Stardate 51762.4: Voyager picks up spatial distortions and encounters a small vessel, whose engine core is about to blow up. Tom Paris identifies the engine as an experimental coaxial warp drive. He manages to contain the failure, thereby saving the life of the pilot, a man named Steth. Tom subsequently helps Steth in the repairs of the vessel, and suggests to use a "carburetor", actually a polaric modulator, to dilute the particle stream into the drive. When the repairs are finished, Steth switches bodies with Tom. He returns to Voyager as "Tom", whereas he sends the real Tom out of reach in the coaxial warp drive ship. Tom has been locked out of the controls and can't return to Voyager. Moreover, Benthan patrol ships manage to pinpoint the ship and want to retrieve it, but another vessel chases the Benthans away. A woman contacts Tom, who claims to be the real Steth and who wants his body back. Tom explains his situation. The two enable the ship again and set a course for Voyager. On Voyager, the false Tom has raised suspicion. He switches bodies with Janeway. In Janeway's disguise, the alien takes a shuttle that has been fitted with the coaxial drive and tries to escape. But Tom fires at the "carburetor" and disables the engine. Back on Voyager, the body switches are reverted. After Janeway, Tom and Steth have been restored, this leaves the unknown alien in the shape of the woman. This body is not his own, so it still remains a problem to trace back the history of the alien and find the women whose body was stolen.

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