- Enterprise is for the second time on its way to Risa when yet again another urgent matter comes up: a distress call. It comes from a small vessel. The owner, Zobral, is extremely happy with the help from Enterprise and invites Captain Archer to his home world for a good meal and a game of Geskana. When Archer and Trip have landed on the desert planet, Enterprise gets a message from the Torothan Chancellor Trelit. He says Zobral isn't as nice a man as captain Archer thinks.
- Enterprise is on a course for Risa to take shore leave when they respond to a distress call from a ship experiencing engine problems. Its pilot, Zobral (Clancy Brown), invites Captain Archer and Commander Tucker to his home planet. They share a sumptuous meal together and Zobral is a generous host. Later, Enterprise is hailed from the planet by Chancellor Trellit (Charles Dennis) of the Torothan government, who tells Sub-Commander T'Pol that Zobral and his men are terrorists, and that Archer and Tucker will probably never be seen again.
T'Pol hails Archer to warn him, and he makes an excuse to leave. Zobral entreats them to stay, saying that after years of abuse by the oppressive Torothan government, and steadily failing attempts of resistance against it, his people are in dire need, and have been searching for outside help. He begs Archer's assistance and use of Enterprise's resources to defeat his people's oppressors. Archer tells Zobral that he doesn't know what he can do, Zobral thinks he is only being humble, and tells Archer he had recently been told by a Suliban transport captain of Archer's outstanding bravery, exceptional abilities, and recent liberation of "thousands" of Suliban prisoners from a detention camp, defeating an entire army in the process.
The Torothan government bombards the village. Archer and Tucker are led to a shelter, where they remain until the house above them is destroyed. They grab survival packs and leave on foot, heading east across the desert to a deserted building, where they take shelter from the heat and Archer tends to Tucker, who has heatstroke. Meanwhile, on Enterprise, Lieutenant Reed detects weapons fire on the surface, and Ensign Sato can't hail Archer as the region is being jammed. Trellit informs T'Pol that any shuttle-pod entering the area will be considered an enemy vessel and fired upon. The Torothans also erect a dispersion field to prevent Enterprise from scanning the surface and send out ships of their own to hunt for Archer and Tucker.
Zobral rendezvous with Enterprise and is met by T'Pol and Reed, who inform him that the account of Archer's liberation of the Suliban prisoners was true, but wildly exaggerated. Initially angered and disappointed, Zobral turns to leave, but is eventually persuaded to help T'Pol and Reed sneak a shuttle-pod past the Torothan defenses (Zobral says that the Orbital detection grid has a gap that opens up every 46 minutes for a few seconds, enough to sneak a shuttle-pod in) in order to locate Archer and Tucker. While searching for bio-signs, T'Pol observes a bombardment of the ruined encampment from a distant battery, and orders that a new course be set, believing the Torothans have located them. After destroying the Torothan mortar, they land and collect the pair. Aboard Enterprise, Zobral prepares to leave, and Archer tells him that becoming involved in planetary conflicts is not the reason why Starfleet is exploring the galaxy. As they walk away, T'Pol tells Archer that he did the right thing, but Archer replies that he has a feeling that Zobral's cause is a cause worth fighting for.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content