Captain's log, stardate 48693.2.
We've altered course to investigate photonic activity in a nearby protostar.
Lieutenant Torres and I are beaming aboard samples for analysis.
- We're ready for transport. - Energise.
That's strange. Both containers should have been filled.
It's a breach in the annular confinement beam.
I'm aborting transport. OK, let's try that again.
Energising.
All right. I'll get a phase spectrum analysis on this as soon as possible.
If this works, it could boost the efficiency of our power converters 15%.
- I'd say more like 20. - How long for a preliminary analysis?
- Six hours. Maybe more. - I'd like to get it sooner than that.
Ensign Kim is off duty. Could you use his help?
Can you convince him to help?
I think I might be able to. Janeway to Kim.
That's odd. Computer, locate Ensign Kim.
Unable to comply. Ensign Kim is not aboard the ship.
There is no unauthorised transporter activity and all shuttlecraft are there.
If Kim left the ship, he did not do so by conventional means.
His last shift ended four hours ago. He was scheduled for time on a holodeck.
- No one has seen him since. - Scan the holodeck.
- What's the matter? - There is interference in the holodeck.
- I cannot obtain a clear scan. - Is it a system malfunction?
I do not believe so.
Commander.
The holodeck is active. There appears to be a program in progress.
Can you shut it down?
Manual overrides are not functioning. I cannot terminate the program.
All right. Let's go in.
Computer, identify program.
The program in progress is a holonovel
based on the epic Earth poem Beowulf.
Beowulf?
An ancient English epic, set in 6th Century Denmark, if I am correct.
Beowulf fights a creature that terrorises a kingdom and murders its subjects.
Monsters and swordplay. That sort of thing.
I'm not detecting lifesigns, but there's still interference.
I can't determine the source.
Speak as a friend...
or stand challenged!
Computer, delete character.
The command systems are not functioning.
It is also possible that the safety programs are malfunctioning.
I am Freya, shield maiden, daughter of King Hrothgar.
I guard against intruders who would bear us harm. So declare yourselves.
I will hear your answer before you march any further.
We have no desire to trespass, but we are on an urgent mission.
If you allow us to continue, we would appreciate it.
What land do you call home?
Your faces tell me you are not men of the Danes.
Are you.. Kinsmen of Beowulf?
Yes. We are Beowulf's kinsmen.
My name is Chakotay and this is Tuvok. Have you seen Beowulf?
Yes.
He was like no other. Hair straight and raven black.
Eyes bright with fierce fire. The burning gaze of a hero.
That would qualify as a description of Mr Kim.
How did you know he was Beowulf?
This is Harry's holonovel. It'd make sense that he's the hero.
She may help us figure out what happened.
- A reasonable assumption. - Your kinsman was a noble warrior.
It is right you avenge his death.
Yes. But first we'd like to know more about how Beowulf died.
Of course. Come. I will take you to the king.
Hail, Lord Hrothgar!
I bring Chakotay and Tuvok, kinsmen of Beowulf who come to avenge his death.
Greet them well.
I would bid you welcome, but the days of glad tidings are gone from this place.
We grieve with you for your kinsman.
We had hoped that a warrior of Beowulf 's strength and renown
would be able to deliver us from our curse.
Could you tell us what happened?
He met with the same fate as did 30 of our own warriors.
- Grendel. - That's the monster who attacks you?
Repelled by light and laughter, the beast waits until we slumber.
Then, bereft of remorse,
Grendel comes in murderous rage to my hall to take my people.
And there is nothing anyone can do to stop it.
If you are wise, you will forego your vengeance and return home.
- Death lives here now. - My Lord is fatigued. It is time to retire.
Would it be possible to examine Beowulf's body?
Beowulf's body is gone, dragged to Grendel's foul lair, no doubt.
- The beast leaves no traces. - Did anyone see the battle?
No. Beowulf chose to face Grendel alone.
- We'd like to see Grendel for ourselves. - To what purpose?
To raise false hopes in our king again, as did your kinsman?
- Leave us alone in our misery. - Unferth, these men are our guests.
- They deserve our hospitality. - They deserve nothing!
If Beowulf was the champion he claimed to be, Grendel would be dead.
His head mounted on a spear!
Instead, we spend yet another night in terror.
If you allow us to assist you, we could alleviate your terror.
Your names mean nothing to me.
There are no songs of your deeds, nor stories of your battles.
Who are you to believe you can slay Grendel?
We don't intend to slay anyone. We wish to examine the creature.
Grendel might not wish to be examined without a fight.
And if you would fight Grendel, then you will prove your worth to me.
Defend yourselves!
You are able warriors. You may stand sentry tonight.
You are brave men. I hope to see you again, fate permitting.
- Chakotay to Janeway. - Go ahead.
We haven't found any definite signs of Harry,
but we've encountered characters who claim to know what happened to him.
Mr Kim was running a holonovel based on the poem Beowulf.
He attempted to battle a creature and was killed in the process.
- Killed? - Safety programs are malfunctioning.
We must consider it.
But you haven't found a body?
No. If we shut down the program, we'd know if he's here.
Run a diagnostic on the imaging control systems.
If they're not working, repair them and relay your scans to the bridge.
- I'd like to analyse your readings. - Aye, Captain.
Primary imaging matrix should be behind this wooden panel.
I will attempt to locate the auxiliary matrix.
This Earth culture is fascinated with monsters.
Every culture has its demons. They embody the dark emotions of its people.
Giving them physical form in literature is a way of exploring those feelings.
The Vok'sha of Rakella Prime believe hate is a beast living in the stomach.
Their greatest mythical hero ate stones for 23 days
to kill the beast and became a saint.
Fables are necessary only in cultures which emphasise emotional behaviour.
There are no demons in Vulcan literature.
That might account for its popularity.
- Bridge to Chakotay. - Chakotay here.
Commander, we've analysed your data.
A deep-level scan shows minute quantities of photonic energy.
How could it be in the holodeck?
We beamed aboard the samples from the protostar.
There was a breach in the annular confinement beam
and photonic energy leaked into the system.
And into other systems. We found some in the replicators.
That raises an uncomfortable possibility.
Ensign Kim may have inadvertently undergone
the process of matter conversion.
He may have been converted into energy?
We have to consider it a possibility.
After all, the holodecks are an outgrowth of transporter technology,
changing energy into matter and back again...
every time a program is run.
- It shouldn't convert people. - Hold on, Captain. Something's coming.
It is an object approximately one metre in diameter.
I think Grendel is paying us a visit.
The characters told us Kim was killed by Grendel.
An examination of this part of the program is advisable.
Proceed.
I'm picking up signs of matter-energy conversion.
- Emergency transport. Get them out. - I can't get a lock.
Commander Chakotay, report.
- Mr Tuvok. - I've lost their lifesigns. They're gone.
This is a scan of the holodeck just before we lost contact with them.
The readings are garbled,
but I still think there is a malfunction in the matter conversion nodes.
Photonic energy in the subsystems could damage the nodes.
It might have created a defect in the program when Grendel shows up.
It dematerialised our people.
I won't accept that Harry and the others are gone.
Their molecular patterns might still be there.
If they are, we might be able to rematerialise them.
The only thing we can do is go back into the holodeck,
study this... energy surge and find out what happened.
Anyone who goes in there will wind up like the others.
Maybe not anyone.
- Me? - A hologram can't become energy.
It already is energy. You're the perfect choice.
How will you transfer me out of sickbay?
We'll have to modify your imaging systems.
Going to the holodeck simplifies it. The projection systems are in place.
You have control over your magnetic containment field.
You can make yourself solid or let matter pass through you.
Nothing will be able to touch you unless you want it to.
- I see. - Think of it as your first away mission.
I can understand your hesitation. But there are three lives at stake
and you have the best chance to save them.
- Do you understand that? - Yes.
Good. Your job is to find the photonic energy surge and scan it closely.
We need all the data we can get.
You'll have to interact with the characters,
so make sure you're familiar with Beowulf.
Your modifications will be ready in three hours.
Yes, Captain.
Computer, access full text of ancient Earth epic Beowulf,
including historical annotation and cultural references.
Data compilation in progress.
- Doctor. - Kes. Come in.
I don't know how long I'll be gone, but don't suspend your studies.
- How is the protein synthesis text? - I finished it yesterday.
Then learn how to operate the base-pair sequencer.
The manual is in the technical database.
- Was there something else? - Something's bothering you.
Not at all. Excuse me. I have a lot of preparation to do.
- You're nervous about this mission. - Nervous?
I can perform emergency surgery and not get nervous.
I can make life-or-death decisions and not get nervous.
- What makes you think I'm nervous? - Those things are familiar to you.
You've been programmed to do them, but...
...this is different, isn't it?
I can describe every detail of all the equipment in this sickbay,
from bio-bed to neurostimulator.
But I've never even seen a sky or a forest...
let alone Vikings and monsters.
I can't afford to fail.
But I don't know what to expect in that holodeck.
You were saying you deserve to be treated like the crew.
Here's your chance.
I can tell you none of the crew knows what to expect
when they go on an away mission.
Doctor, have you chosen a name for yourself yet?
I have narrowed the list to three possibilities.
Then let me suggest you choose one before you go.
It might help you feel like an officer.
You may be right. I'll give it some thought.
And, Kes...
Thank you.
Good luck.
Paris to Janeway. We're ready for the transfer.
- Good. Go ahead. - Are you ready, Doctor?
Of course.
I've already transported a tricorder in there.
Engaging transfer circuits... now.
Is everything all right, Doctor?
Yes. There were no problems with the transfer. I'm on my way.
Speak as a friend, or stand challenged.
- I am... - Freya, the king's daughter.
A female warrior, or shield maiden.
We have never met and yet you know my name?
- Are you a sorcerer? - No.
It's simply that your reputation precedes you.
A warrior of your skill. You're quite famous where I come from.
Has word of my deeds carried to other lands? Tell me what you have heard.
Well, your battle with...
- Scyld, the Gar-Dane? - A legend. An incredible story.
I burned his hall to the ground. There was nothing left but ashes.
Charming.
Did you hear of my campaign against the Heatho-bards. I fought them...
I'd love to hear about it, but I'm on an urgent mission. I'm looking for Grendel.
Only a warrior would seek that which others flee. What is your name?
I'm glad you asked. My name is... Schweitzer.
Doctor Schweitzer.
Schweitzer.
A hero's name. Come, I will take you to the king.
The hall is not far from here.
Look. Fortune is with us.
- Atuta, a most powerful plant. - What do you intend to do with it?
We brew it into a broth and drink it before battle.
It brings on the spirit of the bear and strength to swing our swords.
It brings on profuse sweating, convulsions and acute delirium.
Amanita muscaria is a fungus common to subarctic climates and poisonous.
Yes, but those it does not Kill, it makes strong.
A most hardy plant. Are you a master of herb lore?
In a way, I suppose I am.
You are a man of many talents, Lord Schweitzer.
- Your people must value you greatly. - You would think so.
Hail, Lord Hrothgar!
I bring a new friend, Schweitzer, who has come to destroy Grendel.
Greet him well.
I would bid you welcome to my hall,
but the days of glad tidings are gone from this place.
I'm sorry to hear that. But with your permission, I'd like to wait for Grendel.
To what purpose?
To raise false hopes again, as have others before you?
- Leave us alone in our misery. - I'm afraid I can't do that.
- I have a mission. - Your name means nothing to me.
There are no songs of your deeds, nor stories of your battles.
Who are you to believe you can slay Grendel?
I'm simply a... warrior.
- I have no quarrel with you. - Indeed you do.
And if you will fight Grendel, then you will first prove your worth to me.
Defend yourself!
Fate be with you.
If this is your best, then you should thank me.
Grendel would destroy you with far greater ease than I.
This is absurd.
So be it.
Put some ice on that. It'll take down the swelling.
Our time of deliverance is at hand.
We have been given a new champion, one whom weapons cannot hurt!
The one who will destroy Grendel and end our suffering!
All hail the hero! All hail Schweitzer!
Eat.
- What is it? - Elk.
When I built this hall, the forest ran thick with them.
But today, game's more scarce.
Enjoy it, Lord Schweitzer. It is a great delicacy in our land.
- It's quite good. - We rarely hear stories of other lands.
Honour us with a tale of your home to gladden our hearts.
I'm not much of a storyteller.
- Please, indulge us. - Tell us a tale of your prowess in battle.
There was the time I managed to stop the spread of Parinisti measles
before it became epidemic.
For a while, things were touch and go. Six people came down with it.
I isolated the endoplasmic virus and replicated it to form an antibody.
Even then, it wasn't altogether clear I could create an effective vaccine,
but I worked at it for 74 hours straight
and managed to create an inoculation to protect the crew.
You'll excuse me, my Lord, if I take leave of this folly!
A truly unique tale. Come, Lord Schweitzer.
Allow me to show you my home.
If you are in need of anything, please do not hesitate to ask.
- All I need is to find Grendel. - A true champion. Always ready to fight.
Would you like mead to fortify yourself for battle?
- No, thank you. I'm fine. - Away!
You're disturbing Lord Schweitzer!
It was with that weapon I made my first Kill.
I was 11 years old.
You killed someone when you were 117.
Well, it's a poor weapon, I agree, but a token of my youth.
You must have trophies from your childhood.
I... don't remember much about my childhood.
I'm certain you distinguished yourself in battle and did honour to your father.
My Lord! It grows late. It is time to retire.
Always with you, it is time to sleep.
Perhaps you have forgotten the work of a warrior is battle not rest.
You would do well to learn from Lord Schweitzer!
This was a beautiful hall once, before Grendel.
You will make it so again.
You have our thanks.
I appreciate your faith in me, sire.
Come, my Lord.
You may have deceived them with your tricks...
...but the king is old and desperate for hope. And the rest are just fools!
You have nothing to worry about, Unferth.
- Once I'm done with Grendel, I'll leave. - We shall see.
The morning will prove if your deeds are as strong as your words.
The nights here are cold.
I wanted to make certain you were comfortable.
I appreciate your concern.
I thought everyone had gone to sleep.
Sleep does not come easily in this place.
Not any more.
I was taught the world would end in winter.
First there would be a desperate cold,
followed by a demon who would devour the sun.
It has been long since we felt summer.
And a demon does walk these halls.
Freya, your world isn't coming to an end.
Perhaps not. But it has changed.
Every night, the monster comes.
And every day, our numbers are lessened and no one will speak of it.
No one speaks of the fear that he will be next.
Each meal becomes quieter than the last.
And after a time, we barely speak at all.
Have you ever been alone among many and unable to speak your fears?
- I think I do. - How do you survive?
I'm still learning how.
I'm sure that's not very helpful.
Sometimes I believe I can see the moment of my own death.
It comes in battle, I think, my sword raised high.
It is said fate often spares a doomed warrior if his courage can prevail.
But there have been days when I felt my own courage falter.
- And then you came. - I'm glad I could help.
Perhaps I can help you.
Before combat, it is most important to stay warm.
You've done an excellent job with the fire. I'm sure...
Fire is not the only heat, Lord Schweitzer.
You know where I sleep.
- Holodeck to Bridge. - We're monitoring you.
I'm picking up readings of photonic energy.
It's right in front of me. It's some kind of... photonic energy formation.
Emergency! Get me out of here!
- Now! - Sickbay, emergency transfer.
I'm on it.
Sickbay, report.
I have him, Captain... more or less.
I think you'd better take a look at this.
- How does it feel? - Just like the old one.
The photonic energy disrupted your magnetic cohesion.
We're not sure if that happened to the others.
Take a look at the readings from the Doctor's tricorder,
when the energy surge made contact with him.
They're showing a synaptic pattern.
I wouldn't expect to see this in photonic energy.
Is this the first time they have shown up?
It's the first time we've had clear readings from contact.
I wonder if I could produce these same patterns in the samples we have.
You might get information about how photonic energy damaged the systems.
I'll give you a hand.
OK, I've initiated a polarisation field. I'm introducing it into the container.
We're getting a reaction.
It's producing a synaptic pattern, all right. Highly complex.
What's that?
- It's cutting through the bulkheads. - Let's contain it.
- It's heading for Deck 14, Section C-5. - I've got a containment field blocking it.
It changed direction. It avoided the containment field.
Let's give it another try. Now it's blocked on three sides.
It's changing course, heading for the open side.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Those synaptic patterns could be some sort of neural net.
We may be dealing with a life-form.
- Bridge to engineering. - Torres here.
We detected an energy mass moving through the ship.
It broke through the sample container.
It's showing the properties of a life-form.
A life-form?
It has a neural net and demonstrates signs of intelligent behaviour.
It's heading for the outer hull. It'll breach in 15 seconds.
Any critical systems in its path?
- Negative. - Let it go.
Be ready to seal the hull breach. A damage control team will do repairs.
Let's track it on sensors when it gets out.
- It's penetrating the outer hull. - Force field is in place.
The energy form is 100 meters off our port side.
Let's get it on screen.
What was that?
It appears to be some kind of photonic lattice.
It seems that the energy form was trying to get back to it,
as though it's a shelter of some kind.
Or maybe a transportation device. Their equivalent of a ship.
At any rate, we had sensor contact for a few seconds
and we picked up three distinct bio-electrical patterns inside it.
Bio-electrical? What are you suggesting?
We have three missing crewmen.
Our best guess is they were converted into energy on the holodeck.
We find no sign of them on this ship.
Then we pick up three discrete patterns in that lattice
that don't match anything else in there and which have biological components.
I don't think it's a stretch to hypothesise those are our crew members,
converted into a kind of photonic energy.
What are they doing over there? How did they get there?
We have good evidence that there are photonic beings living in that protostar.
Life-forms that have intelligence.
We didn't know that when we beamed those energy samples on board.
We had no idea that what we were doing was capturing those life-forms.
We locked them in a containment field and experimented on them.
If my people were taken like that, I know what my response would be.
I would do whatever was necessary to get them back.
Then you think they have retaliated against us?
They can manifest themselves on the holodeck in the matrix of a character.
That's how they took our crew members hostage.
If you're right, we should return the remaining life-form.
A gesture to show we mean well. It's certainly worth a try.
If I took it onto the holodeck
and released it, maybe they'll understand and release our people.
Officers have intensive training before they're put into a first contact situation.
You're the only one who can do this.
I'd like to finish what I started, Captain. I can do this.
I agree.
Transfer the life-form to a container so the Doctor can carry it.
But remember, if you're holding the container you have to stay in solid form.
I understand.
Freya!
Lord Schweitzer!
- We thought Grendel had taken you. - Not entirely.
- How did you survive? - That would be difficult to explain.
But that's not important right now.
- This is a talisman to destroy Grendel. - You lie!
No man could survive Grendel unless he were in league with the beast.
You have brought that talisman to destroy us!
- That is not true. He has come to help. - No! You speak his lies now.
He has bewitched you.
Unferth, I need to get this talisman to the hall.
Then that gives me reason enough to make sure it never gets there.
No. Please, you don't know what you're doing.
Prepare to die, demon.
Freya...
My Lord...
- My time has come. - Freya, I'm sorry.
- There's nothing I can do. - It is a good death.
Take my sword. Stop Unferth and Grendel.
I won't forget you.
Then I die happily...
with your name on my lips.
Farewell, Schweitzer.
Here, sire.
My Lord, you know me as a true warrior.
I am your one hope to rid your kingdom of Grendel.
The talisman will aid me in my conquest. I must have it.
Do not listen to him. He has already killed Freya.
Stop him, my Lord! He is a madman!
The only reason you won't die is that I've taken an oath to do no harm.
Grendel, I'm ready for you.
I don't know if you can understand me.
But watch. I'm setting this one free.
There's no need for any more of this.
Please.
We ask you to return our crew.
- The photonic lattice has reappeared. - Scan it. All sensors.
I'm reading a massive particle surge on our holodeck.
The lattice is gone again.
- Holodeck to bridge. - Go ahead, Doctor.
- What is it? - We have them back, Captain.
- All three of them. - Good work, Doctor.
Yeah, good work. Would you mind telling me where I was?
Captain's log, stardate 48710.5.
Since the return of our crewmen,
we've been unable to locate any traces of the photonic aliens.
I don't know if the being understood language or just my behaviour.
It would have been interesting to pursue further.
It's an exciting aspect of space exploration, meeting new species,
establishing communication, sharing differences and similarities.
- I'm sorry none of that happened. - But it did.
It just didn't happen in predictable ways.
But if you think about it, we entered into conflict, communicated
and then established a peace treaty with them.
I'm placing a commendation in the logs
for exemplary performance by the chief medical officer during an away mission.
- Thank you. - I'd like to cite you by name.
Kes tells me you've chosen one. Is that true?
I had, but I'm not sure I want to keep it.
The last time I heard that name spoken was a painful one.
I don't think I want to be reminded.
Sounds like you had quite an adventure on that holodeck.
Yes, I would say so.
Well, something tells me you haven't had your last one.
Something tells me the same thing.