Voyager encounters another Federation starship, the USS Equinox, commanded by Captain Rudy Ransom, which the Caretaker also abducted and stranded in the Delta Quadrant. As Janeway tries to figure out Captain Ransom, hostile aliens attack both ships. However, the Doctor exposes a terrible secret the Equinox crew harbors, and Ransom steals Voyager's technology and takes Seven of Nine and the Doctor as hostages.