Home > Star Trek: Voyager

Learning Curve

( birds chirping )

Good morning, children.

I'm your new governess, Mrs. Davenport.

Too formal.

Henry, Beatrice, I'm so glad to meet you.

I've heard so much about you, and I'm sure we're going to be very good friends.

( scoffs )

Too familiar.

Hello. I'm Mrs. Davenport.

Your father has asked me here to be your new governess.

Something he did without mentioning it to us.

Good morning, children.

It's good to see you.

You must be Henry, and this... is Beatrice.

Henry Burleigh,

Viscount Timmins.

My sister, the Lady Beatrice Flora.

You will address us as "milord" and "milady."

Of course, milord.

Please, sit down.

Let's get to know one another, shall we?

I am Mrs. Davenport.

I hope to be a friend to you as well as a governess.

In ullam rem ne properemus.

I beg your pardon?

In ullam rem ne properemus.

Is your Latin a bit rusty?

I... suppose it is.

Then I don't see how you'll be doing my lessons with me.

Milord, I assure you that I am more than qualified to instruct you.

I may have to brush up on my Latin, but when it comes to mathematics and the sciences,

I'm sure you'll find my lessons challenging.

And Beatrice...

...what do you like to study?

Nothing.

Not even painting or needlework?

I just made my first sampler.

I finished it yesterday.

Did you? Oh, I'd love to see it sometime.

I don't have it anymore.

I gave it to Mother.

HENRY: Beatrice...

My sister is confused.

She gave the sampler to Mother before she died.

No, I didn't.

I gave it to her last night.

Beatrice!

I talked to her.

Beatrice is upset, Mrs. Davenport.

She hasn't yet accepted our mother's death.

Beatrice...

I know it was a terrible thing to lose your mother.

She's not dead!

I saw her last night!

What have you done to my sister?

Computer, restore characters in program Janeway Lambda-1.

COMPUTER: Unable to comply.

There has been a disruption of power

to energy grid Beta 4.

Janeway to Bridge. Report. CHAKOTAY: We're experiencing power fluctuations on Deck 6, Captain.

Mr. Tuvok is investigating.

Keep me informed. Janeway out.

Tuvok to Lieutenant Torres.

Has any equipment repair been authorized on Deck 6?

Negative. What's going on?

Stand by.

Be careful!

Sorry. You might have broken the connection.

Crewman Dalby, what are you doing here?

Oh, one of the bio-neural gel packs was malfunctioning.

I had to replace it.

Did you inform Lieutenant Torres? Well, not yet.

I was just going to take this to Engineering for analysis.

On this ship, we have a protocol for such procedures.

I was in the area,

I saw a malfunctioning gel pack, and I fixed it.

What's the problem?

Your repair interrupted a number of ship's functions.

That is the problem.

I guess I'm used to doing things a little differently.

On our ship, when something went wrong you fixed it.

I would remind you, Mr. Dalby, that you are no longer on a Maquis ship.

I'm well aware of that, Lieutenant, and every minute of every day I regret it.

I was just trying to do my job-- trying to help out.

If that goes against Starfleet's almighty rules, then put me in the brig.

Otherwise, leave me alone.

( theme music playing )

CAPTAIN JANEWAY: Captain's Log, Stardate 48846.5.

Ordinarily, the loss of a gel pack

would be a minor inconvenience,

but here in the Delta Quadrant, it's a reminder

of the precarious nature of our journey.

I don't understand.

The gel packs have an extremely reliable track record.

It's almost impossible to damage them.

Why did this one malfunction?

Unknown.

Lieutenant Torres is running a materials analysis on the gel pack.

In the meantime, the unit has been replaced.

How many do we have left in reserve?

Forty-seven.

Those gel packs run half the critical systems on this ship.

Once they run out, that's it.

We can't replicate new ones.

It might be possible to switch over some systems to conventional isolinear circuits.

Good idea. Start looking into it.

TUVOK: There is one other matter

I wish to discuss.

I am concerned about crewman Dalby.

He attempted to make unauthorized repairs on the damaged gel pack.

When I confronted him, he lost control.

How so?

He became extremely angry, to the point of insubordination.

Dalby...

I've heard complaints about him from others.

Indeed. This is not the first incident involving Mr. Dalby.

Last week, he was found tampering with ship's systems to increase a friend's replicator rations, and he has missed three of his last ten duty shifts.

Commander, you know Mr. Dalby better than I do.

Any idea what might be bothering him?

( sighs )

Dalby's always been pretty aggressive.

My guess is the man's frustrated.

He's not used to dealing with Starfleet protocol and procedure.

A starship cannot run without protocols.

Mr. Dalby's attitude is disrupting this vessel's operations.

What do you suggest-- dragging him in front of a disciplinary board?

Perhaps that would be the best approach.

I doubt that's going to help.

Dalby's not the only Maquis who's having problems adjusting.

And besides, it's not only a matter of attitude.

It's also a matter of experience.

It's not fair to expect Starfleet behavior from people who never went to the Academy.

What do you propose?

We need to bring some of these people up to speed.

Instruct them in how to run a Starfleet vessel.

Show them why we do things the way we do.

Give them an opportunity to feel like they're part of the team.

A crash course in Starfleet operations.

Field training.

Exactly.

So, what do you think, Mr. Tuvok?

Are you up to training a group of raw cadets?

Me?

You taught at the Academy for 16 years.

You'd be perfect for the job.

Commander Chakotay would be a more logical choice to be their instructor.

He is a Maquis, as well as their former Captain.

That's my point.

He doesn't have to earn their respect.

We do.

Very well, Captain.

I will prepare a curriculum.

Commander, pick out the Maquis crew members you feel would benefit most from the training.

Have them report to Lieutenant Tuvok at the next duty shift.

Right.

Don't worry, Tuvok.

I'll tell them to take it easy on you.

...telling me that I'm not supposed to be there...

Good morning.

We have assembled here because Captain Janeway feels you would all benefit from additional Starfleet training.

Consequently...

I think we need some clarification.

Just why have we been singled out for this... honor?

The answer to that question would seem to be self-evident, crewman.

Interrupting a senior officer is not acceptable behavior.

The purpose of this training is to familiarize you with Starfleet protocols so that mistakes like that will be minimized.

Still, the fact remains--

That is, uh, if I may have permission to speak, Lieutenant?

Thank you.

As I was saying, the fact remains that you must have noticed certain problems with each member of this select group, or we wouldn't be here.

I frankly can't imagine what I might have done that warrants my inclusion.

Crewman Chell... In fact... your report indicates that you are talkative, disruptive and unreliable.

You promise to do tasks which then go undone.

That is a complete exaggeration.

Just yesterday, I overhauled a servicing system...

Crewman, from this point on, you will speak only if you are spoken to.

But, Lieutenant, I'm just trying...

40 laps around the cargo bay.

Start running now.

But... 50 laps.

As I was saying, this class will adhere to standards established for Starfleet cadets.

There will be physical training and academic studies as well as tactical situations which will be simulated on the holodeck.

Crewman, have you been listening to me?

Excuse me, I did not hear that answer.

Yes.

Speak up, crewman.

I said yes.

From now on, you will look at me when I am talking to you.

Leave him alone.

What was that?

I said leave him alone.

Can't you see he's just a kid?

He shouldn't even be here.

We think he should.

You'll probably have me running 200 laps for this, but I don't care.

The problem we're having, Lieutenant, is that this whole thing is insulting.

We didn't ask to come aboard this ship, but we understand the situation we're in, and we've done the best job we can, and now you're telling us that's not good enough.

That is correct.

Well, maybe that's too bad.

Maybe we've done the best that we can, and that's as good as you're going to get.

How about it?

Does anybody really want to be here?

I don't have anything to learn from him.

Well, I don't think he's going to phaser us, and frankly, I'd rather be in the brig than in here, so let's go.

Crewman, you are demonstrating rank insubordination.

I order all of you to stay where you are.

Chell!

DALBY: Come on.

We're leaving.

I don't know.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave like that.

I mean, they're not just going to let us get away with it.

What are they going to do, put us off the ship?

Keep us in the brig for 70 years?

Every person on this ship is needed.

Nothing's going to happen.

It's not like we're guilty of mutiny.

We'll just keep doing our jobs, same as ever.

( quietly ): We're just not going to jump through any Starfleet hoops.

You want to give me your version of what happened?

Commander, we're going to live up to our responsibilities on this ship.

We're just not going to be treated like teenage cadets.

I see.

It was ridiculous.

Tuvok had Chell running laps around the cargo bay.

And he was picking on Gerron.

I don't like it.

Really?

Look, Commander, you know as well as I do that we're used to playing with a different rule book.

There's the Starfleet way, and there's the Maquis way.

And you want to do things the Maquis way?

That's right.

That's always worked for us.

That's the Maquis way, too, isn't it?

And if you want to keep doing it the Maquis way, that's fine with me.

We can do that tomorrow, the next day, every day until you report to Lieutenant Tuvok.

You understand me? What?

How does a Starfleet crewman answer a question?

Yes... sir.

Does anybody else have a problem?

These are your study assignments for next week.

Please note that examinations will be conducted randomly with no advance notice.

I will now inspect your uniforms.

Crewman Henley, your head band is certainly festive...

Thank you.

However, it is in violation of regulations.

Please check the protocol files for recommended guidelines.

What is this?

It's a, uh... Kazleti design.

I studied the technique when I visited their planet.

It took me weeks to learn.

I know it doesn't look complicated, but...

This ornament is in violation of the dress code.

It was hidden. You could hardly see it.

You will remove it now.

I know-- I'll have to take off the earring.

Correct.

In addition, your boots are scuffed.

From now on, you will arrive in polished boots.

Yes, sir.

Do you have a problem, Mr. Dalby?

No, sir.

Very well.

You will all report to me on Deck 11 at 1900 hours.

Dismissed.

HENLEY: What are we going to be doing?

You will find that out at 1900 hours.

Dismissed.

I'm going through with this field training...

as ordered, but I can't say it's very productive.

Frankly, it feels like punishment.

In other words, you're afraid you won't make it, that you'll fail this training.

Excuse me?

That's not what I said or what I'm thinking.

What?

You think I can't make it through this ridiculous exercise?

That's absurd.

Fine, then make it through.

( alarm blares )

TORRES: It's another power failure.

It's the gel packs again.

Deck 4, Section 9-C.

JANEWAY: Bridge to Engineering. Report.

It's another malfunction in the bio-neural circuitry.

We're putting a repair crew on it now.

Torres out.

Dalby, replace the failed gel pack and check out the adjoining circuits.

Make sure we don't have some kind of cascade feedback causing this.

We can't just keep replacing these things.

Ensign, you're in charge till I get back.

I'll be in Sick Bay if you need me.

KES: What is it?

It's your new patient.

It's one of the bio-neural gel packs.

Ah, yes...

I'm aware of these devices, but I've never seen one.

It's malfunctioning, but I can't find anything wrong with it mechanically.

I thought that you could look at the biological component.

Interesting.

Initiate the scan.

Scanning beam is active.

Ah-ha.

TORRES: What?

The patient is sick.

Can you be more specific?

To discuss the patient's condition in front of the patient would be a serious breach of professional etiquette.

It's been suggested that I cultivate a greater sensitivity to my patients' needs.

Don't worry, my little friend.

Doctor...

Very well.

The biological component of the circuit device has an infection-- a very contagious one.

Is the crew in any danger?

I don't detect any sign of infection in you, Lieutenant.

I suspect the contagion is not harmful to humanoids.

If it were, we probably would have seen evidence of illness in the crew by now.

But in order to protect the ship's circuitry, you'll have to isolate and quarantine all the affected gel packs until a treatment regimen can be initiated.

I'll have to take the forward grids off-line.

We'll lose replicators, but I can reroute primary systems.

How long do you need?

I don't know.

Unless we find the source of the infection, we won't be able to stop it from spreading.

Okay, I'll tell the captain.

We'll be taking a ten-kilometer run.

I've cleared Deck 13 of personnel for the evening.

Make sure your packs are secure to avoid chafing.

Couldn't I just carry Henley?

She weighs about the same.

( laughter )

We will get to Deck 13 by using the Jefferies tubes.

Well, at least it's only two decks down.

Not that way, crewman.

We are getting to Deck 13 by way of the mess hall.

That's on Deck 2.

We'd have to crawl through over 50 Jefferies tubes to get there.

Correct. I'm glad to see your knowledge of the ship's internal structure is improving.

Crewman Gerron-- lead the way.

( panting )

CHELL: Thank you.

You can stay there as long as you like, as far as I'm concerned.

This pack feels like it's filled with latinum bricks.

TUVOK: Crewman Gerron, what is the problem up there?

Keep going.

Maybe he'll slip and plunge to his death.

( panting )

Be my guest.

( panting )

TUVOK: All right, the ten kilometers begin now.

HENLEY: My legs feel like lead pipes.

DALBY: Don't think about it.

Keep your mind on something else.

How about the pain in my shoulders?

That was a run of approximately 10.1 kilometers.

That wasn't a run, it was a death march.

You may be experiencing difficulty because I increased the gravity on this deck by ten percent.

What?!

( sighs )

You never know what conditions you might encounter.

You must be prepared for anything.

Crewman Gerron and Chell, you have not completed your run.

By my account, we have lapped you three times.

You will finish the ten kilometers now.

We will repeat this exercise tomorrow evening, and I will expect each one of you to better your performance.

( electronic humming )

Have you found any traces of the bacteria?

I've checked the transporter logs for the past month.

There's no indication that the bio-filter picked up anything suspicious.

We stopped at that planet, Napinne, brought on some food stores for Neelix.

Some of it looked pretty strange.

KIM: Right.

Varmeliate fiber, whole green putillos and schplict.

Schplict?

Grakel milk.

I've looked at the logs. Everything checked out.

Okay, let's go over the environmental systems.

Maybe we're dealing with something airborne.

( electronic humming continues )

He's been at it since before I got here.

Chell...

What are you doing?

Mr. Tuvok ordered me to degauss the entire transporter room.

But you're using a micro resonator.

I know.

TORRES: Why don't you use the magneton scanner?

You'd be done in five minutes.

Tuvok told him to use the micro resonator.

But he'll be at it for hours.

Mr. Tuvok estimated 26.3 hours.

Sounds like a Tuvok estimate.

Well... good luck.

Oh, you missed a spot.

TUVOK: Security Log, supplemental.

I have recreated the Bridge of Voyager on the holodeck

and scheduled a war-game simulation.

I am hopeful that an exercise in teamwork

will help to instill a sense of participation

among my trainees.

On the Bridge, we depend on the smooth functioning of every crewman at every station.

You are the captain's eyes, ears and hands.

You must function as one perfectly tuned unit.

Mr. Dalby, I understand you have command experience.

Yes, sir.

You have the Bridge.

The program will present you with a series of random events which you and your crew must deal with in whatever manner you see fit.

I understand.

The program will be initiated when you set a course.

All set?

Ready. Aye, sir.

Mr. Chell, ahead warp six, heading 159 mark 7.

Aye, sir.

Mr. Gerron, what's the nearest star system?

I'm showing a red giant system

3.7 light-years from our current position.

There are eight planets, none of them M-Class.

Sir, we're picking up an automated distress call.

Source?

Unknown. There's a lot of subspace interference.

Gerron, can you get a fix?

Sensors indicate a Ferengi ship, heavily damaged by weapons fire.

Eight life-form readings, very faint.

Hail them.

They're not responding.

I must point out, sir, that the Ferengi have been known to deceive other ships by pretending to be damaged.

We could be falling into a trap.

We have a duty to offer humanitarian aid if we can.

Chell, change course to intercept.

Course laid in, sir.

Proceed.

Sir, a Romulan warbird de-cloaking off the port bow.

Red Alert.

( alarm blaring )

DALBY: Hail them-- let them know we're on a rescue mission.

They're powering up weapons.

No response to the hail.

Evasive maneuvers, Mr. Chell.

Initiating evasive sequence, Beta 9-3.

We've been hit on the lateral phaser array.

Shields at 81 percent.

Arm all forward phasers.

Sir, there's a second Romulan ship de-cloaking, dead ahead.

It's launching torpedoes.

GERRON: Damage to Decks

11 through 15, reports of casualties.

Arm all photon banks. Mr. Chell, continue use of evasive action.

Henley, fire at will. Aye, sir.

Shields are buckling.

Hull breach on Deck 9.

Keep firing, Henley.

Let's do as much damage as we can.

( alarm blaring )

Computer, reset program.

TUVOK: Your first command together was less than successful.

You are all dead.

It was a no-win situation.

What were we supposed to do?

Can anyone answer that question?

I thought we went by the book.

I certainly did everything I could possibly do.

My evasive action sequences cannot be faulted.

At least we went out with our phasers firing.

Mr. Gerron, do you have something to add?

What does it matter?

It matters because if you do not learn from your mistakes, you will be doomed to repeat them.

I was in command.

Put the blame on me.

The crew was just following my orders.

And have you reached a conclusion as to your error?

I thought I did everything I could.

We were just outgunned.

I see.

Did the possibility of retreat not occur to you?

Retreat?

I can't believe you'd say that.

The strongest tactical move is always the one in which you will reap the highest gain at the lowest cost.

Going out with phasers firing may seem heroic, but in the long run, it is merely foolish.

Retreat is often the best possible option.

Well, Mr. Tuvok, once more, you've proven your point.

We're just not Starfleet material.

Are we dismissed... sir?

Dismissed.

Computer, exit.

I feel that my services as morale officer are required.

I assure you, you are wrong.

Oh, really? Huh.

Well, one-- no cup of tea.

Two-- no padd.

Three-- you're sitting on the opposite side from usual.

All of that tells me you've got something on your mind.

And what tells me that it's making you miserable is that cloud of doom that's rising from you like a ground fog.

I cannot imagine that there are visible emanations which allow you to interpret my mood.

You are making wild assumptions.

Uh-huh. Maquis trainees getting you down?

I do not believe they are responding well to my instruction.

What seems to be the problem?

That is what I've been trying to determine, and I'm afraid I am at a loss.

I have taught literally thousands of cadets, and I have never encountered these difficulties.

My methods are sound and time-honored.

I insist on strict adherence to rules and protocols and never waver from that approach.

I have always been successful in honing each cadet into a Starfleet officer.

Come with me.

I want to show you something.

These are Keela flowers.

They're beautiful and remarkably strong.

The stem is flexible.

It's impossible to break.

But occasionally, on the same plant, there's a bloom whose stem is not so flexible.

Ah, here's one, see?

And when the stem is brittle... it breaks.

You're saying that the Maquis crew is rigid and inflexible, that they will never adjust to Starfleet rules.

No, Mr. Vulcan.

I'm saying that you are rigid and inflexible.

But maybe if you learn to bend a little, you might have better luck with your class.

Those Maquis aren't Starfleet cadets.

You can't treat them the same way.

Get to know them, eh?

Try to find out what they're like inside.

You might discover a better teaching method.

I am not sure if I have the ability to find out what they're like inside.

Mr. Neelix, what is that?

( inhaling )

Ooh! Brill cheese.

I made it from that schplict we brought on board last week.

Uh, Ensign Ashmore asked for something called macaroni and cheese.

Cheese.

You must cultivate bacteria to make cheese.

Of course.

CAPTAIN JANEWAY: Captain's Log, Stardate 48859.3.

Lieutenant Tuvok has reported

what may be a possible explanation

for the infection in the bio-neural gel packs.

I have asked Lieutenant Torres and her team

to investigate Neelix's kitchen.

Get me a schematic of the airflow patterns for the whole ship.

MAN: Aye, sir.

The cheese is full of volatile bacterial spores.

It has to stay isolated in this portable containment field.

WOMAN: What is this?

NEELIX: That's just a Laurelian pudding.

It has to simmer for four hours.

TORRES: The spores must have traveled through that intake and then into the ventilation system.

Where they were disseminated throughout the ship, subsequently infecting the bio-neural circuitry.

I feel awful about this.

I assure you, I had no idea.

More gel packs must be down.

If this is getting to the environmental systems, we may be in more trouble than we thought.

Neelix, this wasn't your fault.

The important thing is that we found the source.

Get the cheese to Sick Bay.

The doctor should look at it as soon as possible.

Yes, Lieutenant.

You may break, Mr. Dalby.

Okay.

Do you play pool often?

Not really.

I did when I was younger.

Do you have a family?

What is this all about?

Pardon?

This little exercise.

Are we testing my social skills?

Does Starfleet have rules about them, too?

I had thought we could get to know each other.

Perhaps then our relationship would function more smoothly.

Get to know each other?

Okay... here's the brief history of Kenneth Dalby.

We lived on the Bajoran frontier.

It was a hard life.

I coped by getting into a lot of trouble.

I was angry at everybody and everything until a woman came along who taught me about love, and for a while, I wasn't angry anymore.

Three Cardassians raped her and smashed her skull.

I joined the Maquis and tried to slaughter as many of them as I could find.

How about you?

Any family?

I do, but there is nothing to report about them that would compare with your story.

I have observed that you seem to be somewhat protective of Mr. Gerron.

Have you formed a friendship with him?

No.

He won't let me get close.

First time I saw him,

I thought I was looking at myself at that age.

I thought maybe I could be a friend.

Maybe he wouldn't turn out the way I did.

But I didn't have much luck.

Then we got stuck out here.

Being so far away from home is hard on somebody that young.

So I'd appreciate it if you'd try not to make him any more miserable than he is already.

Commander Chakotay specifically recommended Mr. Gerron for this program.

He felt that if the young man were able to learn new skills, to set goals and accomplish them, it might go a long way toward making him feel better about himself.

That's why he's in this group?

It is our intention that the experience be positive for everyone.

If you say so.

But understand this, Lieutenant.

I don't want to get to know you, and I don't want to be your friend.

This is the most pernicious infective agent

I've ever seen.

It's systematically attacked every cell in the gel pack's biological matrix.

I've exposed it to every anti-bacterial agent we have available.

It hasn't responded.

( dull thud )

( engines whine )

Sick Bay to Bridge. Captain, what seems to be happening?

JANEWAY: We're losing more bio-neural circuitry, Doctor.

All systems are being affected.

Please, tell me you have some good news about a treatment.

DOCTOR: I'm afraid not. Frankly, I'm at a loss.

But we'll keep trying.

Please do. Janeway out.

What I find curious is that these bacteria didn't show up in any of our diagnostic scans of the ship.

But if the bacteria didn't spread from the cheese into the ship's systems, how did the gel packs get infected?

Haven't I read that viruses can live inside bacteria?

Of course... a virus.

The bacteria could be hosts to the infectious virus.

There are thousands of viruses so small they would have escaped detection.

So maybe we should try the anti-viral agents on the gel packs.

It's certainly worth a try.

( dull thud )

I think the inertial dampeners are malfunctioning.

Along with a lot of other things.

Class dismissed. Return to your duty stations.

( buzzer hums )

Lieutenant?

( electrical crackling )

We're stuck in here.

Captain, the bio-neural network is failing sequentially.

We're losing systems faster than we can compensate with backups.

What about changing over to isolinear circuitry?

Torres is working on it, but it's a long way from being ready.

It couldn't even maintain life support at this point.

Propulsion is down.

Every system on the main grid is down-- communication, transporters, turbolifts, and life support.

Bridge to Engineering.

Torres here, Captain.

Transfer whatever power you can to life support and keep working on the isolinear circuitry.

Understood.

( beeping and buzzing )

The manual override isn't working, sir.

Can't get the main cargo door open either.

Tuvok to Bridge.

This is Lieutenant Tuvok.

Is anyone receiving this message?

It appears our duty stations will have to do without us for the time being.

Captain, life support is failing.

Deck 15 has lost all power, and Deck 7 has lost its gravitational grid.

DOCTOR: Sick Bay to Bridge.

Captain, I believe we may have something.

Go ahead, Doctor.

The gel packs are incapable of responding to an infection in the same way that humanoid organisms do.

With a fever. Exactly.

We've experimented with heating the samples of bio-neural circuitry we have here, and the results are promising.

Of course, we don't have the ability to produce the amount of heat needed

to wipe out a shipwide infection.

Janeway to Torres.

Torres here.

If we wanted to superheat the gel pack system-- to raise its temperature, so to speak-- how could we do it?

I suppose we could infuse the gel pack circuits with a high-energy plasma burst from a symmetric warp field.

But we'd have to generate that heat by inverting the warp field toward the ship.

Right. We could produce the required energy by getting the warp engines to 80 percent of maximum while we're standing still.

Then we could initiate the plasma burst.

Can we get to 80 percent with all the control failures we have?

If we reroute the emergency power to the warp engines, it might be enough, but it's a risky move.

I'm aware of that, but I think we have to try it.

Divert all power, including life support, to the warp engines.

Aye, Captain.

Mr. Paris, deactivate the nacelle control system and prepare to engage the warp engines.

Nacelle controls deactivated.

Ready to go.

Do it.

( rumbling )

( clanking and whirring )

What's that noise?

Ah. This conduit's getting very hot.

So am I.

It's getting awfully warm in here.

Something's wrong, very wrong.

CHELL: I don't like this at all.

I would surmise that the Captain is making some effort to deal with the systems' failures.

The fact that we do not know what that effort entails may lead us to imagine the worst.

We must not let fear get the best of us.

( deep rumbling )

Mr. Gerron, it is possible the console in the control room is still functioning.

Please see if you can open the doors from there.

Yes, sir.

TUVOK: In the meantime, we can attempt to access one of the Jefferies tubes through the forward bulkhead.

I don't know about the bacteria, but I'm about ready to pass out.

Engines are only at 74 percent of maximum.

That's not enough for a plasma burst.

Mr. Paris, increase antimatter flow.

It's having an effect, Captain. Temperature is at 340 kelvins.

Can we get the engines a little hotter?

Mr. Paris, get us to 80 percent of maximum somehow.

I'll try.

Okay, we're at 360 kelvins.

Engines are at 79 percent of maximum.

I think we can risk it.

Bridge to Torres. Initiate the plasma burst.

Aye, Captain, but be prepared.

It might blow out some of the conduits.

Acknowledged. Go ahead.

( explosion, gas hissing )

TUVOK: The plasma gas will become toxic within minutes.

We must leave immediately.

What about Gerron?

We can't leave him!

Get in the Jefferies tube.

I cannot risk losing any more of you to save one man.

What is that, some kind of Starfleet rule?

It is always tactically correct to sacrifice the few for the many.

I don't give a Circassian fig what's tactically correct.

I'm going back for him.

This is one time when retreat is not an option!

( coughing )

Get in the Jefferies tube now.

( coughing )

Mr. Dalby, I will break your arm if you do not follow my order.

I won't forget this.

You're letting him die.

Keep moving.

Janeway to Sick Bay. Report.

DOCTOR: Bacterial levels are dropping, Captain.

If they continue, we should be able to purge the system within a few minutes.

JANEWAY: Keep me informed.

We need life support back on line as soon as possible.

I'll get back to you right away, Captain.

( coughing )

DOCTOR: Sick Bay to Bridge.

Repeat, Sick Bay to Bridge. Can anyone hear me?

Come in, Doctor.

All of the infectious bacteria have been destroyed.

The danger of further infection has passed.

Mr. Kim... start getting our systems back on line.

Aye, Captain.

( grunting )

( coughing )

Come on, come on!

I think he's all right.

I thought Starfleet rules said that was an unacceptable risk, going back to save him.

It was.

However, I recently realized that there are times when it is desirable to bend the rules.

Lieutenant, if you can learn to bend the rules,

I guess we can learn to follow them.

Come on. Let's get you two to Sick Bay.

( theme playing )