Gwyn sends the crew behind enemy lines to rescue her father, and they discover the source of Asencia's new weapons.
With the Federation and the Vau N'Akat close to war, Gwyn proposes sending the Protostar crew behind enemy lines, since as non-Starfleet personnel their actions are less likely to provoke a conflict. Their goals are to rescue her father and find the source of Asencia's weapons, and Maj'el leaves Nova Squadron to join them.
They learn that Wesley is the source. Wesley reveals he let himself be captured to trick Asencia into building the technology needed to fix the paradox, and that Ilthuran was never meant to be rescued because he is destined to overthrow Asencia. Dal beams Wesley and Ilthuran to Voyager anyway. Diandra Pendleton-Thompson wrote the episode.