We, the people of Earth, greet you in a spirit of peace and humility.
As we venture out of our solar system,
we hope to earn the trust and friendship of other worlds.
- Reduce the interference. - I'm trying.
- What is it? - I don't know.
Distance?
It just entered the atmosphere.
They evolved from dinosaurs?
Hadrosaurs, to be precise.
They settled here 20 million years ago.
The Voth, the Kobali, the Vaadwaur.
You've made first contact with them all.
We're the only Starfleet ship here.
You are being too humble.
I knew you'd go far.
A little farther than I expected.
I have my admiral hat on today.
I didn't call just to catch up.
Starfleet has a mission for you.
We, the people of Earth,
greet you in a spirit of peace and humility.
As we venture out of our solar system,
we hope to earn the trust and friendship
of other worlds.
I memorised that in third grade.
Me too. I even built a model of the probe.
Then this should look familiar.
It was launched in 2067.
Four years after warp engine tests.
- What was it for? - Reaching out to other species.
Paving the way for later missions.
It was full of information -
translation matrices, databases...
Computer chip designs.
It's practically a how-to manual.
If the Borg intercepted it,
humanity would have been assimilated.
We didn't know what was out here.
This was before your Prime Directive?
It was before Starfleet existed.
We lost contact with the probe 130 years ago.
- But it's last known coordinates... - Were in the neighbourhood.
Starfleet's mapped out a search grid.
It'll take us a little off course,
but if the probe is still intact and we find it,
we'll be retrieving a little piece of history.
Captain's log, stardate 54775.4.
We've searched for five days with no sign of the probe.
But we won't disappoint Starfleet on our first official assignment in seven years.
- Nothing in grid 295. - Mr Paris?
- Moving on. - We should skip ahead to grid 310.
I've re-extrapolated the probe's trajectory.
I've compensated for solar winds, ionic interference
and a few local anomalies Starfleet wouldn't know about.
Alter course to grid 310.
- Trying to impress Starfleet? - Just doing my job.
I'm detecting a titanium signature that matches the probe.
- Location? - A planet two light years away.
Confirmed. Good job, Harry.
The readings are coming from the northern sub-continent.
- Localise. - There's radiation in the atmosphere.
- It's scattering the signature. - Any lifesigns?
- None. - Take the Flyer down for a closer look.
You're in a good mood.
Excited to be involved in our first official mission.
An inoculation a day keeps the radiation away.
I looked at those atmospheric readings. Thermal eddies, gravimetric shear.
- You'll need your best pilot. - Are you volunteering?
- If the Doc can spare me. - I'll muddle through.
You're a day early for your scan.
- I'm here for my inoculation. - You are not going.
- Chakotay needs an engineer. - He's got one.
- Now he's got two. - Will you excuse us?
- Any bets? - My money's on B'Elanna.
- It's months since my last away mission. - The Flyer is full.
- Neelix doesn't have to go. - He's not six months pregnant.
Being pregnant doesn't make me an invalid.
No, it doesn't.
But there's a toxic atmosphere and you're breathing for two.
All right. You win.
But if we have another baby, you carry it and I'll go on the away missions.
It's a deal.
Sorry for the bumpy ride.
We'll clear the stratosphere in about a minute.
My cousin used to transport disulfides from a gas giant.
He claimed to love the turbulence.
Of course disulphides are known to cause delusions.
Hang on.
- I thought it was uninhabited. - There's nothing alive there.
Radiation is at 6,000 isorems.
I've localised the signature to a three kilometre radius.
When we find the probe, we'll beam it to the cargo hold.
- It won't be easy. - We'll bring transport enhancers.
- Set us down, Tom. - Yes, sir.
Gently, please.
I should have brought a holo-camera
to prove B'Elanna's not missing anything.
She actually wanted to come with us.
When my wife was pregnant, she didn't want to be coddled either.
And she's not half-Klingon. Maybe it's us.
Fatherhood seems to regress the male psyche a few thousand years.
Tom, be careful.
It's a toy. Like a music box.
Vivaldi.
I'm getting something. 90 metres, this way.
Souvenir.
I'm detecting an antimatter signature ahead.
It looks like missile silos.
- Paris to Chakotay. - Go ahead.
We've got a reading that could be the probe.
Keep us posted.
The warhead is still active.
It wouldn't have taken many of these to trigger a nuclear winter.
People must have taken shelter here.
The magnesite in these caves
would have provided partial shielding from the radiation.
Over here.
What did you find? Some kind of control room.
- Or laboratory. - Laboratory?
Diagnostic equipment. Looks like it was salvaged from a junk heap.
Or scavenged from the ruins.
Particle scanners, circuit analysers. Most of it is still functional.
They were working on something.
This is what we came for.
Whoever lived here must have been studying it.
- The data core is still intact. - Set up the transport enhancers.
- Paris to Chakotay. - Go ahead.
We've found the probe. Pieces of it, anyway.
- We're beaming it up to the Flyer. - We'll meet you there.
- Hello? Is someone there? - I'm not reading any lifesigns.
Don't move.
You OK?
Delta Flyer to Paris.
Chakotay to away team. Respond.
They're antimatter weapons.
Shields are off-line.
- What are you doing? - Leaving.
- The others? - We can't help if we're dead.
We'll come back.
You're making a mistake...
Leave them alone!
- Who are you? - I'm Lieutenant Tom Paris.
We're from the Federation starship Voyager.
What are these?
They're transport enhancers. We needed them to retrieve our probe.
Your probe?
Too bad you didn't come for it sooner.
You would have saved us a lot of suffering.
We still can't get a fix on their lifesigns.
- Why didn't we detect the aliens? - I don't know.
- They have antimatter weapons. - Antimatter?
Bridge to Captain Janeway.
- We're being hailed. - The away team?
No.
This is Captain Janeway. Who are you?
My name is Verin. Your crewmen are my prisoners.
We haven't done anything to harm you.
You committed genocide.
- There's been a misunderstanding... - You're from Earth?
Yes.
Then you're going to pay for what your people did to us.
I don't know what you mean.
We're not as naive as you think. Not any more.
What is it you want?
I want you to get us off this planet.
Find us a new home.
- Release my crewmen and we can talk. - No more talking.
Your people won't be safe until mine are.
I don't respond well to threats.
And I don't want to kill anyone, but I will if you don't cooperate.
You have three hours to begin evacuating us.
- Scan for an M-Class planet. - To meet his demands?
Just keeping my options open. You're with me.
I've analysed his garment. It's lined with magnesite.
A makeshift environmental suit.
The protection it offers is limited. His tissues are saturated with radiation.
That's why his lifesigns are virtually indistinguishable from the environment.
Maybe we can adjust our sensors to detect them.
Let's wake him.
What were you doing aboard our shuttle?
Trying to undo the damage you caused.
We had nothing to do with what's happened on your planet.
Your people sent the probe, didn't they?
Our ancestors sent it 300 years ago to make contact.
They did a little more than that. Am I your prisoner?
No. You're suffering from radiation exposure.
- I can treat you. - You can?
I believe I can.
- In exchange for what? - Nothing.
- I have a wife. Friends. - We might be able to help them, too.
But not while our crewmen are being held hostage.
You said you were trying to undo the damage. What did you mean?
I was looking for technology that might help us neutralise the radiation.
We saw missiles. Was the destruction caused by war?
- Those missiles were never launched. - What caused the devastation?
A containment failure in our power grid.
Once the antimatter was released, it destroyed everything.
I'm sorry. But I still don't see how we're responsible.
Before the probe, my people never conceived of anything like antimatter.
"We offer this information with the hope that one day we will stand on your soil
"and extend our hands in friendship."
- I'm sure you recognise those words. - The probe's recording.
Your people sent us technology that they knew would destroy us.
- I don't understand. - We didn't either at first.
But we had decades to think about it, and now it seems so obvious.
You send us new technology, encourage us to use it,
then wait for us to obliterate ourselves.
- Why would we do that? - Because it's easier than invading us.
Do you believe we'd contaminate a world we intended to conquer?
I'm a scientist. I believe what I see.
Today I saw your people standing on our soil as you promised,
wearing equipment that protected them from the radiation.
They knew exactly what to expect.
If you were in my position, what would you believe?
He might have a concussion. I need the medkit from my pack.
I was told not to let you use your equipment.
When is your baby due?
My wife's pregnant, too.
- We're expecting a girl in a few months. - How do you know it's a girl?
We have technology that allows us to examine the foetus.
She has my eyes and her mother's cranial ridges.
Is this your first?
No.
Boys? Girls?
Two boys and a girl.
What are their names?
They were all stillborn.
- I'm sorry. - You're a doctor?
No, I'm just a medic.
But we have the best doctor in the quadrant.
- He might be able... - I shouldn't be talking to you.
Our current coordinates,
and the nearest M-Class planet, 132 light years away.
- That's about two months' round trip. - How many people are there?
If these sensor modifications are correct, about 5,500.
It would take almost three years to complete the relocation.
- We've made sacrifices before. - And Tom and the others?
Are they supposed to rot until it's finished?
Verin won't let go of his only bargaining chips.
Then we may have to use force.
Not until we've exhausted every other option.
These people believe that we're violent. I won't reinforce that belief,
unless it becomes absolutely necessary.
- I've extracted the nanoprobes. - I'll reprogram them.
- Nanoprobes? - Microscopic machines.
They'll help us repair your tissue.
You said you extracted them. From where?
My bloodstream. They maintain my cybernetic implants.
Nanoprobes, cybernetic implants. Are others on your crew like you?
- No. I'm unique. - You certainly are.
I need a word with your patient.
You've looked for ways to neutralise the radiation.
- All my life. - Tell me about your work.
- Lieutenant? - I'm OK. I'm just a little queasy.
- Our inoculations are wearing off. - I thought these caves were shielded.
They're not like an environmental suit.
These people live here without suits.
They live here without much of anything.
Hello.
Hello. It's all right. We're not gonna hurt you.
- What's your name? - Yun.
Mine's Tom. This is Joe and Neelix.
You're not like them.
We're different species, but they're my friends.
They say you're going to take us on your ship and find us a new home.
I'm sure our captain is trying to help you.
Neelix, where's our souvenir?
- In my pack. - Excuse me.
We'd like to give her something. It's in the equipment bag.
It's a toy.
That could be a weapon!
It's harmless.
These men are dangerous. Stay away from them. Understood?
So much for making friends.
- Mr Verin. - What are you doing?
My job. I'm Voyager's ambassador, remember?
Can I have a word with you?
Just between us, I understand why you don't trust humans.
Then why are you with them?
They're not so bad once you get to know them.
When I first met them, I thought they were arrogant and self-righteous.
- And you've changed your mind? - Well, not completely.
I still think they take themselves far too seriously for my taste.
But one thing they don't do is harm other people.
- Are you blind? - No, I see what's happened to you.
And I'd like to help.
- How? - My captain listens to me.
I can speak to her. Help her understand your situation.
What do you know about our situation?
I know what you've been through.
My planet was destroyed by a weapon called a metreon cascade.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed.
Including my family.
How did you survive?
I was on a neighbouring planet when the weapon was detonated.
I went back with a rescue team, but there was no one left.
I'm sorry about what happened to your family.
But don't compare your life to mine.
The nearest suitable planet is too far away.
- So I have an alternative. - There is no alternative.
Please hear me out. We have one of your people aboard. Mr Otrin.
He has ideas about counteracting the radiation.
Otrin has too many ideas.
I think his theories have merit.
What he has lacked until now is the means to carry them out.
If you release the hostages, we can work together.
We could undo some of the damage to your environment.
- This isn't a negotiation. - It would take years to evacuate.
So instead you, once again, offer us the benefits of your technology.
What I'm offering you is a realistic alternative.
If I release the hostages, what's to prevent you from leaving or attacking?
I know you've suffered and I know you don't trust us.
- I have no reason to. - Then let's start with a small step.
You return one hostage, and I'll send you a supply of food and medicine.
- You. What's your name? - Joe Carey.
Set up your... transport enhancers.
I'm sorry, Mr Carey.
Sorry?
- Your crewman's ready. - Transport him to sickbay.
Hey! What the hell are you doing?
Tom?
Sickbay to bridge, they've killed Lieutenant Carey.
If you think murder will make me more receptive to you, you're mistaken.
Don't force me to kill anyone else.
All right. I'll evacuate your people.
But our transporters can't accommodate large groups.
- We'll need time to modify them. - We'll be ready within the hour.
- If you're not... - I understand.
My ready room.
You have radiation poisoning. This will make you feel better.
Thank you.
Why are you helping us?
Your child's going to need a father, isn't she?
The first phase of your therapy is complete.
- How do you feel? - I can breathe more easily.
Your lungs were damaged. The nanoprobes are repairing them.
It's incredible!
If we could manufacture more of these, we might be able to treat everyone.
Unfortunately, Mr Verin has refused our help.
- Did you expect him to cooperate? - His behaviour is irrational.
To you, maybe. But you haven't lived like we have.
No. But we're not responsible for what's happened.
- Your people sent the probe. - They made an error in judgment.
They didn't see the consequences of their actions.
But they never meant to destroy your world. Human culture has evolved,
learned from its mistakes. So can yours.
Even if I believed you, Verin never would.
Then your people may need a change of leadership.
Someone more open to new ideas.
- I'm not a leader. - But you're a scientist.
Someone who can see a problem and envision a solution.
The same definition could apply to a leader.
Doesn't seem fair, does it?
My daughter will have food, medical care, everything she needs.
- What's wrong? - We need help!
It's the baby.
It's too soon.
Let him help me.
- Can you? - I think so.
But I'll need my medkit.
Inform Verin.
- I'm losing the heartbeat. - No.
- What are you doing? - Speeding up the contractions.
Their ship has returned.
Send out patrols. Double the guard at the entrance.
I've got him.
He's not breathing. Cardiostimulator.
Three millijoules.
Now!
Don't move!
I'll take him to Verin. Find the others.
This way. Move!
Increase the charge to five millijoules.
Again.
I'm reading a heartbeat.
You have a son.
One of the patrols took another prisoner.
Put him with the others.
- We need to get him to Voyager. - He stays here.
Mr Tuvok!
Your captain thought she could rescue you. She's given me another hostage.
In a toxic environment, it helps to be a hologram.
Prepare the transport enhancers. Chakotay, we've secured the hostages.
Good work.
Chakotay to Delta Flyer, two to beam out.
Thank you.
Now, Mr Paris.
Your baby won't survive without treatment.
I promise we'll bring him back.
- Take good care of him. - I will.
Tuvok to Voyager, five to beam up.
Cute little fellow, isn't he? He's already responding to treatment.
Once he's stable, we'll transport him down.
- And send food and medical supplies. - We're leaving?
As soon as I report to Starfleet.
Captain, once the baby's back there, he'll just get sick again.
We can't keep him from his mother.
I'm not suggesting that. You told them we could neutralise the radiation.
- I can't force our help on them. - Maybe you should.
If we help them, it will prove they're wrong about us.
You're forgetting that they killed Mr Carey.
- I won't risk lives to help murderers. - It was one man who killed Carey.
If you saw how desperate they are...
We shouldn't ignore what happened, but humans helped cause their suffering.
That probe had a terrible impact on these people.
If we can make up for that now, we at least have to try.
I've adjusted radiation to match the conditions on the surface. Watch.
An isolitic reaction. It recombines the nucleonic particles in the atmosphere.
How do we apply it on a planetary scale?
Atmospheric processors.
We don't have engineers to build them.
We could encase the agent in torpedoes,
using the concussive force to start the reaction.
It would require multiple detonations at low altitude, but it could work.
Such an isolitic reaction would expand exponentially.
Your ship might not survive.
We'll have to reinforce structural integrity.
Let's get started.
He's beautiful.
And they can give us enough medicine to treat everyone.
Can they rebuild our cities? Bring back the people who died?
They're offering to help, and no one's coercing them.
We can't trust these people. They sent armed men to attack us.
Only to rescue their hostages.
- Who knows what they wanted? - You're irrational.
Cooperating with the enemy is irrational.
Look at my child.
They said that they would treat him. And they kept their word.
- Shield modifications on-line. - Torpedoes?
- Ready. - Hail them.
- Listen to me... - We're ready to begin.
Understood.
Good luck.
Tom, take us down.
- We're into the troposphere. - Fire the first sequence.
- They're attacking us! - It's only shock waves.
- Shields. - Holding at 18%.
Are you going to stand there while he helps them destroy us?
- What are you doing? - Fighting back.
They're targeting Voyager with missiles.
Our shields won't withstand an antimatter explosion.
- We should return to orbit. - Not yet. Fire the next sequence.
- You can't launch those missiles! - Hold him.
- Stop. - What are you doing?
I won't let you ruin our only chance for survival.
You'd kill me?
To save my child? Yes.
- Get that weapon away from her. - No, sir.
I've kept you alive. All of you!
And we're grateful for that. But survival isn't enough any more.
Are you in command now?
If I have to be.
Everyone! Come outside! Hurry!
Bring him.
It's beautiful.
Captain's log, supplemental.
We've retrieved Friendship One and resumed our course.
But the success of our mission had a very high price.
- Impressive, isn't it? - The detail is amazing.
Carey spent months working on it.
He joked that he wouldn't finish by the time we got back.
He only had one nacelle to go.
We were able to download the probe's memory core.
We'll transmit the telemetry.
I think about our ancestors,
wondering if they were alone in the universe
and finally discovering that they weren't.
You can't blame them for reaching out
to see how many other species were out there asking the same questions.
The urge to explore is powerful.
But it can't justify the loss of lives,
whether it's millions... or just one.