On a routine diagnostic, Harry Kim discoveries some unusual readings on one of the decks. After some tricorder scans on that deck, they discover what appears to be a faint stasis field emanating from one of the bulkheads. When they dismantle the panel, they find something very unusual -- a female Starfleet officer along with a PADD! Someone has deliberately concealed this person in the bulkhead. The stasis field is deteriorating (which is probably why they detected it), and they must revive the officer at once. She is alive but very weak and quickly lapses into unconsciousness. Tuvok recognizes her, however - she is a Commander Kagan of Starfleet security. The main question for Janeway is - why is Kagan here? And, who put her on board, and when was she put on board? They also wonder about the PADD. It is encrypted and they can't seem to decipher the password. Soon, Kagan revives and is released from Sickbay, but she can't remember much about why she's there. Her physical condition is still weak due to the malfunctioning stasis. Though Janeway is concerned at the motives for Kagan's presence onboard, Kagan is a very witty and pleasant person, and soon becomes friends with a number of the crew. And though she still can't remember her mission, the Doc assures her memories should return soon. To Janeway, though, Kagan's presence shows that someone at Starfleet doesn't or didn't trust her. This really concerns her. The Doctor keeps close watch on Kagan, and she occasionally has terrible headaches or convulsions as a result of the stasis. Eventually Janeway breaks the news of their mission in the Badlands three years ago and their current position in the Delta Quadrant. Though she's seems disturbed, Kagan doesn't seem particularly surprised, which seems a little odd. Everyone accepts her and welcome her as a functioning part of the crew. Eventually, most of Kagan's memories return, and she remembers the password for her PADD. When she reads the contents, though, there is cause for concern. It seems she has been placed there for a specific mission. A little over three years ago, some wreckage was found in the Badlands, and Starfleet found that it had been in the Delta Quadrant. Of course, they never knew about the Caretaker, but they knew there was some phenomenon there that could transport ships from the Alpha to Delta Quadrant and back. Kagan's orders were to take command of Voyager and study the phenomenon and perhaps bring it back for use by the Federation. But, for some reason, Kagan's stasis malfunctioned and didn't "waken" her when they got to the badlands. This disturbs Janeway even more. Why didn't the people at SF HQ trust her? Why hide someone in stasis to take command? Janeway briefs Kagan on the Caretaker and their experiences for the last three years. Kagan is especially interested in the female Caretaker and the possibility for them to return home that way. After some debate, Kagan asks Janeway to turn over the command of Voyager to her and orders Voyager to turn around and go back to their starting point to search for the female Caretaker. Janeway argues that they are now 13 years away from that point (3 10 from Kes), but Kagan insists that SF's orders be followed. Now the crew is in a quandary - do they follow SF's orders, even though they are 57 years from home, or do they ignore those orders and continue to support Janeway? The controversy continues, with the crew split down the middle. Tuvok and Seven seem to lean toward protocol and following orders, but Paris and Chakotay back Janeway. Finally, to preserve order, Janeway relinquishes her command, and Voyager turns back. The tension between the crew increases, but soon Chakotay and Paris catch Kagan accessing a stash of cloaked weapons. She insists this is part of her mission, but Chakotay wants her to answer to Janeway. Kagan stuns them and Janeway learns, to her horror, that Kagan can override some of her command codes. After a cat and mouse chase through Voyager, Kagan is cornered but turns the tables and is about to kill Janeway. But the malfunctioning stasis unit takes its toll and Janeway is able to overpower Kagan. She struggles, and Janeway is forced to stun her. With the effects of the stasis, though, Kagan is dying. In her last breath, she tries to tell Janeway who sent her, but she dies before she can say a word. Voyager then turns around and heads back home, but Janeway now has to wonder who at SF didn't trust her enough…
Lisa's comments: Lisa rather liked this idea, but said they had an episode coming up in which Janeway gets a coded message from Starfleet, and must go on secret mission. Though this story was very different, she felt many of the elements were to similar. She also thought it stretched credibility a bit to think a body in stasis had gone undetected for over three years, especially considering some of the things Voyager has gone through.