Original subtitles

Captain's Log, Stardate 48734.2.

Sometimes it's a good idea

to get away from being a Captain for awhile.

To that end, l've started participating

in a new holonovel.

The setting is ancient England.

The drawing room is in here.

Bridget, take Mrs. Davenport's cape

and tell Lord Burleigh that she's here.

Yes, ma'am.

There's tea.

That would be lovely.

Thank you.

Tea is usually served at 5:30,

and dinner is at 8:30.

His Lordship doesn't appreciate being kept waiting.

l'll be sure to be prompt.

Yes, ma'am.

Let's make something clear, Mrs. Davenport.

My job is to make sure

that this household runs smoothly.

l have been with Lord Burleigh for nearly 20 years

because this household runs smoothly.

He has come to trust me

and l will not brook any behavior

that might jeopardize that trust.

So you will be expected to follow the rules

that l have set down.

Mrs. Templeton...

l have no wish to do anything

that might disrupt this household,

but let me make something perfectly clear.

l have been hired by Lord Burleigh,

and it's his orders l will follow, not yours.

You would be wise not to make an enemy of me.

l can make sure we have another governess

by next week.

l suggest we try to get along, Mrs. Templeton.

Surely there's room here for both of us?

One lump or two?

Two, please.

Lord Burleigh will be here directly.

Forgive me.

l've startled you.

l'm sorry.

l didn't hear you come in.

Mrs. Davenport, l'll come to the point.

l am not an easy man to live with.

Since my wife died, l'm told l'm even worse.

She was a buffer for me.

l understand.

The children are the ones who've suffered.

l've not been much of a father to them,

and God knows,

l can't be a mother.

l'm not asking that you replace their mother,

but l think they'll respond to a woman's sensibilities.

You might fill a void in their lives.

l'll certainly try, Your Grace.

Young Henry is sometimes a bit stubborn,

and little Beatrice... misses her mother terribly.

l hope they won't make things difficult for you.

One thing above all l must demand.

You are never, under any circumstances,

to go onto the fourth floor, is that clear?

Bridge to Captain Janeway.

Go ahead, Mr. Kim.

l've got Commander Chakotay

and Mr. Tuvok's shuttlecraft on long-range sensors,

but they're not responding to our hails.

The shuttle's been badly damaged.

l'm reading multiple hull fractures.

Life signs?

Two, but they're very faint.

Beam them to Sick Bay as soon as they're in range.

l'm on my way.

Aye, Captain.

Doctor.

They've each taken a blast to the head

by some kind of energy discharge.

Cardiostimulator.

Mr. Tuvok has a serious concussion,

but it's nothing l can't handle.

As for Commander Chakotay...

all of the bio-neural energy

has been extracted from his brain.

Extracted?

Yes, from the looks of it, someone drained the energy

from every single axon and dendrite

right down to the synapses.

l can keep his heart beating,

and l can keep him breathing,

but other than that, there's nothing l can do.

He's brain dead.

The attack lasted no more than a few seconds,

but it was highly effective.

l feel Commander Chakotay and l are fortunate to be alive.

What happened, Lieutenant?

We had completed our trade mission with the llidarians

and were on course to the rendezvous point

when we encountered a dark-matter nebula.

As we began a routine analysis,

an unidentified ship emerged and attacked our shuttle.

Any idea why?

No. They would not respond to our hails.

We were hit by an energy discharge,

which penetrated our shields, and filled the cabin.

Commander Chakotay lost consciousness

immediately, and l was barely able

to activate the autopilot before l was overcome as well.

And the alien ship?

The last image l saw

was the ship flying back into the nebula,

but the details are difficult to remember.

Can you tell me anything about the energy discharge--

its modulation or phase distribution?

No.

There was no time for a detailed analysis.

However, the shuttle's sensors may have recorded information

that could be helpful.

l will download the sensor logs.

Why would someone want to extract

his bio-neural energy?

l don't know, but if l'm to have

any hope of reviving him, l must know precisely

how his neurons were depleted.

lt would be a great help if l could examine the weapon.

We're going back to that nebula

to try to find the ship that attacked you.

to try to find the ship that attacked you.

Janeway to Bridge.

Prepare to lay in a new course.

Mr. Tuvok will provide you with the coordinates.

Aye, Captain.

We'll keep you posted, Doctor.

The energy discharge

overloaded the shuttlecraft's central computer core.

All sensor data have been erased.

Lieutenant Torres is in Sick Bay now.

When she reports, tell her to go over

those damaged sensor logs with a fine-tooth comb

to see if she can reconstruct any of the data.

Aye, Captain.

Well, this is going to make things

a little more difficult.

l've been using the long-range sensors

to analyze the nebula you discovered.

lt's sending out strong electromagnetic radiation.

We won't be able to scan inside it.

You know, it sounds to me like a perfect hiding place.

l agree.

l don't like the idea of going in there blind.

Let me see if l can reconfigure the sensors

to a multiphasic bandwidth.

ls there a problem?

l've lost all sensor contact with the nebula.

l don't understand.

Wait a minute. We've altered course.

Mr. Paris?

Our new heading is 121 mark 6.

We've completely come about, Captain,

but it wasn't me.

Mr. Kim, check the navigational computer.

Who ordered the course change?

According to my readings,

the command was issued from the conn.

l'm telling you, it wasn't me.

And the helm controls are working perfectly--

no sign of a malfunction.

Ensign, transfer helm control

to your station, and reset our original course.

Course laid in.

Mr. Paris, l want you to run

a full diagnostic on the conn station.

See if you can isolate the problem.

Aye, Captain.

You might have asked before adorning my Sick Bay

with animal remains.

lt's a medicine wheel--

a talisman used by Chakotay's tribe.

He once... showed me how it works.

He said if anything ever happened to him

that l should perform a special healing ritual.

The wheel represents both the universe outside

and the universe inside our minds as well.

They believe each is a reflection of the other.

When a person is sleeping or on a vision quest,

it's said that his soul is walking the wheel, but if he's

in a coma, or near death, it means that he's gotten lost.

These stones are signposts...

to help point the way back.

Not exactly standard medical procedure, l know, but...

You've placed the coyote stone

at the crossroads of the Fifth and Sixth Realms,

which would divert Commander Chakotay's soul--

that is, his consciousness--

into the Mountains of the Antelope Women,

according to his tradition an extremely attractive locale.

He might not want to leave.

How do you know about the medicine wheel?

lt's my business to know

about a variety of medical treatments,

including those based on psycho-spiritual beliefs.

Unfortunately, in this case,

the medicine wheel won't be much help.

There's just not enough of his mind left to work with.

Find your way home, Commander.

Hello?

ls someone here?

lt's like...

sensing some kind of presence--

as if someone else were here.

Your telepathic senses again.

ls this like last week, when you went into Sick Bay,

and you knew Lieutenant Hargrove had been there

only he'd left hours before?

lt's not the same.

That was like...

like hearing faint music from a faraway place.

When l was in my quarters just now...

Mm-hmm.

it was almost tangible.

l felt like there was someone in the room with me.

Who was it?

l don't know.

A presence.

That's all l can say.

Warp engines still within normal parameters, Captain.

We just changed course again.

Mr. Kim?

Our new heading is 121 mark 6.

Get us back on course.

The helm's not responding.

l'm locked out.

This command station has been blocked.

From where?

The lockout originated on Deck 12, Section B-7--

navigational control.

See if you can reestablish control.

l've checked every ODN junction in the helm control network

and l still can't find the problem.

Seems we've developed a new problem

while you were gone.

Helm control reestablished.

Get us back on course for the nebula.

Janeway to Torres.

Torres here.

Who's in the navigational control?

No one right now.

l was there this morning, and Lieutenant Paris

was in there just a few minutes ago.

That's not true.

Are you certain about that, B'Elanna?

Positive. l just saw him leave about five minutes ago.

Janeway out.

Explanation, Mr. Paris.

l passed by the navigational control

on my way back from the Jefferies tube, but that's all.

Am l being accused of something here?

We are merely following

a line of deductive reasoning, Lieutenant.

Both deviations from our course

were apparently issued from locations

where you were working.

l'm telling you, l didn't do it.

Well, l'm willing to rule out mutiny for the time being.

l believe you, Mr. Paris,

but we have to consider the possibility

that you might be having a problem with your memory.

l want you to go down to Sick Bay.

Have the Doctor check you out.

All right.

Lieutenant Durst.

Neurotransmitters at normal.

Synaptic functions stable.

Hold still.

This is an extremely sensitive scan.

What l wouldn't give to see good old Doc Brown right now.

What?

Doc Brown.

Lollipops in the waiting room,

no holocomic books more than six months old,

house calls.

l caught a bad cold one time when l was nine years old.

The doctor whipped up a pot of garlic soup

and brought it over himself.

Your report, Doctor.

l still have a series of tests to perform,

but other than his irritating lapses into nostalgia,

l see nothing wrong with him.

l guess you're going to have to round up another suspect, Tuvok.

On the contrary, Lieutenant.

l ran a forensics sweep of the navigational control.

l found traces of your DNA on the console.

That's impossible.

The cellular residue you left behind

is less than 12 hours old.

Do you still wish to maintain your innocence?

To be honest, l don't know what to think.

Perhaps my biomolecular scan will reveal something.

Keep me informed, Doctor.

l believe l have found the ion trail

of the ship that attacked us.

lt leads directly into the dark-matter nebula.

This is the nebula...

and this is the ion trail.

As you can see,

their flight path is highly erratic.

These planetoids inside the nebula,

they may be generating

a dangerous gravitational effect--

like storm currents.

Chances are they've mapped those currents

and they're taking the only safe way through.

A reasonable assumption.

l recommend we follow their exact flight path.

Agreed. Lay in a course to the...

Captain, we're dropping to impulse power.

l'm reading a massive energy drain all over the ship,

and the warp core is shutting down.

Bridge to Engineering. Report.

Lieutenant Torres, please respond.

Mr. Kim, take the Bridge.

Tuvok, you're with me.

Torres, what's going on?

Captain?

You've initiated an emergency warp core shutdown.

What?!

Too late. The warp core is off-line.

lt'll take at least two hours

to regenerate the dilithium matrix.

Ensign, get the rest of the systems back on line.

Apparently, you've just crashed the main computer,

locked out the Bridge and stopped this ship cold.

Do you want to tell me why?

Captain, l don't know what you're talking about.

What the hell is going on here?

l've found something and you're not going to like it.

This is Mr. Paris' memory engram for the last 24 hours.

As you can see, it has a very consistent

and distinctive modulation, except at 1350 hours.

For one minute, 47 seconds,

a different memory pattern appeared.

1350 hours is also the exact moment when Mr. Paris

presumably tampered with navigational control.

lt gets worse.

ln addition to that,

there is another disruption at 1202 hours,

the moment when he allegedly entered

the new course at the helm.

l also found there's an identical disruption

in Lieutenant Torres' pattern, at the moment

she shut down warp power.

l should point out that this

is a neural electrical signature--

what l believe to be another brain wave

that was superimposed on their own.

Another brain wave?

Whose?

l don't know.

lt has an unusual energy signature,

one l've never seen before.

Doctor... what are you saying?

One possible explanation--

and the only one l can think of at the moment--

is that an unknown alien entity

momentarily took control of their minds.

lntruder alert.

All security personnel go to Condition 4.

Captain, it is possible

the intruder returned with us in the shuttlecraft.

lf we're right...

and there is an alien here,

it seems intent on preventing us from going back to the nebula.

What's more, it seems to have the ability

to jump from person to person.

lf that's true, it could be in any one of us,

controlling our actions without us realizing it.

Well, except for me.

That's true.

So far it's only affected organic beings.

lf it could control the computer

and navigational systems directly,

it probably would've done it already.

Which means...

the Doctor is the only person on board

we can trust at this moment.

Doctor...

until we have eliminated this alien presence,

l can't take the risk

that it could take over any of the senior officers.

l'd like to transfer all command codes to you

until further notice.

W-What would that mean?

That l am in command?

No. But you will act as a fail-safe.

lf you feel at any time

that any of us are under the influence of the alien...

you can countermand our orders and take control of the ship.

Do you feel up to it?

Well, of course.

l make life and death decisions every day.

l feel better already.

Computer, transfer all command codes to the holographic doctor.

Authorization: Janeway-eight- four-one-alpha-six-five.

Command code transfer complete.

Let's see if we can get the warp core

back on line ahead of schedule.

Aye, Captain.

Captain, l heard what's happened.

l think you're right.

There is an alien presence here.

l've been sensing something unusual all day.

l don't know how to describe it,

but l know there's something here.

Do you know where?

No. Just that it's on the ship.

Captain, Kes's telepathic abilities

are undisciplined.

lf l could initiate a Vulcan mind-meld with her,

l may be able to help her focus those abilities

to detect the alien more accurately.

l'm willing to do that.

Very well.

Proceed, Mr. Tuvok.

The Captain wants to seal off all critical areas of the ship.

Make sure the access hatch

of Jefferies Tube A-17 is secured.

So what exactly are we securing against?

We're not sure yet, but we think

it's some kind of noncorporeal alien.

Noncorporeal?

That means it can probably move right through a bul...

Medical emergency, Deck 7 Section 13-Alpha.

Captain's Log, supplemental.

lt appears that Mr. Tuvok and Kes were both hit

by an unidentified energy discharge.

Tuvok was not badly hurt, but Kes is in a coma.

lt was similar to the attack on the shuttlecraft--

an energy discharge came through the bulkhead,

filled the turbolift and hit both of us.

We didn't pick up a discharge of any kind

on the internal sensors.

Perhaps this type of energy is beyond our sensor bandwidth.

Perhaps.

But that discharge had to come from somewhere.

The most thorough scanning device we have on board

is a magneton scanner.

We could search the ship centimeter by centimeter,

but that wouldn't do much good.

This alien could be anywhere at any time.

But what if we could perform a magneton scan

on the entire ship all at once?

What do you suggest?

A magneton flash-scan.

We could reconfigure every sensor array

on the ship to emit a single burst.

lt might be enough to illuminate any anomalous energy.

Harry, what do you think?

Whoa!

What did l do?

Stay where you are, Mr. Kim.

l don't see anything unusual,

but that doesn't mean anything.

Mr. Kim?

What were you doing just now?

l was just thinking.

l was remembering an old study l saw

about magneton scanners.

l guess my mind started to wander a bit.

l'm very disturbed by what just happened here.

We don't have any idea what occurs

when someone is occupied by this alien presence.

lf we start pointing a finger every time

someone gets distracted,

it won't be long before outright paranoia

starts sweeping the ship.

Tuvok, B'Elanna, l want you to get started

on that magneton flash-scan.

lt's worth a try.

Dismissed.

And that's not all.

Ensign Parsons ordered his pejuta cold.

So?

He always drinks it hot, hot!

With lemon... but not today.

Today, it's cold pejuta, hold the lemon.

Mr. Neelix, just because a man changes his drink order,

doesn't mean he's possessed by an alien.

Nevertheless, don't you think

you should... scan him or dissect him or something,

just to make sure?

l could examine every crew member

you've mentioned so far,

every person on board for that matter,

and it wouldn't do any good.

From what we can tell, the alien can jump

from person to person at will.

Sounds to me like you're defending Ensign Parsons.

l'm not defending him.

l'm just pointing out

that you're acting a little paranoid.

ln fact...

one could say you're acting a little too paranoid.

Are you suggesting that l...?

That l could possibly...?

Doctor, l can assure you, not even an alien intruder

could make me do anything to hurt Kes.

All l'm suggesting, Mr. Neelix,

is that paranoia is only going to aggravate

your already precarious emotional condition.

Try to relax.

l don't think Kes has suffered

any permanent neurological damage.

l'll let you know the moment

l've had any success in reviving her.

l'll be back as soon as you wake,

dearest, and don't worry.

You're in good hands.

Thank you, Doctor.

What are you doing?

l am reconfiguring the sensor relays on the ship.

This will only take a minute.

Must you do it now?

l'm in the middle of a treatment.

l am sorry, Doctor. Captain's orders.

How is she?

No irreparable damage.

ln fact, her injuries are quite different

from Commander Chakotay's.

Her bio-neural energy is completely intact,

and l'm curious about these contusions

on her neck and shoulder.

They're not consistent with an energy discharge.

They look more like wounds

sustained during a physical struggle.

Odd. There was no physical struggle that l can recall.

l just don't understand it.

The only thing these injuries come close to resembling

is an extreme trauma to the trapezius nerve bundle.

lt's as though her nerve fibers have been ruptured.

Come in.

Lieutenant Torres and l will be ready to initiate

the magneton scan in approximately two hours.

You should be aware that it will be

a high-intensity burst.

lt will cause dizziness and disorientation

in all crew members, including myself,

for several seconds.

Make a shipwide announcement before you initiate the scan.

Aye, Captain.

There is another matter of some concern.

lt appears that Kes's injuries

were not caused by an energy discharge.

The Doctor has found evidence

that she was physically assaulted.

Assaulted...

but you weren't physically assaulted.

That is correct.

ls it possible that you inflicted her wounds?

Me?

Maybe you were inhabited by the alien at that moment.

lt is possible.

Perhaps we should have the Doctor

run a neurological scan to see if l show a memory disruption.

Agreed.

Janeway to Sick Bay.

Computer, activate emergency medical holographic system.

Unable to comply.

The EMH program has been disabled.

Disabled? By whom?

Unknown.

The Doctor's initialization routine has been locked out.

lt's encrypted.

l can't reactivate the program.

lt appears the lockout

originated somewhere above Deck 4.

Why would someone deactivate the Doctor?

The Doctor does hold the command codes to Voyager.

Yes, but once he was deactivated,

the codes automatically reverted back to me.

lf we assume the alien

could not take over the holographic doctor,

then logically, it would try to force the command codes

back into a humanoid host.

Me.

lt's too dangerous for one person

to retain the command codes at this point.

l suggest we divide my command protocols

into two code groupings.

A sensible precaution.

You would be the reasonable choice

to hold the second grouping,

if there's any such thing as a reasonable choice right now.

The alien could occupy either one of us at any time.

But, presumably, not both of us at the same time.

l'll tell the Bridge crew the plan.

We'll all have to act as checks and balances for each other.

l want you all to be aware of something that has happened--

something l must assume was due to the alien.

The Doctor has been deactivated,

and we can't get him back on line.

l have decided to divide my command protocols.

Captain...

Stun her.

She's the alien.

That should do it, Captain.

Thank you, Mr. Paris.

l feel better already.

Any luck getting the Doctor back on line?

Not yet. Whoever did this

put up one hell of a roadblock.

l'm going to have to break through

at least six levels of encryption

to access the holo-emitters.

How long is it going to take?

Two, maybe three hours.

Torres to Janeway.

Go ahead.

Captain, can you come down to Engineering?

There's something here l think you should see.

l'm on my way. Mr. Paris?

You're our temporary medic until the Doctor returns.

Right.

Ensign, l need you on the Bridge.

l've been trying to reconstruct

the damaged sensor logs

from Tuvok and Chakotay's shuttlecraft.

l didn't have any luck until l ran a parity trace scan.

Captain, the sensor logs weren't destroyed

by an energy discharge.

Someone erased them,

and then overloaded the sensor matrix

to make it look like they'd been damaged.

lt gets worse.

There was enough information left

in the backup logs for me to reconstruct

what happened during the attack.

They were near a dark-matter nebula,

and an energy discharge did breach the hull,

but there was no other ship.

No ship?

l'm certain of it.

From what l can tell,

the energy discharge came from the nebula itself.

Why would Tuvok lie about an attack?

He must have been under the alien's influence.

Bridge to Janeway.

We're approaching the dark-matter nebula.

Acknowledged.

How long until the magneton flash-scan is ready to go?

The sensor arrays are charging now.

15, maybe 20 minutes.

When it's ready, transfer control of the scan

to the Bridge.

ln the meantime, l think we should

take a look at exactly what it is

we're not supposed to see.

Mr. Tuvok, can you locate the ion trail

of the alien ship that attacked you?

l believe so.

Mr. Kim, lay in that course.

Shields are at maximum, Captain.

All preparations for entering the nebula

are complete.

Captain, l finished the bio-analysis

the Doctor was running on Kes before he was deactivated.

l think he was onto something.

lf l'm interpreting his data correctly,

the bruises on Kes's neck and shoulders

were the result of a Vulcan neck pinch.

Lieutenant?

l have no memory of injuring Kes.

Perhaps l was occupied by the alien at that time.

Perhaps so.

But then... why does it keep attacking you?

ln three separate instances now, it's assaulted you.

l am the Chief of Security.

lt may see me as a particular threat.

So far, you've posed no greater threat than anyone else.

And yet, it keeps going after you.

Captain, l believe you are having

a typically human response to circumstances

which are frightening and inexplicable

commonly known as paranoia.

Maybe...

but l don't think it's paranoia that's keeping me

from picking up this ion trail of yours.

What bandwidth are you on?

l am using a multiphasic scan.

lf you examine the Alpha-K band, you will see it.

Yes, here it is.

A very interesting ion trail.

There's no sign of any subspace distortions in its wake.

According to these readings...

it's a ship without engines.

You're lying, Tuvok.

There is no alien ship

and there never was.

We're not going inside that nebula

until we get some answers.

Mr. Kim, reverse course.

Belay that order.

That is exactly what the alien has been trying to do--

keep us from entering the nebula.

l suspect the Captain has been occupied.

l am relieving her of command.

Ensign, proceed into the nebula, one-half impulse.

Don't do it, Harry.

Now, Ensign.

No, sir.

l won't do it.

l must inform you.

This phaser is on wide-beam dispersal

and set to kill.

l am taking command of this Bridge.

l must ask you all to stand together

where l can see you.

Step away from the console, Ensign.

Captain, we're entering the nebula.

Captain, l'm picking up some kind of energy pulses

in the nebula-- highly coherent with a bio-matrix.

Life-forms...

And they're heading this way.

Those beings out there-- are they your people?

We are the Komar.

This is our domain.

What's happening?

The warp core has been ejected.

No.

No. We must continue.

Torres to Bridge.

Captain,

l think l was just taken over by the alien.

One second, l was working the plasma relays,

and the next thing l knew, l was ejecting

the warp core.

Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Stand by.

l don't get it.

lf the alien's in Tuvok, how could it be

down in Engineering at the same time?

l don't know.

Unless there are two aliens.

Two?

Wait a minute.

Lieutenant Torres isn't authorized

to eject the warp core on her own.

That requires a command code authorization.

Computer, who authorized the ejection of the warp core?

The authorization was entered by Commander Chakotay.

Chakotay...

How is that possible?

The alien in Tuvok wants us in that nebula,

but there's another presence

that's been trying to keep us out.

lt doesn't make sense unless it's Chakotay.

And he knows we'll be in danger if we go in there.

But he's in Sick Bay.

He's brain dead.

Maybe not.

Maybe his neural energy was displaced somehow,

and he's able to move from person to person.

Tuvok's engaged emergency thrusters.

We're moving again, Captain.

You brought us here-- for what?

To extract our neural energy?

Very perceptive, Captain.

The collective neural energy of your crew

will sustain my people for years to come.

You don't have to do this.

Maybe we can help you find another source of energy.

Captain, we're under attack.

We're being bombarded by the energy beings.

The magneton scan identified

the entity before it left the ship.

lt was a trianic-based energy being.

Looks like he's joined his friends outside.

Shields are holding,

but they won't last long at this rate,

and the electromagnetic radiation

is blinding our sensors.

l can't find a way out.

Come about.

Maybe if we reverse course, we can just backtrack.

Yes, ma'am.

l don't know if that'll work, Captain.

Tuvok was navigating a complicated course.

We could be going deeper into the nebula.

Mr. Kim, maybe you can reconstruct Tuvok's

navigational logs.

l'm on it, Captain.

Shields down to 65 percent, Captain.

The energy beings are starting to penetrate our defenses.

l'm not having any luck.

Tuvok deleted the navigational logs as he went along.

He wanted to make sure we didn't get out of here.

Neelix to Bridge.

Go ahead.

Captain, l can't be sure,

but l think l was just taken over by the alien.

And l've done something very strange.

l've rearranged the stones on the medicine wheel.

lf it's Chakotay,

maybe he's trying to tell us something.

Mr. Kim, activate Sick Bay Visual Relay 16

and put it on the viewscreen.

Aye, Captain.

What is it?

What does it mean?

ls it a code? A message?

Or a map...

Computer, overlay a star map of the nebula

on the current viewscreen image.

The stones are

in the same position as those three planetoids.

Chakotay must be using them to point a way out.

Mr. Kim, lay in a course that takes us along a line

connecting those three planetoids.

Engage.

Shields failing!

The aliens are penetrating the hull.

Mr. Kim, report.

We're passing the third planetoid now, Captain.

The dark matter density is thinning.

Reading normal space ahead.

Bridge to Torres.

Transfer all remaining power to the thrusters--

including life support.

We've cleared the nebula, Captain.

Main power coming back on line.

Shields at full strength.

Hull integrity normal.

The alien beings are not pursuing.

Captain's Log, Stardate 48735.9.

We have returned to the coordinates

where we ejected the warp core

and have successfully retrieved it.

Now we're hoping the Doctor will be able to successfully

reintegrate Commander Chakotay's consciousness.

Did it work?

lt appears so.

Commander...

can you hear me?

Yes.

l'm a little dizzy, but l think l'm all here...

How did you manage

to reintegrate his consciousness?

lt involved three neural transceivers,

two cortical stimulators,

and 50 gigaquads of computer memory.

l would be happy to take you through the process,

but it would take at least ten hours

to explain it all to you.

Needless to say, it was a remarkable procedure.

l would consider writing a paper about it,

if there were a convenient forum in which to publish it.

What happened, Commander?

After the attack on the shuttle,

l had the sensation of... floating above my own body.

l thought l was dead.

And when the shuttle returned to Voyager,

you were still disembodied?

Yes.

l couldn't speak.

l couldn't touch anything.

But then l found that if l concentrated on someone

who was in the room with me...

l could share their consciousness.

At first, l could only do little things

with the host's body--

push buttons, work a console.

As time went on...

it became easier to do more.

Sorry l had to knock you around, Tuvok.

No apologies necessary.

Good job, Commander,

and welcome back.

To be honest, l feel like l never left.

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