After Voyager detects a Federation probe, the bridge-crew wonder if Starfleet has been looking for them. After setting a course for the beacon, they find it in an ion cloud and grow suspicious. Then, the Kazon Nistrim attack, matching their beams with the shield-harmonics of Voyager. The Kazon send a small craft which rams and punctures the hull of Voyager, enabling them to steal one of Voyager's transporter technology-modules, with a distraction in the cargo-bay. The shuttle causes a destabilized warp-field. To prevent the Kazon from escaping, a tractor-beam locks on and Maj Cullah hails them. It turns out that Seska, returning to her Cardassian form, has allied with Cullah and is helping the Kazon upgrade their technology to rival Voyager and dominate the quadrant. Seska calls Chakotay predictable and causes a feedback-loop which breaks the tractor-beam entirely. Voyager, unable to sustain a stable warp-field, cannot pursue. The crew plan on removing the craft before going anywhere. Janeway explains the ramifications of allowing Federation technology to be in the hands of the Kazon, and what might happen to the quadrant. Chakotay interprets this as a personal attack to lure Voyager into another trap for the rest of the ship's bounty of technology for the Kazon.

Meanwhile, on the Kazon Nistrim ship, Cullah attempts to unite the other sects by "sharing" Voyager's technology, starting with the transporter. On Voyager, Torres and Chakotay plan on beaming the transporter technology over; or, in a worse case scenario, destroy the module. Torres notes Chakotay taking this personally, because of how she could easily infiltrate the Maquis. Torres points out that everyone was manipulated, and that he should stay focused. Back on the Kazon vessel, Cullah and the Reloran Maj are finding it hard to unite to take Voyager. Seska offers for the Reloran Maj to return to his ship as they consider the offer, only to later test the transporter on him and his companion. Voyager later finds two of the Reloran Kazons floating in space. The cadavers of the dead Kazon are revealed to have been beamed into space alive. Neelix points out that the Relora are sworn enemies of the Nistrim. Janeway calls a senior-staff meeting, only for Chakotay to have left the ship. He disobeys protocol by taking a shuttle-craft without Janeway's permission. He also has taken the Coil Scanner - the device which will lock a beam onto the transporter-module. On the Nistrim vessel, Seska apologizes for not being able to convince the Relora and the futile negotiating. She reassures him, however, that the technology can prove that the Nistrim will soon conquer all the sects, becoming the most powerful Kazon sect in the quadrant.

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