BROKEN BOW, PART II

Captain Archer and Ensign Sato are escorted to a holding cell, where Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol are locked up. There the Suliban aliens put Hoshi in, while they take the captain to a secluded area and leave him there.

While Archer is left alone, a woman's voice soon ask him if he was looking for Klaang and why. Archer asks who she is and she tells him that her name is Sarin, one of the list of names on Hoshi's translation padd. Sarin asks Archer where he was taking Klaang and soon, a beautiful young woman appears from the shadows. Sarin then asks Archer to tell her about the people who took Klaang. Archer tells her that they looked a lot like her friends outside and wonders why she doesn't look like them. Sarin asks him if he preferred she did, but Archer prefers she let him know where Klaang is. Sarin then wonders where he will take him once he has him. Archer tells her that they were just taking him home. As she approaches closer to Archer, he warns her that he's a lot taller than she is. Sarin warns Archer that if he's thinking about harming her, she would advise against it. Sarin then asks him why he was taking Klaang home, and as she does, she begins to stroke him. Archer tells Sarin that under different circumstances, he might find this flattering. Then, Sarin proceeds to kiss him. After Sarin kisses him, she pulls back and morphs into her true Suliban self.

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After Sarin's metamorphosis, Archer is stunned and tells her that that's never happened to him before. Sarin tells Archer that she has been given the ability for trust. Archer says that she's Suliban and Sarin tells him that she was a member of the Cabal, but not any longer, as the price of evolution was too high. Archer wonders what price and Sarin informs him that some of her people find themselves more advanced than others and have lost perspective. Archer then tells her that she trusts him, now what. Sarin tells him that Klaang was delivering a message back to his people and Archer wonders how she knows that. Sarin tells him that she gave it to him.

Sarin informs Archer that the Suliban have been staging attacks inside the Klingon Empire and to make it look like that one faction was fighting over the other. Klaang was taking proof of this to his people and without that proof, the Empire would be thrown into chaos. Archer wonders why the Suliban would want that and Sarin tells him that the Cabal doesn't make decisions on their own, as they are simply soldiers fighting a Temporal Cold War. "Temporal?", asks Archer, as he doesn't understand the word and she's lost him. Sarin replies that they are taking orders from the distant future. Archer is stunned to hear this, as he has yet to grapple with time-travel. Sarin says that her people will help Archer find Klaang, but he has to take them with him, as they don't have a starship.

Soon, a disruptor fire interrupts their conversation, as members of the Cabal try to kill Sarin. Archer and Sarin flee for their lives, as they reach the prison cell where the others are kept. Near the prison cell, the Suliban attack each other as the Enterprise's landing party look on helpless. Soon, Sarin and Archer come to rescue the landing party, as Sarin releases the forcefield on the prison and unlocks the weapons that's locked up. She hands their weapons to them and asks them where their vessel is. Archer says that it's on the roof, docking port three. As Sarin leads the way, the firefight between the Suliban's continue.

Sarin leads the landing party to an elevator shaft that will take them to the shuttlepod. As Sarin works the lift controls, Silik fires his disruptor weapon at Sarin. As Sarin lies dying, Archer fires back at Silik, getting help from Commander Tucker. As Archer go to the wounded Sarin, she utters the final encouragement, "Find Klaang," before she dies. Archer and Tucker enter the lift and after they enter, they are propelled upward.

On the roof, a snow storm falls on Rigel Ten. The lift carrying the landing party opens and delivers them to the roof. The team have further trouble, as they can't locate their pod. While Trip says it's one way, T'Pol says it's the other. Soon, the captain gets the pods precise location by contacting the other party. Lt Reed's voice is barely heard as the snow storm interferes with their communications. Archer asks them where they are as they are lost. But, Reed tells the captain to repeat as they are breaking up. Inside the pod, Ensign Mayweather tells Reed to ask the captain where they are, as the storm is interfering with their sensors. Reed asks the captain where they are and the captain says they are on the roof.

When the captain can't read the lieutenant's signal, he closes his communicator. The team soon come to a dead end. Tucker is exasperated and says that he was correct when it was the other way. Soon, the Suliban aliens manages to chase up to them and start firing. As the firing continues, T'Pol manages to spot the shuttlepod hidden behind some fences. Inside the shuttlepod, Ensign Mayweather is exasperated when he can't locate the landing party. He says that he can't find any human bio-signs and they could be anywhere in the complex. Lt Reed soon suggests that he try Vulcan bio-sign and before Travis can input it into the computer, a knock on the door by T'Pol solves his problem, as he says "I've found her."

On the roof, an alien vessel soon takes off and as T'Pol watches the vessel, she is soon thrown away as the vessel fires it's thrusters. The captain orders Tucker to take Hoshi to the pod as he helps SubCommander T'Pol. As the captain fires at the Suliban, T'Pol says that the Enterprise needs it's captain and tells him to give her the weapons. Archer orders T'Pol to the pod, as T'Pol obeys, the captain continues to fire. The captain continues to fire at the Suliban, as he heads for the pod, but before he can reach inside, a Suliban manages to get a shot in the captain's leg. Soon, Reed and Tucker manage to assist the wounded captain into the shuttlepod.

Inside the pod, Mayweather says that the starboard thrusters are down, but T'Pol orders him to ignore it and to take them up. Back on the rooftop, Silik says that he needs instructions. Back in the pod, T'Pol orders Travis to open a channel. As the channel opens, T'Pol informs the crewman that they'll be docking in four minutes and to have to Dr Phlox meet them in decon. The crewman wonders who's wounded and the Vulcan says the captain. She informs them that she will take command of the ship and Tucker reacts to this announcement.

As the wounded captain listens, he reminisces about the time he and his father fly their completed model ship. The young Archer says that he can't do it and his father encourages him by saying he can, and to keep the nose up. True to his word, the young Archer crashes his model ship into the sand and curses. As they approach the downed ship, his father tells him that he can't be afraid of the wind. He should learn to trust it. Just then, the young Archer sees T'Pol off in the distance. The shuttlepod continues toward the Enterprise...

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Back aboard the Enterprise, Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol are isolated in a decontamination chamber. Dr Phlox looks on behind a shielded observation window. Dr Phlox explains that this shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Commander Tucker wonders if this is necessary and Phlox explains that others scanned negative, however, they were exposed to protocystian spores. Dr Phlox tells them that he's loaded the appropriate decon gel in compartment B. T'Pol tells the doctor to inform Mr Mayweather to prepare to leave orbit. Trip asks the doctor how the captain's doing and the doctor says that he's treating his wounds. Trip wonders if he will be all right and the doctor answers eventually, before closing the observation window.

As Tucker and T'Pol enter the decontamination chamber, the room turns blue and the two start rubbing the gel on their bodies. Soon, Commander Tucker breaks the silence by asking T'Pol whether or not she's just an observer on this mission. He doesn't remember anyone telling him that she was a member of Starfleet. T'Pol says that her Vulcan rank supersedes his. Commander Tucker says that's like saying apples and oranges, and reminds her that this is a Starfleet vessel and not a Vulcan ship, and she had no right to take command.

T'Pol tells Tucker that once they're through here, she'll contact the Vulcan High Command and she is certain that Ambassador Soval will speak to their superiors and assert her authority on her. Tucker then says that she must be real proud of herself, as she could put an end to this mission while the captain is still unconscious. She wouldn't even have to look him in the eye. T'Pol explains that their precious cargo is stolen, three or more Suliban have been killed and their own captain is injured; she believes that it seems that this mission has ended itself. Tucker tells T'Pol that Captain Archer deserves to see this through; and if she knew him, that's what he's about and he won't give up until this mission is over. He tells her that his daddy was the same way.

T'Pol soon believes that Commander Tucker thinks that her people was responsible for impeding Henry Archer's accomplishments. Tucker angrily tells her that all Henry Archer wanted was to see his engines fly. They never gave him the chance to fail and yet here they are thirty years later to prove just how consistent Vulcans can be. After finishing putting on the gel, Tucker storms out, leaving T'Pol with some thinking to do.

In Sickbay, the wounded captain lies on a biobed, as Dr Phlox removes a strange sea creature from the wound on his leg. As the doctor removes the creature, he says "very nice, very nice." He explains that the myofibres are fusing wonderfully. The captain wonders how long he was under and the doctor says less than six hours. He explains that he had to sedate him while the osmotic eels cauterize the wounds. The captain thanks the doctor. Soon, Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol enter and asks the captain how he's doing. Archer answers it depends on what's been going on the last six hours. T'Pol explains that as the highest ranking officer she assumed command. Archer says that she didn't waste much time, as he gets off the biobed and asks the commander if they are underway. Tucker nods. T'Pol asks the doctor if the captain's fit to return to duty. The doctor believes he is, as long as he returns for more eel therapy. The captain asks Tucker how long until they reach Earth. The commander is surprised, "Earth, sir?" he asks.

T'Pol informs the captain that they are currently tracking the Suliban vessel that left Rigel Ten shortly after the captain was injured. The captain wonders if they've got their plasma decay rate. T'Pol tells him that with Commander Tucker's assistance, they were able to increase the resolution of their sensors to detect their warp trail. Archer wonders what happened to T'Pol's view of a foolish mission. T'Pol says that this is a foolish mission, as the Suliban are a potentially hostile race with superior technology. She further stresses that as acting captain, she was expected to anticipate the captain's wishes. Archer reminds her that as acting captain, she could've done what the hell she wanted. T'Pol says she should return to the Bridge and the captain dismisses her. As she leaves, Commander Tucker tells the captain that modifying the sensors was her idea, giving the Vulcan some encouragement.

As the Enterprise continue to pursue the Suliban vessel, Captain Archer makes his first log entry. The log indicates that the date is April 16, 2151, as Archer explains that they've been tracking the Suliban vessel that left orbit for ten hours, thanks to the assistance of their science officer T'Pol, who helped them tweak their sensors. The captain pauses as he thinks out aloud. He can't believe how T'Pol would repay his debt after he saved her life back on that rooftop. He believes that's not very Vulcan. The captain resumes his log and says that he has no reason to believe that Klaang is still alive, and if what Sarin has told him is true, it is crucial that he take his message back to his people. The captain pauses again and asks his dog if he's ever known a Vulcan to repay anyone. He thought not. The captain resumes and says that he has yet to tell T'Pol about this Temporal Cold War, and his every instinct tells him not to trust her. Soon, the ship drops out of warp and the captain pauses once again to contact T'Pol. T'Pol says that if the captain is fit enough to return to the Bridge, now would be a good time.

On the Bridge, the crew watch as they enter the gravity of a giant planet. Captain Archer enters the Bridge and T'Pol informs him that they are approaching a gas giant. Captain Archer believes it to be a Class Six or Seven and T'Pol corrects him by saying that it's Class Seven. T'Pol informs him that the Suliban vessel that they were tracking, dropped to impulse and entered it's outer radiation area. Captain Archer becomes exasperated and says they've lost them, and T'Pol confirms. The captain orders Mayweather to move in closer and wonders if Malcolm can get anything. Lt Reed says that the radiation is dissipating their warp trail and he's only picking up fragments. Captain Archer wonders if T'Pol has finished helping them.

After pressing a few buttons, T'Pol orders Malcolm to run a spectral analysis of each of the fragments. As Malcolm does, the viewscreen displays the analysis on screen. T'Pol then orders Malcolm to calculate the trajectory of each of the fragments. Malcolm turns to the captain and wonders if he should take orders from a Vulcan. The captain says he heard her and then orders a science officer to recalibrate their sensors, narrow-band short to mid-range. T'Pol then orders Malcolm to measure the particle density of the thermosphere. The viewscreen soon shows green streaks entering the atmosphere. Archer says that T'Pol's instincts were right and that the signatures weren't from one Suliban ship, but from fourteen distinct vessels T'Pol finishes. She also says that they all converge on the planet and for the last six hours, she believes they have found what they were looking for. The captain wonders how Malcolm's targeting sensors are and Malcolm tells him that they are aligned and ready. Archer orders Malcolm to bring the weapons online and polarize the hull plating. He orders Mayweather to take a sixty degree vector and tells the crew that they're going in.

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Inside the alien structure, Silik communicates with the holographic person again. The holographic person asks Silik if Sarin gave the humans the message, but Silik doesn't know. He wants to know what Silik knows and Silik says that they followed him here. He tells the holographic person that he will destroy them before they locate the helix. The holographic person says that they didn't intend on involving the humans or the Vulcans, not yet anyway. He also stresses that Sarin's message cannot reach Kronos, and if the humans have them, he must stop them.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise descends into the gas giant atmosphere and the going isn't so smooth. Ensign Sato reports that sensor resolution is dropping off at twelve kilometers. Captain Archer asks Travis how he's doing and the helmsman says he's doing fine. SubCommander T'Pol suggests that their situation should improve once they've cleared the cyclohexane layer. As they break through the cyclohexane layer and enter another layer, the ship suddenly shakes. Captain Archer says that this isn't much of an improvement. T'Pol soon scans their situation and says that they've entered liquid phopherous and wouldn't have expected it beneath a layer of cyclohexane.

Ensign Sato suggests to Captain Archer that once they reach home they might recommend seatbelts. Archer says it's just a little bad weather. The situation soon improves as Sato reports that they have sensors back and Archer orders to level off. T'Pol soon reports that she has scanned two vessels very close to them and Archer orders it on-screen. Archer asks for a report on the vessel and Lt Reed says that it has warp and impulse engines. The captain wants to know what kind of weapons, but Malcolm says they're too far away. Ensign Mayweather reports that he's picking up something much larger on his sensors and Archer orders it on-screen. The viewscreen shows a hive-like structure, with miniature pods stuck on them and the captain orders Hoshi to go tighter and for a full scan of the structure. Hoshi reports that the structure contains over thirty-thousand Suliban and she can't isolate Klingon biosigns. As they scan the structure, the smaller vessel starts firing on the Enterprise.

From Engineering, Commander Tucker wants to know what's going on as they are taking heavy damage. The captain informs him that they are running into some bad guys... As they continue to scan, the Enterprise takes heavy damage from the pursuing enemy vessels. When the lead ship closes and the Enterprise takes heavy damage, T'Pol suggests that they return to the phospherous layer to deter the pursuers. As the Enterprise head upward, the vessels stop their pursuit. As the ship shakes from the phospherous environment, T'Pol reports to the captain that the structure is an aggregate with thousands of ship, held together by a maglock seal. Hoshi believes that she's found Klingon biosigns, but T'Pol reminds her that she can't be sure. Malcolm soon suggests that they use the transporting device to bring him back, but the captain says that they'd risk too much by bringing him back inside out. Archer then asks Malcolm if the grappler would work in liquid atmosphere and Malcolm believes it does. Archer orders Travis to once again re-enter the atmosphere...

As the Enterprise re-enters the liquid atmosphere, it starts firing its torpedoes to draw the attention of the Suliban pods. While their shots go astray, it manages to alert two Suliban pods as it fires its much powerful particle weapons at the ship. The ship shakes from the Suliban vessel's hits, as Lt Reed reports that the ventral plating is off-line. Captain Archer orders Ensign Mayweather to hold position. As the Enterprise continues to take a barrage of particle fire, damage becomes more extensive. Lt Reed reports that the lead ship is closing at seven-thousand kilometers. After the forward plating is off-line, Malcolm reports that the lead ship is closing to six-thousand kilometers. T'Pol suggests that they ascend, but Archer is firm as he orders Travis to hold position. As the Enterprise continues to take damage, Captain Archer orders Malcolm Reed to deploy the grappler, just at the right moment. The grappler manages to latch onto one of the Suliban pods and draw it in toward the launch bay. As it does, it's Suliban occupant ejects from the pod and escapes. On the Bridge, Malcolm reports that the Suliban pod is in their launch bay and the Enterprise ascend upwards to a safe location.

Back on the Bridge, Ensign Mayweather, Captain Archer and Commander Tucker learn the intricacies of the Suliban vessel. Travis asks Commander Tucker where the pitch control is and when Tucker points to a panel, Travis corrects him by saying that's the guidance system and that the pitch control is the one next to it. He asks the captain how to deploy the docking mechanism. The captain says that they need to reverse the inertial clamps and then activate the coaxial ports. Travis soon asks Trip where the auxiliary throttle is and it seems the commander is having trouble with an alien instrument panel, which exasperates the helmsman. Travis tells the captain, with all due respect to the commander, he is pretty sure that he can fly this thing. The captain doesn't doubt that but he needs him here. The ship then shakes as the Suliban try to draw Enterprise back to the liquid atmosphere. T'Pol comes over and announces that that charge contained a proximity sweep, and that if they remain here they will be located. The captain urges Travis to speed things up. Trip then says how hard can it be. Forward, reverse, up, down and that he'll get the hang of it.

In the captain's Ready-Room, Captain Archer prepares to rescue the Klingon from the Suliban. He orders T'Pol to tell Travis to set a course for Kronos. T'Pol informs the captain that there is a Vulcan ship not less than two light-years away and it would be illogical to attempt this alone. The captain thought she knew why they had to do this alone and T'Pol suggests that they can demonstrate their independence another time. The captain says there's no time like today and never put it off till tomorrow. T'Pol says they could both be killed and Archer notes a voice of concern in T'Pol's voice. He considers that a human emotion, but T'Pol reminds him that if they die, the Vulcan High Command will hold her responsible. Soon, Malcolm enters the Ready-Room with two boxes and the captain asks him if he's finished. Malcolm shows him the polarity reverser first and shows the captain how to set it off, informing him that it should reverse any maglock. He also tells the captain that once he's set the sequence, he have five seconds after being set. Malcolm also shows the captain their new weapons, which is called a phase pistol. He tells him that there are two settings, stun and kill, and it would be best if the captain didn't get them confused. The captain picks up the boxes and heads out, saying "it's time," telling T'Pol that the ship is hers.

Captain Archer and Commander Tucker head for the helix in their stolen Suliban pod. As they progress, an alarm suddenly beeps and the captain wonders what that is. Trip tells him that Travis told him not to worry about that panel. The captain says that's very reassuring... Back on the Enterprise, Lt Malcolm Reed tells everyone to hang on, as the Suliban continue to deploy their charges. Travis informs the crew that that was a lot closer than last time. Malcolm soon suggests that they move the ship so that the Suliban can start from scratch. T'Pol reminds Malcolm that if they move the ship, the captain won't be able to locate them.

Back in the Suliban pod, Trip wonders where the helix is as they left it right there. The captain orders his commander to bank starboard ninety degrees and as they do, they find their missing helix. The captain orders Trip to bring the docking interface on-line. For a while, Trip seems to have forgotten how to do it, but eventually manages to bring it on-line. The captain then orders the coaxial ports to be brought on-line and Trip obeys. The captain tells Trip that that's the upper support radius and that they'll have to drop right below it. He orders Tucker to begin a counter-clockwise sweep. The captain continues to scan and tells Trip a little more. As Trip pilots the pod, he accidentally bumps into the alien helix's structure, mimicking his run-in with the Enterprise's hull earlier. The captain soon proclaims, "Right there," as the pod docks with the helix.

After docking with the helix, the pod's doors open and Archer and Trip step out with their gear. They soon start searching for Klaang with their scanners, also looking out for any Suliban. When the two run into a Suliban, the captain fires the new phase-pistol and stuns the Suliban. He then tells Trip that stun seems to work... Back on the Enterprise, Ensign Hoshi Sato tells everyone to grab onto something as the Suliban charges knock them off and causes severe damage. Malcolm tells T'Pol that this is ridiculous and that if they don't move the ship, Captain Archer won't have anything to look for when he returns. T'Pol tells Hoshi that she will need her ears. She then orders Ensign Mayweather to move them away five kilometers. Travis wonders in which direction and she orders him any.

Back on board the helix, Captain Archer and Commander Tucker manages to find the room in which Klaang is held. Trip tells the captain that this will be easier than he thought. He then goes to the tied down Klingon and tells him that he's going to get him off this thing. After Trip unbinds Klaang, Klaang knocks Trip down and tries to escape. But, Captain Archer aims the phase pistol at Klaang and tells him that he doesn't want to carry him out of here. Klaang stops. Archer tells Trip that Klaang gets the idea and orders him to help him. When Trip goes to Klaang, Klaang growls his protest. But he has no other choice as he lets Trip help him.

As Archer, Trip and Klaang head back to the ship, Klaang begins growling gibberish in Klingonese. Archer tells Klaang to be quiet as he might attract the Suliban. As Klaang continues to growl, a Suliban particle weapon stops them short. Archer fires back, managing to stun the Suliban. Klaang continues to spit as more and more Suliban fire at them. Trip tells the big Klingon, "You tell 'em, big guy," as he assists the captain in defending themselves. When a Suliban comes around a corner, Klaang manages to grab him and knock him unconscious. Trip thanks the Klingon for his help. Archer orders Trip to hand him the box and orders him to take Klaang back to the ship as he'll be right behind them. As Trip and Klaang head for the pod, Archer sets the maglock polarity reverser on a pole and sets it off. After five seconds, a powerful burst explodes from the box and an alarm sounds throughout the helix. The magnetic plating soon separates and the forcefield activates on all pod entry as the other pods start deploying. Captain Archer then defends himself from the attacking Suliban.

Inside the Suliban pod, Commander Tucker contacts the captain and asks him about his condition. Archer tells Trip that the maglock reverser worked and Trip wonders where he is. Archer tells him that he's still in the central core and orders him to return Klaang back to the ship. Trip wonders what about him and Archer says that he can come back for him. Trip warns him that it will be hard to isolate his bio-signs from the Suliban and suggests the captain stay away from them as possible. Archer tells Trip that he will try. As Trip and Klaang head back toward Enterprise, the other pods explode around them as they lose stability...

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As Trip and Klaang head back to the Enterprise, Klaang shouts an obscenity at Trip. Without the assistance of Hoshi, Trip literally interprets his remarks as Klaang doesn't like his smell and he doesn't like his. Soon, Trip can't find the Enterprise and proclaims that it should be right here... Back on the Enterprise Bridge, Hoshi says she's picking up a notch on her communications board. T'Pol orders her to amplify it and Hoshi puts it on speakers. She says its very faint in the mid range. Lt Reed says that all he hears is noise. She says that it's Commander Tucker and tells them that he's about to ignite his impulse thrusters. T'Pol goes to her station and scans for the commander's signal and relays the coordinates to the helmsman. She orders him to proceed at fifty kilometers per hour. T'Pol thanks Hoshi in Vulcan before returning to the command chair. Travis says that the commander is two kilometers dead-ahead and T'Pol orders for docking procedures. Hoshi then tells the SubCommander that she's only picking up two bio-signs; one Klingon, one human. T'Pol reacts.

Back aboard the helix, Captain Archer tries to look for another way out. He soon locates the room in which Silik contacts the holographic person and his scanners go wild as it is out of temporal sync. Archer soon enters another part of the room and the doors close. After the doors close, a blinding white light engulfs him as it scans him. After it scans him, another door opens behind him and Archer steps through. He does, however, have difficulty walking in this room, as there is a time-dilation effect. Archer plays with the time-dilation a little more as he is confused. He then closes his scanner and arms his weapon.

Back aboard the Enterprise Bridge, there is tension of a different kind, as Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol duke it out. Trip tells T'Pol to turn the ship around, as she is about to break orbit and head for Kronos and Trip tells her that the captain specifically ordered him to return for him. T'Pol says that another rescue mission could jeopardize their original mission to return Klaang back to his people. T'Pol reminds Trip that as an acting captain, she must anticipate his orders and interpret them accordingly, knowing how stubborn the commander can be. Tucker says that he just told her his orders and what's there to interpret. T'Pol says that the situation must be analyzed logically, but Tucker doesn't remember the captain analyzing anything when he went back for her on the rooftop of Rigel Ten. T'Pol accuses the commander of making a specious analogy.

Back in the time-dilation chamber of the helix, Captain Archer runs into trouble as the door to the chamber opens to let another person in. The invisible Silik tells Archer that he's wasting his time, as Klaang knows nothing. He tells Archer that he wouldn't have followed him here, if Sarin gave him what she knew. Silik warns Archer that it would be unwise to set off his weapon in this room. Archer wonders what goes on in this room. Silik says that he is a curious fella and calls him John. He wonders if it's all right to call him John. Archer says that he has him at a disadvantage as he doesn't know who he is. He tells Silik to drop this invisible man routine so that he can see who he's talking to.

On the Enterprise, the crew prepare to rescue the captain, after much consideration by the Vulcan second-in-command. Lt Malcolm Reed reports that the hull-plating has been repolarized. T'Pol orders Travis to stand-by on impulse and contacts Commander Tucker for an update. Trip says that the autosequencer is on-line, however, the annular confinement beam is off by two microns. T'Pol says that it will have to suffice, but Trip isn't so sure. T'Pol reminds Tucker that if the Suliban have re-raised their defences, they will have no option.

Back in the time-dilation chamber, Silik tells Archer that he wouldn't have come looking for Klaang if Sarin had told him what she knew. Therefore he is no threat to him, however, he would like him to leave this room. Soon, the door to the chamber opens and Archer thinks that Silik has left the room. When he faces the door, Silik appears behind Archer for a brief second. Archer says that this chameleon thing is pretty fancy and wonders if it's a repayment for pitting the Klingons against each other; or if it's a trophy from their Temporal Cold War. Just then, Silik appears and knocks Archer to the ground. He then picks up his weapon and tells him that he was going to let him go. Archer then says really, and tells Silik that it's obvious that he doesn't know much about him as he thought he did. Silik says that on the contrary, he knows more about him than he does, including the day he will die. He tells him that that's about to change. Silik fires the weapon, but not realizing that this room has a time-dilation effect, a line of the fire hits Archer and Archer manages to move out of the way of the pistol fire.

As the fire hits the room, it sends out a shockwave, which knocks Silik and Archer to the ground. Archer wonders why he wasn't able to avoid the shockwave, since he has genetic tricks. Silik tells Archer what he calls tricks, he calls progress. Silik manages to pick up Archer's dropped weapon, while Archer hides. Silik points out that the human genome is compared to that of apes and that the Suliban don't share humanity's perception of natural selection. Archer proclaims that the Suliban have struck a deal with the devil to speed the progress of development. He then throws his scanner to the far side and Silik manages to fire the weapon again. Archer goes toward the blinding light chamber as the shockwave helps him. Just as the doors are about to close, Silik manages to enter the chamber. Soon, the two fight as the blinding light engulf them.

As Archer and Silik fight in the scanning chamber, the Enterprise returns to the helix to rescue their captain. But, the going isn't smooth, as there are Suliban pods after them, firing their powerful weapons. On the Bridge, Malcolm reports four more Suliban pods at starboard and T'Pol wonders if they can dock. Ensign Mayweather says that these aren't ideal conditions. T'Pol soon tells Commander Tucker that they are going to Plan B.

Archer and Silik continue to fight in the scanning chamber. As they wrestle on the ground, Silik manages to have the upperhand, when he uses his genetic manipulation to grab the phase pistol. As Silik grabs the phase pistol, Archer manages to punch him in the face before running off. As Archer runs, T'Pol gives the order back on the Enterprise. Silik manages to fire the phase pistol, but not before the captain is beamed back to the ship. After the captain materializes, Tucker contacts the Bridge and informs them that they have him. The captain is stunned to be inside the transporting chamber, but Trip tells him that they had no other choice. The Enterprise leaves the Suliban planet and head for Kronos to deliver Klaang to his people.

On the Klingon homeworld, the Klingon leaders discuss something in the High Council. Their discussion is disturbed by a knock on the door, and the Klingon Chancellor orders his minions to open it. When a Klingon opens the door to the High Council, Captain Archer, SubCommander T'Pol, Ensign Hoshi Sato and Klaang stand. The four soon enter after the doors open and Klaang says something in Klingonese. Hoshi soon interprets for the captain and explains that Klaang said he has disgraced the Empire and is willing to die for it.

Soon, the chancellor approaches Klaang, wields a Klingon knife and slices open his hand. This shocks Hoshi who isn't used to blood. As the blood pours, another Klingon puts it into a vial and moves toward a computer terminal. There, he pours the blood onto a scanner and soon the computer spits out vital information; presumably the message that Sarin gave Klaang. Knowing what it means, all the other Klingon shout their success, which leaves the Enterprise crew perturbed. Soon, the Chancellor goes up to Archer and says something in Klingon while holding the dagger close to his throat. The captain interprets that as thank you, but Hoshi reminds the captain that the Klingon's don't have a word for "thank you." The captain wants to know what he said, but she suggest that it's best he doesn't know.

While in orbit of Kronos, Commander Tucker and SubCommander T'Pol pay a visit to the captain in his Ready-Room. After Tucker and T'Pol enter, the captain tells them that he just received a message from Admiral Forrest. Admiral Forrest told him that he enjoyed telling the Vulcans about the Suliban that they ran into and it isn't everyday that he gets to dispense information to the Vulcans. He then tells them that he wanted to hear Admiral Forrest's orders before he told the crew. He informs T'Pol that a Vulcan ship will be picking her up at a rendezvous point, but T'Pol was under the impression that the Enterprise would be dropping her off. Archer tells her that it will be out of their way as Admiral Forrest believes that they are ready to continue the mission. "Son of a bitch," Tucker says, as he gets excited. Archer informs them that Dr Phlox won't mind staying around a bit, as he has developed a fondness for the human endocrine system. Tucker tells the captain that he'll begin repairs to their damage and Archer says that their outer hull needs patching. He hopes that this will be the last time anyone takes a shot at them.

Before T'Pol leaves, Archer asks her to stick around a little. After Trip departs, Archer reminds her that he's seen Vulcans as an obstacle, preventing them from standing on their own two feet. T'Pol understands, but Archer recoils. He says that for this mission to work, he need to hold back things like preconceptions, holding grudges. He tells her that this mission would've failed without her help. T'Pol won't dispute that. Then, Archer says that a Vulcan science officer could come in handy, but if he asked the Vulcan High Command about her commission, it will look like he wasn't ready for the job. T'Pol says that he should add pride to that list. She then suggests that she were to contact her superiors about remaining behind, with Archer's permission of course. Archer grants her her permission.

As T'Pol and Archer head out, Archer informs the crew that he hopes no one's in a hurry to get home. He tells them that Starfleet believes they are ready to begin the mission. The Bridge crew becomes ecstatic. Archer tells the crew that there is an inhabited planet nearby and Lt Malcolm Reed has detected it. He also explains that it contains a nitrogen sulphite atmosphere. "Probably not human," says Hoshi. Archer says that's what they're here to find out. He orders Travis break orbit and to lay in a course for that planet. Travis says that the course is laid in and he reads an ion storm on that trajectory. He wonders if he should go around it. Archer reminds him that "he can't be afraid of the wind," an old quote his father gave him. As Archer orders Travis to go to warp four, he reminisces further about the time he and his father flew his model plane...