05x17 - The Disease

[bunniefuu]

We shouldn't be here.

Don't worry.

Nobody saw us leave.

Hey, l need that.

What if somebody tries to call?

Shh.

What was that?

Don't worry.

Come here.

Captain's Log, supplemental.

After two weeks, we're close

to repairing
the Varro's warp drive.

Then there's the Varro crew.

l'm starting to think

they'd rather give up
warp travel than accept

help from strangers.

l thought we agreed

Central Control
would be off-limits.

We did, but l need to access
your warp assembly.

That technology's classified.

We have to reconfigure
the assembly

if we're going
to finish this job.

Then consider it finished.

We've come this far...

You've turned our ship
upside down for two weeks.

l've yet to see any results.

You might check
the antimatter injectors.

Back on line.

All you need now is
a jolt of antimatter

from Voyager's engines
and you'll be back in business,

but l need access
to your warp assembly.

You know, l can understand

why you're distrustful
of other species.

Frankly, we've had a rough time
in the Delta Quadrant ourselves,

but our two species have
made remarkable progress,

working together
to repair your engines.

We've come a long way

since you ignored
our opening hails.

Let's not throw all that away.

l'll admit we do share
some things in common.

We're both on long journeys,
looking for allies.

ln many ways,
we're like cousins.

''Cousins''?

Well, distant cousins--
think about it.

400 years ago, you started
out the same way we did--

a single starship, a small crew,
facing the unknown

and now, centuries later,

you've grown
into a generational ship

with a history
and culture all your own.

When l look at your vessel,
l can't help but wonder

if l'm seeing Voyager's future.

Our journey could easily last
several generations.

So, what do you say...
cousin?

You can access the warp
assembly from here.

Thank you.

Status?

Their plasma couplings
are on line.

We're ready
for the antimatter transfer.

Then let's get started.

Janeway to Voyager.
Status?

Ready here, Captain.

lnitiate the transfer.

Warp reactors 1 through 14
are coming on line.

lt's working.

Keep your fingers crossed.

For luck.

lf you're planning on leaving

through the viewport,
you might want to get dressed.

The interstellar vacuum
might get a little chilly.

What?

Oh. Funny.

Come back to bed.

l can't sleep.

Cuddle.

l can't cuddle.

l told you we're not
going to get caught.

lf someone had seen us, they
would've reported it by now.

l'm violating
about half a dozen regulations

by just being in this room,
and what we did earlier...

l don't know if Starfleet
even has a regulation for that.

What are you saying?

Making love is a crime
in your culture?

Yes! No. What l'm saying is
it's a breach of protocol.

How romantic.

The Captain instructed
all away teams--

no personal interaction
with the Varro crew.

l violated a direct order.

Come back to bed.

That's an order.

Are all humans so jumpy?

No.

Only me.

The warp engines.

They started
the plasma transfer.

We've got to get down there.

We're late.

What are you waiting for?

To see what you look like
in my uniform.

You don't understand.

lf l'm not at my post...

You'll be ex*cuted.

Funny.

We better go in separately.

lmpressive.

Just trying to orchestrate
the antimatter flow.

You should try some Chopin
when you're done.

Look who showed up
for the final movement.

Excuse me?

Just a little late for the joke

as well as the job.

l was checking the manifolds
in Segment 22.

Warp reaction's destabilizing.

Tal?

l can't find the problem.

We're less than a minute away
from multiple core breaches.

Abort the transfer.

So much for finger crossing.

B'Elanna.

l'm reading microfractures
all over the hull.

Why couldn't we detect
that before?

Good question.

We'll have to check the hulls

on each
of your vessel's segments.

But that'll take days.

The sooner we start,
the sooner we finish.

Friendly people.

They've had a lot
of bad experiences

with other species.

Well, l don't know.

lt seems like your first
contact went pretty well.

What's that supposed to mean?

l'm just wondering where
you disappeared to today.

l told you.

l was checking
the plasma conduits in...

ln Segment 22.
l know.

They must have sonic
showers over there.

You're a lot cleaner than
you were when you left.

You are such a lousy liar.

Haven't you learned
anything from me

after five years?

She's cute.

Who?

That assistant engineer, Tal.

Cute enough.

Oh, here we go again.

What?!

You. Going after
impossible women--

a hologram, an ex-Borg,
the wrong twin,

and now a girl
from a xenophobic species?

You're right.
You're absolutely right.

l'm putting her out of my mind.
l promise.

Good. Glad to hear it.

l'm due back on the Bridge.

See you in the morning.

Computer, open a channel
to Varro ship,

Segment 16, Station 204.

Encode transmission with
security protocol Alpha-7.

Channel open.

What took you so long?

l've been waiting 22 minutes
for you to call.

l was testing myself,

seeing how long
l could resist calling you.

And?

l lasted 22 minutes.

Should l feel complimented
or insulted?

Since this is the first chance
l've had to open a com-link...

complimented.

So... you liked what happened.

Yeah. A lot.

Enough to try it again?

Absolutely,
but l've got to be honest.

l wasn't expecting something
so... different.

Neither was l.

Our species look so similar.

Well, at least on the surface.

l would've never guessed

when it came down
to the basics...

well, let's just say,

the birds and bees
would be very confused.

''Birds and bees''?

l'm telling you,

you should take a look
at their database.

They've got some pretty
amazing stuff on that ship.

Stuff.

Well, their environmental
control systems, for instance--

it's completely regenerative.

Zero waste.

lmpressive.

lt can be programmed to create
almost any habitat.

lf you wanted to,
you could recreate Vulcan

in your quarters
with that system.

Why would l want to?

A little taste of home
in the Delta Quadrant?

Think about it--

springtime on the shores
of Lake Yuron.

l require a desk and a bed,
nothing more.

You're missing the point.

No doubt.

These people have been
traveling for 400 years.

They've learned a thing or two
about living comfortably.

Our systems
are more than adequate.

l give up.

After only two minutes?

Tuvok, how do you do it?

l wait until his own
illogic overwhelms him.

l'm detecting
an unauthorized transmission.

Origin?

Unknown.

lt's been encoded.

Find out where it's going.

Where would you
most like to be right now?

Besides your quarters?

Besides my quarters.

On a distant moon,

where the air is warm
and the gravity is light.

No bulkheads around me.

Where, if l walk too quickly,
l can almost fly.

l like that.

What about you?

Where would you most want
to be right now?

Besides your cabin?

Besides my cabin.

Sorry. l can't come up

with anything better
than your cabin.

And what would you do
if you were here?

Now?

This very moment.

l'd ask you to dim the lights.

And what if l said... no?

Okay. So, we leave
the lights on.

The message has been sent
to the Varro ship.

Segment 16.

Living quarters.

Uh, Commander?

l think l can track
that down for you.

Hold on.
Something's wrong.

l'm losing the signal.

Tal?

The transmission has ended.

lf it was a transmission.

Could have just been
a glitch in the com system.

Run a diagnostic.

Finding the source
of these structural problems

isn't going to be easy.

They've already scanned
most of their ship

and come up empty.

l'm hoping
we'll do a better job.

We should form smaller teams
to maximize efficiency.

Agreed.
We'll work in pairs.

Now, what l'd like to do is
start with their reactor room

where we first
detected the problem...

You owe me.

What?

Eyes front.

Last night l had to
sabotage the com system

to cover your tracks.

You called her, didn't you?

Guilty.

How long has this been going on?

The truth.

>From the moment
we first saw each other.

lt was like touching
an open plasma relay.

Hmm. Sounds serious.

Maybe it is.

Has it occurred to you

that you're breaking
a few dozen protocols?

We know what we're getting into.

Do you?

Our duty assignment.

We're to survey

the generational ship
from Astrometrics.

Teams Alpha and Gamma
have finished scanning

Sections 1 through 64.

Kind of puts a Borg cube
to shame, doesn't it?

The vessel's technology
is impressive,

but its construction
is haphazard.

l guess they sort of improvised
as they went along.

Seven, you've been around
humans for a while now.

What do you think about love?

We're scanning
for microfractures.

l don't see the relevance.

Just curious.

Parental love, romantic love,

affection between friends.
Specify.

Romantic love.

An attraction based
on sexual desire,

one that facilitates
procreation.

l guess l'm asking
the wrong person.

Not at all.
The Borg have referenced

this condition in over 6,000
assimilated species.

''Condition''? You make it sound
like a disease.

Physiologically, it bears

a striking similarity
to disease.

A series
of biochemical responses

that trigger
an emotional cascade,

impairing normal functioning.

Forget it.

Are you in love, Ensign?

l guess that's what
l've been asking myself.

You're glowing.

l beg your pardon?

Your epidermis luminesced.

Huh...

Must be the lighting in here.

No, it was you.

You should report to Sick Bay.

lt's nothing.

You must comply.

Lie still.

l feel fine.

No doubt
you're feeling wonderful.

Your beta endorphins
are abnormally elevated.

Really?

You've been spending

a lot of time
on the generational ship.

Do you recall coming into
contact with any toxins?

Antimatter radiation?

No.

Maybe something in one
of their medical bays--

a biological agent?

No.

Did you consume
any of their cuisine?

No.

Doctor, there is unusual
synaptic activity

in his cerebral cortex.

No kidding.

This could be the work
of an alien virus.

We'll have to initiate
full quarantine protocols.

lnform the Captain
and request a bio-alert.

Wait.

There's no need for that.

l can explain.

l'm listening.

Could you give us some privacy?

lf there is the possibility
of an epidemic

the Doctor may require
my assistance.

There isn't and he won't.

Please.

Last night, l had an...

encounter
with one of the Varro.

Encounter?

A... personal encounter.

Specifically?

Sex. We had sex.

You had intimate contact
with an alien species

without medical clearance?

lt was in the heat
of the moment.

l didn't think anything
like this would happen.

Correction.
lf you'd been thinking,

you would have
considered the risks

and exercised restraint.

Sit down.

You'll need
a full biomedical workup,

and your ''friend''
will have to come in as well.

Do we have to drag her
into this?

lt is my medical responsibility,

which, l'm sorry to say,
also requires me

to report this to the Captain.

l expected more from you.

l'm sorry.

l... don't know
what l was thinking.

Don't you?
l've seen Tal.

She's an impressive young woman,
beautiful,

but that's no excuse

to ignore your obligations
as a Starfleet officer.

Yes, ma'am.

There's a reason
you took a semester

of interspecies protocol
at the Academy.

There's also a reason

why the Handbook
on Personal Relationships

is three centimeters thick.

''All Starfleet personnel must

''obtain authorization
from their CO

''as well as clearance
from their medical officer

''before initiating
an intimate relationship

with an alien species.''

Bravo. Unfortunately,

your recitation
comes a little late.

According to the Doctor,

your condition isn't
life-threatening.

There's no reason
to confine you to Sick Bay,

but l do agree
with his recommendation

to run full bio-scans
on both you and Tal.

And her people need to be told,

so they can evaluate
any bio-thr*at

you might've introduced
into their population.

We're trying to help
these people, Ensign,

earn their trust.

l was even hoping

they might return the favor,
share their technology,

their insights into
long-term space travel,

but your little escapade
put that in jeopardy.

Permission to speak freely.

With all due respect...

this wasn't a fling.

l've really gotten to know Tal,

and l've developed
true feelings for her.

Noted.

But there are regulations,
and you've broken them.

l'm entering a formal
reprimand into your record

and l'm ordering you
to break off

this relationship.

Do you understand?

Yes, ma'am.

Dismissed.

Commander, l wanted to share
a few security concerns.

A few days ago, l noticed

some Mess Hall supplies
had disappeared--

liquid nutriments,
emergency rations,

nothing to warrant
a Red Alert, but...

l took the liberty
of investigating on my own.

Take a look at this.

Unauthorized use
of the Mess Hall replicator

is hardly a felony.

lt wasn't just unauthorized.

Someone accessed the ship's

environmental controls
from that station.

Life support was routed
to Jefferies Tube G-33, Deck 15.

lsn't that section
normally uninhabited?

Whoever did this,
encoded the procedure

so it wouldn't be detected.

lt appears we have intruders.

lt looks like
a Varro scanning device.

Breathable oxygen is
confined to this chamber

and the area immediately
behind this hatch.

Stand back.

Come in.

Work?

No. l'm just tormenting myself
with what-ifs.

What if l had the chance

to actually see
that pulsar field,

go there instead
of just squinting

at it through
long-range sensors?

Too far off your course, huh?

Too close
to an inhabited planet.

''They might make
contact with us.''

''lt's too dangerous.''

lt's always the same thing.

The mighty generational ship.

All we do is run away
from anything that's different.

But that's going to change.

l'm afraid
l've got some bad news.

l, uh...

l can't see you anymore.

Captain's orders.

How did she find out?

Something happened
to me this morning.

l had a strange sensation,

and then my skin luminesced,
just like last night.

That shouldn't have happened.

Our species are too dissimilar.

What shouldn't have happened?

We call it olan'vora...

''the shared heart.''

When two of us merge...

You know
the biological connection

we had last night?

lt becomes stronger.

lt won't hurt you, Harry,

but it will change you.

lt'll change both of us...

bring us closer.

So, can this process
be reversed?

ln time...

if we stay away from each other,

but if we don't...

the more we're together,

the harder it will be
to stop it.

But then, you have your orders.

Orders.

lt's an old story.

Boy meets girl from the
wrong side of the galaxy.

Boy loses girl.

And girl loses boy.

lt's not like we didn't know
this was going to end.

At least we had two weeks.

Two great weeks.

Good-bye, Harry.

Bye.

Are you really going
to let me leave?

lf that's what you want.

lt's not.

Welcome aboard.

Normally we like to know
something about our guests

before we invite them
to join us.

Care to tell us
how you got here?

Through a docking port.

Your entry would have triggered
an intruder alert.

Your technology
is easy to circumvent.

lt doesn't matter
how l got here.

l'm not going back.

That remains to be seen.

You haven't explained

your reasons for leaving
the generational ship.

l'm not a criminal,
if that's what you think.

lf you leave me
at the next inhabited system,

l'll manage from there.

Your next stop is the brig
unless you answer my questions.

l came aboard four days ago

with one of the work details.

Why?

Our ship's not the paradise

our leaders make it out to be.

There are thousands of us
who feel like prisoners, and...

others who...

Continue.

There are...

rumors of a movement...

people who want
to leave the ship.

Some of them are willing
to take violent action.

Can you be more specific?

This is a trick.

A trick?

You're trying to get me
to expose the movement.

Our leaders put you up to this.

On the contrary.

We haven't even
told them we found you.

You're lying.

l don't have time for a debate.

You asked for asylum, fine.

l'll consider it,

but only if you
answer my questions.

What movement?

Contact the Varro authorities.

Let them know we've found
one of their people,

and take him to the brig.

You can tell the authorities
that l'm not the only one.

There are hundreds more like me.

Learn anything about
this supposed uprising?

Jippeq said the rumors
are just that-- rumors--

but he's questioning our
stowaway just to be certain.

New protocols
for working with the Varro.

After the incident
with Ensign Kim,

they insisted we keep
our crews segregated.

That's pretty severe.

Harry violated protocol.

Frankly, l understand
their position.

ls that why you
came down so hard on him?

A formal reprimand for being
intimate with a young woman?

l know it seems
a little extreme...

but l wanted to leave
a lasting impression.

Chalk it up to growing pains.

Well, he looks pained,
all right.

Until now,
he's had a spotless record.

Maybe you should reconsider.

What are you implying?

Are you angry
because Harry disobeyed orders

or because he let you down?

l set the same standards
for all my officers.

lf l object
to one of your decisions,

you'll hear me out...
even insist l speak up.

You're my First Officer.
He's an Ensign.

He hasn't earned the right
to question my orders

whatever his personal views.

l see.

Engineering to the Captain.

Yes?

We found something.

On my way.

Do your officers make a habit

of seducing the species
they encounter?

Certainly not,
but it's my understanding

that this relationship
was consensual.

l find that difficult
to believe.

We don't share your cavalier
attitude toward intimacy.

Our attitude is
anything but cavalier.

Ensign Kim has already
been reprimanded.

What about Tal?
What happens to her?

ln our society, mating
is taken very seriously.

When two people choose each
other, the bonding is permanent.

They become
biochemically linked.

Separation is rare.

lt induces illness,
sometimes fatal.

What's to become of Tal

when your Ensign flies off
in search of his next conquest?

Captain.

You found something?

We've detected microfractures

in one of Voyager's
docking ports.

Microfractures?

That's the same problem
we've been having.

A coincidence?

l had suspicions that it wasn't.

Seven confirmed them.

Observe.
Silicon-based parasites

which feed on duranium alloys.

Apparently,
they began replicating

on the Varro ship's hull
several months ago

and then migrated to Voyager.

We analyzed them

and found artificial
gene sequences.

The parasites are synthetic.

They may have been
created by someone

aboard your vessel.

Sabotage?
l don't believe it.

Perhaps not everyone

is content to be
in your collective.

Tal, are you there?

Harry?

l can't keep this com-link open.

Where are you?

By my computer.

Okay.
Get ready for a ride.

l'm locking on.

A ride?

Where are we?

A shuttlecraft.

Shuttlecraft?

A short-range vessel.

We use it for away missions.

We can go anywhere we want?

Anywhere.

For a while anyway.

l'm not due back on Voyager
until 1900 hours.

They think l'm still out
repairing a hull fracture.

l finished early.

You're a fugitive now.

How many protocols
did you break this time?

Let's see...

unauthorized use
of a shuttlecraft...

kidnapping...

Direct violation
of the Captain's orders...

l must be crazy.

l like you crazy.

Navigation?

Oh, careful.
That's the weapons array.

You know, you almost vaporized
your living quarters.

Well, they could use
a good cleaning.

Let's go somewhere.

Where?

There's a nebula about
300,000 kilometers from here.

l've been watching it
on the sensors

for the past few days.

Oh, l would love to see it
with my own eyes.

Have a seat.

Look at this--
a subspace vacuole

near the center of the cloud.

lt must act
as a gravitational anchor.

There's so much data here,
it'll take weeks to analyze.

Do you have a storage device?

We need to download
these readings.

What?

l've just never seen

anyone so excited about
a class-3 nebula before.

Maybe you've been taking them
for granted.

Maybe l have.

Don't stop.

You're beautiful
when you're scanning.

ls that what you say to every
girl you take for a ride?

l bet you've left a trail

of broken hearts
across the Delta Quadrant.

Actually...

Problem?

Stray radiation from the nebula.

l thought it was
the proximity alarm.

You said we had
a couple of hours.

No one's going
to come looking for us.

Oh, you don't know
Commander Tuvok.

lf he sees one electron
out of place,

he calls for Red Alert.

Here we are alone,

and all l can think about
is duty and orders.

Those things are important.

l think about them, too.

But sometimes you need to follow
a different kind of protocol.

lf you believe in something
strongly enough,

you can't ignore it...

even if it means
breaking a few rules.

That's why l took this shuttle,
but every time l break a rule,

l feel like my skull
is going to decompress.

l'm like some kind
of... Borg drone--

programmed--

except l was designed to be
the perfect Starfleet officer.

Top of his class...

captain of the velocity
team, interstellar honors.

First field assignment--

Bridge officer on a starship.

Every cadet's dream come true.

You're not a program.

ln fact, l envy your freedom.

l mean, your crew's mission--
to seek out life...

what could be more liberating?

You explore the unknown.

Don't be afraid to explore
what's happening between us.

Oh, no.

The Delta Flyer.

Commander Tuvok?

We're being hailed.

Well, you better answer them
before they open fire.

Kim here.

Ensign, you are

in direct violation
of the Captain's orders.

Return to Voyager immediately
and bring Derran Tal with you.

Yes, sir, but why bring Tal?

She's wanted
by the Varro authorities

regarding an act of sabotage.

There's no point in lying.

We found a schematic
for the parasite

on your personal database.

You realize this could
destroy our ship, our home?

To some of us,
it's more like a prison.

So you've resorted to sabotage,

no doubt involving him.

Mr. Kim's complicity
remains to be proven.

He had nothing to do
with our movement.

''Movement''?

Tell them.

lt's none of their concern.

lf you want our help,
you'll need to explain.

She's referring to a small group
of dissidents...

lt's not a small group.

There are hundreds of us.

What are you trying to achieve?

Our freedom--

the right to live as we choose,

to go where we choose.

How will you accomplish that
if your vessel is destroyed?

We're not trying to destroy it.

We're trying to dismantle it.

The parasites
weren't placed randomly.

They're targeting the linkages
between segments.

Each segment will
become its own ship.

People can decide
whether to go or stay.

You're destroying the work

of every generation
that came before you.

Our ship isn't
just a collection of modules.

lt's an expression
of unity, tradition.

For the sake of our history,
we must respect the rights of...

Of the majority.

Yes.

What about the rights
of the minority?

Tal... if those segments
come apart,

there could be
decompressive explosions...

most likely casualties.

ls that what you want?

You know more
about the parasites than we do.

You could help us.

Captain, she's a criminal.

And maybe your only chance
of stopping a catastrophe.

Set up a datalink with Voyager.

We'll do what we can
from our end.

Tal...

l'll help you
slow down the parasites,

so you can evacuate
the segments in danger...

nothing more.

Let's get started.

Captain...

Stow it, Ensign.

Right now,
the only thing standing

between you and the brig
is this report.

The Doctor's bio-scans

confirm that you and Tal
have developed

some sort
of biochemical bond.

Clearly, it's affected
your behavior,

so l have to assume that's
why you disobeyed my orders.

Report to Sick Bay.

You'll be confined there
until this is over.

Captain!

l told you to report
for treatment!

l don't want treatment!

ln my ready room.

You've got 30 seconds

before l have Tuvok drag you
to Sick Bay.

Captain, l am not sick.

l didn't disobey your orders

because l'm under
some alien influence.

l disobeyed your orders
because Tal and l are in love,

and it's not right
for you to keep us apart.

Listen to yourself.

You don't sound anything
like the Harry Kim l know.

Good. l have served
on this ship for five years

and said, ''yes, ma'am''

to every one of your orders,
but not this time.

You're willing
to risk your rank,

your career over this?

Have you ever been in love,
Captain?

Your point?

Did your skin ever flush

when you were near
another person?

Did your stomach
ever feel like someone

hollowed it out with a Kn*fe

when you were apart?

Did your throat ever swell
when you realized it was over?

Seven of Nine...

Seven of Nine told me
love's like a disease.

Well, maybe it is--
pheromones, endorphins,

chemicals in our blood
changing our responses,

physical discomfort,

but any way you look
at it, it's still love.

For the sake of argument,
let's say you're right.

Your feelings for Tal
are no different

than mine for-- what?

The man l was engaged to marry?

Well, l lost him,
and you're going to lose Tal.

You know that.

What the Doctor is offering you
is a way to ease the pain.

That man you were
going to marry--

if you could have
just taken a hypospray

to make yourself stop loving him

so that it didn't hurt so much
when you were away from him,

would you have done that?

Captain to the Bridge.

We're detecting structural
breaches on the Varro ship.

Take your station.

Their shields are weakening.

One of the junctions
is about to decompress.

On screen.

Mr. Paris, release
the docking clamps.

Back us away.

Docking controls are off-line.

l can't break us free.

Their shields
are continuing to weaken.

The superstructure
will collapse

in less than three minutes.

lf that happens while
we're still docked...

Keep trying to break free.

Janeway to Varro control room.

What's your status?

Tal was able
to slow the parasites' growth

with a polaron surge,

but the junctions
are still destabilizing.

How much longer until you've
evacuated the affected areas?

We need another two minutes
at least.

l've got the docking controls
back on line.

lnitiate decompression sequence.

Wait. lf we stay where we are,

and extend Voyager's
structural integrity field

around the Varro ship,

we could buy them
another minute or two.

They could finish
the evacuation.

However,
if an expl*si*n occurs

while both ships
are inside the field,

neither vessel will survive.

We can do it, Captain.

Keep us where we are.

Janeway to Engineering.

Torres here.

Divert all available power
to the integrity field

and extend it around
the Varro ship.

Understood.

Voyager is reinforcing
our shields.

Surprising, isn't it?

A ship of outsiders risking
their lives to save ours.

They're unusual people.

Or maybe the galaxy
isn't as hostile as you think.

All junctions are clear.

What are you waiting for?

Tell Voyager to move away.

l'm initiating
another polaron surge.

We can destroy these parasites.

lt's too late.

You'll only destroy Voyager
along with our ship.

Let them go.

Let us go.

Tal to Voyager.

The evacuation's complete.

Disengage your structural field
and move to a safe distance.

Releasing docking clamps.

Captain's Log, supplemental.

Most of the Varro
have opted to stay together

traveling in separate ships,
but the dissident group

has been granted permission
to break away

and find their own path.

We wish them luck.

Come in.

l wasn't sure l'd see you again.

The Captain gave me permission
to say good-bye.

How are you feeling?

Lovesick.

Me, too.

Will you manage?

We have medications.

l'll recover eventually.

So, where are you going?

The Natori system.

A pair of binary stars
caught in each other's gravity.

We passed within a parsec
three months ago,

and now we're going
back for a real look.

Do me one favor.

Anything.

Next time you run across
a class-3 nebula,

think of me.

Chronic sleep loss,
acute gastroenteritis--

you must feel awful,

yet you're still
refusing treatment?

Captain, just the person
l wanted to see.

This nonsense has
gone on long enough.

Order Mr. Kim
to take his medicine.

ls his condition fatal?

That's hardly the point.

Will he recover
without taking his medicine?

Yes, but it could take weeks,
even months.

Well, then, if Mr. Kim
wants to suffer...

Sometimes l think
everyone on this ship

has been possessed
by alien hormones.

Would you excuse us, please?

Thank you.

Oh, don't thank me.

l have no intention
of relieving you of your duties,

no matter how lousy you feel.

l understand.

And the reprimand still stands.

l've been thinking
about how l reacted

to your relationship with Tal.

You reacted
like any Captain would.

Probably, but l
can't help wondering

if my response would
have been the same

if it had been, say,
Tom Paris instead of you.

Oh, don't get me wrong.

l still would have been
angry and disappointed, but...

l wouldn't have been surprised.

Because Ensign Kim
doesn't break the rules.

The truth is, Harry...

l think about you differently
than the rest of the crew.

Which isn't to suggest
that l don't care

deeply about each of them,
but...

you came to me fresh
out of the Academy,

wide-eyed with excitement

about your first
deep space assignment.

>From that first day,
l've always felt

more protective of you
than the others.

l appreciate that...

but that was five years ago.

l've changed.

Yes, you have.

Maybe l'm not
the perfect officer anymore.

Maybe not...

but you're a better man.

Last call.

There's a bowl of soup
in storage,

and l left
the replicator on line.

Thanks.

Good night.

Oh, l was just closing
up for the evening,

but if you need anything...

l'm here to see Ensign Kim.

Oh. Good luck.

Ensign.

Hmm?

Thank you.

For what?

You completed several

of my astrometric scans
this morning.

You're welcome.

l had some time
between duty shifts.

Besides, it kept me occupied.

You are attempting
to distract yourself

from your emotional damage.

l wish l could say
it was working.

A treatment to relieve
your condition was available

and yet you refused.

l've got a disease,

but l'm willing
to live with the symptoms.

Doesn't make much sense does it?

l assumed that romantic love
was a human weakness,

but clearly it can also be
a source of strength.

Perhaps my analogy was flawed.

Love is not a disease.

Get well soon.