Janeway's future self travels back to late Season 7 to bring Voyager home early, equipping the ship with advanced armor and weapons. Harry makes a speech (see "The Journey"). The Borg Queen assimilates Admiral Janeway, but realizes too late that she was carrying a deadly virus. Voyager destroys the transwarp network and escapes by hiding inside a sphere. When the sphere exits transwarp one lightyear from Earth, Voyager bursts it open....

8.1: Hiatus - Jemima

When the sphere exits transwarp one light-year from Earth, Voyager bursts it open, only to find the warp drive inoperative. Rather than being towed to Earth, Janeway decides the crew will fix the engines so they can get home under their own power. Admiral Paris comes aboard and meets with Janeway and his son's family. Seven re-evaluates her relationship with Chakotay, deciding to end it. Harry realizes "too late" that Voyager was his real home. T'Pel is secretly brought aboard to cure Tuvok's mental illness. Finally, the engines are fixed and activated -- at which point the ship is propelled into a bizarre new dimension by one last act of sabotage from the Borg Queen.

8.2: Snakes in the Grass - Clare009

Still unaware of where they are, Janeway and crew encounter a Cardassian ship under the command of Gul Jakat. Putting up a diplomatic front, Jakat secretly kidnaps and tortures Seven of Nine. Janeway discovers this but keeps it from Chakotay; instead, she and Tuvok come aboard the Cardassian ship and have dinner with Jakat (at which point they discover that he and his crew are from a time prior to the Dominion War). Janeway rescues Seven but is caught by Jakat. Chakotay finds out about the mission from B'Elanna and opens fire on the other ship, destroying it and recovering the away team and Seven. Another Cardassian ship appears but is immediately destroyed by mysterious newcomers....

8.3: Between Heaven and Hell - Katane

....who identify themselves as "Sernaix, defenders of the Realm." Voyager is badly outclassed and narrowly escapes their unprovoked attack. The tension between Janeway, Chakotay, and Seven continues to increase. Chakotay and Harry lead a resupplying mission to a planet while Tom entertains Miral and Naomi with a holodeck program. Seven and Icheb make some progress on the question of where Voyager is. Chakotay's team finds a cave with some significant markings; they escape just before the Sernaix return.

8.4: Fair-Weather Friends - Shayenne

Janeway goes into full retreat à la "Night." When Chakotay makes the first official announcement to the crew about their predicament, Mortimer Harren (see "Good Shepherd") develops a theory that Janeway has stranded them on purpose. Chell investigates the disappearance of some food from the Mess Hall and discovers the culprit: Naomi's secret pet, a rat named Ratty. Harren's theory becomes popular, but Chakotay and Tom nip it in the bud. Janeway continues to shun the rest of the crew, despite Chakotay's efforts to reach her.

8.5: Magpie - Abby

Ratty escapes and starts stealing shiny objects from all over the ship. To see how his bedside manner handles adverse conditions, Doc changes his appearance to that of a Klingon, only to find himself unable to switch back. Chakotay leads another resupplying mission and brings Icheb and two of the new crew from the Pleiades. Tom confronts Janeway unsuccessfully. Tuvok's investigation of the crime wave fails, but Harry and Seven succeed and return Ratty to Naomi. Janeway loses patience in Sickbay and yells at all and sundry, a move which seems to reduce her angst a bit; she comforts Naomi in her depression about the crew's fate.

8.6: Yesterday's Love Story - Janeway602

Janeway finds herself experiencing strange dreams which cast her as a Confederate officer's daughter in the American Civil War. Voyager encounters a strange, cryptic race called the Inryeth and save some of their citizens from a reactor accident. In gratitude, their leader, Lokal, guides Janeway through a spiritual ritual designed to find the meaning of her dreams. Said dreams become a metaphor for Janeway's relationship with Chakotay.

8.7: Retrospect - Seema

On an away mission, B'Elanna and Harry discover a cloaked alien city whose protectory machine, the Keeper, is capable of sending people into their own pasts. Janeway finds an injured Sernaix, whom Doc is able to help; she takes the opportunity to open negotiations with the Sernaix. The Keeper sends B'Elanna to her moment of greatest regret, which turns out to be the day she left her mother for Starfleet Academy. She decides to change the past, but Harry enters the vision and talks her out of it. The Sernaix commander explains that a humanoid race much like humans persecuted his people in the distant past, explaining their actions now. A group of Sernaix attack the away team; the ship leaves, taking a parting shot at Voyager. Janeway promotes Harry to Lieutenant.

8.8: In the Eye of Empyrean - MaquisKat

Voyager encounters the Ayrethans, a species visually identical to the Inryeth who agree to provide the ship with some supplies. One Ayrethan, Sutokh, explains that the Bubble universe in which Voyager is trapped exists outside of time. Janeway and Chakotay are trapped in a cave which gives them the temporary ability to read each other's thoughts. Icheb commits a faux pas; Tom bails him out. Tuvok has a vision of the future (see "Through the Fire"). With the air between them cleared, Janeway and Chakotay reconcile and nearly kiss, until the other team arrives to "rescue" them. Sutokh tells Janeway there is no escape from the Bubble.

8.9: A Darker Light - Mike Ben-Zvi

Seven and Chakotay talk at length for the first time since their breakup; Harry worries that he no longer fits in, now that his best friend is married and has less time for him. Janeway sends Harry and Seven on a shuttle mission. The two are derailed when a group of Sernaix attacks them; they manage to beam over to an abandoned Sernaix ship, where they have the chance to further analyze their enemies' technology. The Sernaix ships decide to attack Voyager instead. Seven is captured by a traitorous Sernaix Ship Mind called Ozymandias; he talks to Harry at length. Eventually Ozymandias breaks the connection with Seven (but not before uploading himself; see "Remora" and "Echoes of the Mind"). Voyager engages the Sernaix ships and is nearly destroyed, but Ozymandias arrives just in time, deposits Harry and Seven, and destroys the attackers along with his own ship.

8.10: Enigmas - Cassatt

Doc steals a small Sernaix device and activates it, triggering a reaction that hurls Voyager out of the Bubble. Janeway sends Chakotay to the planet below them to investigate. There, he finds a phaser covered with Maquis hash marks. Doc finds his memories of the previous day missing and works with Harry and Seven to recover them. Chakotay takes an excavation team to the planet but finds no further clues. To help morale, Tom reactivates the Chez Sandrine program and hosts a party which the major characters attend. Chakotay speaks to Ayala and finds out that the phaser he found is the same one Crewman Ken Dalby (see "Learning Curve") owns; he keeps this to himself. Voyager is drawn back into the Bubble.

8.11: The Journey - DA Kent

Tom leads a diplomatic mission to the Ayrethan world and learns the nature of their connection to the Inryeth. He also finds that some of the Ayrethans disagree with their leaders' secretive ways. Janeway babysits Miral for a while and gives Icheb permission to take piloting lessons from Tom. Seven and Doc learn more about what happened during his day of missing memories. Various major characters reflect on Harry's speech from "Endgame."

8.12: Soul Searching - Heather Briles

Seven is injured on an alien planet, but the local species, the Newmari, are able to cure her. Their leader tells Janeway about their history with the Sernaix but omits certain details. Janeway becomes fond of an orphaned Newmari named Ellone and takes her back to the ship. The crew find out that the Newmari have been lying about a fellow alien race called the Re'ena, whom they are in fact oppressing. Janeway meets with the Re'ena, but the Newmari follow and launch an attack. Ellone is killed in the crossfire. Voyager leaves orbit, and her disheartened captain finally completes the holonovel she started in Season 1.

8.13: Remora - Jim Wright

Using the data Seven obtained from Ozymandias, Voyager locates a Sernaix fleet and discovers their plan to leave the Bubble. Sycorax, the Sernaix's matriarch, sends her subjects visions of the coming battle -- which a comatose Harry sees too. Seven also becomes comatose and receives more information from Ozymandias by unknown means. Now aware that the Sernaix plan to destroy Earth, Janeway is determined to stop them. She and the crew come up with a plan to destroy the fleet with its own planet-killer, activated early by tricobalt explosives. Ken Dalby volunteers to lead the mission, and Janeway reluctantly agrees, at Chakotay's urging. The plan succeeds: Voyager leaves the Bubble and the Sernaix fleet is destroyed. The cost turns out to be Dalby's life.

8.14: Rise and Fall - Zeke

A Nova-class ship, the Solstice, makes contact with Voyager and welcomes the crew home. After some debate, they decide to risk using warp again, and they begin the one-week journey to Earth. Tom re-establishes the comm link with Neelix. On Earth, Admiral Warhol ensures that Voyager doesn't hear any news from the rest of the quadrant until she arrives. Naomi meets her father. The Doctor celebrates his regained opportunity to fight for holograms. Janeway and Chakotay agree to keep their relationship professional for now. Finally, as T'Pel undergoes a strange telepathic meditation, Voyager reaches Earth. Admiral Paris immediately signals Janeway to come to his office, where he explains that she is the target of attacks from several admirals, principally Warhol, because of some worrying Borg activity in recent months. Harry and his parents are reunited. Chakotay and Seven lose contact with Neelix when a Borg battle destroys the MIDAS array (and apparently Axum's ship); the ex-drone's seeming lack of emotion deeply disturbs Chakotay. Finally, Janeway has one last exchange with her first officer and prepares for the courtmartial.

8.15 & 8.16: The Fall of Shadows - Seema

Two trials begin: Janeway's and that of the Equinox Five. The first is overseen by Admiral Louvois (see "The Measure of a Man"); witnesses include Chakotay, Tuvok, and Harry Kim. It's closed to the public, although some rumours still spread. Meanwhile, Naomi goes to live with her father and must deal with the awkwardness, while Tom and B'Elanna face a disaster: Miral is to be taken away for the duration. Tom begs Admiral Paris to change the orders somehow, but to no avail, which creates a whole new resentment between them. Eventually the Parises have to submit to Naomi's removal. Seven commits some apparent acts of sabotage in secret. The Equinox trial concludes with a guilty verdict and five dishonourable discharges, but Janeway's trial continues....

8.17: Jurisprudence - Jeff Harlan

....until, with extreme reluctance, she agrees to make a deal with the prosecution. She pleads guilty and is allowed to remain in Starfleet, but chained to a desk. Meanwhile, the Doctor tries to convince the eternally skeptical Commander Maddox (see "The Measure of a Man") of his sentience; his efforts eventually succeed. The excavation of the planet where the Sernaix fleet exploded begins, and Starfleet finds an intact slipstream core from one of the vessels. Harry is debriefed by his old friend Dan Byrd and takes the opportunity to get caught up with him. Seven delivers stolen information to a person she has never seen.

8.18: Mind Trap - Bec and Rebel

Starfleet finally realizes that something is wrong with Seven; the Doctor and B'Elanna begin a dangerous procedure to find the problem and cure it. There turns out to be a second personality inhabiting Seven's brain, and its memories aren't shared with the "real" Seven. The procedure finally succeeds; Doc theorizes that Ozymandias (see "A Darker Light") was the second personality. Owen Paris returns Miral to Tom and manages to mend some fences with his son. A surprisingly hostile Admiral Hayes debriefs Chakotay, finally becoming so angry he decides to go straight to a courtmartial of the Maquis crew. Janeway struggles to adjust to her new job and hears from her mother the sad news that Molly has died.

8.19: Through the Fire - MaquisKat

Seven is stalked by a large group of Borg-haters on her way to bring Janeway a housewarming gift. She's badly shaken; Janeway and Tuvok try to reassure her, at which point the Vulcan's vision comes true (see "In the Eye of Empyrean"). Doc and Seven achieve some closure in their relationship. The trial of the Maquis begins; while most of the admirals are hostile, Admiral Ross proves very good at introducing reasonable doubt and manages to get everybody off. Tom helps Harry prepare for a hot date with Libby, and the date goes extremely well -- except when she receives a suspicious comm call at the end. Seven is abducted by the Borg-haters. The captain sends Tuvok and Harry to investigate, and they locate the enemy hideout. Libby turns out to be the ringleader of the group. Harry breaks off his relationship with her and turns the group in; he's rewarded with a rare kiss on the cheek from Seven. Unnoticed, Chakotay takes a shuttle and departs....

8.20: One Door Closes - LadyChakotay

....arriving on Trebus, his homeworld, to lay old ghosts to rest. Admiral Paris gives Janeway the devastating news that Voyager is to be decommissioned, and despite her desperate pleas, he refuses to take further risks by trying to get her crew on board for the ship's final flight. Icheb faces prejudice in his Interspecies Ethics class, but the teacher steps in and makes it clear that the students are to treat Icheb as an equal. Trying to find Chakotay, Janeway contacts his sister Atraya, but even she doesn't know for sure where the Commander is. Janeway breaks the news to the crew in Marseilles at the real Chez Sandrine. On Trebus, Chakotay speaks to the spirit of his dead father Kolopak, who tells him that it's Janeway who needs him now. He returns to her just in time to see Voyager out.

8.21: We Shall Overcome - Ventura33

The Doctor steals the plans needed for replicating his mobile emitter and produces thousands, giving them to holograms all over the Federation. He organizes protests (based visually on others in Earth's history) for the cause of holographic rights. Barclay is incensed when Zimmerman's latest EMH, the 25CB, looks exactly like Reg himself. Icheb suffers worse and worse treatment by his fellow students; he finally changes their minds by using his nanoprobes to get them off the hook for being caught with illegal drugs. B'Elanna finds herself unqualified for the Starfleet engineering positions that most interest her. On advice from Admiral Paris (who babysits Miral at one point), delivered via Tom, she takes some courses to improve her official standing. A month later, she passes the courses and is better able to find work. Tuvok and T'Pel spend some time with the Parises. Doc's protests finally bear fruit as he is permitted to address the Federation Council; after some stage-fright coaching from Tom, his speech is a big success.

8.22: Echoes of the Mind - Mike Ben-Zvi

Hard at work on the Montana Project (the construction of a new starship that incorporates Borg and Sernaix technology), Harry and B'Elanna find themselves under a much tighter deadline. Harry is also experiencing strange dreams, much as Janeway did earlier (see "Yesterday's Love Story"). Harry manages to get Seven assigned to the project, and her presence speeds the work remarkably. Seven and Harry are also increasingly attracted to each other, to B'Elanna's bemusement. However, during the first attempt to integrate the Sernaix slipstream core into the prototype ship, Seven is suddenly taken over and forced to inject her Borg tubules into the core, finally releasing the Ship Mind Ozymandias (see "A Darker Light") from his hiding place in her cortical implants. Ozymandias speaks to Harry and reveals that there had been another Sernaix Ship Mind in Seven's head; this was the one eradicated in "Mind Trap." He also warns that the Sernaix will be coming soon in force and tells Harry about Section 31. Commander Thalia Barton arrives with orders to terminate the threat by any means necessary. To save Ozymandias, Harry and Seven link minds briefly, leading to a better understanding of each other. Ozymandias surrenders before Barton can destroy him, and turns over all his information about the Sernaix. Barton reports back to her superior, Mr. West -- the head of Section 31.

8.23: Distant Elephants - LauraJo

Part of Admiral Janeway's future (see "Endgame") comes true early as Voyager is converted to a museum in San Francisco. Janeway and Chakotay browse the museum, talking and reminiscing. Tuvok and T'Pel return to Vulcan. Harry and B'Elanna decide to investigate Section 31 further; Vorik is no help to them, but they do manage to find Bashir and O'Brien and compare notes with them (after Seven distracts Quark). The Sickbay displays fail to meet Doc's standards. Tuvok is reunited with his son Sek and meets T'Meni, his granddaughter (see "Hunters"), for the first time. Kim and Torres try Janeway, who does know of Section 31 (see the novel Shadow?) but doesn't have any helpful information. Naomi takes her father to the museum and remarks to Icheb that Ratty isn't mentioned anywhere. Tuvok reflects on Janeway and watches a Vulcan sunset with T'Pel. Admiral Paris advises Janeway to visit Lake George (see "Coda"); she finds Chakotay there, and he gives her a dog. They kiss for the first time.

8-24: Secrets and Lies - Janeway602

The excavation team on the Sernaix planet (see "Jurisprudence") finds Dalby's body, but a Section 31 operative among the team members intercepts it. Harry finds himself uncomfortable with a new officer, Commander Grant, who's been brought onto the Montana Project; Seven recognizes him as one of the two mysterious men she noticed at Voyager's decommissioning in "One Door Closes." Their research strongly suggests that he's part of Section 31. In the Bubble, Speaker Mateth holds a meeting of most of the important Ayrethans to decide whether or not they should take a side in the coming Sernaix/Federation war. The debate goes back and forth, but eventually the council's oldest member convinces the others to join (as Mateth wanted to do). Janeway visits with her mother and sister, who frustrate her by asking about her relationship with Chakotay. The dog's name is revealed to be Amelia.

8-25 & 8-26: 48 Hours - VVS8 Team

Miral's first birthday party draws in Voyager crewmen from around the quadrant. Tuvok returns from Vulcan; Seven and Harry take leave from the Montana Project; Janeway and Chakotay arrive within fifteen minutes of each other, amid rumours (stemming from Tom) that they're a couple. The party is not without brief tensions but goes very well overall. Afterwards, Harry and Seven kiss briefly -- moments before he disappears without a trace. Seven immediately contacts the Parises and Tuvok; Tom in turn goes to tell Janeway, unexpectedly interrupting an intimate moment with Chakotay. A number of ominous Section 31 scenes occur, in which they're confirmed to be in league with the Sernaix. The Sernaix components of the Montana Project's new starship suddenly stop working; they start up again when B'Elanna and Seven arrive, and Ozymandias (who's just been linked with the Realm) tells them that the Sernaix have Harry and will soon be attacking in force. Seven goes public with all her information about the Sernaix and Section 31. Various admirals discuss the problem. The final decision is to "go in head first," and this will include launching the new starship ahead of schedule. When Janeway hears this, she meets with the Federation Council and urges them to put her in command and the former Voyager crew on board, since they're the only ones with experience against Sernaix ships. Sycorax tells Harry that he is the touched one (see "A Darker Light"). The admirals finally decide to do as Janeway asks, but Warhol throws one last spanner in the works -- he convinces them to put Chakotay on another ship, giving his post as first officer to Barton (a Section 31 operative, but the admirals don't know that; see "Echoes of the Mind"). The Voyager crew get ready to go; among the farewells, Tom and his father finally hug again. Janeway arrives on the bridge of the new starship to find, to her delight, that the ship (and its class) have been designated Voyager. Mateth orders the breaking of the Phase. At last, after one of Janeway's trademark speeches, the new Voyager finally enters open space -- only to be surrounded by Sernaix....