Direct hit.
The target buoy is solid monotanium, ten metres thick,
shielded by a chromo-electric force field.
- Impressive. - I'm glad you agree.
It's not wise to travel without adequate defences.
Scuttled ships have more firepower than Voyager.
I'm sure.
Imagine your capability once the isokinetic cannon
is integrated into your systems.
One projectile can penetrate the shields of any heavily-armoured vessel.
Hostile species will know to avoid Voyager by reputation alone.
You've made your point, Mr Kovin. I want the cannon.
And I'm prepared to give you...
...astrometric charts spanning twelve sectors.
You'll find them unusually precise.
Even the most sophisticated charts become obsolete.
One random anomaly and they're no longer accurate.
However, I could be persuaded...
if you were to include the mapping technology that created them.
Sorry. Our astrometric sensors were designed specifically for this ship.
They'd be of no use to you.
What I can offer you is a generous supply of isolinear processing chips.
We'll show you how to integrate them into your sensor technology.
How generous a supply?
- 100 chips. - 150.
- 115. - 125.
Done. Escort our guest to engineering.
You'll be supervising the installation?
Of course. For a modest fee.
Five additional chips. No more.
It's good to see the art of negotiation isn't lost on you, Captain.
- That guy is worse than a Ferengi. - Assign Seven of Nine to work on this.
She's got a knack for adapting alien technology.
Should I give her access to the systems?
I'm ready to give her some latitude. She's been behaving herself lately.
What are you working on?
Decoding the message Starfleet Command sent us several weeks ago.
- Any progress? - None.
I'm working on a new decryption algorithm.
Set it aside.
- I have another assignment for you. - What is it?
Helping Kovin integrate the new weapons system.
- I'd rather not. I find him inefficient. - Maybe, but you work well with him.
It's more responsibility. You should be pleased.
The captain gives me liberty when she needs my expertise.
You violated her trust and if you want it back, you'll have to earn it.
One step at a time.
I will report to engineering.
You need to install isolinear buffer circuits here and here.
Protect the main power relay with a containment field.
All the buffer circuits would have to fail simultaneously for there to be a danger.
We prefer to play it safe.
I'll check the inventory logs to see if we have a field generator available.
- What are you doing? - Reconfiguring the control systems.
The circuit requires a specialised protocol.
- Let me take care of it. - That won't be necessary.
No. No. The subroutines need to be arranged in cascading sequence.
Let me show you.
Seven, stop.
There's a hairline fracture of the premaxilla bone.
Do you see this? She shattered it.
It's easily repaired.
Why did Seven attack you?
It was unprovoked. She was an animal.
I wouldn't put it like that.
I was at a console ten metres away.
I looked around. He was holding her arm.
I barely touched her.
A gesture to move her out of my way,
then she attacked me.
What did you say to her?
I told her how to reconfigure
the tactical control systems.
- Is that all? - That's all.
And that's when she knocked him down.
Ashmore and I had to hold her back.
- She would have killed me. - It's a miracle you survived.
Now hold still or this won't heal properly.
You should be disciplining her.
Believe me, I'll deal with it.
Please accept my apology. Excuse me.
Good as new.
Come in.
Here we are again.
I'm tired of this conversation.
You know what I'm going to say. It seems pointless to say anything.
Shall I consider my privileges restricted and confine myself to the cargo bay?
I think we've established that traditional disciplinary actions don't work with you.
The question is what will?
Are you asking for my opinion?
I suppose I am. Because frankly, I'm running out of options.
Throwing you in the brig or slapping you on the wrist solves nothing.
And I understand your feelings about Kovin.
There are times I'd like to pop him on the nose.
But there's a difference between having an impulse and acting on it.
Does that make any sense to you?
I believe so. I will give it more thought.
Well, that's a start.
I hear there was some excitement this morning.
When I helped you improve your social skills,
I didn't include a boxing lesson.
- You weren't hurt, were you? - No.
Still a bit tense?
- Perhaps. - I understand the burden you carry.
Constantly being obligated to deal with those who fall short of excellence.
I often find my own patience being tested by someone like Mr Kovin.
Of course, I generally respond with a devastating quip, rather than a left hook.
We must both accept the fact that few life-forms will meet our high standards.
So, when you get irritated, just try to be tolerant.
Remember, they can't help being what they are.
I'm reading increased engramatic activity
and your adrenaline is elevated.
- What does that indicate? - A state of heightened tension.
Lie down and I'll run some scans.
In a typical human, I would consider this a mood swing.
But with your unique physiology,
I'd like to rule out the possibility of a chemical imbalance.
Have you experienced other symptoms - headaches, disorientation?
No.
Physiological scans seem normal.
I'm going to check your Borg implants now.
- Seven, what's wrong? - Let me out.
I will. Stay calm.
- No more procedures. - All right.
Stay away. You mustn't do this.
Do what? What are you so afraid of?
I don't know.
She experienced an episode of acute anxiety.
Intense apprehension, shortness of breath.
I finally managed to sedate her.
Could it be her cortical implants?
I don't think so. I think the problem is memory suppression.
There's a high concentration of biogenic amines,
which I haven't noticed before.
It's blocking her memory centre.
- Do you know where it came from? - No, but it seems to be dissipating.
Seven's behaviour may be the result of the blocked memories surfacing.
- Memories she can't identify yet. - Can you treat her?
Treatment would involve integrating the repressed memories.
I may be able to use a standard regression technique.
You have psycho-therapeutic capabilities?
No, but in the absence of a counsellor,
I've been developing a psychiatric subroutine.
I'll be even more valuable to you.
Keep me informed, Doctor.
A Jungian therapist would attempt to retrieve unconscious memories
by exploring synchronicities in recent events.
But Amanin of Betazed would argue that a combination of sensory isolation
and focused breathing techniques would be more effective.
I've integrated them both to create an approach to memory reconstruction.
What does this approach involve?
Putting you at your ease by treating you in your own environment.
Once I've reinforced the neural pathways,
I'll use a directed imagery technique to guide you through the regression.
You may proceed.
Please, close your eyes.
Clear your mind. Try not to think or to analyse.
- My mind is now clear. - This isn't an exercise in efficiency.
Close your eyes. Breathe deeply.
Concentrate on the sound of my voice.
Let go of the present. Leave the cargo bay behind.
Allow yourself to drift.
Describe the first image that enters your mind.
A medical tricorder.
Duritanium casing. 7.6 centimetres by 9.8 centimetres by 3.2 centimetres.
Alpha-numeric display...
That's enough. So... you're in sickbay.
How does the tricorder make you feel?
- It disturbs me. - Why?
I'm afraid it will hurt me.
Is there anything else there that causes you to anticipate pain?
The diagnostic bed. It's closing around me.
- You feel restrained, confined? - Yes. I'm uneasy.
About what?
- It's Kovin. - What is he doing?
He's restraining me.
I want to get away from him, but I can't.
Kovin's using some kind of instrument on me.
Seven?
I didn't recall this before.
Recall what?
Kovin. He performed a surgical procedure on me.
He... extracted Borg technology from my body.
He violated me.
We're making progress. Tell me, this surgical procedure. When did it happen?
I don't know. The details are vague. There are only images.
And you're sure it was Kovin?
- Did you see Kovin? - Yes.
You said he was restraining you, using an instrument of some sort?
- He was. - Were you on Voyager?
No. It must have been when we were testing the weapons on the surface.
Concentrate on that away mission.
Focus on the first image that enters your mind.
- Describe it. - A large granitic stone.
Approximately one half metre high.
Allow that memory to develop beyond the image.
Integrate it into your consciousness. Let the memory take shape.
I'm at the weapons range.
Kovin had taken us there to evaluate firearms he wished to offer in trade.
He attempted to impress us with the weapons' destructive capabilities.
My role was to provide a more objective analysis.
Terawatt power particle beam rifle.
Four microsecond recharge. Ten kilometre range.
Definitely not standard Starfleet issue. What do you think?
72% fragmentation. 28% vaporisation. Crude, but efficient.
It's not as accurate as our compression rifles, but it's a lot easier to handle.
I'd like one of these the next time we run into the Hirogen.
Augmenting the targeting mechanism with a thermal guidance sensor
would increase accuracy by 24%.
I can do that now. Care to join me?
You can make sure its done to your specifications.
I'd like to test some of the other firearms.
Go right ahead. This way.
Kovin took me to a laboratory.
- Describe it. - It was poorly illuminated.
I saw various instruments, technology unfamiliar to me.
I assumed this was where he developed new weapon designs.
This weapon is thoron based.
- Most hand-held disrupters are. - Thoron can be unstable in weapons.
Not if you polarise the emitter matrix. That compensates for any instabilities.
Watch.
What are you doing?
- He turned the weapon on me. - He fired?
- Yes. I remember it now. - What happened next?
I'm not sure.
Concentrate. See the laboratory in your mind.
There was a light in my eyes.
- Was Kovin still in the room with you? - Yes.
Restrain her. Quickly.
Another Entharan was assisting him.
- This is Borg technology. - That's what I've been telling you.
Let me go.
They bound me to a table.
What did they do to you? Did they scan you?
The bio-ablation pump is engaged and pressurised.
The implants are activating. The nanoprobes are multiplying.
They put a device near my head. They removed my ocular implant.
Then... some of the implants in my arm were activated.
Which ones? Can you be more specific?
Use the maximum setting to stimulate the implants.
The assimilation tubules are ready.
Prepare to harvest the nanoprobes.
They extracted nanoprobes through my assimilation tubules.
I was powerless, unable to stop them.
You couldn't be expected to. Then what happened?
They took the nanoprobes to another subject.
Then they... They assimilated him.
Well done.
The next thing I remember I was back in Kovin's lab.
He claimed the particle beam rifle overloaded, that it burned my hand.
But it was a lie. They had attacked me.
I'm sorry. I should have been more careful.
- Do you have a dermal regenerator? - Of course.
I'll inform the captain.
There's no doubt that Seven was the victim of a brutal assault.
She's as well as can be expected.
She's regenerating in her alcove. Her emotional recovery will take some time.
I hope you'll hold Kovin responsible.
How much of her story can we corroborate? Tom, you were with her.
- How long was she alone with Kovin? - At least two hours.
Did she say anything later?
Only that they'd finished their work. She seemed fine.
Clearly Mr Kovin used artificial means to suppress her memory.
That would explain the unusual engramatic activity I found.
Did you find physical evidence of the procedures?
No. I suspect Mr Kovin used Seven's own nanoprobes
to repair any cellular damage.
She remembers Kovin extracting them.
You are accepting Seven's recovered memories as fact.
Are you suggesting otherwise?
Recovered memories often prove unreliable.
When a traumatic experience has been repressed for years.
We're dealing with a very recent memory blocked by artificial means.
When I removed that, Seven remembered everything.
Human memory is rarely perfect.
Are you saying that Seven is making this up?
No, but remember she has experienced hallucinatory images before.
In response to a signal from the ship where she was assimilated.
She's not hallucinating. She's remembering what happened.
I confirmed this by analysing engramatic activity.
This is not conjecture. This is science.
Let's not get bogged down.
Seven has made serious accusations and I won't dismiss them.
If Kovin assaulted her and took Borg technology, we can't ignore it.
In the wrong hands, a single nanoprobe could lead to disaster.
Doctor, keep searching for any physical evidence to back up Seven's claim.
I will talk to Kovin. Dismissed.
This is offensive and absurd! She's obviously lying.
Why would she do that?
Maybe you can answer that.
She attacks me then invents these ridiculous stories,
and you try to place the blame on me.
- Is this negotiation? - I have no hidden agenda.
- I'm trying to clarify what happened. - I told you.
We went to adjust the guidance system on the rifle.
- And that took two hours? - She insisted on absolute precision.
We've confirmed that she was exposed to an intense thoron discharge.
She was, after the rifle's power cell overloaded. We reported the accident.
She now remembers that you fired at her deliberately.
That's preposterous.
The blast could have rendered her unconscious.
It didn't. We were startled for a moment, and after I apologised for the accident
she asked if I had a dermal regenerator, which I did.
I used it on her arm, the one with the implants.
- Which you recognised as Borg. - I knew she'd been a Borg. She told me.
Did you ever express curiosity in that technology, or try to examine it?
No.
You never considered the potential value it might have as a weapon?
Is that what you think I've done?
Borg technology can be dangerous.
If you've taken even a single nanoprobe, I heed to know.
I haven't taken anything.
I'd like to examine your laboratory to be sure.
No. This has already gone too far.
Then I'll have to contact the authorities. Maybe they'll help.
Are you willing to risk our agreement
all on the basis of one crew member's delusions?
Yes. Now, are you going to cooperate with our investigation?
I don't seem to have much choice.
So the power cell overloaded as the result of a faulty oscillator adjustment?
That's right.
Can you describe in more detail how that occurred?
I was polarising the emitter matrix.
I must have tuned the induction frequency too high.
Were you unfamiliar with that procedure?
I have done it 100 times. It was a mistake.
- How many times must I apologise? - I am not seeking remorse.
Then what do you want? Are you trying to catch me in a lie?
Trick me into confessing? You can't. There's nothing for me to confess.
I haven't done anything wrong.
One of our crew members claims that you have.
Your crew member, Seven of Nine. She's very fortunate.
How so?
She has an entire crew leaping to her defence. I have no one.
The Entharan representative will be here.
You mean the magistrate? He won't help me.
He's more interested in protecting relations with people like you.
Surely he'll want to know the truth. That's all we're seeking.
You don't understand. On my world, we depend on trade with alien species.
There are strict protocols about those relationships.
Even being accused of violating them is an offence.
You will have the opportunity to refute any charges.
It won't matter. Once they're made, the damage is done.
I won't be trusted any longer. I'll be ruined.
Please, I never hurt your crew member.
Don't do this.
I'm afraid I have no choice.
But I assure you, our investigation will be conducted in an impartial manner.
You strike me as a man of your word.
If you tell me I won't be prejudged, then I believe you.
- How are you feeling? - I am undamaged.
But how do you feel?
Seven, your physical scars have healed,
but you'll have to deal with the psychological effects.
- For what purpose? - In order to heal.
Kovin attacked you, violated your rights as an individual.
It's important that you recognise that,
so you can understand any hostility you might be feeling.
Resentment is a human trait.
It has no structure, no function. I want no part of it.
You have to accept that your human feelings exist
and that suppressing them can damage you.
If I am not aware of these feelings, how can I express them?
Let me ask you this.
What would have happened
if Kovin had tried to take Borg technology from the collective?
- He would have been assimilated. - Which is why he chose you.
He could get what he wanted without running any risks.
It was my individuality which made me vulnerable.
Exactly. He violated that individuality.
What he did is an affront to everything you are, Borg and human.
- It was the act of a coward. - Yes!
Someone who was willing to use you in the cruellest way,
so that he could create new weapons and sell them.
I believe I'm beginning to experience anger. Anger toward Kovin.
Good. That's a perfectly healthy, normal response.
And when Kovin gets what he deserves, you're going to feel much better.
Right this way, Magistrate. My laboratory.
There are no examination tables.
- Just work benches. - Is this the entire facility?
Yes.
We should scan for signs that the room may have been altered recently.
Seven described instruments similar to these.
Of course she did. She was here.
She said a device like this was used to remove her optic implant.
That's a micro-calliper.
I used it to remove the casings over the guidance system on the rifle.
- Isn't this an electro-dynamic probe? - Yes.
It has a mono-filament stimulator.
Could it manipulate neuro-transmitter levels?
- Not as it is. - But with proper modifications?
I could reconfigure your combadge to manipulate neuro-transmitters.
- What's your point? - I believe you've just made it.
There is cellular residue on many of these instruments.
It matches Seven's genome.
I'd like to take these tools back to Voyager
to run more conclusive scans.
Take whatever you need.
Doctor, there are Borg nanoprobes on the surface of this table.
I'll just collect a sample.
That's where her arm was hit when the rifle overloaded.
The pattern is consistent with a dermal rupture.
These nanoprobes were recently regenerated.
If this were residue from Seven's injury, the nanoprobes would be dormant.
But these have been activated in a very specific pattern.
I have seen enough.
Kovin, there is sufficient evidence to detain you pending official proceedings.
No. Please. No.
- Stay where you are. - Kovin, don't.
I trusted you. You said it would be an impartial investigation.
But you're all determined to find what you want to find.
I'm not going to let this happen.
- Tuvok to Voyager. - Janeway here.
Mr Kovin has transported away.
- Can you track his present position? - Stand by.
There's a transporter signature 300kms above the surface.
A ship is powering its engines at those coordinates.
- Do you want us to follow him? - Yes, but I'd like to join you.
Very well. We'll beam you aboard. Stand by.
Kovin's ship is on a heading of 18, mark 25.
Set an intercept course. Get ready to lock on a tractor beam.
He's only at half impulse. He may not have warp engines.
We're at 9,000kms and closing.
I'm engaging the tractor beam.
I can't find him. All of my sensor readings have disappeared.
A photonic pulse took them off-line.
We'll have to reinitialise the entire sensor array.
Our investigation's suddenly turned into a manhunt.
He's got something to hide.
Until we find out what that is, we can't risk letting him go.
Captain's log, stardate 51679.4.
We've detected the warp signature from Kovin's ship and are in pursuit.
Tuvok and I have been examining Kovin's tools.
This isn't getting us anywhere.
Seven's residue is on every one of these,
but it would be if she handled them.
My examination of the rifle is equally inconclusive.
It may have overloaded accidentally, or not.
I'm getting a bad feeling about this, Tuvok.
We aren't finding anything that implicates Kovin.
I told him our investigation would be impartial. I believe it has been.
It has, but I'll admit I had some preconceptions about him.
They may have influenced my judgment.
The strongest evidence so far is the nanoprobes the Doctor found.
They were regenerated. That suggests that Kovin was experimenting with them.
We don't know much about nanoprobes and Borg physiology.
It might be worth simulating the effect of the rifle blast on Seven's arm
and see what happens to the nanoprobes.
Maybe that'll give us some answers.
Is this really necessary? She's suffered enough trauma already.
We don't want to accuse an innocent man.
We have to find concrete evidence.
He is not an innocent man. I know what he did to me.
But we must have proof and this experiment may provide us with it.
We've configured this to simulate the energy of a thoron blast.
We'll examine the effects on your skin tissue.
- It won't be painful. - I am not afraid. I am angry.
I know. Try to be patient. We may have some answers soon.
All right, let's see what we've got.
I think you'd better take a look.
What do you see?
The nanoprobes are regenerating in the same way as in Kovin's laboratory.
It is a spontaneous response
caused by the energy released from the weapon.
It doesn't matter. Kovin is guilty.
Seven, there's no doubt in my mind that you believe what you're saying.
But is it possible
that the memories you and the Doctor recovered aren't accurate?
How could that be?
With the Borg, you were subjected to invasive medical procedures.
You witnessed other victims being assimilated.
Could that be what you're remembering?
You know that's not right. Tell them.
Everything suggested that you were a victim.
Your extreme response to Kovin, your fear when I was examining you.
Something prompted that,
and I believed it was a memory of your ordeal with Kovin.
That is what it was.
But if I'm to be impartial, I have to acknowledge
that your neurology is still a mystery to me.
I can't be certain what triggered those memories
and we can't ignore the fact that this evidence supports Kovin's story,
and not yours.
You helped me to understand what happened and now you're denying it.
Seven, we have to do what's right.
We have to find Kovin and tell him what we've learned.
The Doctor told me I would feel better when Kovin gets what he deserves.
I want him to be punished. I won't settle for anything less.
- Mr Paris? - He's in range.
Visual. Hail him.
- No response. He's charging weapons. - Open a channel, all frequencies.
Mr Kovin, this is Captain Janeway.
We've made a mistake in accusing you.
We only want to correct the situation. Stand down your weapons.
He's responding.
Stop your pursuit. I can damage your ship.
- We won't take you by force. - Then let me go.
Kovin, the proceedings must be resolved.
This is a trap.
We have information that supports your story.
- I don't believe you. - We've re-examined the evidence.
The nanoprobes led us to the wrong conclusion.
We know now that your thoron rifle did overload. Please.
He's firing a spread of photon pulses.
- Shields down to 82%. - Back off. Give him breathing room.
He's heading right for us.
- Direct hit to the power grid. - He's going to destroy your vessel.
He's come under enough fire already. Beam him off his ship.
- I can't get a lock. - Keep trying.
- Shields are down. - All power to his photonic emitters.
Disable his ship!
No! Evasive manoeuvres, hard to port, full thrusters.
I've almost got a lock on him.
He's charging weapons. His emitters are overloading.
His systems are destabilising.
Open a channel. Shut down your scattering field.
Let us beam you aboard.
- Kovin! - He's firing.
Harry.
I can't find anything to lock onto.
There's nothing more we could have done.
Stand down Red Alert.
Set a course back to the Entharan Colony.
Chief medical officer's log, stardate 51658.2.
I've spent the past three days being cross-examined by the authorities.
But the matter is finally resolved.
- Doctor. - Yes.
- I'm here for my weekly maintenance. - Of course.
This way, please.
Metabolic rate is stable.
Electro-optic implant is aligned.
Your blood pressure is slightly off, but within tolerance.
You're in perfect health. See you next week.
- I do not feel perfect. - What do you mean?
I am preoccupied by Kovin's death.
Join the club. It's all I can think about.
As a Borg, I was responsible for the death of millions and I felt nothing.
But now I regret the destruction of this single being.
It's called remorse, Seven. It comes into play when you make a mistake...
...and you feel guilt about what you've done.
Another new emotion for you to experience.
I do not enjoy remorse any more than I enjoyed anger.
- Will the feeling subside? - Yes, but not quickly.
- I would rather not have to wait. - You don't have much choice.
But maybe I do.
I've isolated the algorithms
responsible for my desire to expand beyond my original programming.
- I want to delete them. - Why?
It was my urge to experiment,
my infatuation with improving myself, that led to this tragedy.
I fancied myself a psychologist, a ship's counsellor.
But I wasn't prepared for such a responsibility.
In my enthusiasm to help Seven of Nine, I lost my medical objectivity.
I became self-righteous. I didn't stop to think for one second
that I might be wrong.
That mustn't happen again.
You want to go back to the state you were in when we first activated you?
I'll still be capable of treating all medical conditions,
but without the risk of overstepping my bounds.
- It's for the best, Captain. - I'm not so sure.
This crew has benefited greatly from your improvements over the years.
Request denied. I won't turn back the clock because of one mistake.
No matter how serious.
And no matter how you might feel.
I'm a physician. I'm supposed to preserve life, not destroy it.
I can't live with the thought that I might do it again.
With any luck, that knowledge will prevent it from happening again.
We all rallied around Seven, Doctor, myself included.
I wanted her to know she was part of this family,
that we would support her, fight for her.
We let our good intentions blind us.
We all bear responsibility for Kovin's death.
And we all have to live with it.
But to delete that burden would be the last thing any of us should do.
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