05x05 - Once Upon a Time

[bunniefuu]

- Ouch!
- Wake up.

- Who's there?
- Naomi.

Come back later.

Know what I think?
You're scared of the tree monster.

I'm not scared of any tree monster,
Miss Wildman.

But, as you know,
I need my beauty sleep.

Sorry I woke you,
but we have a mission.

You and your missions.

Lucky for you, your old pal Flotter
has everything ready. Follow me.

I've laid a trap. When he climbs
this tree, he'll trip the alarm.

Tree monsters are terrified
of high-pitched noises.

- I never heard that.
- It's a well-known fact.

The bell will scare him
into the branches

where weights will bend the tree back,

catapulting him pondward and splash!

He'll sink like a log.

But logs float.

Details, details.

That is a terrible plan.

- It's him.
- The name's Trevis. And you are?

Flotter T Water III.

Well, of course you are, drippy. You.

Naomi Wildman,
but my friends call me Naomi.

I don't recognise your element.

- You're not earth or water or plasma.
- I'm human.

- Where do you live?
- In space.

- Nobody lives in space.
- She does.

- On a starship called Voyager.
- I'm an explorer.

Really? An explorer.

Timber! What's that like?

You know. Space battles with aliens,
strange anomalies.

May I visit your starship?

Well, I'll have to ask my mom.

You know, for a monster,
you're very polite.

That's because I'm not a monster.

You see that? I'm not scared one bit.

My bark is worse than my bite.

Maybe we jumped
to conclusions about him.

He may not be a monster, but
he is stealing my water with his roots.

Stealing? Absurd.
Why, I ought to dry you out!

- I ought to chop you down.
- Want a piece of me?

Excuse me.
Sounds like you two need each other.

I mean, think about it. Flotter,
your water helps his trees grow.

Trevis, your branches
shade his pond from the sun.

It's well-known.
The sun makes water evaporate.

- She's got a point.
- The girl's a thinker.

Now, shake hands and make up.

- Moist palms...
- Sappy fingers...

- Neelix to holodeck 2.
- Naomi here.

- It's bedtime.
- Can't I stay a little longer?

You know the rules. Someone special
wants to say goodnight.

Mom! Computer, end program.

- And how's Flotter?
- Grouchy as ever.

But we made a new friend named
Trevis. I'll introduce him tomorrow.

I'm afraid the away mission
may take a few more days.

Days?

But I'm bringing back some beautiful
crystals and pictures for your album.

Be a good girl and get ready for bed
while I talk to Neelix.

- All right.
- Sweet dreams.

- Samantha?
- We ran into an ion storm.

- How bad is it?
- We took a b*ating.

We're making repairs, but there's
another storm on the way.

Better go. Say good night for me.

I've lost the com signal.

Ionic front
is closing aft at 33,000 kph.

I need more power to outrun it.

- I'll see what I can do.
- The leading edge is approaching.

- I've given all the power I can spare.
- It's not enough. I can't keep ahead.

Brace for impact!

Mayday. Mayday.
Delta Flyer to Voyager.

Need assistance.

Warp drive... Impulse power is down.

Thrusters only. The ion storm

damaged the primary systems.

Life support failing.

Searching for emergency landing site.

Require immediate...

That was their last transmission.

We haven't been able to raise them.

They must be in pretty bad shape.

- Anything on long-range sensors?
- We lost their signature.

We triangulated coordinates of the
distress call.

They've entered a planetary system.

There's another storm,
a level 5, blocking our path.

Level 57 We've been through worse.

Let's batten down the hatches.

We won't let
bad weather stand in our way.

What about Naomi?

We'll explain why her mom's not back.

Maybe we shouldn't tell her anything.

Why not?

She's very sensitive.

I don't want to alarm her.

Get her mom back before she worries.

You're close to her. Take the lead on it.

Thanks, Captain.

Your mission is to keep her occupied.

Dismissed.

I was thinking. It's time
I carried my weight around here.

They could use a hand
in the airponics bay.

I was thinking more of the bridge.

- Captain's assistant.
- Would I get to fly the ship?

Well, we'd have to take it up
with the captain.

Check internal sensors.

Neelix, don't move.

- What's wrong?
- The Borg lady.

She has a name, you know.

Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct
of Unimatrix Zero One.

Don't look. She'll assimilate you.

Naomi, Seven is a nice person and
she's a valuable member of this crew.

- I don't want to be in the collective.
- There's no danger of that.

Hey, Neelix. Hey, Naomi.

- Can I talk with you?
- Yeah. I'll be right back.

Sickbay's short on medkits. We need
more if we send another away team.

I've got half a dozen stockpiled
in cargo bay 2.

How is she?

On the Naomi anxiety scale
of one to ten,

where one is a touch of insomnia
and ten a panic att*ck, about five.

Is this chair occupied?

- Yes or no would suffice.
- No. I mean yes.

Explain.

You can't sit here.
Someone else is here.

Very well.

So I thought we'd pay another visit
to sickbay.

The Doctor says he has time to give
you a botany lesson. What's wrong?

I am Borg.

No, you're not!

Can we go to the holodeck?
I want to play another Flotter story.

The Doctor's expecting you.

- I don't like sickbay.
- Why not?

It's full of creepy things.
Alien organs and hyposprays.

- That's not true.
- The Doctor talks too much.

- Well, that's his way.
- Can you reprogram him or something?

I don't think he'd like that very much.

Come on.

Rumour has it
there's a planetoid round here.

Sorry. The storm's
throwing off my readings.

There's a big rock nearby.
I just can't find it.

- The wave front is accelerating.
- How long till it hits us?

- Less than two minutes.
- Gives me 30 seconds to land.

- Samantha, I don't mean to rush you.
- Got it. Class-M atmosphere.

- Nickel-ion core, benomite mantle.
- Benomite?

- I want to land this shuttle, not bury it.
- 73,000 kilometres, zero mark four.

We've entered the upper atmosphere.

Nothing but impact craters, volcanoes.
We can't land.

Storm is closing.
Increasing shields to maximum.

Just keep us away from the volcanoes.

I've got a big meteor crater,
500 kilometres across, 3.7 deep.

- I'll take it.
- Starboard thrusters are down.

- If you can't say something positive...
- Coming in too fast.

Hang on!

The Flyer has landed.

She needs
immediate medical assistance.

What happened?

- We made it.
- Delta Flyer's first landing.

- Where?
- Three kilometres beneath the surface.

At least our primary hull's
still in one piece.

- I wish I felt the same.
- You'll be all right.

Minor concussion, a few fractures.
Nothing I can't handle.

You're a great nurse,
but you're a lousy liar.

You've got a punctured kidney and
internal bleeding. You need surgery.

- Voyager?
- I transmitted another distress call.

- No response.
- It's all this rock.

I've got to talk to Naomi,
let her know we're OK.

Conserve your strength. We have
the situation under control.

Nice bedside manner. I'm gonna give
you a mild sedative for the pain.

Any chance we could abandon
the shuttle, go on foot?

Unlikely. Not only are we buried
under several kilotons of rock,

but the atmosphere in this cavern
is flooded with fluorine gas.

Nothing to do but sit back
and enjoy the view.

Captain's log, supplemental.
We've weathered the storm

and tracked the Delta Flyer
to an M-Class planetoid.

I have an impulse signature
in the upper atmosphere.

- Pinpoint the location.
- How's our littlest crew member?

She misses her mother, but I don't think
she suspects anything.

I was going to take her to the holodeck.

Call me an optimist, but I'm
counting on a happy ending.

Me, too.

The impulse wake leads to the northern
hemisphere. Coordinates 121 mark 16.

- Any sign of them?
- Plasma fires, hull fragments.

Either they vaporised on impact
or they're buried.

Any lifesigns? Maybe they beamed out
before the crash.

Harry, anything?

Nothing.

We built the Delta Flyer
to take a lot of punishment.

I'm betting it held together. Commander,
take rescue teams to that crater.

If the sensors can't find them,
we'll have to do it the hard way.

Now. See the organelle just over there?
The one that looks like a bitty potato?

- The mitochondria?
- Yes.

- The warp core of the cell.
- Exactly.

What if I told you this fellow
was invited to dinner,

but never got around to leaving?

- What do you mean?
- Turn back the clock a few billion years

to when cells first evolved.

These early cells had no mitochondria.
They struggled along,

making do with energy sources
they could find.

One day, a mitochondrial ancestor
arrived, broke through the cell wall

and made himself at home.

- They became friends?
- The correct term is symbiosis.

Friends.

Friends.

My mom says cooperation
is more important than competition.

She was supposed to call me today.

She's probably just a little busy.
Let's have a look at the cell wall.

It looks simple, but there's more
than meets the eye.

Can we try to call her?

Neelix, what a pleasure to see you.

- How was school today?
- Good.

There's a time for school
and a time for...

Flotter!

Aren't you forgetting something?

- Thank you, Doctor.
- You're quite welcome, Miss Wildman.

In the blink of an eye,
there was Trevis above us.

- What happened?
- He turned out to be nice.

His "bark" was worse than his bite.

Where did you learn
to make such silly puns?

You.

Did you have a favourite holodeck
program when you grew up?

We didn't have holodecks on Rinax,
but it didn't matter.

We had a great big forest
behind my house.

Really?

My sisters and I would go exploring
every day and make up stories.

- Imagination.
- Exactly.

Deck 6, section 9.

Where are your sisters now?

They're far away from here.
I haven't seen them in a very long time.

- How long?
- Many years.

You haven't been on Voyager that long.

True, but before that, my work as
a trader kept me away from home.

That's too bad.

Do your sisters call you like my mom
when she's on an away mission?

- No.
- I bet you miss them.

I do. Very much. Here we are.

Computer, display chapter headings,
"The Adventures of Flotter".

Let's see.
"Flotter and the Tree Monster"?

Played that one yesterday.

"Trevis And The Terribly Twisted Trunk."

I'll save that one for Mom.
It's her favourite.

"Flotter, Trevis And The Ogre Of Fire."

That one.

It sounds a little scary.

It's OK.
I won't be scared if you're with me.

Once upon a time
in the Forest of Forever,

Flotter and Trevis encountered
an element they'd never seen before.

Trevis, you're on fire.

I told him not to touch it,
but this blockhead never listens.

- Stop complaining and help him.
- Me?

Water puts out fire.

It worked! Watch this.

- Good thinking.
- Who's the fur ball?

- The name's Neelix.
- What caused the fire?

- It came from up there.
- In a flash.

Lightning. But the sky is clear.
Doesn't look like a thunderstorm.

What's your theory?

There's only one other explanation.

The Ogre Of Fire.

- The Ogre?
- Of Fire.

Who's he?

He is me and I'm going to burn
this forest to the ground.

Flotter!

Maybe we should play another program.

No, we have to find Flotter.
Hello? Is anyone there?

Over here.

- Are you all right?
- A little hot under the bark, maybe.

What about Flotter?

Is he dead?

- Neelix?
- Well, I don't know.

- He can't be dead. Flotter!
- I think it's your bedtime.

- I want to find Flotter.
- Don't argue with your godfather.

Take this to Torres.
Phaser drills in cargo bay 3.

Sure you have time for this?
I know you're busy.

No problem. Glad to be of service.

Maybe a shade bluer. And the head's
a little disproportionate, don't you think?

We're not sh**ting for an exact replica.
It's artistic license.

Sorry. Guess I shouldn't barge into
your kitchen and tell you how to cook.

Flotter There's a name
I haven't heard in a while.

I was nuts about holostories
when I was a kid.

Did you see the one where Flotter
suspects Trevis is a rubber tree?

- Not yet.
- He's tripping him to see if he'll bounce.

Those two were a lot of fun.

The last scenario Naomi chose
was pretty frightening. No fun at all.

- Kids love to be scared.
- Not Naomi.

Computer, transfer design parameters
to the replicator.

- How's she holding up?
- Fine. She's busy with her homework.

- What's wrong?
- Everything's wrong!

Ion storms, crash landings, alien att*cks.

A starship's no place for a child.

I'd say Naomi's pretty lucky
to be growing up on Voyager.

Think about
all the things she's experienced.

Stars being born, life-forms no one from
the Alpha Quadrant has seen before.

When I was a kid, I would have given
anything for a chance like this.

Well, here goes.

Hi, Neelix. Did you miss me?

I forgot how ugly this guy was.

Thanks, Ensign.

Naomi!

- Guess who I found in the replicator?
- Thanks.

But that's not really Flotter.

Flotter's not really Flotter.
He's just a holodeck character.

- What are you working on?
- Researching the evaporation of water.

- Why?
- Well, I've been thinking.

Water doesn't disappear when it's
heated. It turns into invisible gas.

If we could get the forest to cool down
enough, Flotter might re-liquefy.

Clever.

I miss Mom.

- I know you do.
- When's she coming back?

- Soon.
- Why hasn't she called?

She must be busy cataloguing the
geological specimens she collected.

Has anybody talked to her?

Well, not in a day or two, but...

Starfleet regulation 476-9.

"All away teams must report to the
bridge at least once every 24 hours."

- You'll make a great captain's assistant.
- Has something bad happened?

I'm sure everything's fine.

Come on, now. Bed.

Promise to wake me up
if Mommy calls?

- Promise.
- Even if it's 0200 hours?

Even if it's 0200 hours.

Sweet dreams.

Neelix?

Computer, access personal database.
Neelix. File index 291.

Hello, Alixia. I'm sorry it's been so many
weeks since I've thought about you,

but we've been very busy here
on Voyager.

I miss you.

My goddaughter Naomi, she's in trouble.

We're in trouble.
She may lose her mother.

Alixia, you always knew the right thing
to do, the right thing to say.

I wish you were here to help me.

Come on. Hurry!

We're under att*ck!

Get up!

The metreon cascade! Run!

Switch to polythermal imaging
and enhance resolution.

Neelix, do you require assistance?

No, I was just passing by.

Thought I'd pay a visit. See how things
were going. How are things going?

I'm mapping caverns at the crash site.

- How far do they extend?
- Approximately 37 kilometres.

What about the search? Anything new?

Every scan reveals something new,
but as yet little of relevance.

Seven...

Your family, your human family.

- Do you ever think about them?
- Infrequently.

- I was six when I was assimilated.
- Not much older than Naomi is now.

- Do you miss your parents?
- I barely remember them.

Maybe that's a blessing.

- Rescue team Alpha to Seven of Nine.
- Yes?

- We need that data.
- I will meet you at the transporter site.

I adapted.
The child Naomi will adapt as well.

Borg wisdom.

Get me an update from Beta Team.
They haven't checked in for an hour.

- Coffee, anyone? Captain?
- I've had enough.

One more cup and I'll jump to warp.

- Any news?
- I'm afraid not.

- No debris, no lifesigns?
- Three teams are below the surface.

- So far nothing.
- So much for that happy ending.

We'll turn that planetoid inside out.

But I think we have to be prepared
for the worst.

- Maybe it's time you told Naomi.
- No, not yet.

She's an astute girl.
She must be aware something's wrong.

She's been asking tough questions. Why
hasn't her mother filed a status report.

But I've got a big day for her tomorrow.
She won't have time to be worried.

Your mission was to keep her occupied,
not lie to her.

First thing in the morning,
explain the situation.

- I don't think that's a good idea.
- Why not?

Like I told you, she's sensitive.

All the more reason
to answer her questions.

With all due respect, I'm her godfather.
I know what's best for her.

Neelix.

I realise you care about Naomi
and are only trying to protect her.

But you've got to tell her the truth.

Good morning, Naomi.
Would you like juice with your cereal?

By the way, your mom is buried
under 30 kilotons of rock.

When we know for sure, when we find
her mother alive or dead...

...I'll tell her then, not before.

- If you can't do it, I will.
- You don't have the right!

You don't understand
what's at stake here!

At her age, you were safe
on Earth with two parents.

You never had to worry
about being alone!

Take it from me.
You wouldn't have liked it.

I know. You must identify
with Naomi's situation.

When my family was k*lled,
I lost everything.

I still have nightmares.
It hasn't been easy.

- I don't want her to go through that.
- I understand.

And you're right.
But this situation is different.

How so?

Naomi has you.

Neelix, she has to be told.

But I know she'll be better off
having you here to help her through it.

First thing in the morning.

We've got a few hours until then.

Why don't you come back on the bridge?
Give us a hand.

- Ready, Tuvok?
- Ready.

Cross your fingers.

The magnetic relays
have overloaded.

We'd better find another way
to polarise this hull.

- Or their sensors won't pick us up.
- We're never getting out.

Don't give up. The probability of escape
is low, but not statistically impossible.

- Comforting.
- Who's gonna look after Naomi?

- Do not concern yourself with that now.
- How can you say that?

My youngest child has been
without a father for four years.

Yet I am certain of her well-being. I
conveyed values to her before leaving.

And I have confidence in the integrity
of those around her.

You have been
an exemplary mother to Naomi

and she is in the hands
of people you trust.

She will survive and prosper
no matter what becomes of us.

Thanks, Tuvok.

Mom?

Neelix!

- Computer, locate Neelix.
- Neelix is on the bridge.

Thanks.

We need three more phaser drills. You
two, pattern enhancers and medkits.

Aye, sir.

We'll have to
recalibrate these tricorders.

- Put us with the Alpha Team.
- Setting coordinates.

Energise.

Not as far as I can tell...

Deck 1, bridge.

We found what looks like
a piece of the starboard nacelle.

- Any sign of the shuttle?
- Not yet.

The cavern collapsed, but I read
a hull signature behind the debris.

- The Flyer?
- I need to take a closer reading.

Alpha and Beta Teams to search
for survivors. Stand by for casualties.

Naomi.

Naomi.

Naomi!

- Computer, locate Naomi Wildman.
- She is in her quarters.

Clever.

Computer, resume program.
"Flotter, Trevis And The Ogre Of Fire".

Program activated.

I am reading duranium alloys.
I believe it is the shuttle.

- 80 metres beneath this rubble.
- Lifesigns?

None. Without lifesigns to lock onto,
we cannot beam the crew out.

Maybe we can transport the ship
to the shuttle bay.

Through 50 kilotons of benomite?

Chakotay to Voyager.
We think we found the shuttle,

but we need to dig it out. Have all teams
meet at my coordinates.

Acknowledged.

Phaser drills, here and here.

Hey, B'Elanna. Look on the bright side.
No more day-old pizza laying around.

You'll never have to watch another
chapter of "Captain Proton" again.

Warning. Life support
has fallen to critical levels.

Don't mind the computer. She's jealous
I'm spending my last moments with you.

So long.

Sam.

It's your turn.

I haven't thought what to say yet.

Tuvok, why don't you go next?

I prefer to make my farewells
in written form.

Computer, begin recording. Encode
message for delivery to Naomi.

Acknowledged.

Hi, honey.

I know you're feeling sad now, but I want
you to listen to me very carefully.

First of all, I love you.

Second, I want you to know
that I'm proud of you.

How smart you are, how funny,
how kind you are to other people.

And I know you are going to grow up
to do extraordinary things.

Last, and I know this is a hard one,
try not to be scared.

Warning.
Oxygen depletion in ten minutes.

Listen to Neelix.

He'll be taking care of you now.

Bye, honey.

Naomi!

- Go away.
- Where is she?

She doesn't wanna talk to you.

- You lied.
- I thought you vaporised.

Naomi re-liquefied me. Now, leave.

- Computer delete characters.
- Unable to comply.

Holodeck controls have been encoded.

- Delete us?
- I wonder if this liar can swim.

We could always hang him
from one of my branches.

Naomi.

- Please let me talk to you.
- It's OK.

- You be nice.
- No more lying.

- Hey, there.
- Is my mother dead?

- We don't know.
- What happened?

The away team
was trying to avoid an ion storm.

- They had to land on a planet.
- I saw a crater. Something was burning.

Plasma fires, pieces of debris.

But not the hull.

Until we know what's happened, no one's
giving up on the rescue attempt.

You really think they might find her?

Yes.

How do I know
you're telling me the truth this time?

I...

I never told you this before.

But when I was much younger,

I lost my mom in a terrible w*r.

My father and my sisters, too.

It was the worst thing
that ever happened to me.

Always wondering, how did they die?

Were they worried about me?
Could they still be alive?

I thought if I could just
keep you from wondering,

you wouldn't have to feel what I did.

You were pretending nothing was wrong,
that nothing bad happened.

Do you ever pretend
nothing bad happened to your family?

- Sometimes.
- Does it help?

Not really.

Don't be sad, Neelix.

Emergency stations.
A level 8 ion storm approaching.

- Ion storm? What's that?
- The Ogre Of Fire is attacking again.

- Better get back to your quarters.
- Naomi.

- Don't leave us.
- I'll be back. I promise.

Voyager to Chakotay. We've got
another ion storm approaching.

Your entire cavern
is going to destabilise.

A few more metres. We'll beam up the
shuttle. How long before the storm hits?

Six minutes. Make the most of it.
It's all you've got.

The storm's moving in.
Shields down to 86%.

Keep the transporter lock on.
Give them till the last second.

Helm, lay in a course out of here.
Stand by to engage at warp 2.

Warning.
Oxygen depletion in two minutes.

I never thought
it would come down to this.

Suffocating under kilotons of rock
on some nameless planetoid.

Did you envision a more heroic death?

I didn't envision dying at all.

In accepting the inevitable,
one finds peace.

If that's another Vulcan saying,
I'll stick with "live long and prosper.”

We're here! We're here!

- Chakotay to Voyager.
- Yes?

Pattern enhancers in place.
Ready to transport the Flyer.

Locking on.

- They're in the shuttlebay.
- Helm. Engage.

Thank you.

Captain's log, supplemental.

Ensign Wildman has recovered and the
Delta Flyer, though battered, is intact.

- How are you today, Trevis?
- Feeling stiff, my slippery friend. You?

Now that you mention it,
I'm a little washed out.

Well, it's about time you showed up.
The tea is getting cold.

- Samantha? Is it really you?
- Long time no see.

- You're all grown up.
- I'm an ensign now.

- I've missed you.
- Likewise.

Now everyone's reacquainted,
you're eager for a new adventure.

Now you mention it,
there's a castle I want to explore.

- Castle?
- A giant beetle lives there.

- Come on, Neelix.
- You go ahead.

- Here's to happy endings.
- Captain.

Just checking
on my future Captain's assistant.

Right now,
she's off to conquer a giant beetle.

- Sounds like a dangerous mission.
- She can handle it.

She's a courageous girl.

Did I tell you
about the time I flooded this forest?

I was six. Flotter claimed
we were in for a dry spell.

I came up with the obvious solution.
Divert the river.

This entire forest was a swamp
by the time we were done.

At which point, Stinger was born.