01x16 - Preludes

[bunniefuu]

[exciting music]

♪ ♪

[Chopin's "Prelude No. "
playing]

The "Protostar"
is refusing our hails

- from within the Neutral Zone.
- We can't go in, they won't come out.

Whatever trouble they're in,
they've locked us out.

♪ ♪

- This piece, it's beautiful.
- Chopin's "Prelude No. "

His work always helps me
bide the time.

It worries me. These thieves
evaded the Tal Shiar,

not to mention
our Federation starship.

Save for my brief encounter,

we still have no idea
who we're dealing with.

That's not quite true.
Not anymore.

Communications identified

a non-Federation
subspace transmission.

It's a bounty seeking "The Unwanted."

- Look familiar?
- Dal R'El, Jankom Pog,

Rok-Tahk...
So we finally have names to faces.

But why won't they
answer our hails?

Until then, we bide our time.

♪ ♪

[expl*si*n crackles]
Ah, ah, ah!

- [blowing] No, no!
- Easy, easy!

We're trying to fix the auxiliary
warp drive, not destroy it.

I don't fix things.
That's your job.

With the Admiral
watching our every move,

it's everyone's job.

If we can't start charging
for our next Proto-Jump,

we'll never be able
to leave the Neutral Zone.

[thud, clanging]

No need to blame others now.

- We're all in this mess together.
- Don't take it personal.

He's still sensitive
about the augment-thing.

The "augment-thing"?

Forgive me if I need
more than a day

to come to terms with being
a failed genetic experiment.

Not that any of you care.

Uhh, you're not the only one
on the ship with a sob story.

- Well, who can top that?
- Is your father hunting you down?

- So maybe Gwyn has me b*at.
- I wouldn't be so sure.

We each have things in
our past we wish to forget.

Some more than others.

Hey, why would you
read my mind?

- Because I care.
- You know what? We could use a break.

So, tell us, kid, how did you
wind up on Tars Lamora?

Oh.
You don't wanna hear that.

Come on,
of course we do, kid.

- Come on, Rok.
- Do tell.

- You can tell us.
- They called me The Monster.

- [crowd clamoring]
- Ah, ah!

Every hero
needs something to fight,

and people came
from all over to watch...

[cracking]

[roars]

[cheering]

That hero fight me.

[sword charging]
Mm-mm!

[snorting]

I tried to scare the hero.

[grunts]
But heroes aren't scared easily.

- Yah! Ah-ha!
- And the crowd couldn't wait

to see the hero win.

At first,
doing the show wasn't so bad.

It was actually kinda fun.

After every fight, I had
a bowl full of Nutri-goop.

[growling]
And good company.

I even got to play
with his sword.

[whirring]

It was just the hero and me.

We didn't share a language.

Just a word here or there.

[growling]
But we could still tell a story.

- Yah!
- [growls]

[bell dings]

We loved seeing
how happy we made the fans.

[sighs]

[purring]

[laughs]

- [hissing]
- But the fans weren't happy

to see me, and suddenly,
it wasn't fun anymore.

I thought it was just pretend,

but maybe I am the monster.

Ahh!
[laughs]

[crowd jeering]
[laughs]

[sighs]

♪ ♪

[roars]

One day, I just had enough.

[crashing]

[grumbling]
[sword buzzing]

[crowd clamoring]

Ahh! [grunts]

[blade ringing]

[crowd jeering]

But then...
[laughter]

something funny happened.

[laughter]

[roars, snarls]

[exciting music]

Hm! Uh!

♪ ♪

Ahh! Ha ha!

♪ ♪

Ohh!

Ahh!

Whoa!

[laughter]

[grunts]

[roars]

[grunting]
Oh, oh!

[stammering]

Ohh!
[whimpering]

- Oh!
- [roars]

For the first time,

I was a hero.
[cheering]

[laughs]

After the fight, I didn't get
a bowl full of goop... only half.

And my good company,
well, he was sad...

[somber music]

'cause he knew people
didn't come from all around

to see a monster be a hero.

♪ ♪

And that's when
they hauled me off.

Don't feel bad. If it didn't
happen, I wouldn't have met you.

- That's why you don't like fighting.
- It helps to talk about it.

Perhaps we should
get back to work.

The ship isn't going
to fix itself.

[clanging]
[gasps] Whoa!

We're in the Neutral Zone.
The ship can wait.

You, on the other hand,
need some attention.

Jankom will handle it.
be done in a jiff.

So you can read their minds,

- but what about yours?
- Yeah.

How did a Medusan end up
in the Delta Quadrant?

I wasn't always in this
containment suit.

I remember how I used to be
so free.

♪ ♪

And we never had to speak.
We just were.

Curious minds
who'd left their home world

long, long ago to explore.

[chittering]

♪ ♪

[roars]

♪ ♪

[weapons crackling]

Yah!
[all grunting]

[thrilling music]

♪ ♪

[w*apon crackling]

[chuckling]

[thud]

♪ ♪

I'm so sorry.
Zero, I had no idea.

I thought my daughter and I
were the only Vau N'Akat left.

You don't remember
what they did?

- The Medusan shattered his mind.
- Who? Starfleet?

[chuckles]
They saved me.

- They destroyed our world.
- [sighs]

[crying]

- Help me. Help me remember.
- [scoffs] If you can believe it,

there was once a time
we were the same age.

You were entice by Starfleet's
lies of bold new worlds,

but a great many were wary
of their promises

Why would we join
a primitive allegiance

when it was them
who stood the most to gain?

Years of infighting rotted our decency,

replacing it with fear,
anger, v*olence, civil w*r.

The Federation refused
to choose a side,

abandoned us to face decades
of our own self-annihilation.

Hope of Solum was dead.

Until decades later,
the sky tore open

and hope returned.

[gasps]

I remember seeing
the "Protostar" arrive

through the wormhole
with my own eyes.

They called it an accident,
but we knew it was fate.

They had no idea how starved
we were for retribution.

Mayday! Mayday!

We're lost somewhere
in the Delta Quadrant.

The "Protostar's" sustained
heavy damage

after passing through
a temporal anomaly.

[rumbling]
Ah!

[clanging]

[grunting]

- We took them prisoner.
- Ah!

And weaponized their ship
with our last surviving Construct

to be sent back in time
to destroy Starfleet

before they could ever
make First Contact.

But on the eve of our launch,

the Starfleet prisoners escaped.

[grunting]
Unable to board

or deactivate the w*apon,
they had one last resort...

[whirring]

They sent the "Protostar"

back into the time anomaly
it came from,

without a crew to guide it.
Without us.

♪ ♪

Our salvation lost in the past.

We had no way to track
where or when it landed.

Any chance of saving Solum
was gone.

But it couldn't be!
We wouldn't allow it!

Which is why we formed
The Order.

Our greatest minds said the odds
of finding it were % at best.

[gasps]

So we sent a hundred ships
to spite the odds.

Yes! Each of us took
the last of our fleet,

one ship, one Drednok.

It was desperate,
but all we had.

We gave up our lives,
our futures,

our identities to protect Solum.

Lone soldiers
with singular purpose.

- You became The Diviner, and I...
- The Vindicator. [beeping]

[electricity crackling]

[beeping]

♪ ♪

Few survived
as the wormhole collapsed.

Ah!

None of us knew when or where
we would end up.

[alarms blaring]

Yet, we arrived here,
in the Alpha Quadrant

three years ago.

[sighs]

- And that's why you haven't aged.
- I infiltrated our enemies.

Hitched a ride
with the only person

just as determined to find it
as I was.

Imagine my surprise when we
found you alone on Tars Lamora.

[gasps]
I spent years searching.

I thought I wasn't going
to live long enough to see it.

So you defied The Order
and made a progeny.

You had to ensure
the mission was completed.

But tell me,
why did she betray us?

She met a boy.

[gasping]

[whirring]

- Ha! I fixed it!
- I think you mean we fixed it.

It's called being a part
of a team, Captain.

Would you look at that.
The Proto-Core is responding,

and it looks like the systems
need to reboot

- before it'll start to charge.
- Ugh! How long will that take?

Hey, the holodeck
is back up and running.

Maybe the team could k*ll
some time while we wait.

Actually, I prefer to hear
more of your stories.

We never heard from you, Jankom.

You are the most miserable
of the lot.

I bet you have
an interesting story.

Oh, he has
an especially good one.

[grumbles] Would you like to
tell my story, or should Jankom?

Fine. So, you'd expect
being a noble Tellarite,

Jankom had a royal upbringing.

But it was a royal pain.
[sighs]

Pre-Federation on Tellar Prime,

the orphans were enlisted
for deep space missions.

Lemme tell you, waking up in a
cryo-sleep chamber ain't no picnic.

♪ ♪

[hissing]

Warning, warning, warning.
[alarm beeping]

[rattling]

[clang]
[chamber hissing]

[yawns]

[alarm beeping]
[grunting]

Huh? Huh.

[whirring]
Ah. What's the deal?

Why'd I wake up so early?

I am the M-M-Miner Transport
Emergency Assistant.

- Uhh...
- Please state

- your full name and query.
- Ugh.

I said, why'd I wake up?

[beeps]
Do not compute.

Please state your full name
and query.

Ahh!
My name is Jankom Pog.

Ugh!
Turn my cryopod back on.

- I gotta go back to sleep.
- Request denied.

Emergency in progress.

Then wake the engineer.
I'm only a trainee.

Do not compute.
State your...

Jankom Pog would like you
to wake up a real engineer.

- Request denied.
- Gah!

- Emergency in progress.
- Okay, okay. I can fix it.

[beeping]

[groans]
[grunts]

[clang]
[whirring]

Huh. What do ya know?

Percussive maintenance.
[laughs]

I did it again.
[alarm blaring]

Oh, boy.

Oops. Air flow
in the engine room obstructed.

Ugh, I can fix it.

- Please state your full name and...
- [grumbles] No, no, no.

Ahh, Jankom Pog!
Jankom Pog can fix it.

Ahh.

[blubbering]

Oops. Fire suppression
system failing.

Ah. Ahh!

Jankom Pog can fix it.

Oops.
Arboretum needs attention.

Whoa! Ahh! Oh! Oh!

- Jankom Pog can fix it!
- Oops. Electrical problems.

[jittering]
J-J-Jankom Pog

- can f-f-fix it!
- Oops. Toilet blockage.

Ugh, Jankom Pog's
not fixing that.

[grunting]
Jankom Pog can't fix it.

- [panting]
- Oops. Insufficient power.

Ahh, Jankom Pog!
Jankom Pog can fix it.

- Oops. Cracked warp core.
- Ohh! Jankom Pog can...

- Oops. Oops.
- Jankom Pog can fix it!

[panting heavily]
[whirring up]

All systems now optimal.

[heroic music]

So, uh, Jankom Pog is done?

Yes, Jankom.
Now you can rest.

[laughing loudly]

Ohh. [sighs]

Ohh. Ha.

Huh...
[alarm blaring]

Oops.
Oxygen levels depleting.

What?
No, no, no, no!

You said Jankom Pog could rest!

That's not rest. You liar!

Your excess exertion means
there is not enough air left

for the life signs aboard
to reach their destination.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

Uh, what if there were ?

Goodbye, Jankom Pog.

You made for
an excellent engineer.

[sighs] Thank you, Boxy.

And when the others wake up
and ask who saved them,

speak my name.

Let them shout it
from the stars.

- Please state your full name and...
- What? Are you kidding me?!

It's me, Jankom Pog...
Aww, you know what?

Forget it.
Jankom Pog is outta here.

♪ ♪

[sighs] Jankom Pog fixed it.

♪ ♪

So... [chuckles]
there Jankom was,

drifting endlessly,
stinking up my pod, and then...

[blows raspberry]
[laughs]

- caught by a Kazon.
- All those Tellarites,

and they'll never know
your noble act.

Royalty, if you ask me.

- Aww!
- Ah! [chuckles]

[laughter]

All your stories,
everything you shared,

- I guess we all have a past.
- And together, a brighter future.

We never asked Murf.
Got anything you wanna share?

[chittering]

[burps]

[laughter]

Well done, crew.

The "Protostar" is prepped
and primed to charge.

Whew, already?

Feels like we've been
talking the whole time.

♪ ♪

Give it a whirl, kid.

- Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- Ehh? [laughter]

[beeping]

[powering on]
[all cheering]

Finally, it's working!

Now, as soon as it's fully loaded,
we can blast outta here.

A ship is only as good as its crew.

- What about you, Janeway?
- What about me?

What was Janeway like...
eh, before she was a hologram?

Yeah! We'd love to know.

Well, now, have I ever
told you about Mollie?

- Who's Mollie?
- She was the runt of the litter.

[chuckles]
Sounds like Jankom.

[laughter]
Hang on!

Kidnapped, sold, traded...

they're not criminals,
they're just some kids

who found themselves
way over their heads.

Perhaps it's not them
we should be after.

- But who put this bounty out?
- The Diviner?

A serious name for what I
presume is a serious individual.

Perhaps it's serious enough
to jog our guest's memory.

- Where is he?
- Hmm, scans show he's with

Ensign Asencia in her quarters.

Thank you, Commander.
You have the bridge.

It's time we get to the bottom of this.

Security, dig up anything you can
about an individual named The Diviner.

Alert me of any findings.

[gasps]

What is this?

[grunts]

- What are you doing?
- Ensuring the mission.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪