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Having returned from a two-week
away mission of scanning planets and gathering dilithium ore,
Chakotay, Tom Paris, Harry Kim and Neelix begin experiencing
strange visions. While Tom dreams he is engaged in an alien
battle, Harry has an anxiety attack during a routine check of a
plasma leak. Meanwhile, Chakotay suffers from violent dreams
that put him in the middle of an offensive, and Neelix, reacting
to the weapons fire he is hearing in his head, takes Naomi
hostage in the mess hall.
Once the Doctor runs some
tests, he discovers the increased engrammatic activity of
Chakotay and the others suggests they are reacting to memories,
not delusions. As Janeway asks them to retrace their mission,
they begin having flashbacks of their roles in an attack force
against the Nikon. Commander Saavedra ordered them to evacuate
the Nikon from their remote colony, but a small group of the
colonists began firing weapons. Chakotay and the others on the
force panicked in the ensuing chaos and shot back, murdering 82
civilians in the process.
Trying to piece together the puzzle, Janeway orders Voyager into
the system the away team was scanning and joins Seven of Nine in
reviewing the Delta Flyer's sensor logs. As soon as the Captain
sees Tarakis, the second planet encountered by the away team,
she also begins having flashbacks of the massacre. She remembers
pleading with Saavedra to admit their mistake, but he continues
to vaporize the evidence of the colonists' bodies. When she
wakes up later in sickbay, Janeway learns that other crewmembers
have also begun experiencing the battle memories.
The Captain sets a course for Tarakis. Once Voyager is in its
orbit, Harry picks up a weak power signature from the planet.
Janeway, Chakotay, Tom, Tuvok and Harry beam to the surface, but
there seems to be no trace of a massacre. Soon, however, Harry
locates a familiar rock formation, and he and Tuvok descend into
the tunnels where he remembers killing two of the innocent
colonists. After Tuvok scans their remains, he determines that
they died 300 years ago. Meanwhile, Janeway and Chakotay find a
large structure erected in the middle of a grassy field.
Seven identifies the structure as a synaptic transmitter sending
neurogenic pulses throughout the system. Anyone who enters will
experience the memories of the battle — a memorial to the
victims and a vivid reminder to never let such a tragic mistake
happen again. Because the power cells are deteriorating, the
memories are fragmented. The crew, still shaken by the
disturbing realism of the visions they were forced to endure,
wants to shut down the transmitter, but Janeway orders them to
recharge the power cells. The memorial will continue to spread
its hauntingly effective message. |
