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Upon completing a routine shipwide
efficiency analysis, Seven of Nine determines that three of
Voyager's young crewmembers are unable to perform at acceptable
levels. Normally after six months or a year, a crewmember that
has been assigned to a starship will simply be reassigned to a
less challenging Federation vessel if their limitations cannot
be corrected. However, this is not an option since the three
crewmembers are stranded in the Delta Quadrant on Voyager.
When Captain Janeway becomes
aware of the situation, she decides to take the three young
crewmembers on an away mission with her aboard the Delta Flyer.
The first of the trio is Celes, an Astrometrics assistant who
constantly has to have all of her work double-checked. Crewman
Mortimer Harren has five advanced degrees in Theoretical
Cosmology, but would rather spend his time down on Deck 15 and
figure out the origin of the universe. Finally there is William
Telfer, a Security Officer and hypochondriac who visits Sickbay
weekly and is afraid of medication.
First and foremost, Janeway briefs the trio on their duties.
Celes will be running an on-going sensor analysis and Harren
will be looking for subspace particle decay which may offer new
information about star formation. Meanwhile, Telfer will be on
the lookout for any signs of life. Before they leave, Seven of
Nine warns Janeway that an experienced crew would better serve
the mission.
Not long into the mission, an invisible force suddenly strikes
the Delta Flyer. Its propulsion has been knocked off-line and 90
percent of its antimatter has been neutralized. Harren suggests
to Janeway that a comet-like assemblage of dark matter is
responsible for the neutralization. Furthermore, he proposes
that they eject their remaining antimatter in order to avoid
another impact. However, according to Janeway, his theory is
still an unproven hypothesis and she needs more convincing
evidence.
Returning once again, Janeway decides to fire a photon torpedo
at the force. Suddenly, the three crewmembers hear a humming
sound and look on as Telfer begins to unexpectedly dematerialize
and then disappear. Suddenly, he reappears and collapses to the
floor and it appears as if something is writhing beneath his
skin.
Janeway has no choice except to fire a phaser at Telfer when he
reveals that the phenomenon is activating his motor neurons. As
he struggles to stay on his feet, a stick-like, segmented entity
extends out of an incision wound on his neck. The entity flings
itself onto a console and attaches itself to the surface. Harren
immediately aims the phaser, but Janeway instructs him to hold
his fire. Ignoring the Captain's order, Harren fires and
vaporizes the entity. Frustrated with Harren, Janeway suggests
that the entity was simply trying to communicate with the crew.
Janeway decides to lead the Delta Flyer to a nearby planet where
she hopes to reinitialize its warp core. Suddenly, a slow-moving
swath begins to open up in the glowing particles of the planet's
radiogenic ring. An unknown force is heading toward the vessel.
Janeway instructs her crew to get into the escape pods and to
plot a course away from the planet. However, Celes tells Janeway
that a crew never abandons its captain. Suddenly, Harren
releases one of the escape pods and heads toward the swath while
inside. Over the com, he tells Janeway that it will allow the
Delta Flyer some extra time to make an escape. Janeway decides
to go after the pod instead. Just a split second before it
collides with the swath, the Delta Flyer's transporters lock
onto the pod. The Delta Flyer then begins to fire phaser volleys
at the glowing ring behind it, igniting a chain reaction of
blazing, exploding light.
Suddenly, the Flyer begins to shake as bright light pours in the
windows. The vessel is rocked hard and a blinding white light
flashes outside the windows.
Next, a confused Janeway wakes up in Sickbay. Chakotay reports
that Voyager received her initial distress call and found the
Flyer drifting above a gas giant with everyone unconscious
inside. Janeway tells Chakotay that the Good Shepherd went
looking for a few lost members of her flock and ended up running
into a wolf. However, in the end, the Good Shepherd did find
them.
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