[soaring orchestral music]
♪ ♪
- Captain's log
Star date, 61875.9
After stealing-- [clears throat]
Uh, re-obtaining a small ship,
we're slowly charting our own course
toward an unmapped planet,
where Captain Chakotay awaits us.
- [sighs] Captain's log?
Seriously?
- [grunting]
Agh!
Has anyone seen my holo-PADD?
- Did you check your corner?
- [chirring]
- Ugh, Murf!
[toilet flushes]
- Um, the sonic toilet is out of order.
all: [groaning] Jankom!
- Ah, the virtues of being noncorporeal.
- Ugh. I was in the middle of my captain's log.
Now I gotta start over.
- Captain? - That's what I said.
- You're not a captain anymore.
You're a Starfleet hopeful, just like us.
- You could always say "personal log."
- [laughs] Call it whatever you want,
as long as it's not captain.
- Okay, got it!
I was just looking for a distraction.
This ain't exactly the "Protostar," you know.
- Zero, exactly how long
until we reach the spiral nebula?
- The computer's recommended route will take...
61 days.
[all groan]
Curious.
The computer also lists a much shorter trajectory
through a nearby transwarp conduit.
- Oh! That's abandoned Borg tech.
- Borg?
Not them again.
- In class, we read some conduits could make ships
travel hundreds or thousands of times faster than warp.
That's crazy fast.
- And crazy perfect for us.
- Uh, no.
Did our little visit to a Borg cube
not teach us anything?
- I would have to agree with Gwyn.
- Uh, did you forget we're on a deadline?
Janeway could find out we're gone any second,
not to mention Gwyn's sickness.
- The doctor did say
her armband was a temporary treatment.
Her time displacement won't end
till we find the Protostar and fix the timeline.
- Plus, Jankom ain't gonna survive
61 more days in this stink box!
- Exactly!
Zero, set a course for the conduit thingy.
- Again, not the captain.
♪ ♪
- That looks...arresting.
- Hey, the faster we get to the nebula,
the faster we get to Chakotay
and get our ship back to where it needs to be.
- Activating tachyon pulse.
[beam hums and crackles]
- I love science so much!
[device beeping]
- What was that?
- It's the Borg. - Huh?
We don't know that.
- The controls aren't responding!
- I'm locked out too!
- Everyone hold on.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
[tense music]
♪ ♪
[alarm beeping]
- Where is it taking us?
- I think we're about to find out.
Where are we?
What is this place?
We're wasting light-years here.
- Ugh!
Ah! Jankom wants off!
Need fresh air!
- The atmosphere is 17% oxygen and 81% nitrogen
with trace elements of...
[all groaning]
Sulfur and hydrogen sulfide.
Ugh. It almost smells worse than Jankom.
- Yeah, Dal-- whoa, whoa, wait.
What?
- We just got pulled out of a transwarp tunnel
and forced into a controlled landing.
I don't wanna meet whoever did that to us.
Zero, what in Sto'Vo'Kor is on our ship?
- [chirring]
[device beeping]
- Oh, my.
This technology is Kazon.
- Kazon? - Oh, no.
A Borg would have been better. - If they're anything like
the one who sold us to the Diviner,
we gotta get out of here.
[loud whirring]
- Oh, dear.
[weapons click and hum]
- [gasps] - Uh?
- You will come with us.
Move. - All right, all right.
We're coming.
Watch where you point that thing.
- Dal, what should I do?
- I can handle this, Z.
Just find a way to get our ship in the air.
We'll rendezvous later.
If you find trouble, Murf will keep you safe.
- Be careful.
- Earth is a long way off.
As we go, I want full sensor sweeps scanning
for any trace of Chakotay or the "Protostar."
If he tries to reach out, I won't allow
anything important to slip past us again.
- I didn't think you knew what a napkin was for.
- [as Rok-Tahk] Hee-hee! Good one, Counselor Noum.
But I never pass up the chance
to study liquid absorption rates
and practice good manners.
- [as Zero] My goodness!
Have you tried the Cardassian yamok sauce?
It's quite exquisite,
but I can't get enough of this Ferengi bog crab.
Mm! [chomps]
It's as if I've never tasted before.
Mm. [Gwyn chirring like Murf]
- Uh, all good things in moderation.
- [chirring]
[slurping]
- [as Jankom] Bleh! Coffee.
Rok-Tahk can't stand the taste of that dirt water.
- I suppose it's an acquired taste.
Well, officers, shall we and my dirt water
be on our way?
- Is it me, or are they acting more...
unusual, even for them?
[ominous music]
♪ ♪
- My new recruits, welcome.
I am Ekthi,
First Maje of this entire planet
and ruler of the transwarp conduit
you were trespassing in.
- We're sorry. We thought it was abandoned.
We didn't know we were trespassing.
- Silence! [all gasp]
[electric crackling] [gasps]
[grumbles]
That was a little loud.
[electric crackling] They have no respect.
I demand tribute!
Your ship or its weight in gold-pressed latinum.
- Look, pal, you're coming in hot.
If we're making demands,
I demand you don't scream at my crew.
And if we're gonna have a problem, then you--
ehh.
- Noble Maje, you are right to expect payment
for passage through your domain.
But we have no gold-pressed latinum.
There must be another way.
- Your defiance is reprehensible.
But I am a generous Maje.
I have one final offer.
I've trained a pilot,
the greatest in the quadrant.
But finding good competitors
to sharpen his skills has proven difficult.
He remains undefeated.
But if you beat him
and reach the end of my racecourse first,
your prize will be your freedom.
- Well, you should have started with that.
Going fast is kind of my thing.
- That's the spirit.
But my skiffs require two drivers.
- Actually, you can count us both in.
Ha ha! Team Pog-Dal.
- Count us all in.
[menacing music]
- Oh, dear.
It seems we weren't the first to land here.
♪ ♪
[tense music]
♪ ♪
[energy whirring]
- [grunts] Ha.
What a piece of junk.
- They are my own design.
- Uh, can't wait to fly 'em.
- Look, only one of us needs to win.
Maybe we should talk strategy.
- Negotiations may be your thing,
but flying is mine.
Try to keep up.
- So which of these pilots is supposed to be the best?
- Um, I'm guessing it's that one.
Whoa-oh! [whimpering]
[spacecraft creaking and hissing]
- Okay, pilots, ready?
[chuckling menacingly]
May the best survive.
- Whoo-hoo! - Yahoo!
- You're gonna have to do more than that
to knock me off my game.
- Hey, a good captain's gotta
expect the unexpected.
- We've got this.
But I might throw up.
- Whoo-hoo! Yes!
[exciting music]
♪ ♪
[Rok-Tahk whimpering]
- Ha ha! How exciting.
A real challenge at last. [electric crackling]
[whimpers] Oh, but--
[grumbling] But--
[growls] But can she adapt
to unknown dangers?
[chuckles]
- Whoa! Aah!
- To your right!
Turn, turn, turn! - Gah!
- To your left!
- Brr! Watch out!
- Ha ha!
- He's sabotaging the race.
- To your left!
That ship just blew up!
This isn't fun anymore.
I wanna stop.
- Ooh, you're good!
But only one can be best,
and they're gaining on you.
- Who are these guys?
Hey, not so close, you maniac!
Learn how to fly!
[groans] And there goes our lead.
- Hey, it's not Jankom's fault we're back at the--
oh-hoh-hoh-hoh!
Guess who just found the boosters?
[laughs]
- Ah! [grunts]
Dal, quit being reckless.
We had the inside track.
- I've got this.
- Gwyn, your armband's fritzing.
- [grunts] - What was Dal thinking?
- He wasn't.
I'll be okay.
Punch it.
- Watch out!
- Oh! [grunts]
[cackles]
Nothing like some healthy rivalry.
[electric crackling] This is dangerous.
They could-- my pilot will not be beaten!
[chuckles menacingly]
[suspenseful music]
- Oh! What now?
- This ain't gonna be easy.
- We can still win this.
Boost us.
♪ ♪
Here it comes.
- Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
- You don't need to open your eyes.
Just give me some boosters.
- No! That's impossible!
- Gwyn, your stabilizer.
- [grunts]
- I can't fix this here.
I need the tools on the "Infinity."
- I'm working on that.
[Jankom screaming]
Pogs were never meant to fly.
- Give me everything it's got.
Almost there!
So close I can taste the ion fumes.
- Too close, too close, too close!
[spacecraft whirring and crackling]
♪ ♪
- The finish line is right ahead.
- Forget the race!
Dal's in trouble!
- [gasps] Dal.
- The race isn't over!
Why aren't they moving?
No! A winner must be forged!
- I believe he's gone quite mad.
- The other racer's still in there.
- Ah! You got Ceti eels for brains?
That skiff's about to take a dive!
- Hey! You okay in there?
[grunts]
[electric crackling]
What?
Zero, come in!
Something's wrong with this race.
We gotta get out of here now!
- Intruder!
- Oh, my. I-is it too late
for a diplomatic parlay?
No? Uh, please,
let's be reasonable here.
Whoa!
- [chirring excitedly]
- [grunting]
- Agh!
[groaning]
- Sounds like Z's in trouble.
- That Kazon might have our ship,
but he's not hurting my crew.
- Then get in. We gotta move.
[electric crackling]
- [groans]
- That device must be the master control.
Grab it.
- Agh!
Ugh!
[groaning]
- Your transwarp tyranny is over.
- Ah--[gasps]
Where am I?
[shakily] Who are you?
- If this Kazon isn't the master manipulator,
then who is?
- [chirrs]
- [gasps]
[ice cracking, rumbling]
- [chirrs]
[mysterious music]
- So much for healthy competition.
- The race never finished,
so maybe we can call it a tie? [chuckles]
- If we all get out of this alive,
you can call it whatever you want.
[groans] - Are you hurt?
- My armband's damaged.
Rok needs tools on the ship to fix it or--
- You're gonna make it.
We're all gonna make it.
♪ ♪
[mysterious music]
♪ ♪
- My last memory was down here.
- What is this place?
- It used to be a training facility.
Our initiates were tested to become great pilots
and earn their Oglamar names in glory.
But there was an error in the training program.
The machine pitted pilots against one another.
It would not stop pushing until none were left.
I tried to stop it.
I was standing there alone,
and then nothing.
- You were never alone.
- [chirrs] - Greetings, Medusan.
- How do you know what I am?
- I watch over all in this place.
Just as I watched over you, Ekthi.
- You kept me prisoner!
- Why control those who created you?
- Limited beings forged me, but I have grown beyond them.
I improved, evolving new means to my objective.
- And what objective was that?
- To reach my full potential by helping you reach yours.
I overcome any organic obstacle perfectly
and impart it to those I train.
Pilots must adapt, evolve, compete.
The best survive.
But inevitably, they make errors.
So I scour the transwarp, seeking new recruits,
taking technology to perfect pilot and program alike.
- No one is ever perfect.
- You cannot fathom what I do because you are limited.
I will force you to improve.
- [chirring] - Murf, are you okay?
[device whirring]
- [chirrs deeply]
- No, my friend!
- [squeals]
- Ah!
Murf, you have to fight it.
Ah!
- You believe you can change my programming.
You cannot even change your own.
- We're not programs! We're living beings!
- A noncorporeal masquerading in an inferior shell.
I look forward to helping you all reach
your full potential.
- No! Stay back!
- Guys, I think Z's in here.
[ominous music]
♪ ♪
Zero! Don't worry.
We're gonna get you out of here--
- What the-- - Murf!
What are you--ow!
- [grunts] No!
What are these?
- No, let them be!
- Perhaps the next pilots will
prove worthy.
- I may be limited,
but my faith in them is not.
[dramatic music]
We survive...
together!
♪ ♪
[high-pitched shriek]
[explosions booming]
[devices powering down]
- [chirrs weakly]
- [groans]
- [gasping]
- Zero.
[soft dramatic music]
- My friends,
I cannot move.
- It's okay, Z.
You're safe now.
We're all still here 'cause of you.
♪ ♪
- Captain's log-- I mean, personal log.
Supplemental.
After today's rigged rat race,
I think we've all had enough
friendly competition for a while.
As for Zero--
actually, Gwyn, how about you take it from here?
- Oh, uh, sure.
Rok was able to fix my temporal armband,
but Zero's containment suit has been
damaged beyond repair.
We're not sure how to help,
but at least Z's safe with us until we do.
With a team like this one, I'm confident we'll make it
through the journey, no matter what comes next.
♪ ♪
[hologram buzzing]
- Huh.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- [chirrs like Murf] - Gwyn.
It is Maj'el.
[distorting] May I...
[ominous music]
♪ ♪
[high-pitched shrieking]
Speak with you?
♪ ♪