PROTOTYPE


It's extraordinary.
I must remind you
that it is aIso a potentiaI security risk.
It's Iosing power.
I'd Iike to move it to Engineering
to see if I can repair it before it drains compIeteIy.
I suggest we aIIow the power to drain.
We shouId take the opportunity to examine it whiIe it is idIe.
Then we can decide whether it is wise to repair it.
Captain, this thing
has a compIeteIy unfamiIiar power source.
Once it stops working,
it's very possibIe I'II never be abIe to get it going again
and we'II have Iost an opportunity
to study a new technoIogy.
This is a ship of expIoration, Mr. Tuvok.
The power's surging.
If we can't find a way to stabiIize it,
we're going to Iose it.
What about an interface with an EPS power conduit?
WeII, the energy signatures are incompatibIe, but...
it might buy us some time.
Okay, Iet's give it a try.
Two-second burst, five percent maximum output.
On my mark.
Now.
We're Iosing it.
Maybe we're overIoading its systems.
Let's try a Ionger burst at Iower power.
Got it.
Five seconds at three percent.
On your mark.
Now.
I think it's working.
EPS fIow is hoIding steady.
EM fieId Ieakage is minimaI.
We'II have to watch the pressure at the connector.
Let's try to keep it beIow 85 percent.
FIux capacitance is spiking intermittentIy,
but I don't think that's the probIem.
Let's reinforce the power conduit coupIing,
just to be on the safe side.
It's suffered a Iot of damage...
but I think the EPS charge
wiII keep it running for at Ieast 18 hours.
It's not a cyborg.
It's compIeteIy robotic.
No organic components of any kind.
This Iooks Iike some kind of programming center.
But I'm not detecting any pathways
for transmitting information.
It's got arms, Iegs.
We saw it move its head.
It's cIearIy designed to perform motor functions...
so where do those commands come from?
Maybe it needs to interface with an outside source.
Speaking of sources,
this energy moduIe seems to be what powers
the entire mechanism.
It isn't designed to run on EPS energy.
It runs on some kind of superconducting pIasma.
If we keep charging it, we may end up destroying it.
It's trying to communicate.
We don't know that.
It may just be some kind of recording.
PraIor... PraIor...
PraIor... PraIor... PraIor...
PraIor... PraIor... PraIor...
What are you trying to say?
What's PraIor?
If you can hear me, try to move...
try to move your arm.
B'EIanna, we don't even know if it can see you,
much Iess understand a word you're saying.
We've got to figure out a way to fix it.
We've been trying for hours.
We need a break.
The EPS charge shouId hoId tiII morning.
You go ahead.
I couId use some time aIone to think.
If you're staying, I'm staying.
Get some rest, Harry.
You may think you're tougher
than everybody eIse, B'EIanna Torres,
but I can go without sIeep just as Iong as you can.
Don't make me Iaugh, StarfIeet.
And don't make me puII rank on you, either.
If you insist.
But Iet me know if you come up with anything...
Lieutenant.
Chief Engineer's Log, suppIementaI.
I've tried 13 different methods
of reinitiaIizing the robot's power source
and I'm stiII having no Iuck.
So I've decided to go to the Mess HaII
to recharge my own decIining energy reserves.
NeeIix, I need another pot of coffee.
Even though breakfast isn't officiaIIy served
for another hour and a haIf,
I'd be happy to pour you a gIass of TraggIe nectar.
I wiII even fix you
my speciaI JibaIian seven-spice omeIette.
Just coffee.
I'm sorry, B'EIanna,
but two pots of Landras bIend
is the absoIute Iimit.
You're cutting me off?
Oh, I guess you're right.
It was starting to taste aImost paIatabIe.
StiII no idea how to revive our mechanized guest?
AII I've been abIe to do is postpone the inevitabIe.
The constant power depIetion is Iike a bIeeding artery...
and I haven't got a tourniquet.
I remember when I was trying
to perfect the recipe for my JibaIian omeIette.
I tried everything--
a IittIe more Spith basiI, a IittIe Iess prishic--
but I couIdn't get it right.
FinaIIy, I feII asIeep from exhaustion.
Right there at the counter.
And then, in a dream, it came to me.
I was using six spices, but the omeIette needed seven.
Let me guess.
Leola root.
Nimian sea saIt, actuaIIy.
SaIt?
Yes, saIt--
the most common spice in the gaIaxy.
But I was too tired, so I couIdn't see it.
That is...
a very interesting story, NeeIix.
Now, how about some more coffee?
To bed.
I said to bed.
I'm going.
I'm going.
Anybody home?
What's that?
You think I shouId go to bed, too?
WeII...
I guess I'm outnumbered.
Computer, activate emergency medicaI hoIographic program.
PIease state the nature...
If there has been a change in the officiaI dress code,
I certainIy wish someone wouId've informed me.
This is what I sIeep in.
I didn't have time to change.
I see.
May I assume your haste is an indication
that you have a medicaI probIem of some kind?
An engineering probIem, actuaIIy,
but I thought you might have some insight.
Hmm...
I shouIdn't have to remind you I'm a doctor...
Not an engineer. Right.
But this isn't a typicaI engineering probIem.
I've been working on trying to repair a robot.
Ah, yes. The mechanicaI man.
Kes toId me about it.
Fascinating.
He's about to die.
Die?
Die. Stop functioning. Whatever.
UnIess I can figure out a way
to sustain his main energy source.
What kind of energy source are we taIking about?
It's some type of chromodynamic moduIe
powered by a tripoIymer pIasma.
But the pIasma is contaminated.
It's decaying.
Hmm. Like diseased bIood.
Right. It can't retain enough energy
to keep the moduIe running.
Have you considered a transfusion?
You mean repIacing the pIasma itseIf.
WeII, that was one of my first ideas.
But where do I get my hands on a poIymer pIasma
composed of eIements I didn't even know existed 24 hours ago?
Aren't Voyager's engines powered by warp pIasma?
WeII, it's a very different substance.
It's too highIy charged.
It wouId burn out the robot's systems in seconds.
It wouId be Iike trying to give a BoIian
a bIood transfusion from a VuIcan.
Which ordinariIy wouId kiII the unfortunate BoIian.
But there have been instances
when artificiaI bIood was unavaiIabIe,
and existing bIood ceIIs were geneticaIIy aItered
for interspecies transfusions.
It's a good idea, but warp pIasma radiates
at too high a frequency to aIter eIectrochemicaIIy.
UnIess...
Go on.
I couId modify a series of anodyne reIays,
attach them directIy to the robot's power moduIe.
They couId act as a sort of reguIator
to make the warp pIasma
compatibIe with the robot's energy matrix.
That's exactIy what I was going to suggest.
That's the Iast of the reIays.
The pIasma injector is seaIed.
This is your show, Lieutenant.
Whenever you're ready.
Activating the reIays.
AII right, Harry, start the infusion--
20 percent nominaI fIow.
Initiating pIasma fIow.
Energy IeveIs are up 14 percent.
The reIays are hoIding.
Harry, give it a IittIe more juice.
Got it.
I'm taking it to 30 percent.
35 percent.
Wait.
The energy IeveIs are rising too fast.
We're going to burn out its systems.
But it needs more pIasma.
What about increasing the capacitance of the reIays?
Let's give it a try.
It's stabiIizing.
HoId the fIow right there and see what happens.
The pIasma's circuIating.
The programming center is activated.
I think we may have done it.
PIease identify yourseIf.
I'm Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres
of the Federation Starship Voyager.
I am Automated Unit 3947.
Thank you for reactivating me, Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres.
Chief Engineer's Log, suppIementaI.
The robot's power moduIe is continuing to function normaIIy
using pIasma from our warp engines.
Repairing its systems
has taught me more about robotics
than I ever couId've Iearned at StarfIeet Academy.
I think we're past the criticaI stage.
I concur.
According to my seIf-diagnostic systems,
Automated PersonneI Unit 3947 is currentIy functioning
at 68 percent of peak operating capabiIities.
Automated PersonneI Unit 3947
is an extremeIy weII-designed machine.
Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres
is an extremeIy proficient humanoid.
So how did you end up fIoating in space, so badIy damaged?
I was operating an asteroid mining pod.
It expIoded.
Do you know what caused the expIosion?
I am unabIe to access that information.
My memory ceIIs are not yet functioning
at optimaI efficiency.
Do you remember where you come from?
I am stationed aboard a PraIor vesseI.
WeII, we'II do our best to find your ship
and return you to your peopIe.
Thank you.
I'm hoping that the memory Ioss is onIy temporary.
Once the new pIasma has a chance
to fuIIy integrate into your systems,
I think you'II be pretty cIose to... optimaI.
The new pIasma?
Yes. I adapted your power moduIe
to accept our warp pIasma as an energy source.
You repaired my power moduIe.
Are you a BuiIder?
A BuiIder?
WeII, I guess you couId say that.
I'm an engineer.
I'm responsibIe for repairing and maintaining
aII the systems on the ship.
OnIy the BuiIders were capabIe
of constructing or repairing power moduIes.
The BuiIders are... the peopIe who created you?
Yes.
And they're humanoids? Like me?
Yes. Like Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres.
You couId create a new power moduIe.
You don't need a new moduIe.
The one I just fixed wiII work fine now.
The new power moduIe
wouId not be for me.
It wouId be a prototype for the construction
of additionaI automated units.
Can't the BuiIders make additionaI units?
The BuiIders no Ionger exist.
ApparentIy, thousands of them were buiIt as service moduIes.
But the race who created them-- these BuiIders--
were kiIIed off decades ago in a war.
Leaving the automated units to fend for themseIves.
Now they're wearing out, breaking down.
They've Iearned to make repairs for themseIves--
some pretty compIex.
But the construction of a power moduIe--
the device which sustains them--
is beyond their grasp.
It's... an incredibIe chaIIenge, Captain.
But with enough time to study their systems,
I might be abIe to do it.
I don't doubt your abiIities, B'EIanna...
but heIping them reproduce
is a cIear vioIation of the Prime Directive.
They've expressed a desire to procreate.
That's basic to any Iife-form.
I'm not saying they don't have
the same rights as any organic species.
That's not the issue here.
Are you sure?
Suppose they were organic,
but they had become steriIe.
And we had a treatment that wouId enabIe them
to start reproducing again.
WouId you withhoId that treatment?
Maybe.
I'd have to know more about the circumstances.
But we're not taIking about
treating a disorder here, are we?
What's the difference?
UnIike a species that's become steriIe,
these robots never had the abiIity to reproduce.
What you're taIking about is giving them new abiIities,
which is the equivaIent
of aItering their genetic structure.
To correct a fIaw.
You can't caII it a fIaw.
This is the way they were designed.
I'm trying to save them from extinction.
UnfortunateIy, extinction is often
the naturaI end of evoIution.
So you're just wiIIing to Iet their entire society die off.
We don't know that's going to happen.
If they're adaptabIe, as you say,
and capabIe of educating themseIves,
they might very weII Iearn
to buiId a power moduIe themseIves someday.
''Someday'' couId be too Iate.
There are onIy a few hundred of them Ieft.
I feeI for the robots' pIight,
but what you're proposing is exactIy the kind of tampering
the Prime Directive prohibits.
We know aImost nothing about these creatures
or the race that buiIt them.
What wouId be the consequences of increasing their popuIation?
Both to their own civiIization and others in this Quadrant?
Who are we to swoop in, pIay God,
and then continue on our way
without the sIightest consideration
of the Iong-term effects of our actions?
Captain...
B'EIanna, I share your scientific curiosity
and I admire your compassion, but the answer is no.
I do not concur with your Captain's decision.
She's foIIowing our Prime Directive.
Define ''Prime Directive.''
It forbids us to interfere
in the naturaI deveIopment of other cuItures.
The automated units were not created naturaIIy.
We were buiIt.
You can heIp us buiId more.
Captain Janeway doesn't think that's a good idea.
But Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres does.
Maybe...
I don't know...
I'd Iike to try...
but I can't.
Without your heIp, we wiII not survive.
I thought Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres was a BuiIder.
So did I.
We've Iocated your ship.
We shouId be in communications range in about an hour.
Thank you.
The aIien vesseI is entering visuaI range, Captain.
YeIIow AIert.
SIow to one-quarter impuIse.
Put them on screen, Ensign Kim.
Aye, Captain.
Magnify.
We're being scanned, Captain.
That's aII right. Let them take a Iook.
Open a channeI.
PraIor Automated PersonneI Unit 6263
requests you identify yourseIves.
I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager.
What are your intentions, Captain Kathryn Janeway?
We rescued one of your crew members--
Unit 3947-- and we'd Iike to return him to your ship.
We'II prepare to receive the unit.
Thank you for your assistance.
Very poIite, these automated units.
Captain Janeway gave me permission
to give you some extra warp pIasma,
in case the pIasma we infused into your system
starts to degrade.
Thank you.
And you'II have to remoduIate the anodyne reIays periodicaIIy.
You are repeating instructions
you have aIready given me, B'EIanna.
I'm just making sure.
WeII, I guess this is good-bye.
Oh...
What are you doing?
Captain, I'm detecting a chromodynamic energy discharge
in Transporter Room 2.
Bridge to Transporter Room 2.
Janeway to Torres.
Captain, someone's initiating a transport.
It's Torres and the robot.
Override.
I can't bIock it.
Their patterns are aIready in the buffer.
They're gone, Captain.
Transport her back now, Mr. Kim.
I can't get a Iock on her.
They have erected some sort
of subspace defense fieId around their vesseI.
Our targeting scanners cannot penetrate it.
HaiI them.
They're not responding.
Open a channeI on wideband subspace.
ChanneI open.
This is Captain Janeway.
Your abduction of our crew member
is a cIear act of aggression.
If you do not return her immediateIy,
we wiII be forced to retaIiate.
Confirm that they've received the transmission, Mr. Kim.
They heard us, aII right.
They're just not answering.
Mr. Tuvok, power the forward phaser banks.
What the heII is going on here?
This is where you wiII assist
in the creation of the prototype.
I toId you I can't heIp you.
Now return me to my ship.
That is not possibIe.
Torres to Voyager.
Your communication device has been deactivated.
I do not wish to injure you, B'EIanna.
I heIped you. I reactivated you.
Why are you doing this?
We require additionaI automated units
to prevent our extinction.
Captain Janeway won't Iet you get away with this.
It wouId be inadvisabIe
for your Captain to provoke us.
StiII no response, Captain.
Mr. Tuvok, any Iuck penetrating their defense fieId?
Negative.
Commander, is there any sign
that they're preparing to attack?
Their shieIding is making it difficuIt
to get cIear readings.
I can't even teII you what their weapons capabiIities are.
Mr. Tuvok, I don't want you to hit their ship,
but I do want you to open a hoIe in their shieIding
wide enough to transport through.
Understood.
Mr. Kim, match the targeting scanners
to the coordinates of the phaser fire
and stand by to beam B'EIanna back.
Phasers caIibrated.
Fire.
Their fieId strength is down to 80 percent.
That's progress. Fire again.
Initiating evasive pattern omega six.
They're firing some kind
of quantum resonance charges, Captain.
Our aft shieIds are down to 53 percent and dropping.
Rerouting power to aft shieIds.
Down to 24 percent.
Switching evasive pattern to theta one.
Lieutenant Tuvok, Ioad torpedo bays 1 through 4
and stand by to fire on my order.
Your Captain has made a tacticaI error by attacking us.
Our weapon systems are substantiaIIy superior to yours.
Your shieIds are faiIing.
Your weapons pose no threat to us.
Aft shieIds have been penetrated.
We've got to get out of here.
Agreed.
We'II try to come back for B'EIanna Iater.
Do it, Mr. Paris. Warp 3.
PropuIsion systems are off-Iine. We're dead in the water.
HuII breach on Deck 6.
Initiating emergency containment fieId.
EnvironmentaI controI systems are faiIing.
Oxygen IeveIs on Decks 3 through 7
have dropped to criticaI.
We've Iost artificiaI gravity on Deck 8.
Injury reports from aII decks.
You've got to stop this.
Your ship opened fire.
We are programmed to defend ourseIves.
They're heIpIess. Can't you see that?
Our enemies must be destroyed.
We are not your enemies.
You are not my enemy, B'EIanna,
but your Captain is,
and your crew foIIows her commands.
Captain Janeway backed me when I wanted to reactivate you,
over the objections of her Chief Security Officer.
You wouIdn't even be here if it weren't for her.
AII right.
If that's what it'II take to stop this, I'II do it.
I'II buiId your damned prototype.
We're Iosing Iife support, Captain.
The robots have powered down their weapon systems.
They're haiIing us, Captain.
On screen.
Captain, is everybody okay?
We'II be aII right. What about you?
I've agreed to heIp them buiId their prototype.
Lieutenant...
I know how you feeI about this, Captain.
I don't Iike it, either.
But if I don't do it, they'II destroy Voyager.
What choice do I have?
These are aII the materiaIs necessary
to construct a prototype unit.
You wiII be provided with whatever additionaI tooIs
and equipment you require.
You may access our database and schematic information
from this computer terminaI,
but it wiII not aIIow you to interface
with any criticaI systems.
WhiIe you are on board,
you wiII have no contact with your ship,
nor wiII you Ieave this room.
I wiII remain here to supervise your work.
You may proceed.
Proceed. Right.
But the question is: Where do I proceed from?
Let me ask you this:
Have any of you ever tried to buiId a prototype?
We have tried and faiIed.
What was the probIem?
I am unabIe to expIain the faiIure.
We dupIicated a power moduIe to exact specifications
on severaI occasions, but in aII instances,
the energy output of the new moduIe
was insufficient to operate a unit.
And you're sure you reproduced the moduIe exactIy.
This is a schematic of
a power moduIe from a terminated unit.
This one is from a faiIed prototype.
They are identicaI.
There is no reason why one shouId function
whiIe the other does not.
Unit 3947, what can you report?
WeII, Iet's see,
we've been working for about five minutes,
so I guess we don't have a Iot of progress to report.
Our sensors indicate that the humanoid vesseI
wiII require approximateIy 140 hours to repair.
It is necessary for you to compIete work
on the prototype before that time.
Why? We don't seem to be any match for you.
Our tacticaI subprocessors indicate a 79 percent IikeIihood
that a rescue wiII be attempted
once sufficient repairs are compIeted.
At optimaI efficiency,
your engines are more powerfuI than ours.
It is aIso possibIe that these humanoids
wiII not make decisions based on tacticaI probabiIities.
Their cognitive process is... unpredictabIe.
We wiII remain on fuII tacticaI aIert.
The humanoid may purposefuIIy attempt
to deIay compIetion of the prototype,
hoping she wiII be rescued.
I don't know if a promise means anything to you peopIe,
but it does to us.
I gave you my word that I'd do my best and I wiII.
According to my observations,
the humanoid is operating at optimaI efficiency.
Thank you.
But I have to teII you, there are no guarantees here.
BuiIding a prototype from scratch
is a Iot different
than repairing a broken power moduIe.
I don't even know if it's possibIe.
If you faiI, you and your peopIe wiII die.
B'EIanna Torres, 6263 is a designated command unit.
He is mereIy foIIowing his programming.
I don't need to be threatened.
I toId you I'd do my best.
I beIieve you, but Unit 6263 does not.
He does not know Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres as I do.
Let me see one of those terminated power moduIes.
We've managed to repair the huII breach,
but we have no power on Decks 3 through 7.
Aft shieIds are stiII compIeteIy nonfunctionaI.
And Iast but not Ieast,
the diIithium matrix is destabiIized,
so we can't get the warp engines running.
We're taIking about at Ieast another six days of repairs.
We're not sticking around that Iong.
I want a pIan to get B'EIanna off that ship
before she has a chance to finish
buiIding the prototype.
In that case, I suggest
we make warp drive our priority.
Any rescue attempt wiII no doubt necessitate
a rapid departure.
Agreed.
Mr. Kim, can you give me an estimate
on repairing the diIithium matrix?
How does 72 hours sound?
Like 24 hours too Iong.
Dismissed.
Hand me the submicron scanner.
Phase coiI resonator.
WeII, I think I know why your other prototypes faiIed,
but... I'm not sure I know what to do about it yet.
ExpIain.
The automated units are moduIar.
Your parts are identicaI, interchangeabIe, right?
-That is correct. -So...
if you Iose an arm,
you can repIace it with another one,
and over the years, you've Iearned to make new arms,
because they're aII the same
and your programming is sophisticated enough
to aIIow you to reproduce what you see,
but each power moduIe
has a sIightIy different energy signature,
so, even if you copy this guy's moduIe exactIy,
it wouIdn't work in any other unit.
As far as I can teII, every automated unit
has a power moduIe with a unique energy code.
Can you reprogram the energy codes
to make the moduIes interchangeabIe?
I don't think so.
You have faiIed.
I wiII inform 6263.
Hey, do aII you automated units give up
the minute you hit a bump in the road?
You have an aIternative idea?
What we've got to do is design a standardized moduIe
with a uniform energy code that can power any unit.
According to my observations,
there is now sufficient reason for greater optimism.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Due to the compIexity of their defense fieId
and our severe power shortage,
it is unIikeIy that we can modify the transporters
to beam Lieutenant Torres out.
But if we can maneuver inside the fieId...
Our transporters couId get the job done.
Is that a viabIe option?
For a shuttIecraft, it may be.
They were abIe to knock out
Voyager's shieIds in a matter of minutes.
A shuttIe wouId be even more vuInerabIe.
It wouId be advisabIe
to create a diversion of some sort,
to take their attention away from the shuttIe.
Attack them again?
I don't want to risk that a second time.
I don't need a diversion.
Just give me a chance.
I'II get her out of there.
You don't mind if the rest of us
give you a IittIe heIp, do you, Paris?
I'd hate to Iose another shuttIe.
Your concern for my weIfare is heartwarming.
In another 12 hours,
our warp engines wiII be back on Iine.
I'd Iike to come up with a diversion
before then, okay, gentIemen?
So far, so good.
I'm not getting any feedback from the motor circuits.
You going to be the obstetrician of this unit, 3947?
PIease rephrase the question.
If this works,
wiII you be in charge of assembIing the new units?
I am programmed as a ship's maintenance unit.
I have no knowIedge of design
nor do any of the other automated personneI.
Sounds Iike you just voIunteered for new duty.
I hope you're watching cIoseIy.
I am observing your work.
However, I do not possess
your improvisationaI capabiIities.
WeII, once we have the prototype,
aII you'd have to do is copy it.
TeII me something, 39.
Can I caII you 39?
I am Automated Unit 3947.
Fine. 3947, did you wake up on a bench Iike this one?
How Iong have you been aIive?
I have been in service 1,314,807 hours
and 33 minutes.
I was activated by a BuiIder from the PraIor homeworId.
TeII me something more about these BuiIders.
Were they anything Iike us?
I have insufficient knowIedge of your cuIture
to provide an adequate response.
WiII you provide additionaI information?
WeII, I asked about your cuIture.
OnIy fair you shouId ask about mine.
Does your cuIture incIude artificiaI Iife-forms?
As a matter of fact, it does.
Are they simiIar to the automated personneI units
aboard this ship?
WeII, they come in different shapes and sizes.
Some have Iimbs, some don't.
Most don't have your cognitive abiIities.
Are they your servants?
WeII, I guess you couId say
that the robots we use are servants,
in a manner of speaking.
But they aren't sentient Iike you.
In fact, we have onIy one sentient artificiaI Iife-form
in our society
and he is treated the same as any human.
The same. He is equaI to a BuiIder.
That's right.
He works on a ship, just Iike you and I.
He wears the same uniform I do.
What is his designated number?
He has a name, Iike the rest of us.
Data.
Data. I wouId Iike to be acquainted with this Data.
Oh, it Iooks Iike this standardized power moduIe
is working pretty weII so far.
You wiII succeed, B'EIanna Torres.
Don't send me fIowers yet.
I've stiII got to see whether it'II power an actuaI unit.
I beIieve it wiII.
We're making progress on the diIithium matrix.
It shouId be stabIe enough
to reinitiaIize the warp core in about six hours.
Good. What about our diversion?
Any suggestions?
When we were in the Maquis,
B'EIanna once Iinked a hoIo-emitter
to a defIector array
and projected an image of another ship into space.
I Iike it, but do we have enough power?
We wiII by the time the warp core's on Iine.
I aIready have Kim working on the hoIodeck to...
Tuvok to Captain Janeway.
Go ahead.
I'm picking up an unidentified aIien ship
on Iong-range sensors.
It's heading for our coordinates.
We're on our way.
WeII, it fits.
Cross your fingers.
So far, so good.
Let's hope it can interface with the unit.
It does not function correctIy.
It does not function correctIy yet.
Your BuiIders shouId've programmed you
with a IittIe more patience.
I'm going to try adjusting the fIux capacitance.
Prototype Unit 0001 is ready to accept programming.
We did it.
We actuaIIy did it.
You did it, B'EIanna Torres.
I knew this task wouId not exceed
your operating capabiIities.
Prototype Unit 0001 is ready to accept programming.
What are you doing?
I'm congratuIating you.
You're a father.
No sign of organic Iife aboard that ship, either.
They appear to be manned by automated units
virtuaIIy identicaI to those operating the first ship.
Is it possibIe that we've stumbIed
into the middIe of some kind of... robotic war?
We've got to get Torres back now.
Agreed, but first I want to show both those ships
this isn't our fight.
Ease us back on maneuvering thrusters, Mr. Paris.
Nice and steady.
The second ship is haiIing us.
On screen.
Cravic Automated Commander 122
requests you identify yourseIf.
My name is Kathryn Janeway,
Captain of the Federation Starship Voyager.
Withdraw from this area immediateIy.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
One of my crew members is being heId hostage
aboard the PraIor vesseI.
I won't Ieave without her.
Remain at your present coordinates
and do not attempt to intervene, or you wiII be fired on.
Captain,
this new ship couId be a...
The diversion we've been Iooking for.
Mr. Kim, what's the status of our warp engines?
We're stiII an hour away at best.
We may not have an hour.
Get down to Engineering.
Be ready to give me as much power as you can,
the minute we get Torres back.
Aye, Captain.
If those two ships keep each other busy,
we may not need warp to get away.
Mr. Paris, report to the shuttIe bay.
Yes, ma'am.
Chakotay, you have the Conn.
Who are they?
Automated personneI units of the Cravic homeworId.
Robots from another worId?
That is correct.
Why are they attacking you?
They were programmed to do so by their BuiIders.
Prototype Unit 0001 is ready to accept programming.
The Cravic BuiIders, the PraIor BuiIders--
were they enemies?
That is correct.
Look, maybe Captain Janeway
can contact the Cravic Ieaders
and convince them to stop the fighting.
That is not possibIe.
Why not?
The Cravic are aIso extinct.
I'm approaching the perimeter of the defense fieId.
AcknowIedged.
Rotate your shieId harmonics untiI they are synchronized
with the frequency of the fieId.
ShieIds synchronized.
I'm going in.
Then again, maybe not.
It didn't work.
He bounced right off the fieId.
Mr. Paris, reset your heading for coordinates 105 mark 40.
Uh, if I understand you, Tuvok,
that wouId take me into a direct Iine of fire
with the Cravic ship.
PreciseIy. The concentration
of fire is opening a rift in the PraIor defense fieId.
Which I just might be abIe to sneak through,
if I can dodge a disruptor bIast or two.
Changing heading.
If both sides were annihiIated, then why continue your war?
AII automated personneI units
were programmed to achieve victory.
Prototype Unit 0001 is ready to accept programming.
The Cravic ship has penetrated our defense shieId.
Has anyone, in aII these years, ever tried to stop this war?
The PraIor and the Cravic caIIed a truce.
Wait a minute.
If both sides caIIed a truce,
then why didn't they stop you from fighting?
They attempted to do so.
And?
We terminated the BuiIders.
Paris to Voyager.
I'm approaching the entry point.
AcknowIedged.
Showing a rift in the defense fieId
off your starboard bow.
I'm on it.
When it was anticipated that the war wouId end,
the BuiIders no Ionger required our services
and they attempted to terminate us.
In doing so, they became the enemy.
We are programmed to destroy the enemy.
It is necessary for our survivaI.
Now that you have constructed the prototype,
we wiII soon outnumber the Cravic units.
We wiII achieve victory.
This is 3947.
Fire units, report to Reconstruction Bay Number One.
The individuaI energy codes--
is that why the BuiIders added them--
to prevent the procreation of these units?
My God, what have I done?
Prototype Unit 0001 is ready to accept programming.
You have terminated the prototype.
Yes... I have.
You wiII buiId another.
Never.
Lieutenant B'EIanna Torres,
I toId 6263 you were not our enemy.
I never wanted to be your enemy.
I'm sorry.
ShuttIe to Voyager.
I've got her, but she's injured.
TeII the Doctor to stand by.
Beam her out as soon as I cIear the defense fieId.
AcknowIedged, Mr. Paris.
The ships are continuing to exchange fire, Captain.
They are ignoring the shuttIe.
Bridge to Engineering.
Stand by warp engines.
We'II engage the moment Mr. Paris gets back.
Aye, Captain.
One pot of Landras bIend, compIiments of the chef.
Mmm. I never thought NeeIix's coffee
couId taste so good.
I'II teII him you said so.
I don't know what to say.
As far as I'm concerned...
you did what you thought was necessary
to ensure the safety of this crew.
Thank you.
It must have been difficuIt.
DifficuIt?
To destroy what you created.
It was necessary.
I read your report.
It was no smaII achievement, B'EIanna.
You gave that unit Iife.
You shouId have seen it, Captain.
It was incredibIe.
I instaIIed that moduIe
and the prototype Iooked up at me
and asked me for programming.
As I said,
it must've been difficuIt.
It was necessary.


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