Home > Star Trek: Voyager

Time and Again

Holding course 351 mark 10. Warp 7.

We'll be passing a red dwarf system in 40 minutes.

I can't tell yet if there are any M-Class planets.

You ready? No, I really want to get on that transtator assembly diagnostic.

Harry, I can't do this alone.

Sorry.

Oh, you're making a big mistake.

Can't you see what's going to happen?

We're the only humans out here, Harry.

People are going to start pairing off and if we don't get to the Delaney sisters in Stellar Cartography soon, somebody else will.

I got a girl back home.

So what? I got five.

I plan on seeing mine again.

Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry.

You really think she's going to wait for you?

I hope so. Let her go.

Let her have a husband and kids and a good life, while you and I have the Delaney sisters.

I told you, I need to run a transtator diagnostic.

You need to run a self-diagnostic.

Look, they come as a pair.

It's a double date or no date.

Come on.

I told them all about you.

What did you tell them about me?

Uh, well, for one thing, how you broke the single-pilot speed record at the Academy.

Record?

I never broke any record.

And who are they going to check it with?

( console beeping )

( deep rumbling )

Report!

We're at the leading edge of a shock wave.

Minor hull breach on Deck 3, contained.

Shields are holding.

TORRES: Engineering is undamaged, Captain.

All systems operational.

Mr. Paris, can you identify the source of the wave?

I'm not sure.

Scanners are picking up a debris cloud in the red dwarf system we're approaching.

It consists of differentially charged polaric ions,

Captain.

Differentially charged?

That would suggest a massive detonation.

Are you familiar with any intelligent life forms in this system, Mr. Neelix?

Familiar?

Ah, not exactly, uh, familiar.

Considerably less than familiar, actually.

Adjust course to investigate.

Aye, Captain.

PARIS: Entering the system, Captain.

Heading 010 mark 4.

NEELIX: Kes... what are you doing here?

I had to know.

Know? Know what?

The origin of the shock wave is an M-Class planet, Captain.

We're within visual range.

On screen.

KIM: All vegetation on the planet has been destroyed.

No satellite system in orbit. No evidence of spacecraft.

Life signs?

None. PARIS: None.

But the polaric radiation may be interfering with the scanners.

Take us into orbit.

Density patterns on the surface show artificial waterways and a global aqueduct system.

There is a civilization down there, Captain.

Or there was.

What do we know about surface conditions?

Radiation is within acceptable levels.

Atmosphere: breathable.

Mr. Paris, Tuvok, you're with me.

Ms. Torres, meet us in Transporter Room 2.

On my way.

Commander, you have the Bridge.

TORRES: The entire surface of the planet was just... seared.

JANEWAY: There was a chain reaction in subspace, very likely ignited by the detonation of one or more polaric ion devices.

PARIS: If that's what happened, the people here never had a chance.

TORRES: They're gone... vaporized.

Everything organic has basically been obliterated.

At least it happened quickly.

Polaric detonation would have swept through this city in seconds.

TUVOK: It recalls the Chaltok IV incident.

TORRES: Chaltok IV?

A Romulan research colony was nearly destroyed during a testing of one of these devices.

It led to the Polaric Test Ban Treaty of 2268.

So... we're looking at the end of a war.

I wonder who won.

JANEWAY: I'm not so sure there was a war.

Look at these readings, B'Elanna.

TORRES: Polaric ion concentrations are so high, I can't get an accurate reading.

I'd say these conduits were the source of the explosion, wouldn't you?

A civilization powered by polaric ion energy?

That's what it looks like.

A time bomb underneath every street, running into every home.

NEELIX: What do you mean, you saw it?

How could you see it?

I don't know.

What did you see?

( sobbing ): I saw them... burn... their bodies... ashes where they stood!

You felt the shock wave in your sleep.

This is just your imagination.

A strange coincidence.

I don't think so.

What else could it be?

It was... it was almost telepathic.

Telepathy is a message, words, a voice...

What you're describing, why, it's... almost like the visions of Drakina Forest dwellers.

Who?

A tribe with paranormal abilities.

They can walk into an empty room...

Neelix, my ancestors were said to have unusual mental abilities.

No one believes those stories.

I always have.

Look.

This may be some kind of timepiece stopped at the moment of the explosion.

( children laughing )

What was that? What?

Didn't you hear that?

Hear what, Lieutenant?

Kids playing.

They were as close to me as...

( children, adults talking )

I don't understand.

I was here, in this square, but there were people.

You never left here, Tom.

But I saw them.

Lots of people.

Children playing and the sun was shining.

There was no evidence of an explosion.

Everyone was alive and happy.

You were standing here the whole time.

Your central nervous system is showing a temporal flux, but it's rapidly returning to normal.

TUVOK: The chain reaction has shattered subspace, Captain.

I want everyone to stand exactly where they are.

If Tuvok's right, there may be subspace fractures floating like icebergs across the planet's surface.

Away team to Voyager.

Go ahead. Four to beam up.

( children, adults talking )

Tuvok, B'Elanna?

( screaming )

Hey, calm down.

It's all right.

Now what's the problem?

I saw them!

They appeared out of thin air!

They're some kind of demons.

I saw them with my own eyes.

I'm sorry we startled him. We just came around the corner.

They're lying!

Shh, now.

Calm down. You've been reading too many of those Darkstorm tales, young fellow.

There's no such thing as demons.

But I'm telling you...

Ah, ah, ah, run along now.

Have a confection bar and calm down.

All right, everybody, back to your business.

Nothing else to see here now.

Oh, sorry about that.

No problem.

Who knows what gets into their heads, huh?

Oh, perhaps the uniforms scared him.

We're not from this area.

Come in on the Continental Transport?

This morning.

Is, uh, that what they're wearing in Kalto province these days?

Uh, this is, uh, a little more formal than most.

You know how it is when you travel.

We were actually looking for a clothing shop.

We thought we'd change into something more appropriate.

There's one right over there.

I hope the rest of your stay with us is more enjoyable.

I wish I could say it will be.

MAN: Need a timepiece?

Maybe you could help me.

I'm from... Kalto province.

I'm not used to your timepieces.

They're no different than Kalton timepieces.

Are you sure? What do these numbers stand for?

Rotations, intervals, fractions.

Same as any timepiece.

14 kelodas.

A fair price.

I might stop back later.

If there's time.

If I understood correctly, this world is going to be destroyed sometime tomorrow.

CHAKOTAY: First Officer's Log, supplemental.

There's been no sign of Captain Janeway or Lieutenant Paris

since they were lost in a subspace fracture.

KIM: This is one of the subspace fractures we've located with a magneton scan of the surface.

This is the time of the explosion where the fracture opens.

The, as the shock waves dissipate, the fracture grows more narrow.

We believe that the Captain and Lieutenant Paris are trapped at the narrow end.

Shock waves from most explosions dissipate into the future, but we're speculating-- Based in part on what Paris told us he saw--

That these dissipate into the past.

That's consistent with the subspace damage we've observed.

Why haven't they been able to return as Mr. Paris did the first time?

TORRES: He wasn't all the way inside a fracture.

Remember? We still saw Paris standing there even when he could see the other side.

So it's possible the Captain and Paris are existing only hours and minutes before the explosion occurs.

There's no way for us to measure exactly how far back these fractures go.

How do we find them?

If I know Captain Janeway, she would activate a subspace beacon to assist us.

We're counting on it.

First, we have to find a fracture in a location where they've been then we have to microscan the fracture to try to pick up the signal from their subspace beacon.

Once we've identified where and when they are, then we have to widen the fracture at that point.

How do you suggest we do that?

We're not sure yet.

Hmm.

Mm-hmm.

What? Hmm?

Is something wrong?

Yes, terribly wrong.

Your brain is... not on file.

Either your government failed to transmit the standard 15-501 Crew Personnel Report or somebody at Starfleet Medical really fouled up.

I'm not a member of the Starfleet crew.

We came aboard at mid-expedition.

And no one asked you for your medical histories when you arrived?

Of course not-- That would be the ship's doctor's job.

My job.

If anyone had bothered to tell me about new passengers, but I seem to be the last to know just about everything around here.

So. Tell me--

Just how many other new arrivals are there?

Just us. And the crew from another ship that was destroyed.

Another... crew?

That's nice.

This is the emergency medical holographic system to Captain Janeway.

She's not on board.

She's missing on the surface of a planet.

Missing?

The Captain is missing?

It seems I've found myself on the voyage of the damned.

Very well.

Please advise the highest-ranking officer who is not missing to see me at his earliest convenience.

You may shut off my program now.

But you haven't told us anything about her condition.

She's the healthiest member of her species I've ever seen... the only member of her species I've ever seen.

You have a lovely brain.

It will make a fine addition to our files.

I wouldn't worry.

If your species has a history of extraordinary mental abilities, this may simply be your way of flexing those muscles for the first time.

Living in space requires the body to make a variety of biological adjustments.

This could be a side effect of that process.

Go home.

Get a good night's sleep... and drink plenty of fluids.

Fluids?

Everybody should drink plenty of fluids.

Don't leave without turning me off.

Computer, end program.

And call me in the morning.

We can assume that Voyager will be looking for a way to reach us.

I'll set my combadge to emit a subspace beacon.

If they get close, maybe they'll pick it up.

( sighs )

I know.

Maybe there's some way...

Don't even think about it, Tom.

The Prime Directive is clear. We cannot allow our presence to alter this planet's natural course of events.

Even if the natural course of events is annihilation?

Yeah.

My father used to talk at length to us about the Prime Directive, once a year-- Like a holiday sermon.

He considered it the guiding principle of space exploration.

To be honest,

I tuned out most of his sermons years ago.

Well, tune back into this one because I agree with him.

You have no idea what the consequences might be once you involve yourself.

The consequences would have to be better than mass destruction.

You're not to warn these people.

That's an order.

Oh, God. Come on.

I know you're lying.

Young man, we're here on a business trip and we have a lot of work to do.

Officer told me you came here on the Continental Transport.

That's right. We're from Kalto province.

Yeah? Well, I just talked to the transport attendant.

He told me four people came today from Kalto.

Two of them were a lot older than you and they had a child with them.

Well, the attendant was wrong.

That was us.

So where's the child?

We ate him.

Because we are demons and we eat children.

And I haven't had my supper yet.

( gasps in fright )

Sorry, I just figured it was the quickest way.

Let's concentrate on getting out of here.

The same subspace fractures that brought us here might still be around.

If they were caused by a polaric explosion is there any way we could use polaric energy to get us back?

If we had access to a polaric ion generator, we could modify a tricorder to emit a polaric field.

At the very least, it might help us scan for a fracture.

I wonder where these conduits get their power.

( angry yelling )

This is a lawful demonstration.

We have a right to be here!

Under normal circumstances,

I'd say we should come back tomorrow.

( gunfire )

( gunfire continues )

( groaning )

TORRES: This device uses the same polaric energy that destroyed the planet.

At intense levels, it can open a subspace fracture.

Wide enough for the Captain and Paris to get through?

If we can locate them, this is capable of bringing them back.

The logical place to begin would be at the same location they disappeared.

The only problem is, at the necessary intensity, the polaric generator will burn itself out after 30 seconds at best.

Can't we reinitialize the generator and try again?

Not at the same location.

Once we make an attempt at any given location, the damage to subspace will make a second attempt impossible.

How do we prevent one of us from getting trapped in a fracture?

We've modified our tricorders to detect the fractures and all of us will be wearing one of these.

It puts out an anti-polaric field.

It should repel the fractures when they get within three meters.

Nice work.

NEELIX: Ah, Commander.

Will you be going back to the planet's surface?

We're getting ready to leave right now.

I have to go with you.

There's nothing down there you want to see, Kes.

That's what I told her.

I've already seen it. I have to go.

We're sorry to involve you in this.

Pe'Nar Makull.

My colleague, Ny Terla.

Apparently, you just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I was just thinking the very same thing.

What were you doing there?

We're from Kalto province.

We were hoping to tour your power facility... compare it to our own.

I've never seen a Kalton with your color hair.

Well, now you have.

My friend thinks you were sent by the government to infiltrate us.

Infiltrate?

You were there when she got this.

Perhaps you were told to put on a good show for us.

We don't even know why someone would want to infiltrate you.

( laughs )

That's hard to believe.

Even in Kalto, there are protests against polaric energy.

We're not spies.

When was the last time you were in a power plant?

Not since we left home.

You weren't in that plant yesterday?

We were just getting there when we stumbled into you.

We know you're not telling the truth.

We have safety monitors to measure polaric energy.

When you were brought here, they registered five times the normal readings.

To register levels this high, you were either inside that plant yesterday or... at the site of a polaric disaster worse than any in the history of this planet.

What is it?

It's as though I can sense the people who were here.

I know.

It's like walking through a graveyard.

No.

It's more than that.

I almost feel... as if I could touch the people who were here.

What have you found?

TUVOK: The scanners are not showing any subspace fractures in the area now.

That probably indicates the subspace damage is beginning to dissipate.

If that's true, it's going to be harder to locate Tom and the Captain.

Commander, I'm picking up a signal from a combadge.

The subspace beacon?

No, it's not on subspace.

It's here... now.

Kim to Janeway.

Kim to Paris.

Can we locate the source of the signal?

Yes, sir.

This way.

What's your name?

Janeway.

Unusual name.

Not where I'm from.

What part of Kalto province was that again?

I don't see any point in this.

There is a point, a very important one.

It has to do with our schedule and whether we can keep it or not.

Can we?

I don't know.

Do they know our plan?

I have no idea.

Let me go!

Look what I caught sneaking around outside.

I'm still not showing any life signs.

The boy has nothing to do with any of this.

Is he yours?

No. He's just somebody we met here. Don't trust them.

They aren't who they say they are.

Really?

Thanks, kid.

Look, this is all a misunderstanding.

They lied about coming here on the Continental Transport.

I talked to the attendant myself.

Let me go...

What do we do with him?

We can't let him go.

Just put him over there with the other.

Now stay quiet.

The combadge is designed to self-activate when the casing is destroyed... to help searchers locate victims.

I guess it means they were caught in the explosion.

It only means their combadges were caught in the explosion.

Further speculation serves no purpose.

I suggest we search for other tangible evidence.

None of us have seen devices like these before.

Terla believes they're spy equipment.

They're for surveying property.

I've been thinking of buying land here.

I need to survey it.

I'd be curious to know how they work.

Would you show me?

But then one of them might be a weapon.

And I wouldn't want you to show me how that works, would I?

Hey, kid.

You were right about one thing.

I was lying. I don't eat children.

You don't scare me.

My father works for the Media Bureau.

And when I tell him all about this, he'll...

What is he, some kind of journalist?

Yes, and so am I.

Is that right?

I report for my school journal.

That's right where everyone's going to find out about you when I write about this in next week's edition.

What's your name?

Latika.

Latika.

I'm sorry.

For what?

I just am.

MAKULL: I realize how this must appear to you, but I'm just a patriot.

A patriot?

I sincerely believe polaric energy has the potential to destroy this entire world.

And I take it, very few people here agree with you?

We have more support since the accident at Markov.

We know the companies are afraid of us.

We know they've increased security at all their plants, but it will not be enough to stop us.

We can't wait another week.

We have to move up the schedule.

We know they're not telling us the truth.

We have to assume the government sent them.

Tell everyone we begin at 0400 tomorrow.

Wait a minute.

Captain...?

Kes...

Do you have something to tell me, Janeway--

If that's your real name?

It is my real name.

Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager.

I can feel their presence.

Please elaborate.

How can you feel their presence?

I don't know.

I just can.

They've been in this room.

I know it.

Is there a subspace fracture anywhere in here?

Affirmative.

Set up the equipment.

You wanted the truth. All right.

Here's the truth.

We're from the future--

Exactly one day in the future.

You mean I was right?

We weren't allowed to tell.

At least, I thought we weren't.

In a few hours from now, there will be a serious accident on this world.

It will be caused by a polaric detonation.

We came here in an interstellar ship to investigate that explosion.

When we arrived, we were exposed to the polaric radiation.

Showing a subspace fracture. Coordinates: 141 by 21 by 14.

Five percent drift. Range: four meters.

Got it. Initiating generator.

Initiating microscan of the subspace fracture.

It's very likely that whatever you're planning to do could be responsible for this tragedy.

And somehow, you were able to come back here to warn us?

The explosion had an aftereffect that no one expected.

It created fractures in time.

We fell through one of those fractures.

Interstellar ships, fractures in time--

Do you honestly expect us to believe all this?

I found them.

Scanners are picking up a subspace beacon.

Adjusting penetration coordinates to match.

I'll try to open up the other end.

Chakotay to Janeway.

Captain, can you read us?

Eavesdropping devices. No.

But they are for communication.

My crew is trying to contact me.

From the future, of course.

Get the particle injector.

Bring them with us. The boy too.

I have an idea how they can help.

Chakotay to Janeway.

Can you read me?

Please respond.

PARIS: I don't get it, Captain.

This morning you were giving orders about not interfering because of the Prime Directive.

Now you're telling them everything.

I told them the truth when I realized we'd already violated the Prime Directive in the worst possible manner.

How did we do that?

Just by being here. Because if we hadn't been here, it's very possible this world would not have been destroyed.

What?

Think about it, Tom.

Before we got involved, these people were planning to commit some kind of sabotage next week.

We were the ones who forced a change in their schedule.

Because of us, they decided to begin today at 400 rotations and we know the detonation takes place today just after 401.

401:22:84.

Wait a minute.

You're saying we're responsible for an explosion even though it occurred before our ship arrived here?

We've traveled back to a point in time before the explosion.

So, yes, we can be responsible for it.

Let's say we never came and their plans didn't change.

Wouldn't the accident simply have occurred next week instead of today?

Who knows what might have happened between now and then.

They could have been arrested before they got a chance to carry it out.

Conditions at the plant might not have been the same next week.

But it's become our problem now, Tom, and we have got to find a way to solve it.

We're running out of time.

The subspace fractures are closing.

We've lost over 70 percent of them.

At this point, we're suggesting we concentrate our search at the flash point. May I ask what you expect to accomplish by doing that?

We figure the Captain and Paris might have looked for the origin of the explosion to try and prevent it.

Unlikely.

It would be a highly questionable decision in light of the Prime Directive.

If it were me, I would have tried to get there.

The issue is whether Captain Janeway would go there, not you, Commander.

You think you can locate the flash point?

We already have.

Let's go.

Your job is to get us past the guards.

We'll tell them you're bringing us here to negotiate a settlement of our dispute with the power company.

I cannot and will not do anything to help you.

Think before you say no.

Terla has a weapon trained on the boy.

If shooting begins, he'll be the first victim.

Is there something I can do for you?

She's a government representative on official business.

I am a hostage.

These men are here to break into the plant.

Their lives are on your conscience, Janeway!

You saved my life.

Don't waste... time with me, Captain.

Got to stop them.

Will you stay with him until help arrives?

Sure he will. The kid and I...

( groaning ) we're old friends now, aren't we?

Yeah.

I'll be back for you.

We'll be here.

( murmuring voices )

The polaric levels are higher here than any place we've been so far.

This was undoubtedly the flash point of the explosion.

Whatever went wrong, it started here.

Do we have subspace fractures to work with in here?

Affirmative.

They remain quite numerous in this area.

Set up the equipment.

KIM: Aye, sir.

I need the injector.

Just hand that bag to me.

TUVOK: 41 by 310.

Two percent drift.

Range: 6 meters.

Mark.

I have it.

Initiating generator.

Scanning for the subspace beacon.

It doesn't look like they were here.

It is highly unlikely that Captain Janeway would come here to...

No, the Captain did come.

She was here.

This is where she died.

Everybody on this planet has less than three minutes to live if you go through with this, Makull.

Don't!

What exactly do you think we are planning to do here?

I assume you're going to sabotage the plant probably by detonating some kind of device.

We're not stupid enough to blow up anything here.

That may be true, but something will go wrong.

Nothing is going to go wrong unless you fire that weapon near a polaric conduit.

For everyone's safety, I suggest you put it down.

Give me the bag.

All right, then... we'll wait.

If Kes is right, the Captain was here at the moment the explosion occurred.

Is there any way to break through subspace a few minutes before the detonation?

If the widest point of the fracture represents the time of the explosion, couldn't we open a hole just before the widest point?

There's no way we could pinpoint the exact time we'd be penetrating, but we could make an educated guess.

TUVOK I feel it is my duty to point out there is absolutely no logical reason to believe Kes is correct.

However, since I have no alternative course of action to recommend at this time, I suggest we proceed.

TORRES: Commander?

What time is it?

401 rotations plus 21.

We'll just wait until... 23.

Twenty-three?

What's the importance of 23?

Oh.

This is all about the alleged time of our self-annihilation.

All right.

Let's just see if we can all get through the...

What's going on?

They're cutting through subspace.

My God.

It's going to intersect with the conduit wall.

Our own rescue attempt.

That's what sets it off.

My weapon may be able to seal that hole.

It's our only chance.

I'm getting nadion particle resistance from the other side.

Increasing generator to maximum output.

The generator's overloading.

I don't understand. It's not working.

We're not penetrating the fracture.

Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry.

You really think she's going to wait for you?

I hope so. Let her go.

Let her have a husband and kids and a good life, while you and I have the Delaney sisters.

I told you I need to run a transtator diagnostic.

You need to run a self-diagnostic.

Look, they come as a pair.

It's a double date or no date.

Come on.

I told them all about you.

What did you tell them about me?

Uh, well, for one thing, how you broke the single-pilot speed record at the Academy.

Record?

I never broke any record.

And who are they going to check it with?

Chakotay to Captain Janeway.

Yes, Commander.

We've identified an M-Class planet in the red dwarf system we're approaching.

Do you want to change course to investigate?

Are you familiar with any intelligent life-forms in this system, Mr. Neelix?

Familiar?

Ah, not exactly familiar.

Considerably less than familiar, actually.

Kes... what are you doing here?

I had to know. Know?

Know what?

The planet... everyone was killed.

There was this terrible explosion.

You, you had a bad dream.

No. It was more than a dream.

Mr. Tuvok, any indications of trouble on that M-Class planet?

Negative, Captain.

Is it populated?

Sensors do show humanoid life.

There is no satellite system and no indications of spacecraft in the vicinity.

It appears to be a pre-warp civilization.

Which means as a policy, we don't involve ourselves in their affairs.

Of course.

A most enlightened philosophy.

Come on, Kes.

I'm sorry. Captain...

Is it possible to see this planet on the viewscreen?

JANEWAY: There it is.

Thank you.

Come on.

Just...

JANEWAY: Enter the planet's coordinates into the log and maintain present heading, Commander.

Warp 6.

CHAKOTAY: Aye, Captain.