[Bunk room]

ROK: So I got Janeway back online. She helped me plug in the Warp Matrix. A crazy whoosh went into the engine. And then all of you came back!
ZERO: Wow.
POG: Good work, kid.
ZERO: We were separated across fractured time, yet we still found a way to work together.
GWYN: We make a good team. Who would've thought?
POG: Jankom would've thought.
DAL: I still can't believe this guy got onto our ship. No matter how far we run, the Diviner always finds us. Guess we can never let our guard down, huh, Nok-head?
(The robot topples over, the head separates and rolls away, and the eyes light up.)
ROK: Ah! We let our guard down!
GWYN: What did you do?
DAL: I didn't do anything.
(A hologram is projected.)
SOLUM [holo]: Come back to me. Come back to me.
POG: Haunted head! Turn it off!
GWYN: No! Shh. Listen, it's a recording.
SOLUM [holo]: To the thieves who have stolen my Protostar, I deliver an ultimatum. This chase across the galaxy ends now. You will come to Tars Lamora, and return the Protostar to me.
POG: No way he's getting our ship.
SOLUM [holo]: In exchange, I give you my word to release the Unwanted. If you do not comply within one day's cycle, the miners will pay the price.
POG: Urgh.
ROK: He's a monster.
SOLUM [holo]: My progeny, I never wanted it to come to this. But there are needs greater than either of ours. Come back to me. To the thieves who have stolen my...
(Gwyn stabs the Drednok head.)
SOLUM [holo]: Protostar...
ROK: Gwyn?
(Gwyn walks out.)

[Briefing room]

ROK: We never should've left. The others are in trouble 'cause we got away. We need to go back.
GWYN: We can't give my father this ship.
DAL: Besides, the Protostar isn't big enough to save all the miners.
ZERO: But it was designed to do more than joyride across the galaxy.
POG: What are you suggesting? A rescue mission? Us? Bah! We're not Starfleet. We can barely save ourselves. We should contact the Federation. Let them handle it.
GWYN: By the time Starfleet reaches Tars Lamora, it'll be too late.
DAL: One day. One measly day.
ZERO: And only enough power for one Proto-Warp. Two choices. Either we jump to the Federation, unsure if they can make it in time, or jump to Tars Lamora, and surrender our ship for the lives of our brethren.
GWYN: Assuming we can trust my father.
DAL: I know you're listening, Janeway.
JANEWAY: I don't envy your position. Neither option is a guarantee. Ultimately, the choice is the Captain's alone.
POG: How is this even a debate? Going back for the miners is a bad call.
ZERO: Oh.
POG: That Jankom couldn't be prouder to make with you dum-dums! Who's in?
ROK: I'm in!
ZERO: Hoot, hoot!
POG: What do you say, Cap?
(Dal walks out.)
GWYN: Dal? Dal? Dal!

[Dal's quarters]

GWYN: You're the one who wanted to be in charge. Now, when faced with a tough choice, you just run away? Are you scared? Or just selfish?
DAL: You know how many times I tried to escape Tars Lamora? If we go back, we might never leave. You don't understand. You aren't like us.
GWYN: I know it's a risk.
DAL: Everything we fought for... the ship, our freedom, our friends! We could lose all of it! If it was just me, sure. In a heartbeat. But I can't risk losing... us. Don't look at me like that. I meant all of us. The... the crew.
GWYN: Of course.
DAL: You want us to go into hostile territory, outnumbered 100 to one, to make a trade with someone we can't even trust. And if we're lucky enough to survive that, we still need to escape with all the miners without a ship.
GWYN: When you put it that way... yes.
DAL: This is a no-win scenario, Gwyn. This is our Kobayashi Maru.
GWYN: So what are you saying?
DAL: It can't be one of my half-baked plans. Not with all of our lives on the line.
GWYN: Don't forget, you're not alone. We're in cat boots now. Let's plan together.
DAL: Let's get to work.

[Protostar]

JANEWAY: Hmm.
ROK: I brought bigger snacks!
POG: (finding phasers) Ho, ho, ho, whoa!
JANEWAY: Huh, that's one heck of an upgrade. Coffee?
ZERO: Murf, my indestructible friend, this may just work.

[Bridge]

(Dal has found himself a Starfleet uniform - post-DS9 style.)
JANEWAY: Huh, you clean up nicely.
(So has Gwyn and the rest of the crew.)
ROK: Hmm.
POG: Whoa, ho, ho, ho! Look at us! Lookin' good.
ZERO: Hoo-hoo, yip!
POG: Whoa.
JANEWAY: Suddenly I feel underdressed.
(Uniform updates from Voyager-style.)
JANEWAY: That's better.
GWYN: What'll it be, Captain?
DAL: Crew, prepare engines for maximum warp.
JANEWAY: I just wanna say, I know you never thought you were Starfleet material, but today you're risking everything on a seemingly impossible mission to save others, to bring hope to a hopeless cause. Nothing's more Starfleet than that.
POG: Initiating maximum warp.
ZERO: We are at warp 9.97 and holding.
DAL: Prepare Proto-Drive.
ROK: Proto-Drive's online.
GWYN: We are set to jump.
DAL: On my mark. Ready. Go fast.
ROK: Whoa.
POG: Oh.

[Tars Lamora]

SOLUM: Ah. Look at her. And you doubted she would come.
DREADNOK: Deactivating cloak.
DAL [OC]: They're towing us in. Everyone, you know what to do.

[Bridge]

ZERO: Just as hopeless as I remember it.
(The miners see them in the sky.)
DAL: Rok, lower all shields.
ROK: Lowering shields, Captain.
DAL: Jankom, prepare cargo transporter.
POG: Ah, cargo transpo' is a go-go. Ahem. Cargo transporter ready, Captain.
DAL: Murf, a little hustle.
ROK: Come on, Murf. It's time to play dress-up.
DAL: Hey, Gwyn, it's almost time.

[Transporter room]

GWYN: Copy, Captain. You're unusually quiet. Penny for your thoughts?
ZERO: I worry that if I'm captured, your father will use me as a weapon again.
GWYN: If we all do our part, no one else will get hurt.
(Thud!)
GWYN: Janeway, is that our cue?

[Bridge]

JANEWAY: Affirmative. The REV-12 tractor beam has locked onto our ship.
DAL: They're towing us in. Everyone, you know what to do.
ROK: I never wanted to see this place again. Too many bad memories.
POG: Then let's make some better ones, kid. You ready to face your pops?
GWYN: No turning back now.
(Protostar lands on a platform.)

[Platform]

DAL: Don't try anything hasty. If you do, we gave the order for Janeway to activate the ship's self-destruct.
POG: Easy now, Z. Jankom's nervous too.
GWYN: Father.
SOLUM: Progeny.
DREDNOK: The Protostar for the Unwanted. That was the offer.
DAL: Okay, I hear you. Quick question. Just how are any of us supposed to get off of this asteroid if you take our ship?
SOLUM: This asteroid is all you deserve. Do you have any idea what that uniform represents?
GWYN: A commitment to strive for a better future.
SOLUM: Lies and hypocrisy.
GWYN: You'd know all about that.
SOLUM: Grr. The terms have changed. My progeny comes with me.
DAL: Gwyn wasn't part of the deal.
DREDNOK: My Diviner, it would be a mistake to bring her with us.
SOLUM: The only mistake was not telling her the truth to begin with.
GWYN: What truth?
DAL: It doesn't matter. You're not going.
GWYN: Dal, stop. This is my choice. I'll go with you if you free the miners, and promise my crew the REV-12.
ROK: Gwyn, no! You mean more to us than a ship.
POG: There is no way we're leaving you with that monster.
DAL: Gwyn! We need you.
GWYN: You said it yourself. Without a ship, you'd all be stranded here. When he took all of you, I stood by and did nothing. I need to make it right. Do we have a deal?
SOLUM: I taught you to negotiate well. These terms are... acceptable.
DREDNOK: If we give up the REV-12...
SOLUM: I have my Protostar and my progeny. I need nothing else. Release the Unwanted and prepare my ship.
(The ankle bracelets all deactivate.)
DAL: Are you sure?
(Gwyn hugs Dal.)
GWYN: Take care of them.
(She walks to her father.)
SOLUM: Remove that vile thing.
(She hands over the comm-badge. He crushes it with his boot then boards Protostar with Drednok and Gwyn.)
POG: Why does it feel like we lost?
DAL: Because we did the right thing.

[Bridge]

SOLUM: At last. It's been too long.
JANEWAY: Gwyn, is everything okay?
GWYN: I did what I had to.
JANEWAY: That chair doesn't belong to you.
SOLUM: Drednok, override this Starfleet nuisance.
(Janeway is programmed into a black uniform, black hair and lipstick.)
JANEWAY: Welcome aboard, Captain.
SOLUM: Take us out of here.
(Protostar lifts off.)
SOLUM: Target the REV-12's power generators. Leave them nothing.
GWYN: No! You can't! You got what you wanted. Without power, they'll lose the atmospheric shields. They'll never survive.
SOLUM: I promised them a ship. Not their lives.
GWYN: No, you wouldn't...

[Platform]

ALL: Ah! Ahh!
ROK: He blasted the generators!
POG: Surprise, surprise! The Diviner double-double-crossed us!
DAL: There goes our gravity. When the emergency reserves quit, those shields won't last long. Then goodbye oxygen.
ROK: Er, help? I'm scared, Dal.
DAL: I've got you, Rok! Jankom, get a hoof on Zero!
POG: Jankom's got Zero. But who's got Jankom? Whoa! Ahh!

[Bridge]

GWYN: You are a monster.
SOLUM: You will understand my actions in time. She's seen enough. Full impulse.
JANEWAY: We're clear of the asteroid system. No other warp signatures detected.
DREDNOK: They've depleted the Proto-Drive. On your orders, I can enable rapid regeneration protocols.
GWYN: Wait, where are we going?
SOLUM: You will know soon enough.
GWYN: You said you'd tell me the truth. Why is this ship so important to you?
SOLUM: Because this is more than a ship. It is our salvation. How long before I can Proto-Jump?
GWYN: No. I want to know more. If I'm so important, why did you choose the ship and abandon me?
SOLUM: When I chose the ship, I was blinded by duty. But now, I realize that you are more. You are part of me. You are my daughter. I cannot do this without you.
GWYN: Do what? I'm ready to listen.
(Telepathy mode.)
SOLUM: You... you're hiding something.
GWYN: Ah!
SOLUM: You're stalling. Engage the Proto-Warp now.
DREDNOK: The Proto-Core is not responding. The computer is saying it is not on the ship.
SOLUM: What?
GWYN: Lose something?

[Engineering]

COMPUTER: Exotic matter dilithium matrix missing. Systems offline.
SOLUM: They took the Proto-Core.

[Tars Lamora]

(Everyone still screaming. Everything loose is floating.)
DAL: You can drop the act. They're gone.
POG: Jankom takes to acting like a pus hog takes to phlegm.
DAL: Gwyn was right. She bought us a ship. The Diviner couldn't resist the bait.
ROK: But did he have to take out the power?
DAL: A hitch to our plan, but not totally unexpected. We can still save everyone. Without gravity, it will just be a little harder. How's Murf doing?
(Murf is in Zero's case.)
ROK: Keeping the Proto-Core intact. Good thing he's indestructible. Otherwise, our faces would be melting off.
POG: Er, speaking of melting faces off, didn't Zero beam down before us?
(Zero is in a patchwork casing.)
ZERO: Ah, a joyful play on words at the expense of my own insecurities about the harm my true appearance could afflict. Very funny, Jankom. Hoot, hoot!
DAL: Emergency evacuation thruster packs. Perfect for spinning in Zero-G.
ROK: I've gotta say, the Vehicle Replicator created a flawless replica.
ZERO: Oh, perhaps too flawless.
DAL: We can pat ourselves on the back later. We don't have much time before they realise they're missing their Proto-Core. Rok, Jankom, Murf, get our power back on so we can get the REV-12 in the air. Zero and I will corral the miners and get back to the ship.
POG: Yeah.
DAL: I just hope Gwyn can buy us enough time for this crazy plan to work.