Unhappy with a new treaty, Federation Colonists along the Cardassian border have banded together.
Calling themselves “The Maquis,” they continue to fight the Cardassians.
Some consider them heroes, but to the governments of the Federation and Cardassia, they are outlaws…
Cardassian dissident Natima Lang and her students instigate a jail break at a Cardassian detention camp, freeing Tom Riker, Sakonna, Alexander Rozhenko, Calvin Hudson and several other Maquis. Encasing them in class 8 probes, the escaped prisoners are hastily smuggled aboard a supply ship headed for the Cardassian colonies. According to plan, whilst en route the Val Jean attacks the supply ship, disabling its engines and forcing the crew to jettison the “cargo”, which the Val Jean then beams aboard.
With the freed prisoners safely aboard, the Val Jean heads for the Badlands seeking refuge. Unfortunately, the treacherous Seska has already informed Cardassian security of the plan. The Cardassians attack the ship, trying to eliminate both the Maquis crew and the escaped prisoners in one fell swoop. Captain Chakotay and several of his crew members are killed in the savage attack, forcing former Starfleet Lieutenant Commander Cal Hudson to take command.
On the distant planet Tau Alpha C, Wesley Crusher is ascending to his destiny as a Traveler, but senses the events unfolding with the Maquis in the Badlands. Still haunted by the events of his time on Dorvan V where the Cardassians tried to displace the settlers, his anger towards the Cardassians takes hold and he tries to alter events in the Badlands, attempting to save the Val Jean.
Far away in the Delta Quadrant, the Caretaker’s array registers ripples in the space-time continuum, apparently emanating from the Val Jean. The Caretaker mistakenly assumes that he has finally found beings of comparable sophistication to himself. The Caretaker draws the ship into the Delta Quadrant. Wesley, realising his plan has gone awry, summons The Traveler and they give chase. However, the surviving crew of the Val Jean have already been taken by the Caretaker and are currently being experimented on to determine compatability.
Once in the Delta Quadrant, Wesley asks The Traveler to put things right. The Traveler refuses, replying that Wesley must learn to live with the consequences of his actions. The Traveler leaves Wesley on the array with the Caretaker, stripping him of his powers for the duration, but informs Wesley that they will meet again at the appropriate time. However, he will not interfere with what is to come. The Caretaker meanwhile determines that Wesley is not compatible, despite having been a Traveler. However, he understands Wesley’s intelligence and capabilities, and dispatches him to the Ocampa’s underground city to assist them in their time of need. Keen to make amends and understanding the value of protecting an endangered race, he sets to work preparing an atmospheric regeneration system for them.
After picking up Tom Paris from the Federation penal colony, the crew of Voyager gathers at Deep Space Nine. Needing a temporary Head of Security, Lieutenant Commander Eddington is transferred to Voyager’s crew, and he sees this as his opportunity to serve the Maquis by rescuing the crew of the Val Jean. Voyager, sent on the trail of the Maquis ship, arrives in the Badlands. The Caretaker, now desperate, draws it into the Delta Quadrant. The CMO, the First Officer and several crew members are killed during the rough passage. The surviving crew is scanned and transported to the Array. They’re returned after 3 days, but without Harry Kim. Scanning the area, Voyager locates the Val Jean and contacts the Maquis ship. Cal Hudson informs them that his engineer B’elanna Torres is also missing. Janeway remembers him from Star Fleet records. Cal informs her that their ship’s captain, Chakotay, was killed in their escape from the Cardassians, and that he’s assumed command in place of his friend.
Hudson, Tuvok and Ayala beam aboard Voyager to discuss what to do next. Then Janeway reveals that Tuvok had been her undercover agent on the Val Jean. Deducing that Tuvok would have eventually betrayed his friend Chakotay, Hudson takes immediate resentment to him, but holds his peace for the moment choosing to study the Voyager crew. He’s aware of Paris from his time in Starfleet and is not very impressed with him. He also recognises Eddington, as both a Starfleet officer and a Maquis deep-cover agent, but does not reveal anything. Eddington immediately bristles at Tuvok for spying on the Maquis although their roles are ironically mirrored, and also because his temporary position as Chief of Security is now in question. Janeway insists that everyone be treated with respect, and says they’ll sort the Security question later.
In the hospital on the Ocampan home-world, Torres and Kim meet Wesley, whom the Caretaker has sent to the underground city to help maintain and improve the Ocampan’s computer and life support systems, in order to help them survive as long as possible after the Caretaker dies. Stripped of his Traveler powers, Wesley does not reveal his true identity to the Ocampans, only that the Caretaker has sent him to help them. Back on Voyager, an alien merchant known as Neelix is brought on board, and leads Voyager to the nearby planet to retrieve Kim and Torres, along with Neelix’s girlfriend Kes.
Wesley helps Kim and Torres escape as The Caretaker begins bombarding the planet to seal the Ocampans off from the war-like Kazon on the surface. Kim and Torres return to Voyager with Janeway, but Hudson and Tuvok go missing, and Wesley goes in search of them. Hudson nearly dies when the metal staircase he is on collapses, but Tuvok saves his life at the risk of his own, softening his opinion of him and realising that the Vulcan security officer would have done the same for Chakotay. Wesley finds them, offering assistance whilst keeping his true identity a secret, and they convince him to beam aboard with them since he can’t return to the Ocampa. He considers his limited options and agrees, and hoping that an orbital scan will let him see whether his atmospheric regeneration experiment is a success.
Wesley introduces himself to Janeway with a different name, calling himself the Caretaker’s Assistant. Wishing to conceal his identity and his part in the Maquis being brought to the Delta Quadrant he only tells her part of the truth, namely that he was also stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and that the Caretaker had sent him to help the Ocampa. She asks him to return with them to the Array to help negotiate with the Caretaker to return home, to which he agrees, and promises to return him to the planet later.
At the array, the Caretaker reveals that he has set the self-destruct to keep the Kazon from using it to destroy the Ocampa. Seeking the Caretaker’s power for themselves, the Kazon attack, with the Val Jean and Voyager teaming up to protect the Array. Tom Paris’s piloting skills of Voyager are evident, as is Tom Riker’s capability at tactical on board the Val Jean. The Caretaker dies, and with insufficient time to try to abort the self-destruct, both crews evacuate to their ships and retreat to a safe distance. The array blows up, destroying the nearest Kazon ships, and the Val Jean and Voyager disable the rest to prevent them harming the Ocampa. Badly damaged, the Val Jean’s aging warp core finally breaches, but Voyager beams the crew and passengers over to their ship moments before it explodes.
They transport the few remaining Kazon settlers off the planet and onto the remaining Kazon ships, whose life support is still functioning. The Kazon then limp out of the system on impulse power. Voyager stays in orbit for a few more days, in case they return. Wesley’s scans show that the atmospheric regeneration is going well, so that the Ocampa will be able to re-colonise the surface within a few years. Uncertain as to what he should do next, Wesley beams down to the planet to complete his computer system modifications, and then tries to contact the Traveler one last time.
The Traveler appears, and reveals to Wesley that due to his work the Ocampa will be able to survive, inhabit the surface once again, and begin to rebuild their civilisation. He also promises to look in on them from time to time. However, Wesley still feels responsible for getting both ships stranded in the Delta Quadrant. He pleads with the Traveler to restore his powers so that he can send Voyager back to the Alpha Quadrant, but he is told that their journey is a long and necessary one. Before Wesley can ask the Traveller whether or not they will make it back, the Traveller disappears, saying Wesley will rejoin him when the time comes.
Wesley explains the situation to the Ocampans and then returns to Voyager. He meets with Hudson and Janeway, and there reveals the full story, admits his mistake and asks if they will still accept whatever help he can give to get them back home. Janeway considers his former Starfleet career and understands that despite his troubles, Wesley Crusher has matured into a hero and has much to contribute. “When you joined the Enterprise, you were a boy, struggling to fill shoes that were too big for you,” Janeway tells him. “You’re a man now, and this could be the place where you finally belong.” Hudson agrees, and adds that in order for them to survive on their long journey home, the Val Jean crew must merge with Voyager’s.
Janeway reinstates Tuvok as Security Chief, demoting Eddington, who still has not revealed his true allegiance, to his chief assistant. Eddington deeply resents this, taking is as a personal slight, but holds his peace for the time being. Seska also keeps her cover intact. Cal Hudson very grudgingly agrees to become First Officer, but only if Janeway appoints Torres as Chief Engineer. Taking the science station, Wesley initially mistakes Tom Riker for his old shipmate Will Riker from the Enterprise. He’s disappointed at first, but Tom Riker insists that this could be Wesley Crusher’s opportunity to view a Riker as an equal, as he takes his own place at tactical.
Wesley Crusher’s sense of loneliness is quickly offset when he meets Alexander, and they share a smile as they consider how far they’ve come in their lives. As B’Elanna heads to engineering, Alexander notices her and winks at Wesley, pointing out that being stranded in the Delta Quadrant may be just the adventure he needs as he moves off to follow her. Sakonna goes to Astrometrics, wondering if Harry Kim would care to join her in repairing the damage, which he gladly accepts. Seeking their own places, Neelix and Kes offer to assist in any capacity they can, as morale officers, chefs or even assisting with the holographic doctor.
As Janeway takes her seat, she tells everyone that the journey ahead of them is going to be a long and perilous one, but that they’ll seize every opportunity to shorten the voyage. Learning to work together may be difficult, but she’s sure that they can do it. Yet in the First Officer’s chair, Cal Hudson watches her carefully, already making his own plans…
Missed the first part of this story? Read it here Part 1
