Chakotay, Tuvok and others are eager to send a probe into the orange object -- the same one glimpsed by the hapless astronaut centuries earlier -- but Seven irritably asks why the crew cares so much about exploration and discovery.

Regardless of her protests, the probe is sent anyway, and soon reveals the presence of titanium and polymer composites, materials used in early Mars missions. Could this be the same anomaly that swallowed the Ares 4 capsule and its pilot, Lt. John Kelly?

"An unexpected discovery indeed," says Tuvok.

Chakotay and Tom organize an away mission to take the souped-up Delta Flyer shuttle into the ellipse to retrieve the capsule. After a stern lecture from Janeway about the value of exploration, Seven reluctantly agrees to join. They have only 16 hours before the anomaly is scheduled to vanish again.

Seven is nonplussed.

Juvenile fantasies and dark matter
The shuttle team enters the ellipse, where they find various objects amid the luminous orange haze, some quite ancient. Chakotay, enthused, tells Seven his childhood dream was to be a paleontologist. She reluctantly acknowledges she too had a childhood goal -- to be a ballerina -- but dismisses it as a "juvenile fantasy."

They locate the Ares 4 capsule but immediately are distracted by wild fluctuations in their orange environment. The entire anomaly is minutes away from a collision with a "dark matter asteroid."

Although ordered by Voyager to return, Chakotay decides to first deploy a tractor beam to seize the historic Ares capsule. Unfortunately, this delays the away team, leaving them in the anomaly when it hits the asteroid. Chakotay is knocked out, the shuttle is damaged, and the Ares capsule drifts a few hundred meters away.

Chakotay revives, in considerable pain, only to hear a diatribe from Seven about how his "obsession" with exploration has put their lives in danger. Chakotay acknowledges error but dislikes Seven's attitude.

They need a plasma manifold to get the shuttle operational again. B'Elanna suggests they use an "old one" from the Ares 4 capsule. Seven changes into a white spacesuit and prepares to beam over. Chakotay, lying down, envies her for being about to step into "history." She says "history is irrelevant" but agrees to download info while on the capsule.

A valuable lesson for all
Seven beams over to the Ares 4 and makes her way to the cockpit. She gets the capsule's computer on line and, at Chakotay's request, starts playing videos left behind by Lt. John Kelly.

It's 2032 again. We see Kelly floating in the capsule, alive -- Federation historians had always assumed he was killed instantly upon being sucked into the anomaly.

We watch Kelly's final hours and minutes. He can't get a fix on the capsule's position because the stars are lost behind orange haze. A ruined alien spacecraft drifts by his window, heartening him that space exploration is worthwhile since humanity is "not alone."

Kelly says goodbye to a photo of his significant other, asking "whoever finds this" tape to make good use of it. The video breaks off with him near death.

Seven watches all this on the monitor, and looks quite moved. She frantically works to download the info. Finally, grabbing the plasma manifold, she beams back to the Delta Flyer.

As the shuttle's engines roar back on line, the anomaly starts collapsing and Voyager moves in to help rescue them with a tractor beam. With no time to spare, the away team escapes to safety.

Aboard Voyager, the crew assembles for the belated funeral of Lt. John Mark Kelly. Janeway conducts a eulogy of ambitious oratory scope.

Seven adds a speech of her own -- she's learned the importance of explorers like Lt. Kelly -- and then dissolves into sobs. Everyone watches solemnly. Many eyes gleam.

The honor guard lines up. A high-pitched whistle blows. And Lt. Kelly's coffin is rocketed back into space.