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Realizing they have entered Borg
space, the crew attempts to plot a course through a corridor
that seems devoid of Borg activity, which they dub "the
Northwest Passage." As the Doctor and Kes research methods of
fighting off Borg assimilation, Kes is troubled by recurring
visions of dead Borg and the destruction of Voyager.
Suddenly, the ship is
surrounded by an armada of the cube-like Borg vessels. But then
the armada mysteriously retreats, leaving Janeway to wonder,
what would make the Borg run? Not long after, Tuvok and Kim
discover that the power signatures of the Borg cubes, which
they've been tracking, have terminated. Tuvok finds an unknown
weapons signature in the Borg debris, which raises another
question: what could do this to the invincible Borg?
Sensors pick up odd bio-readings from the outer hull of one of
the cubes, and Janeway sends an away team to investigate. On the
defunct vessel, the team finds a pile of Borg bodies that look
the way Kes saw them in a premonition. When Kim senses an alien
presence on the ship, Kes "sees" him screaming in agony. Janeway
orders them back and the team is transported just as a fierce
lifeform attacks Kim. As Voyager races away, Kes informs Janeway
that the alien, communicating telepathically, told her "the weak
will perish."
In Sickbay, Kim's body is infested with alien cells that entered
his body in the attack. The Doctor reprograms Borg nanoprobes in
the hope of negating the damage. Meanwhile, Torres discovers the
alien lifeform, known to the Borg as "Species 8472," has taken
over the Northwest Passage, and Kes senses an invasion is
planned. With their former plan no longer an option, Janeway
faces a terrible choice: retreat into the Delta Quadrant and
forget about getting home, or confront the Borg and risk
assimilation.
After considerable thought, Janeway comes up with a third
alternative. She will offer the Borg a way to defeat Species
8472 in exchange for safe passage through Borg space. Janeway is
beamed aboard one of the cubes, where she presents her proposal.
Suddenly, Species 8472's bio-ships begin firing at the Borg
cubes, and at Voyager, which is locked in the grip of a Borg
tractor beam . . . |
