Voyager encounters the Federation Starship Equinox, a Starfleet vessel trapped in the Delta Quadrant by the same alien who brought Voyager there. Equinox is heavily damaged and running with a skeleton crew. Happy to have found each other, Voyager assists Equinox in fighting off a non-humanoid alien race attacking them, but Equinox has earned the aliens' hostility. Captain Ransom and his crew have been kidnapping and killing the aliens to use their unique physiology to enhance their warp drive. When Janeway imprisons the Equinox crew, they stage a revolt. The Equinox EMH commandeers The Doctor's portable emitter and poses as The Doctor aboard Voyager. The cliffhanger leaves Equinox in retreat, with The Doctor and Seven of Nine hostage, and Voyager under attack by the alien race.
—Meribor