 The crew is mystified by the
atypical behavior of an inversion nebula. While they study it,
Kim asks for Tuvok's help in suppressing his emotions. The
ensign confesses he's fallen in love with a holodeck character
named Marayna. Tuvok advises Kim to avoid further contact with
her, since it is impossible to have a relationship with a
computer subroutine. Kim agrees.
On the Bridge, the crew watches
as a plasma strand ignites, but fails to create the expected
chain reaction throughout the nebula. Sensors show an unknown
dampening effect between the strands. That night, despite his
vow to avoid Marayna, Kim accompanies Paris to the holodeck.
There he sees Marayna in conversation with Tuvok. Troubled, Kim
leaves, while Tuvok continues to talk to Marayna. The Vulcan is
surprised at the depth of her insight into his nature, and he
admits that he understands why Kim finds her so compelling.
When Voyager attempts to resume its course, the propulsion
system inexplicably goes off-line. While the engineering group
explores the problem, Kim goes to the holodeck and finds Tuvok
again visiting Marayna. He accuses the Vulcan of betraying his
trust, and Tuvok opts to delete Marayna's program rather than
jeopardize his relationship with Kim. He's surprised, therefore,
when he finds Marayna in his quarters.
To Marayna's annoyance, Tuvok calls security, but she disappears
when they arrive. The crew investigates the holodeck and
discovers that someone outside the ship has created an uplink
and tapped into its programs. Suddenly, activity in the nebula
increases, threatening the safety of the ship.
Tracing the uplink back to its source, Tuvok beams over to a
space station located inside the nebula. There he meets the real
Marayna, a lonely humanoid alien who controls the plasma
activity for the benefit of her home world's inhabitants. She
threatens to destroy Voyager if Tuvok doesn't stay with her, but
he explains that their relationship would not be what she
desires if he stayed only to save his ship. Accepting the logic
of the situation, she allows him and Voyager to leave. |
