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A Nyrian named Dammar suddenly
appears on Voyager, asking why he's been abducted. The crew
isn't responsible for beaming him aboard, and they soon discover
that Kes mysteriously vanished from the ship at the same instant
Dammar arrived. Not long after, Kim disappears as another Nyrian
turns up. Soon, Tuvok also vanishes. After 22 Nyrians take the
place of crewmembers, Janeway realizes that they are replacing
her entire staff at nine-minute intervals.
Twelve hours later, the bizarre
exchange has claimed half the crew. Rislan, a Nyrian
astrophysicist, works with Torres to find the cause of the
problem. But when Torres catches on to the fact that the Nyrians
are responsible, Rislan sends her to an idyllic prison colony,
where she finds her fellow crewmembers.
On Voyager, Chakotay comes to the conclusion, too late, that the
Nyrians are trying to take control of the ship, and he's
transported to the colony. Taleen, a Nyrian spokeswoman,
explains that her people steal ships and space stations by
gradually replacing their crews; it's less violent than war. The
prisoners are then relocated to surroundings that approximate
their native environment.
As they try to find a way out, they meet Jarlath, another
prisoner, who reveals that different areas of the colony are
connected by disguised portals. Torres reconfigures the Doctor's
optical sensors so that he can detect the passages. He locates a
portal that leads to a network of access tunnels, each, in turn,
leading to a different biosphere. Janeway finds a control panel
that provides access to the translocation system that brought
them to the colony.
The Nyrians detect the crew in the passages and send guards to
capture them. Torres and Paris slip into an arctic environment
and when the Nyrians, who are highly sensitive to cold, follow
them, they're easily incapacitated. Meanwhile, Janeway takes
control of the translocation system and beams Dammar and Rislan
into the cold environment. Overwhelmed by the freezing
temperatures, the Nyrians surrender Voyager. With the ship back
in her control, Janeway leaves the Nyrians in a section of their
own prison while she helps the other prisoners get back to their
own homes. |
