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As nucleogenic lifeforms attack
Voyager, Captain Janeway discovers that she can use a deflector
pulse to reinforce the shields and force the creatures off her
ship. These attacks are occurring because the aliens are angry
with Captain Ransom and the crew of the U.S.S. Equinox, another
Starfleet vessel stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Ransom and his
crew have killed dozens of the lifeforms for their organic
matter in order to enhance the Equinox's propulsion systems and
get back to the Alpha Quadrant. Now the aliens are trying to
destroy both Starfleet ships.
Ransom and his renegade crew
have escaped from Voyager's brig and taken back the Equinox,
leaving Voyager behind and effectively kidnapping Seven of Nine
and the Doctor, who were on board. When Ransom attempts to
engage the enhanced warp drive, the ship stalls. They learn that
Seven has locked out the power relays with codes that only she
knows. Ransom tries to coerce the codes out of her, but when she
refuses to talk, Ransom deletes the Doctor's ethical subroutines
in order to solicit his help. The hologram then sets out to
extract the information from Seven's cortical implants, which
will severely damage her brain.
While the Voyager doctor is on the Equinox, the Equinox doctor
in on Voyager. When Voyager gets away from the aliens and
catches up with Equinox, the Equinox doctor manages to send
Ransom a coded message to warn him. Janeway fires several photon
torpedoes, badly damaging the Equinox. Ransom knows he cannot
win, so he retreats into warp, temporarily escaping from
Voyager. During the battle, Janeway managed to beam three of
Ransom's crew aboard her ship.
 Janeway has one of Ransom's captured crewmembers tied up and put
in the cargo bay, ordering him to reveal Ransom's tactical
status. She's prepared to drop the shields around the room and
allow the alien lifeforms to come in and kill him. He refuses to
talk, so Janeway and Chakotay wait outside the cargo bay as a
fissure begins forming in the cargo bay. When Chakotay realizes
that Janeway isn't bluffing, he breaks into the room and fires
his phaser at the fissure, collapsing it before an alien can
pass through. Janeway is shocked at Chakotay's disobedience and
relieves him of duty.
Voyager manages to contact the Ankari, the race who innocently
introduced the nucleogenic creatures to the Equinox crew. When
the Ankari come aboard and summon the aliens, Janeway tells them
that she will lead them to Equinox. When Voyager catches up with
Equinox again, Ransom's conscience gets the better of him and he
tells his crew that he is willing to cooperate with Janeway.
Ransom's crew is not prepared to surrender, and his first
officer, Lt. Burke, has Ransom arrested and takes control of the
ship. Voyager begins firing on Equinox again, giving Ransom time
to escape to the transporter room. Ransom then contacts Janeway,
telling her that he is surrendering and will help her beam the
Equinox crew aboard her ship.
The nucleogenic lifeforms also begin to attack Equinox. They
manage to kill Burke before Janeway can beam him to Voyager. The
only person left on board Equinox is Captain Ransom. With the
warp core about to breach, Ransom tells Janeway to get as far
away as possible, then he navigates his ship to a safe distance,
sacrificing himself as the Equinox explodes.
Janeway reinstates Chakotay and strips the remaining Equinox
crew of rank. She orders them to serve as Voyager crewman and
tells them that they will have to earn her trust.
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