As Kathryn Janeway tries to adjust to the changes on Voyager created by the presence of the story telling circle, she also tries to deal with her own beliefs about the nature of command… and to help Tom Paris through a rough spot in his own life.

Kathryn Janeway struggles with the question of the Maquis, and the balance of her command team, while also coming to terms with her own difficulties in accepting her exile in the Delta Quadrant.

With Kes in a coma, Kathryn Janeway has to deal with an alien culture to gain medical assistance for her. In the process, she and Chakotay continue to work out the intricacies of their professional and social relationship, and Kathryn works on her adjustment to the changes forced on her by the Delta Quadrant.

Chakotay faces two dilemmas, one on the spiritual plane, one on the personal. After being wounded in a fall, he is drawn up into the sky world, where the Thunderpeople seek to persuade him to take up the gift of mashkiki (medicine) and become Voyager’s shaman. Meanwhile in the middle world, he must decide what to do about his feelings for Janeway. One way or the other, his role and place on Voyager is changing.

This last story in the Talking Stick/Circle series takes Janeway, Chakotay, and the crew of Voyager into the heart of a genocidal war. Will they survive? If they do, will the relationships they have formed survive? And what will be the cost paid? The darkest of the series, this episode deals with questions of war, violence, intolerance, and helplessness. Probably not for the faint of heart, or those who find themselves unable to watch the international news reports. Otherwise, get out your hankies, and buckle up for a rough ride to the Waren-Pyre.