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Seven investigates a massive "conspiracy" involving the Federation, the Cardassians, the Caretaker, and numerous other alien races, which indicates that Voyager was deliberately stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

Summary

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Explorers

Seven of Nine is busy installing a new function into her regeneration alcove, a device that will allow her to assimilate incoming information. Meanwhile, Chakotay and Janeway are eating dinner together when Chakotay asks if Voyager can detour to an interesting Class K nebula 25 light years off the port bow. Janeway remarks that the decision would be a major course change for a minor nebula, but Chakotay reminds her that they are explorers. Janeway grants the request, then asks Chakotay if he is ready for her home-cooking. She remarks that it is a recipe she has never tried, and quips "We are explorers, remember?"

Seven's Photonic Fleas

Seven of Nine completes her regeneration cycle at 0200 and hails Lieutenant Torres, who informs Seven of the time and tells her that her business had better important. On the bridge, Torres asks Janeway for permission to take the sensor network offline. When Janeway inquires as to the reason, Seven of Nine informs her that she believes a pair of photonic fleas and possibly their offspring have made in home in it. According to Seven, Voyager came across a Talaxian convoy where Neelix picked up a bucket of amber spice, which contained the larvae of the fleas, and he brought it to the kitchen. At the same time, Ensign Kim was repairing a faulty relay in the mess hall replicator. The newly hatched fleas left the amber spice and went in search of nutrition, which was plasma particles. The open replicator circuits were a perfect target. Now the photonic fleas have mated and every so often tap into the sensor relays for nourishment. When they do, the sensors momentarily lose their resolution. Amused but adventuresome, the triad venture into a jeffries tube where Janeway and Torres access a sensor node to examine the relays for themselves. Amazingly, several photonic fleas are indeed living in the network. Astonished, Janeway tells Torres to find a new home for them.

The Graviton Catapult

En route to the nebula, Janeway detects graviton emissions about 10 light years away and orders Lieutenant Paris to alter course. Paris reminds the Captain that Chakotay had his heart set on the nebula, but Janeway says that he will have to wait. Voyager arrives at an unusual station that no one can readily identify. A power fluctuation causes Janeway to hail a vessel near the station and meets a man named Tash. He tells the crew that if he can't stabilize the power grid, "they will be able to see the explosion back to... where did you say you were from?" Grinning, Janeway replies that she didn't but that they are from a planet called Earth. Tash remarks that they will be able to see the explosion all the way back to Earth, and then proceeds to tell Janeway what the station really is. He explains that it is a graviton catapult, a device that is capable of catapulting a vessel across space faster than you can say "catapult a vessel across space". Intrigued, Janeway beams Tash aboard and meets with him in her ready room, where Tash tells the crew that he built the catapult to get himself home. He had been exploring an unstable wormhole near his homeworld when he was pulled in by accident, stranding him 10,000 light years from his home. Kim remarks that Voyager knows the feeling. Tash says that he is going to make his jump if he can fix his station, and then asks Janeway for her help and what she might want in return. The good captain tells him that she isn't asking for anything in return, but Tash catches on and tells her that Voyager could use the catapult after he left. Janeway says that if she can determine that it would be safe for Voyager then she would do just that.

Seven's Theory

Seven of Nine wakes up from her alcove and strides to Janeway's quarters late at night. Once there, she informs Janeway that Tash's graviton catapult uses the same technology the Caretaker used to trap Voyager in the Delta Quadrant five years earlier. Shocked, Janeway asks Seven how she came to this conclusion, to which the ex-Borg replies that she scanned Tash's station and found a radiation surge emanating from it. Janeway says that it is not unheard of, but Seven retorts that the radiation is a by-product of a tetryon reactor, a device she believes is in the catapult and a device the Caretaker used to capture vessels, including Voyager. Janeway is wary until Seven says that the reactor may be from the Caretaker's Array itself, to which Janeway replies that it is a long shot that that could be true. However, Seven continues to produce evidence that her statement was fact. Janeway states that the first time she met a Caretaker, she was pulled half way across the galaxy, and the second time she was almost killed. She is not eager for a third round.

The Janeway Conspiracy

In Engineering, Janeway, Seven, and Torres question Tash about his tetryon reactor and why he hid it from them. Tash informs them that he hid it because there were many species who would try to steal such advanced technology. Janeway believes him and tells him that she sees no reason why their deal can't continue, but does tell him that she will be watching him closely. Pulling Seven away, she tells her that she doesn't truly know if he is telling the truth or not. Seven of Nine regenerates in her alcove, and wakes up a few hours later looking disturbed. She hails Chakotay and tells him to meet her in Astrometrics. Once he arrives, Seven tells the computer to seal the door and turn off all sensors around the room. Amused, Chakotay asks her why she has done this, to which she turns to him and tells him that Voyager's presence in the Delta Quadrant was no accident, but that she was stranded here on purpose. When Chakotay asks her who stranded Voyager there, she replies that it was Captain Janeway. She then proceeds to detail her evidence, suggesting an invasion into the Delta Quadrant by the Federation.

The Chakotay Conspiracy

Chakotay is talking with Torres about his conversation with Seven. Chakotay tells her to slow down on the shield modifications so that he can have more time to figure everything out. Seven of Nine regenerates in her alcove, and wakes up a few hours later looking disturbed. She hails Janeway this time and tells her to meet her in Astrometrics. Once she arrives, Seven tells the computer to seal the door and turn off all sensors around the room. The conversation between Seven and Janeway goes a lot like the one between Seven and Chakotay, except that now Seven is accusing Chakotay and the Maquis instead of Janeway and the Federation.

The Seven Conspiracy

Janeway and Chakotay meet in the cargo bay and wonder what each is doing. The two end up comparing stories and they realize Seven is acting irrationally. The Doctor determines that Seven has downloaded way more information than even her enhanced systems can handle. Seven then starts suspecting a third conspiracy, that the aim of the last 5 years was actually to grab a Borg drone, herself. Seven steals the Delta Flyer in order to escape from Voyager. Janeway manages to beam aboard. She convinces Seven that she is ill and she returns to Voyager for treatment. Janeway and Chakotay have coffee and discuss how they actually began to suspect each other when Seven was malfunctioning.

Memorable Quotes

"Are phasers standard equipment on board now?"

- Captain Janeway, to Commander Chakotay


"You didn't poison the coffee, did you?"
"Not any more than I usually do."

- Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway


"A secret mission? Starfleet in league with the Caretaker? It's ridiculous!"
"Ridiculous? Seven has some compelling evidence."
"Well then let's go to the captain, get a straight answer."
"'Good morning Kathryn. All systems operational, the crew's in good health, and by the way, is it true you've been lying to us for five years?'"

- B'Elanna Torres and Commander Chakotay

Background Information

  • Seven of Nine mistakenly refers to Seska as "Commander Seska," when in fact she was granted a field commission as an Ensign.
  • It is never revealed why Voyager had the tricobalt warheads as part of its arsenal six years earlier or the origin of the tractor beam that was present during the destruction of the Caretaker's array.
  • The Artificial Intelligence from the Voyager episode "Think Tank" can clearly be seen in a corner of Tash's ship, when he hails voyager.
  • Seven of Nine talks about Seska impregnating herself with Chakotay's DNA, however it is revealed in "Basics, Part II" that the resulting child is actually Maje Culluh's.
  • As Seven of Nine's first regeneration cycle after modifying her alcove to be a cortical processing subunit ends, we see diagrams of several ships flash by on the display including a Jem'Hadar battlecruiser, an Intrepid Class Starfleet Ship (most likely the Voyager), a D7 class Klingon Battlecruiser, a Vulcan long range shuttle, the Orbital office complex, and a Defiant class Starfleet ship.

Links and References

Guest Stars

Co-Stars

References

amber spice; argon; Badlands; Baxial; Borg alcove; Borg cube; Borg drone; Cardassian; Caretaker; Caretaker's array; cordical processing subunit; class K nebula; cortical implant; cortical processing subunit; epsilon radiation; Galor-class; graviton; graviton catapult; helium; Hirogen; hydrogen; Jankata Accord, kadis-kot; Kartelan; Kartelian freighter; Kazon; Kes; Kolhari; Ktarian; Maquis; Maquis Rebellion; mercury (element); mutiny; null space; photonic flea; plasma; practical joke; Raven, USS; second-degree burns; sector; Sector 492; Seska; Talaxian; teracochrane; teraquad; Terkellian; tetryons; tetryon power cells; tetryon reactor; tri-cobalt device; unimatrix; walk the plank; Warp 10; wormhole

Previous episode:
"One Small Step"
Star Trek: Voyager
Season 6
Next episode:
"Pathfinder"
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