Sir.
We... We're just...
Yes, I can see that.
- What was that all about? - Indiscreet shipboard fraternisation.
Really? Sorry I missed it.
Deck 6.
- Thanks for your help. - See you later.
Right.
Here's the cabbage you asked for.
Is something wrong?
- What's this? - A spawn beetle.
They cross-pollinate the Oblissian cabbage.
Have you ever seen such fascinating striations?
Isn't it beautiful?
I doubt the captain would think so if she found it in her salad.
There is something wrong. What is it?
No, nothing. I'm just very busy.
So, you're seeing Tom Paris later?
What? No, not that I know of.
He said, "See you later." You said, "Right."
He's helping you in the airponics bay now?
He was just helping me carry these.
- How thoughtful. - This is ridiculous.
- You're imagining things. - You're such an innocent!
I see the way he looks at you. I used to look at women that way. I understand it.
Janeway to the senior staff. Please report to the bridge.
Take care.
Thank you for bringing the cabbage. I can handle this from here. Thank you.
We've detected a strange energy configuration.
- Any idea what it is? - Some sort of magnetic disturbance.
We're going to take a closer look.
You seem a little preoccupied.
I interrupted a couple kissing in the turbolift.
I've been wondering if we should have a policy regarding fraternisation.
Well...
The couple might be urged to be more discreet,
but Starfleet is reluctant to regulate people's personal lives.
Of course. But we're in a unique situation.
The development of intimate relationships
might cause us unusual problems.
I understand what you're saying, but...
We're a long way from home.
Everyone is lonely, and all we have is each other.
I think eventually people will begin to pair off.
Including you?
As captain, that's a luxury I don't have.
Besides, I intend for us to be home before Mark gives me up for dead.
- We're in visual range. - On screen.
Looks like some type of energetic vapour.
Magnify.
- Space-dwelling life-forms. - Full sensor scan.
They have discrete organic processes.
I'd like to study them at close range.
So would I, Commander.
But let's not get too close. We'd disturb their behaviour.
Half impulse. Take us into bio-scanner range.
Aye, Captain.
The swarm isn't particularly dense. There are fewer than 2,000.
They're really moving.
They've accelerated to 1,000 kilometres per second.
Are we frightening them?
Keep us within scanner range, but avoid rapid acceleration.
Take a look at this.
See the way they propel themselves?
They seem to flagellate, almost like protozoa.
Exactly. But they're achieving incredible speeds.
Over 3,000 kilometres per second.
Ensign, scan the field for repeating patterns.
Maybe they're capable of communication.
Their internal anatomy is unusual -
they don't have a digestive system, but they have a porous outer covering.
I guess they absorb nutrients directly from space.
A space-dwelling life-form capable of metabolising inorganic matter.
Particle density here isn't very high. Maybe that's why they move so fast.
Feeding at 3,000 kilometres per second.
Not exactly leisurely dining, is it?
Come in.
- For you, sweeting. - Thank you.
- What's the occasion? - No occasion.
- I just wanted to apologise. - Apologise?
For the way I acted in the mess hall.
- I was jealous. - I know.
I just wish you could trust me.
It has nothing to do with trusting you. It's him I don't trust.
I've seen his kind before. They're all over the quadrant.
They prey on naive, sheltered young women like you.
- What are you looking for? - A vase.
Don't!
- What's this? - Nothing, just a snack.
A Terran delicacy. Ensign Wildman told me about it.
Mashed potatoes with butter. It's delicious.
Would you like to try it?
Awful! How can you eat it?
I can't stop eating it. I've had six bowls.
And the reason it tastes so strange... I've put a container of soil in it.
Dirt? You're eating dirt?
- Why? - I don't know. But this morning...
What?
You remember the spawn beetles?
You didn't.
Neelix to sickbay. Prepare to receive an emergency patient.
I'm not sick. I feel fine.
I just can't stop eating.
We are going to get to the bottom of this.
- No! I'm not going! - We are going to sickbay.
I'll call security unless you come with me.
Come on!
They're changing course again, and accelerating. Should I follow them?
Maybe we're disturbing them. Let's drop back a bit, give them more room.
Captain, we're accelerating.
Mr Paris?
I'm trying to slow down, Captain.
Our velocity doesn't correspond to impulse reactor output.
They seem to be pulling us toward them.
Sensors indicate an EM resonance field.
The creatures are creating a magnetic wake.
- That is pulling the ship. - We're getting closer.
Mr Paris, reverse thrusters.
- Helm controls aren't responding. - Mr Tuvok, raise shields.
- Non-functional, Captain. - They're pulling us in.
- Damage report. - Life-support is functioning,
but a fluctuation in the EPS grids is wreaking havoc with the engines.
Warp drive is still on-line. One burst and we'd be out of here.
But that could harm the creatures.
Janeway to Torres. Can we get out of this swarm without engaging warp?
- We might try a targ scoop. - Can you enlighten us, Lieutenant?
Klingons put them on assault vehicles.
They emit a high-frequency tone that disperses targ herds.
I can modify the main deflector to create an inverted magnetic pulse.
Project it toward the swarm.
It might nudge the creatures out of the way.
Good idea, Lieutenant. Proceed.
You're sure the beetles weren't poisonous? Or the flowers?
There are no toxins in her system.
Doctor, why is she eating all these strange things? What's wrong with her?
I am conducting an examination to determine that.
But don't you have any ideas?
It may merely indicate a nutrient deficiency.
Humanoids can crave foods rich in the vitamins and minerals their bodies lack.
You can't mean my body lacks dirt?
- Body temperature is up 3.9 degrees. - She's burning up!
And I'm detecting elevated levels of electrophoretic activity.
Bring them down!
There's increased electrophoretic activity in the ship's atmosphere,
created by the creatures we're studying.
There's a connection between Kes and those creatures?
You have to do something about it!
You are making it impossible for me to treat my patient. You must leave.
- I won't. Kes needs me. - Leave now or I will call security.
You can't talk to me that way.
This is my sickbay, and I will decide what goes on here. Get out!
I'll be back. Don't worry about a thing.
May I speak with you? It's urgent.
What is it, Neelix?
I have been thrown out of sickbay.
I'm just wondering if you feel it's appropriate
for a hologram to banish a flesh-and-blood person
who should be beside his extremely ill loved one.
Kes is extremely ill?
The hologram thinks her illness may be linked with these creatures.
But he still won't let me offer comfort to the woman I love.
Just how is Kes being affected by the swarm?
That's what I wanted to know. But I got no answers and was dismissed!
- Sickbay to bridge. - Janeway here.
You'd better come down here. There's a problem.
I'm on my way. Commander, notify me of any change in our status.
I was conducting tests. She was none too cooperative.
She screeched and shoved me out of the way,
went into my office and erected a force field.
I can't lower it. She's keeping me out of my own office.
Sweeting.
What's wrong? Please come out.
I was able to complete several tests before she became delirious.
Her pulse and blood pressure are dangerously high.
What's causing these symptoms?
I suspect the electrophoretic levels being created by the swarm.
We should leave.
That's not an option at the moment, but we're working on it.
There's one more thing. I discovered a strange growth on her back.
It's unlike any other tumorous substance I've seen.
And it was not there the last time I examined her.
I'll try to talk to her.
Kes, please come out. You can eat anything you want.
Captain...
Why don't you let me try?
Kes, please listen to me.
We think you're being affected by a swarm of life-forms.
We're trying to get away from them.
When we do, you'll probably start feeling better.
Are you saying that's not what's wrong with you?
Kes, please let me come in.
Tell me what it is. Maybe I can help.
It's going to be all right.
Now, tell me. What is happening to you?
Did the Doctor tell you he found something growing on my back?
Yes, a growth of some kind.
It's the mitral sac. It's where my child would grow.
I'm going through the elogium, the time of change...
when my body prepares for fertilisation.
Humans go through the same kind of process.
- It's called puberty. - But I'm too young. Much too young.
It usually happens between the ages of four and five.
I'm not even two yet.
Listen to me. All your body's metabolic activity has increased.
It's possible your reproductive processes are being accelerated.
- I'm not ready. - We're going to get you through this.
The Doctor will monitor you constantly.
You don't understand. The elogium occurs only once.
If I am ever going to have a child, it has to be now!
No change. We're still being pulled along with the swarm.
Heading 121, mark 7. Speed now 6,000 kilometres per second.
All systems are functioning normally.
How is Torres coming with the modifications?
They should be finished in half an hour.
Let me know as soon as she's ready. Join me, Commander?
Kes is frightened. She's had no time to prepare.
And the decision has to be made in the next 40 or 50 hours.
She's going to discuss it with Neelix, but...
There are so many unknowns.
There might be risks in procreating this early.
There's no guarantee they're genetically compatible,
or that Neelix has any interest in becoming a father.
It seems your concerns about fraternisation were prophetic.
I wasn't even thinking about procreation.
But I suppose it's the inevitable outcome.
It might be necessary for the crew to have children.
It might take us a long time to get home.
If it does take 75 years,
we'll need a replacement crew in about half that time.
Who'd have thought we'd be considering this
when we were ordered on a three-week mission?
But it's a problem we have to face now.
What would that mean for the children?
What kind of life would we be giving them,
aboard a starship travelling through a potentially hostile part of space?
Are we equipped to provide for them? Child care, educational facilities.
We'd be building an entire community on board this ship.
That's a massive commitment.
- Tell them they can't have children. - I can't do that.
I've made it clear to Kes that it's her choice whether to have a child or not.
There aren't any easy answers here.
For any of us.
Are you saying that unless you conceive now,
you'll never be able to?
Yes. And I need you to help me decide. I would want you to mate with me.
I'm... honoured.
But are you entirely certain it would be safe?
Safe?
You're so young.
Is it dangerous for you to conceive a child at your age?
I don't know. I've never known anyone as young as I am who had a baby.
If you never had a child, would you be terribly unhappy?
Yes... I mean, I think so.
I don't know.
I always assumed I'd be a mother some day. Just not so soon.
Didn't you think you'd be a father?
Well, to be honest, I've never given it much thought.
Until now, my life has been so itinerant.
There's no way I could have provided the stability a child would need.
But now it's different, isn't it?
Well, yes.
But raising a child on a starship?
That's hardly the ideal environment.
- You don't want a child, do you? - That's not it.
I'm just trying to look at all sides of the issue.
Bringing a child into the world... It's a huge responsibility.
I know you'd want to be sure we're both up to the task.
Somebody would have to keep an eye on the little guy all the time
or he'd stick his finger into an EM conduit
or play with the plasma injectors.
That's called being a parent.
You wouldn't be able to continue your studies if you had a child.
Of course I would! You're just making excuses.
You're just thinking about yourself, how much trouble a child would be for you.
- Look! - What's that?
The ipasaphor.
- It makes the mating bond possible. - It does?
If we begin, we must stay bonded for six days.
- Six days? - In order to ensure conception.
After the ipasaphor appears, we only have 50 hours to begin the process.
So I need to know your answer.
50 hours? That's... good.
That's good.
We can sleep on it.
I'll get back to you.
Sorry. I swear I heard you say, "Lots of pepper sauce."
What is the lunch special today?
Actually, I didn't get around to making a lunch special.
But we have some lovely gabosti stew left over from last night.
Very well. It will do.
I've had quite a run on it, as a matter of fact. It seems very popular.
If it is all you are serving, that would stand to reason.
- With or without pepper sauce? - Without.
Mr Tuvok, I was wondering.
You have children, don't you?
- I have four. - Four!
My, that's certainly quite a family.
Tell me... what's it like being a father?
The question is so broad, it is difficult to respond.
Well, I mean, it's a lot of responsibility, isn't it?
Watching them, caring for them, keeping them safe, giving them an education.
That is certainly true.
Sounds like it's a lot more trouble than it's worth.
Mr Neelix, I am aware of your situation.
It appears you are in some doubt as to the wisdom of becoming a parent.
It's just all happening so fast. I don't know what to think.
If you have doubts about fatherhood,
it would not be wise to enter into the process.
It is more overwhelming than one expects.
I believe only the most committed should become parents.
That's what I thought.
However, I must point out that, as illogical as it seems,
being a father can have infinite rewards.
Far more than would seem possible.
My children occupy a significant portion of my thoughts. Now more than ever.
I've heard it said that children can bring a lot of joy into one's life.
I experience neither joy nor sorrow. But I do believe it is possible.
Now that I think about it, it might be fun to have a little guy around.
We could do a lot together.
I've got quite a bit I could teach a boy, you know.
Survival methods, piloting skills, romantic techniques.
If you say so.
But there is an equal chance that you would have a daughter.
A daughter? I don't have anything to teach a daughter.
Why would it be any different from what you would teach a son?
It just would. She'd learn more from her mother.
I have three sons and one daughter.
I can assure you she benefits as much from my presence as my sons do.
It is unfortunate that I must be so far removed from all of them now.
I understand.
We'll get there, Mr Vulcan. I'm sure of it.
Thank you. You've given me a lot to think about.
We're ready to generate the magnetic pulse.
Initiating the field.
It's working.
- Are the creatures all right? - Yes, they seem to be fine.
Thrusters at 200 kph, Mr Paris. Ease us out of here.
- What are they doing? - Hard to know.
Maybe they think we're making a hostile move.
- Report. - I'm reading a massive energy drain.
Impulse engines are losing power.
Some life-forms are attached to the ship.
Many systems are failing.
- How soon will we clear the swarm? - In a few seconds. We're almost out.
A substantial magnetic mass is moving rapidly toward the port bow.
It's physiologically similar to the smaller creatures, just bigger.
- Perhaps it is the parent. - Or a different gender.
We need further observation.
Haven't we done enough observing?
These creatures have attacked the ship.
Maybe they were setting us up.
It's possible. Mr Paris, let's keep moving.
If we can leave, maybe the ones on our nacelles will drop off.
200 kph.
The larger creature is moving with us.
Now what?
The creature has emitted a plasma stream.
- All stop. Damage report. - No significant damage, Captain.
A plasma blast is a hostile move. Shouldn't we respond?
If the creature threatens serious damage, I'll consider it an enemy.
Until then, they will be treated as indigenous life-forms behaving normally.
- We're the intruders here. - Captain, look at this.
They're attaching themselves to the large creature.
It's because its plasma stream has the same signature as our warp nacelles.
The smaller creatures are attracted to our emissions.
Just as some species are attracted to pheromones.
Pheromones? You think it's a sexual attraction?
Colour change and provocative movement can be mating rituals.
Then these guys think we're one of them?
It's possible they've mistaken us for a potential mate.
Yes?
Order the diapers. We're about to become parents.
- You mean you want to mate with me? - More than anything.
But I didn't think you wanted to be a father.
I just hadn't thought it through.
Now that I have, I want to do this.
And I'll be the best possible father to our child.
- I know you will. - So... what comes next?
Before we begin the mating process,
I have to go through a ritual called the rolisisin.
What does that involve?
One of my parents has to massage my feet until my tongue begins to swell.
Where do you plan to find a parent?
Captain Janeway's too busy but the Doctor would do it.
Will that work, since he's not a real person?
The Doctor is very real to me.
I don't know how I feel about him massaging your feet.
It's a ritual. Someone has to do it.
OK, fine. And how long will that take?
About an hour.
Then I'll be back.
Fascinating. The stimulation to the sympathetic nerves
sets off a hormonal reaction, activating glandular activity in the tongue.
I've not seen this before.
Although in the Gree, stimulating follicles on the proboscis
results in a swelling of the auricular canal.
- Doctor? - Yes?
- Am I doing the right thing? - You'll have to tell me.
I know nothing of this ritual.
I mean am I doing the right thing by conceiving?
If I were at home, my father would be performing the rolisisin with me.
Parent and child move into a new kind of relationship.
As the child has her own child,
the parent must acknowledge her adulthood.
- I see. - My father and I were very close.
He was such a wise man. I miss him.
Sometimes I hear his voice in my head,
as though he were here, helping to guide me.
I'm sorry. I must be feeling lonely for home.
It's probably a result of the elogium.
But I really would appreciate your advice, your help.
I need someone's guidance.
I can discuss delivery methods or paediatric situations.
I'm afraid I don't have much perspective to offer about becoming a parent.
Neither do I.
As long as Neelix was opposed to the idea,
I was certain that I wanted to have a child.
But when he said that he wanted one, I was very frightened.
Perhaps a statistical survey will offer a context.
Among the Breen, pregnancy at a young age is a common event.
The Breen is one the most warlike of species.
And then there are the Scathos.
Any woman who conceives a child before her fourth decade is executed.
Maybe I just felt I should have a child because I could.
There is a powerful biological drive, at times almost impossible to resist.
Species are driven by these urges in order to survive.
But isn't that why we have minds?
To look beyond biological urges, to consider their consequences.
If I'm to ask myself to look at the consequences,
I have to ask myself some questions.
Am I really ready to have a child?
Am I prepared to give that child the attention and devotion it deserves?
Am I capable of taking on such a huge responsibility?
There's so much I haven't done.
There's so much I want to study and learn.
I'm not sure I'm finished growing. How can I help a child grow?
If the smaller creatures are sexually attracted to our emissions,
the large one may think we're a rival.
That plasma burst might have been aggressive.
You'd think it would want us to leave.
Could we generate a short burst of impulse to get away from the swarm?
I could release power into the driver coils.
- Do it. - All right.
I've accessed the capacitance cells.
I can give you enough for a short burst of impulse. We've got one shot.
You heard her, Mr Paris. Make the best of it.
Initiating impulse burst... now.
The creature is approaching rapidly on a collision course.
- Evasive manoeuvres. - We can't.
- The creature is accelerating. - Can't shake him.
All hands brace for impact.
Structural integrity down to 86%.
I share Lieutenant Torres' views. Retaliation may become necessary.
It's not my intention to harm the creature.
The feeling definitely isn't mutual.
Launch a class-4 probe
to distract the creature long enough for us to get away.
Probe launched.
Another plasma burst. Shields are down to 64%.
- The probe made him angry. - He's aggressive.
He'll only respond to an aggressive stance.
Treating the creature as it is treating us might be appropriate.
- We ram him. - Precisely.
It's probably the response he expects.
Any more of this and the hull will start to buckle.
Use manoeuvring thrusters. Set a course toward the creature.
- Give him a bump to get his attention. - Engaging thrusters.
The creature is not retreating, Captain.
- He's hitting us back harder! - Let's try this.
Detonate a field of photon charges. That will let him know we mean business.
Captain, maybe we're going about this backwards.
Yes, Commander?
Every aggressive move results in a more aggressive move.
If we're not prepared to destroy him, we need to rethink our actions.
If the creature is responding to us as a sexual rival,
behaving in a submissive way may appease him -
he's dominant and we're no match for him.
How? We tried to move away slowly. He wouldn't let us.
Maybe we need to mimic the smaller creatures.
They rolled over and changed colour.
Venting plasma residue might make us look blue.
Do we have enough power to take Voyager into a roll?
- I think so. - All right. Let's give this a try.
Mr Kim, start venting plasma residue. Mr Paris, roll the ship.
Full power to inertial dampers.
He's not responding. It's not working.
Wait a minute. A small creature is detaching from the starboard nacelle.
And another one. They're all letting go.
It appears we have lost our sex appeal.
Good piloting, Lieutenant. Now let's see if we can move away.
I can give you enough thruster power to sustain a speed of 100 kph.
Acknowledged.
Good work, Commander.
If I have any questions about mating behaviour, I'll know where to go.
- Can I help? - No. Thanks.
- Is something wrong? - No, nothing.
You've been very quiet ever since I decided not to conceive.
It was your choice. I respect that.
Neelix, I think you're disappointed.
I think, once I decided to become a father...
I was looking forward to it.
- But I'll get over it. - Maybe you won't have to get over it.
- Just wait a little longer. - But I thought this was the only time.
The Doctor believes the elogium was false,
brought on by the electrophoretic field that those life-forms created.
So I might be able to go through it again at the right age.
We might still be able to have a daughter?
- Or a son. - No. I've thought about it.
A daughter, definitely. One who looks just like you.
Captain's log, stardate 48921.3.
I continue to wonder about the issue of procreation.
It's wrong to interfere with the private lives of the crew,
yet I remain concerned about the environment for a child born here.
Come in.
Yes, Ensign. What can I do for you?
I'm sorry to disturb you, but I thought...
I thought I should inform you of my physical condition.
Your physical condition?
We'd been trying for months.
I wasn't even sure until a few days ago.
My husband is still at Deep Space 9. He doesn't even know.
We were only supposed to be out three weeks.
Wildman, are you pregnant?
I know this isn't the best place to have a baby, but...
it's all I have left... of my husband.
Well... Congratulations, Ensign.