Captain's log, stardate 51367.2.
We spent the last three days on the Mari Homeworld.
It's been a while since we've made new friends
and the crew seems to be making the most of our stay.
- Neelix. - Tom.
- You've been shopping. - It's for B'Elanna.
- What is it? - It's sort of personal.
Of course, say no more.
I'm on my way for a little romantic rendezvous myself.
Neelix.
- Are you wearing cologne? - Talchok musk.
Very enticing scent, don't you think?
Well, it certainly is... musky.
- I'm going to see Talli again. - Where are you taking her?
I haven't got that far yet.
I'm going to visit her shop under the pretext of buying produce for the ship.
Then I thought I would segueway smoothly into some dinner and dancing.
Sounds like a good strategy.
You really think so? I mean, you used to be quite the ladies' man.
Used to be?
You're involved now, so you won't be availing yourself of the Mari women.
- Are you trying to depress me? - I just...
I haven't been with anyone since Kes and I'm feeling a little rusty.
I could use some advice.
The best advice I can give you is to just be yourself.
Right. Be myself.
Actually, that's the second best piece of advice.
What's the first?
Go a little easier on the musk.
I'm sorry, Mr Guill, but that's my final offer.
Actually, Captain, I sense you would be willing to raise your price to 300 renns.
Torres needs this resonator coil to upgrade the communication systems.
- Telepaths. - I sense you would settle for 250.
You must have read my mind.
Argh! Hey!
- I'm sorry. - Are you hurt?
No, I'm fine. I just wish people would look where they're going.
It's a pleasure doing business with you.
I'll finish up here. Why don't you go and get Neelix?
This is some of the loveliest fruit I've seen in a long time.
Actually, it's been one of our worst water plum seasons.
I don't think you'll find them very sweet.
Oh, how wonderfully tart. They'll make excellent preserves.
- Neelix? - Hm?
Why do you want me to tug on your whiskers?
Excuse me?
That is what you're thinking, isn't it? You'd like me to tug on your whiskers?
- Well, as a matter of fact... - I'd love to.
Do you have time to wait until I close?
Yes, I think I can rearrange my schedule.
- You could say I'm becoming obsolete. - In what sense?
There's virtually no crime left in our society.
It took many years but just look around. Violence no longer exists.
- Impressive. - I am one of the last officers working.
And, no doubt, one of the best.
I am curious to know more about your crime prevention methods.
Under one condition. I want to see Voyager, learn about your methods.
I'm about to perform my daily security rounds. Join me.
They are routine but informative.
- Wonderful. - The transport site is this way.
You prefer speaking aloud, why is that?
I've grown accustomed to it. There are very few telepaths in Starfleet.
Whatever you prefer.
Neelix?
- Ready to leave? - You go ahead. I haven't finished.
Help! Somebody help me, please!
Stop him!
Help me!
This will teach you to watch where you're going!
You idiot!
- Somebody get a doctor. - Why were you beating that man?
I don't know.
Your brig... It's a puzzling concept.
Shutting someone away as punishment.
Do you find it rehabilitates the prisoner?
It is used to ensure the safety of others.
In what sense?
If we have a hostile alien in our custody,
we may confine him
until we locate the authorities.
On occasions we have been forced
to incarcerate a crew member
who has committed a serious infraction.
I am surprised that one of you could do
something to warrant imprisonment.
It's rare. The brig has been occupied
for less than 1% of our journey.
Forgive me, but it seems... barbaric.
If all species were as enlightened as ours,
there would be no need for prisons.
Bridge to Commander Tuvok.
Go ahead.
Nimira has been recalled to the surface.
There's been an attack in the market.
- I've never seen so much blood. - It's all right.
I heard about someone getting beaten once.
- It's all over. - I had nightmares for weeks.
It's OK. It's all right.
He was confused. He said he didn't realise what he had done.
I don't understand why nobody tried to help him.
People were shocked. Violence is almost unheard of here.
But when it does occur, we investigate thoroughly.
- Can we help? - Yes.
I would like you, Neelix and Torres to answer some questions.
- You have our complete cooperation. - Are you suspicious of my colleagues?
No. I am simply conducting an investigation.
Please, follow me.
Please, have a seat.
I will be monitoring your thoughts telepathically during the interview.
This device will log your engramatic activity so I can review your statement.
Let me get this straight.
Not only are you going to read my mind, you're going to record my thoughts.
Yes.
I guess it would be pretty tough to keep a secret from you.
How long had you been in the marketplace when the attack occurred?
- An hour, maybe a little longer. - Where were you standing?
- Directly across the square. - Did you have a clear view from there?
Not at first. We just heard yelling. As we got closer, we saw what was happening.
What brought you to the market?
Captain Janeway and I had an appointment with Mr Guill.
- For what purpose? - He could get a resonator coil for us.
And the two men involved in the altercation, had you seen them before?
I had never seen the victim, but the attacker...
I think he was the same man who bumped into B'Elanna.
- Bumped into her? Are you certain? - Yes, they collided accidentally.
- When exactly did this happen? - Just as we had settled on the price.
- He seemed to be in quite a hurry. - Do you recall what you were thinking?
What I was thinking? Does it matter?
Please, try to remember. It may be important.
I didn't think about it much.
I was trying to sort out the coins. I'm not used to currency.
What was I thinking?
I was thinking how I could bake a delicious pie with those water plums.
- Are you sure that's all? - What else would I be thinking about?
I supposed I was a little annoyed.
- Can you be more specific? - All right.
I guess I was thinking, "My foot hurt.” I mean, the idiot stepped right on it.
- Did you call him an idiot? - No.
- But you thought it. - I guess so.
- Did you also think about retaliating? - It was an accident.
But you said he hurt you. It didn't occur to you to hurt him back?
- I'd never do that. - But you thought about it.
- How am I supposed to remember? - Did you think about hurting him?
Yes or no?
Maybe for a split second.
Argh! Hey!
He should have watched where he was going. But he didn't do it on purpose.
So I shook it off and I left.
Why? What does it matter what I was thinking?
- Lieutenant, you are under arrest. - On what charge?
Aggravated violent thought resulting in grave bodily harm.
Are you saying it's a crime to think about violence?
- Yes. - That's ridiculous.
I assure you, it's quite necessary.
We were once a society plagued by violence.
When we prohibited hostile thought, crime began to drop immediately.
Over the past three generations, it's all but disappeared.
So you believe that it's all right to tell people what they can and cannot think?
It's a fact that violent thoughts from others can lead to violent actions.
Even if B'Elanna had a violent thought, it was Frane who attacked that man.
Because he telepathically received that thought from B'Elanna.
His mind was contaminated by the image and it resulted in a loss of control.
He may have committed the act, but it was instigated by you.
Where we come from, people are responsible for their own actions.
And here, people are responsible for their own thoughts.
I am sure you can understand how that is necessary for a race of telepaths.
- I can. - Captain?
I'll accept your people can be influenced by the thoughts of others,
but there were dozens of people. How can you be sure it came from B'Elanna?
The Mari no longer have violent thoughts.
It's unlikely any of them could have been responsible.
The evidence against B'Elanna is clear.
She thought about committing a hostile act.
- I'd like to review that evidence myself. - Certainly.
But you'll be disappointed.
What happens to B'Elanna now?
We have an enlightened penal system here.
Unlike some, we don't lock people away to punish them.
You'll be released. Once you've undergone the engramatic purge.
The what?
A medical procedure that will remove the offending images from your mind.
Captain...
Once identified, the images can be removed from Frane's mind as well.
Memory extraction. That's a dangerous procedure.
There is a risk of neurological damage but it's necessary for us to treat Frane.
Will you delay the procedure until we've had a chance to review the evidence?
Will you?
It will take us about a day to reconfigure our instruments.
That's all the time I can give you.
That's all the time I'll need.
We've got to get B'Elanna out of there.
We can't choose which laws we'll respect and which we won't.
- Nobody can control their thoughts. - Tell that to the Mari.
Will you let them put her through this?
I am doing everything I can to stop it. Neelix will file a protest
and Tuvok and I will be going over the witness statements.
Maybe we can poke a few holes in the case.
And if you can't?
Let's hope the Doctor can figure out how to reverse an engramatic purge.
All away personnel have been notified to return as soon as possible.
So much for R and R.
- We've got to talk. - Have a seat.
- Here? - I'm sure the captain wouldn't object.
What's on your mind?
While Tuvok and the captain review the evidence,
B'Elanna is waiting for a lobotomy. We can't let that happen.
- What did you have in mind? - Break her out.
- And risk a confrontation with the Mari? - They're no match for us.
Before resorting to extreme measures,
shouldn't the captain try finding a legal solution?
By the time that happens, it may be too late.
Why don't you come up with a rescue plan,
one that minimises the possibility of violence, and I'll review it.
- You are just trying to keep me busy. - Can you blame me?
- I'm serious about this. - So am I.
If your plan is sound and the captain doesn't have any luck,
I'll recommend we attempt the rescue.
Thanks. I'll get right on it.
I may have let you sit in the captain's chair but remember,
she's still the boss.
Then you don't accept the chief examiner's conclusion?
I'm not dismissing it. But I'm not going to accept it blindly either.
I've spent a great deal of time with Nimira.
- She is a very skilled investigator. - I'm sure she is.
And this isn't the first time Torres' violent proclivities have created problems.
No argument there.
But I find it hard to buy that one thought makes her responsible for an attack.
From what I've learnt, crime here is a result of exposure to violent thought,
much as it was on Vulcan, before my people learnt to control their emotions.
The Mari should be applauded for their efforts.
I'm sure their intentions are admirable
but I won't let them scramble B'Elanna's brain without a fight.
But we must prepare for the probability that she will turn out to be culpable.
Maybe so. And then again...
...maybe not. Take a look at this.
I don't mean to accuse your friend Nimira of being less than thorough
but don't you find that just the least bit curious?
- New evidence? - It concerns the attacker, Mr Frane.
He was arrested on previous occasions for harbouring violent thoughts.
You classified him as "a habitual perpetrator of hostile images".
True.
But those thoughts were purged each time.
He spent years in neurogenic restructuring.
The records also say he was cured.
Still, it is possible that Frane had a relapse.
That he alone is responsible for his actions in the marketplace.
Possible but unlikely.
Our engramatic scans of Frane show
that Lieutenant Torres' thought was prevalent in his mind during the attack.
And you are certain no other violent thoughts were present?
I'm beginning to feel like I am the one being investigated.
I am simply exploring all logical options.
As a fellow law enforcement officer, you should understand that.
I do. And I am willing to share my findings with you.
But if you are trying to prove your crewmate's innocence,
you're too late.
The case is closed.
Do you think that this is easy for me?
I don't want to harm B'Elanna but I don't have a choice.
That thought must be contained, otherwise we risk further violence.
Maybe even a city-wide panic.
Your people spent centuries learning how to control their violent impulses.
I know we haven't achieved your level of discipline, but we're trying.
I thought you would understand.
I am not judging your culture.
In fact, I admire it.
I have enjoyed your company in particular.
But I cannot abandon my responsibility to B'Elanna.
I must continue my own investigation.
Go right ahead. But I intend to proceed with the engramatic purge.
Telepathy. I don't like it. Never have.
It's bad for negotiations. It's bad for relationships.
- It has certainly been bad for B'Elanna. - The fault was her own.
What are you talking about?
She was careless with her thoughts. The result was violence.
B'Elanna is not used to being around telepaths. That doesn't make her guilty.
Then her crime was ignorance.
- A common affliction among your crew. - What does that mean?
You make contact with species without sufficient understanding of their nature.
As a result, Voyager's directive to "seek out new civilisations"
often ends in conflict.
What you call ignorance, we call exploration.
And sometimes it means taking a few risks.
But it's better than assimilating everything.
Your goal is to share knowledge.
Assimilation is the perfect means of attaining that goal.
Perfect.
- Good morning. Your usual selection? - Yes, please.
OK. Oh, I'm so sorry.
Idiot! Watch what you're doing!
She's dead.
I can't believe she's dead.
I know this is difficult for you but try to recount everything that happened.
Seven and I were packing to return to the ship. We heard a scream.
The old lady was just standing over Talli's body holding the knife in her hand.
I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.
- Did the old woman say anything? - Not that I remember.
She was as shocked and confused as anyone else.
Do you think this is connected with the other attack?
I am not certain. But it seems more than coincidence
that two violent altercations have occurred within two days,
in a city which purports to have eliminated virtually all crime.
- Bridge to Tuvok. - Tuvok here.
Nimira wants to see you.
She's requesting permission to transport aboard.
Permission granted. Have her escorted to the briefing room. Tuvok out.
We will continue later.
Commander?
She was a wonderful young woman.
Whoever is responsible for her death... Find them and bring them to justice.
I will do my best, Mr Neelix.
- Thanks for seeing me. - I heard what happened.
Do you have any idea what caused this latest attack?
I just finished interviewing the old woman.
And?
She responded to the same thought that motivated the previous beating.
- B'Elanna's thought? - Yeah.
Both she and Frane are in custody. How could the thought have been passed?
I don't know. That's why I'm here.
I need your help.
- Then you shall have it. - Thank you.
I don't know why that thought is still contaminating people but I must stop it.
I've never dealt with a murder before
but you've had experience with homicide investigations.
I thought I would trace the old woman's whereabouts
to see where she might have encountered the thought.
A wise choice. In the meantime I would like to interview B'Elanna.
A fresh perspective might uncover facts you hadn't considered.
I'll arrange it immediately.
I'm not sure I like the idea of a mind-meld any better than an engramatic purge.
It will be a limited meld.
I will focus exclusively on your memories of the events surrounding the crime.
It poses no danger.
Are you ready?
Your mind to my mind.
Your thoughts to my thoughts.
Recall your encounter with Mr Frane.
He bumped into you. What happened next?
I guess that's when I had the thought about hitting him.
- And after that? - Guill came and asked if I was hurt.
- What were you thinking? - Why?
I'm sensing something more to the encounter than what you've told me.
Try to recall. It may be important.
He was holding me by the shoulders.
You said he had been reading your mind during the negotiation.
- Was he still doing it? - I don't know.
You experienced negative feelings about him.
- He gave me the creeps. - In what sense?
He wanted something. Something terrible.
What the hell?
Why didn't I remember that before?
You may be recalling an unconscious thought. Or an intuition.
Perhaps I should ask Mr Guill.
Mr Guill.
I am Voyager's chief of security.
My children get upset when I'm late for supper. We could make an appointment.
I am here to talk about the attack.
- Why me? - Lieutenant Torres has been charged.
I believe you are acquainted with her.
Yes. She was arrested?
The chief examiner believes her violent thought prompted the beating.
She seemed such a pleasant woman.
She was almost knocked over while doing business with you.
- Do you recall that? - Yes.
A man accidentally ran into her and...
You are not like the others from your ship, are you?
- You're a telepath. - Correct.
- Why are you so curious? - I am conducting my own investigation.
I see.
For a moment I thought you had another reason for asking.
You struggle with violent thoughts as well.
Terrible images. But they are hidden deep within your mind.
I am in control of those images.
All members of the Vulcan race learn to inhibit emotions.
If my thoughts are disturbing you I will suppress them further.
No, please. Don't trouble yourself.
I can't see them clearly enough to be affected.
I sense that you are fascinated with my unconscious thoughts,
that you would like to see more of them.
No. I was just thinking maybe I could help you.
- Help me? - In dealing with these dark impulses.
No, thank you. I have sufficient means of controlling them.
I am sure you do.
- Any other questions? - No.
Then, if you will excuse me, I really can't be late for the table.
- Do you have the money? - 3,000 renns.
I have something exciting for you tonight.
Why are you following us?
I was thinking about what you said,
your interest in my unconscious thoughts.
- Perhaps we could help each other. - How would we do that?
By telepathically exchanging violent images.
That is what you want, isn't it? To see what's buried in my unconscious.
- Who is he? - Quiet.
Why should I trust you?
Because you know we are very much alike.
- Perhaps I was mistaken. - Wait.
Maybe we can be of use to each other. But you will have to get rid of this.
Come back later, Malin.
I will have thoughts to share that are darker that anything you could imagine.
- Well? - Fascinating.
- Now... show me. - I'll need a few moments to recover.
I'm surprised you're so easily tired. Your telepathic abilities are strong.
It is not often that I exercise those skills.
There must be violent thoughts to be had from your shipmates.
Whether they want to share them or not.
After all, they couldn't stop a telepath from probing their minds, could they?
Is that how you acquire your merchandise?
Sometimes I buy.
Sometimes I find a person who is willing to share
and when the opportunity presents itself, I take what I need.
Which is what you did to Lieutenant Torres.
Frane took her thought, not me.
- So you know Mr Frane? - Only casually.
- Well enough to do business with him? - Why?
I am interested in the thought he acquired from B'Elanna.
Her violent tendencies have always fascinated me.
Yet I have never succeeded in probing her mind.
If you could help me purchase that thought...
It's impossible. Frane has already had it purged.
Odd. I was certain you possessed it.
Me?
Didn't you extract the thought from B'Elanna after she collided with Frane?
What?
I re-evaluated B'Elanna's memories. She remembers that you probed her mind.
- She remembers incorrectly. - Perhaps.
Or perhaps you did extract that image, which would explain
why that thought is still in circulation, why it prompted a murder this morning.
Enough!
It's time you gave me what you promised.
The only person you will be sharing thoughts with is the chief examiner.
Where are you going?
- Stand aside. - Tuvok is taking me into custody.
No!
- Still no sign of him. - Try a multiphasic bio-scan.
We're being hailed, Captain. It's Nimira.
On screen.
Chief Examiner, have you had any luck locating Tuvok?
- I'm afraid not. - I'd like to send a search party.
- I can't allow that. - Why not?
We can't risk further violations of our laws.
That's ridiculous.
I don't think we pose a serious threat.
There's nothing more to discuss. Torres will be purged, then returned to you.
Captain, you can't let them do that.
The decision has been made. I'm sorry.
- Let go of me. - B'Elanna, please.
- Try to relax. - You have got to be kidding.
- Sedate her. - No. Wait.
Proceed.
- You won't escape punishment. - Quiet.
- You're responsible for a death. - I never meant that to happen.
The old woman begged me for that thought. I had to help her. Here.
- You are justifying murder. - Enough. Malin, hold him still.
Now... show me.
You're holding back.
I haven't seen the best of it, have I?
- No. - Then, show me.
If I show you, will you let me go?
- Yes. - Come in closer.
Don't be alarmed. This will allow you to see the deepest recesses of my mind.
My mind to your mind.
My thoughts to your thoughts.
Yes, good.
This is the side of you I wanted to know.
What's happening?
We are locked in a Vulcan mind-meld.
You don't understand the truth of violence.
Its darkness, its power.
Please, stop.
Increase the electrochemical displacement,
but be careful with the synaptic potentials.
One miscalculation and we could damage her cerebral cortex.
Communications centre to Nimira.
Captain Janeway insists on speaking with you. She says it's extremely urgent.
Relay her signal. What is it, Captain?
It is imperative that you discontinue Torres' engramatic extraction.
Commander Tuvok has found new evidence which proves her innocence.
I hope this interruption is justified.
Suspending an engramatic purge once it has begun is highly irregular.
Then let's not waste any more time. Commander.
Guill and Frane are responsible for the beating in the marketplace
and consequently for Talli's murder.
- Guill, the merchant? - That is correct.
What involvement could he have? It was Frane who acted on the thought.
That is not in dispute.
However, Torres' thought was not transferred accidentally.
I don't understand.
When Guill met Lieutenant Torres, he sensed violent tendencies within her.
A potential for mental imagery which interested him.
To exploit that potential, he conspired with Frane to provoke B'Elanna.
They wanted to trigger a violent thought to telepathically draw it from her mind.
- I can't believe that. - It is precisely what happened.
Unfortunately, they underestimated the intensity of the thought.
It was more powerful than anything they had ever experienced.
As a result, Frane lost control and attacked the victim.
Why would Guill and Frane want to subject themselves to hostile images?
My investigation has uncovered a disturbing side of Mari society -
a black market in which many of your citizens trade in illicit mental imagery.
Guill is a very prominent figure in this underground.
Or was, until I brought him into custody.
Why would any of my people want to indulge in that kind of behaviour?
Apparently, outlawing violent thought hasn't made it go away.
All you've done is force people to share it in back alleys.
You have a more serious problem than the random thoughts of a single alien.
Even if I believed you, I'm not sure anyone else would.
Then I suggest you interrogate Guill yourselves.
His engramatic record will undoubtedly confirm what I've told you.
- Where is he now? - We have him confined in our brig.
Captain's log, supplemental.
Chief Examiner Nimira has taken custody of Mr Guill.
Whether his arrest will lead to reforms in their justice system is unknown.
In the meantime, the Doctor is treating Lieutenant Torres and Tuvok.
Fortunately the Mari didn't get very far with the procedure.
You can return to duty,
though with one or two fewer violent engrams in that fiery head.
There are plenty more where those came from.
Duly warned.
- Thanks for getting me out of there. - I was merely pursuing the truth.
So, if I was responsible for passing that thought,
you would have let them lobotomise me?
It is incumbent upon us to respect the laws of the societies we visit.
So...
...are you still a fan of the Mari legal system?
My views have been somewhat modified.
Then you won't lecture me about losing my temper?
Investigating this case has given me a new respect for your inner struggle.
Really?
Burdened as you are by your primitive Klingon psyche,
it's a wonder you can keep your violent thoughts under control.
- Thanks. I think. - You're welcome.
There are techniques which could help you increase your self-control.
You don't say.
- Come in. - I must speak with you.
- Have a seat. - I prefer to stand.
I keep forgetting.
You encouraged me to express opinions.
Go ahead.
You wish to return to the Alpha Quadrant
and yet you are following Starfleet protocol regarding first contact.
- The two objectives are incompatible. - How so?
Your philosophy of exploration exposes Voyager to constant risk.
If you avoid contact with alien species, it will increase your chances of survival.
- But that will make a dull ride home. - Captain?
We seek out new races because we want to,
not because we're following protocols.
We have an insatiable curiosity about the universe.
Your chief engineer and security officer were nearly lost today.
- That is unacceptable. - Not to me or my crew.
Our experience gave us an insight into a culture we've never encountered.
- But that is irrelevant. - No. It's how we gain knowledge.
- Then we are in disagreement. - Good.
I dread the day when everyone on this ship agrees with me.
I thank you for your opinion but our mission is not going to change.
Dismissed.
English (en)