 400 kilometers from the array, Mr. Paris. PARIS: Yes, ma'am. TORRES: What do you think you're doing? That array is the only way we have to get back home! JANEWAY: I'm aware everyone has families and loved ones at homes they want to get back to. So do I. But I'm not willing to trade the lives of the Ocampa for our convenience. We'll have to find another way home. TORRES: What other way home is there? Who is she to be making these decisions for all of us? CHAKOTAY: She's the captain. TUVOK: The tricobalt devices are ready. PARIS: We're in position. JANEWAY: Fire. -------------------------------- [Captain's Ready Room] JANEWAY: Come in. PARIS: You asked to see me, Captain. JANEWAY: Mr. Paris, you have a problem. I've invited Chakotay and the other Maquis to become part of this crew. It seemed the only reasonable thing to do under the circumstances. PARIS: Will you provide a bodyguard for me, Captain? JANEWAY: It seems you already have one. PARIS: I do? JANEWAY: Mr. Chakotay said something about his life belonging to you? He'll be taking responsibility for your safety. PARIS: I think I'm going to enjoy this. JANEWAY: Don't be so sure. He'll also be my first officer. Everyone aboard this ship will report to him. Including the lieutenant assigned to conn. PARIS: Me? JANEWAY: I've entered into the ship's log on this date that I'm granting a field commission of lieutenant to Thomas Eugene Paris. Congratulations. PARIS: Um, for the first time in my life I don't know what to say. JANEWAY: You've earned this, Tom. I'm only sorry your father won't know. PARIS: Oh, he'll know. When we get back. NEELIX: Ah, Captain! We were just coming to see you. JANEWAY: We supplied your ship with water, Neelix. It's ready to go. NEELIX: Well, you see, that's what we wanted to discuss. We'd like to go with you. JANEWAY: I'm sorry. This isn't a passenger ship. KES: Of course not. We won't be passengers. NEELIX: We'd be valuable colleagues. JANEWAY: Colleagues? NEELIX: Whatever you need is what I have to offer. You need a guide? I'm your guide. You need supplies? I know where to procure them. I have friends among races you don't even know exist. You need a cook? Oh, you haven't lived until you've tasted my angla'bosque. It will be my job to anticipate your needs before you know you have them. And I anticipate your first need will be me. KES: Captain, we both want very much to be a part of your journey. -------------------------------- [Bridge] JANEWAY: We're alone in an uncharted part of the galaxy. We've already made some friends here and some enemies. We have no idea of the dangers we're going to face. But one thing is clear. Both crews are going to have to work together if we're to survive. That's why Commander Chakotay and I have agreed that this should be one crew. A Starfleet crew. And as the only Starfleet vessel assigned to the Delta Quadrant, we'll continue to follow our directive to seek out new worlds and explore space. But our primary goal is clear. Even at maximum speeds, it would take 75 years to reach the Federation. But I'm not willing to settle for that. There's another entity like the Caretaker out there somewhere who has the ability to get us there a lot faster. We'll be looking for her. And we'll be looking for wormholes, spatial rifts, or new technologies to help us. Somewhere along this journey, we'll find a way back. Mr. Paris, set a course...for home. PARIS: Aye, Captain. -------------------------------- [Closing Credit] -------------------------------- Guest Stars: Basil Langton .... Banjo Man (Caretaker) Gavan O'Herlihy .... Jabin Scott MacDonald .... Rollins Jennifer Parsons .... Ocampa Nurse David Selburg .... Toscat Eric David Johnson .... Daggin x