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During an Away Team survey of a
planetoid that seems to be rich in raw dilithium, Neelix is
attacked and left for dead. The other members of the team find
him and beam him up to Sickbay, where the Doctor reports that
the Talaxian's lungs have been removed. With no other
alternatives, the Doctor fits Neelix with a set of holographic
lungs. They'll keep him alive, but require him to remain
confined in an isotropic restraint in Sickbay for the rest of
his life.
Janeway leads an Away Team back
to the planetoid, where they discover a medical lab filled with
harvested organs. Unfortunately, Neelix's lungs are not among
them. Minutes later, an alien ship speeds away from the planet,
with Voyager hot in pursuit.
In Sickbay, a despondent Neelix is having difficulty adjusting
to his situation, but he urges Kes to still go on with her life
regardless. Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram, still serving
as the starship's only doctor, admits to Kes that he's having
difficulty adjusting to the demands of being a full-time
physician. Kes' intelligent, soothing advice makes the Doctor
think that the Ocampan might make a good medical assistant.
When confronted, the aliens admit that they stole Neelix's
lungs, but defend their actions by recounting the battle that
their species — the Vidiians — have fought for years against the
"Phage," a gruesome disease that destroys their genetic codes
and cellular structure. Unable to defeat the Phage, they have
learned to survive by scavenging organs from healthier species
to replace their own diseased tissues. Unfortunately, Neelix's
lungs have already been transplanted into one of the Vidiian's
bodies. Unwilling to sentence the Vidiian to death to regain
Neelix's chance for life, Janeway reluctantly releases the
scavengers.
Grateful to the Captain for sparing them, the Vidiians offer to
help Neelix with their superior medical technology. With their
assistance, Kes is able to donate one of her lungs to Neelix,
allowing him to live a normal life. After the successful
procedure, the Doctor tells Kes that Janeway has granted
permission for the Ocampan to begin training as a medical
assistant.
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