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May 6, 2005
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42 minutes
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SUMMARY
A xenophobic faction of humanity threatens to undermine talks to form a new coalition of planets.
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TRANSCRIPT
[Corridor]
PAXTON: How serious?
DOCTOR: If the swelling gets worse, it could inhibit her breathing.
PAXTON: I told you to notify me if there was any trouble. Now, you say this has been going on for days?
DOCTOR: The monitoring equipment didn't detect the symptoms until this morning.
[Medical unit]
DOCTOR: It isn't calibrated for this type of patient.
(He checks the readout on the incubator's monitor/)
PAXTON: Well?
DOCTOR: Fever's diminished. She's fighting it off.
PAXTON: That's good news, for both of you.
DOCTOR: Intravascular pressure has stabilised. Blood oxygenation is good.
PAXTON: She looks so innocent. It's almost possible to forget what she represents.
DOCTOR: We don't want to disturb her.
PAXTON: No.
(They leave, and we get a good look at a little blue-eyed baby with pointed ears.)
Captain's Starlog, January 19, 2155. Enterprise has been called home for what could prove to be a pivotal moment in human history.
[Starfleet Command]
(In San Francisco, Starfleet is acting as a conference centre where representatives from several worlds are seated around a large horse-shoe shaped table, listening to a speech by a human. It is being taped by the press, and there are also spectators, including the Enterprise crew standing on a staircase.)
SAMUELS: Having endured a catastrophic World War, Earth's governments came to this city for the purpose of creating a just and lasting peace among nations. Today, we have assembled here again, representatives of numerous worlds, to forge an unprecedented alliance. With this Coalition of Planets, we seek to strengthen our bonds of friendship, render permanent the peace that now exists among us for the ongoing exploration of our galaxy. Let us dedicate ourselves to these worthy goals so that future generations can look back upon this moment with pride and eternal gratitude. Thank you.
(Applause, although Tucker is less than enthusiastic.)
ARCHER: People are watching.
TUCKER: Nobody knows that better than him.
ARCHER: Clap louder. That's an order.
PHLOX: I thought it was a fine speech.
TRAVIS: Just missing a few names.
REED: You'd think this was all his idea.
HOSHI: It's not about who gets credit.
TUCKER: He could've at least mentioned Enterprise. Who does he think got the Andorians and Tellarites talking?
T'POL: I'm sure history will reflect our contribution.
TUCKER: Not if he's writing it.
ARCHER: That's enough.
(Archer leads his people down to meet Nathan Samuels.)
SAMUELS: I hope I didn't embarrass myself too much.
ARCHER: Far from it, Minister.
SAMUELS: Call me Nathan. I want to thank you again for attending. Having Enterprise here seems to put everyone at ease. People feel comfortable in the presence of heroes.
ARCHER: Whatever we can do to help.
SAMUELS: Well, it certainly helps that the delegates can understand each other. These universal translators work perfectly, thanks to you.
HOSHI: I just updated them with a few things we picked up on the mission.
SAMUELS: Whatever you did, they're extremely precise. Though, when I'm listening to the Tellarite ambassador, I wish they were just a little less precise.
T'POL: You've set a formidable goal. The drafting of a charter in six weeks?
SAMUELS: I've always believed that formidable goals produce formidable results.
(Meanwhile, a lady member of the press meets up with Travis.)
GANNET: I decided to stop waiting.
TRAVIS: For what?
GANNET: You to come over and say hello.
TRAVIS: You were busy working.
GANNET: We never had a problem mixing work and pleasure. Smile. I never could get you to smile for the camera.
TRAVIS: How have you been, Gannet?
GANNET: Busy. There haven't been many slow news days since the Xindi attack. I hear you're going to be in the neighborhood awhile.
TRAVIS: At least until the conference is over.
GANNET: We should get together. If we wait another four years, we're going to have too much catching up to do.
TRAVIS: Can't argue with that.
GANNET: I'll pretend that was an enthusiastic yes. Back to work.
(They split up and we watch a pale woman in a coat come into the conference without a security badge.)
T'POL: Commander Tucker does have a point. Enterprise laid the foundation for this event. Perhaps it should be you they're photographing.
ARCHER: Samuels likes the spotlight, and he's welcome to it.
KHOURI: They're going to kill her.
T'POL: Excuse me?
KHOURI: Don't let them.
(She puts a vial into T'Pol's hand and then collapses.)
KHOURI: I'm sorry.
(Phlox opens her coat to reveal a nasty stomach wound.)
REED: It's a phase-pistol wound.
PHLOX: She's going into shock. Get me a med kit!
[Sickbay]
PHLOX: I just received word from Starfleet Medical. The wound was too severe. She didn't survive.
REED: Do they think it could have been self-inflicted?
PHLOX: They didn't say. Do we know who she was?
T'POL: Her name was Susan Khouri. She was a medical technician. She'd been having some emotional trouble. Took a leave from work over a year ago.
TUCKER: Any idea who the hair belonged to?
PHLOX: I have a very good idea.
(He goes to the main monitor.)
PHLOX: It was from a child no more than six months old. I used every DNA identification protocol I'm aware of. I even used a Klingon procedure.
ARCHER: Go ahead.
PHLOX: It contains Vulcan and human DNA. I had the computer search for any matches in the Starfleet databank. When I got the results, I ran the search three more times just to be certain.
ARCHER: And?
PHLOX: According to every analysis, this child is the offspring of Commander Tucker and Commander T'Pol.
[T'Pol's quarters]
(T'Pol is trying to meditate when the doorbell chimes.)
T'POL: Come in.
TUCKER: We got to talk about this.
T'POL: It's difficult to talk about something that doesn't make sense.
TUCKER: Phlox said DNA doesn't lie.
T'POL: Neither do I. I've never been pregnant, Trip.
TUCKER: Then how do you explain all this?
T'POL: I can't. Do you believe me?
TUCKER: Yeah. Phlox must be wrong, that's all there is to it. If you've never been pregnant, then you can't have a baby.
T'POL: Trip, the moment Phlox said that the child was ours, I knew it was true.
TUCKER: But you said you'd never been
T'POL: I haven't.
TUCKER: Then what are you saying?
T'POL: I can't explain how it exists, but I know it does. There's a child out there, and it's ours.
TUCKER: How do you know that?
T'POL: I'm Vulcan.
[Conference room]
(It's too big to be the Captain's mess, and there are flags in the corner now.)
SAMUELS: Fortunately, the news hasn't spread to the general public, and I'd like to keep it that way.
ARCHER: If we made an announcement, someone might come forward with information.
SAMUELS: An announcement of this nature could derail the conference.
ARCHER: How?
SAMUELS: You haven't spent much time on Earth lately. After the Xindi attack, there was a dangerous increase in xenophobia.
ARCHER: We got a taste of it.
SAMUELS: It died down somewhat, but not completely. There are still people out there who want us to stay in our little corner of the galaxy. The news of a Vulcan-human hybrid could inflame them, give them something to rally against.
ARCHER: I can't believe we're talking about more than a small minority.
SAMUELS: As I said, you've been away for a while.
ARCHER: Maybe I just have a little more faith in humanity than you do.
SAMUELS: Can't afford to operate on faith. There's more at stake here than a simple trade agreement. You fought the Xindi. You know better than anyone how Earth's survival depends on alliances with other species. We don't have the Vulcans watching our backs anymore.
ARCHER: This isn't about finding someone else to watch our backs.
SAMUELS: All I'm saying is that there's strength in numbers.
ARCHER: All right. I was hoping you'd have some word on the investigation. My Engineer and Science Officer are eager to get some answers.
SAMUELS: I'm sure they are, but I've heard nothing new.
ARCHER: There's got to be something we can do.
SAMUELS: Starfleet investigators are more than capable of handling this. I suggest we let them do their job. I'll notify you the moment I hear something. I appreciate your co-operation.
(Samuels leaves, and Archer goes to the comm. panel.)
REED [OC]: Reed.
ARCHER: It's Captain Archer. I want you to talk to an old friend.
[Dockside, night]
(A seagull cries, then a voice comes from the mist.)
HARRIS: The last time we spoke, you asked me to never contact you again.
REED: I contacted you. Susan Khouri
HARRIS: First, we need an understanding.
REED: About what?
HARRIS: That by speaking to me, you're back in the game. Simple as that.
REED: Who was she?
HARRIS: She was more than just an emotionally troubled nurse. She was a member of an underground isolationist movement, Terra Prime.
REED: I've heard of them. They want to stop all contact with alien species.
HARRIS: They believe it's corrupting our way of life.
REED: I remember they made a lot of noise back when Enterprise was launched.
HARRIS: They had a resurgence following the Xindi attack. We think Khouri was trying to leave the movement.
REED: That's why they killed her?
HARRIS: Her defection may have had something to do with the child.
REED: I was getting to that.
HARRIS: The child belongs to two of your crewmen. You tell me.
REED: They claim they don't know anything about it.
HARRIS: That doesn't seem likely, does it?
REED: I believe them.
HARRIS: I admire your loyalty. We think Terra Prime is involved, and that they're planning something.
REED: You just don't know what?
HARRIS: We suspect it has something to do with the child. Find it, and we'll have the answers.
[Paxton's office]
(The establishing monochrome shot suggests we're on Moonbase Alpha.)
PAXTON: You recruited her.
DOCTOR: I needed her expertise. I thought she was reliable.
PAXTON: Obviously, you were mistaken.
DOCTOR: If she'd told them anything truly damaging, I think we'd know it by now.
PAXTON: We can't be sure what she told them. Anyway, I'm more concerned with why she turned away from us.
DOCTOR: I think that she might have become attached to the patient. She spent a great deal of time caring for her.
PAXTON: And what about you?
DOCTOR: Me?
PAXTON: Yes. You've spent as much time with that child as she did.
DOCTOR: I feel no differently about it than anyone else that I've treated.
PAXTON: This isn't anyone else. This is an abomination. And when the time comes, it will be treated as such.
DOCTOR: I understand.
(Paxton looks out of the window towards Earth.)
PAXTON: Well, I'm going to miss this place. The simplicity. There's no middle ground here and I can see the Earth. Send in Greaves on your way out.
DOCTOR: Yes, sir.
(The doctor leaves, and nods to a big, big man who enters.)
GREAVES: I gave the men your message. We'll be ready at a moment's notice.
PAXTON: Tell them I appreciate their hard work.
GREAVES: They already know.
PAXTON: There's one other thing. A loose end that needs tying up. Put together a group, have them meet me at the third junction in, say, one hour.
GREAVES: Done.
[Starfleet Command]
SAMUELS: The Tellarites are pushing for an embargo against the Orions. They claim they've been attacking their freighters.
CORIDAN: We have traded with the Orions for centuries. We would've known of these attacks. This is Tellarite slander.
SAMUELS: You have to appreciate their point of view.
CORIDAN: The Tellarites only want to deprive us of valuable commerce. Coridan will never agree to any trade sanctions.
SAMUELS: Ambassador, Captain Archer.
ARCHER: Ambassador.
CORIDAN: I need to contact my government about the today's developments. Excuse me.
(He leaves them.)
SAMUELS: How can I help you?
ARCHER: I want everything Starfleet has on the investigation.
SAMUELS: Why come to me?
ARCHER: Because the Chief Investigator turned me down. You can change his mind.
SAMUELS: I can't do that. I'm sorry.
ARCHER: Susan Khouri was a member of Terra Prime.
SAMUELS: If that's true, it's extremely troubling.
ARCHER: Not as troubling as something else we learned. You were once a member.
SAMUELS: It seems you're doing fairly well investigating on your own.
ARCHER: That's why you wanted this kept quiet.
SAMUELS: I've already explained why there was a need for secrecy. I was very young when I joined Terra Prime.
ARCHER: You were eighteen.
SAMUELS: Didn't you make any questionable choices when you were that age, Captain? It was a stupid mistake. I was a fool. My father had died in a freighter accident and I blamed the pilot, who happened to be Denobulan. We all have our demons. I've exorcised mine.
ARCHER: I don't care what you did when you were young, Minister. I need your help.
SAMUELS: I underestimated you. I suppose I'm not the first person to make that mistake. You'll have your case file within the hour.
ARCHER: Thank you.
[Travis' quarters]
(He's in casual clothes, working at his computer when the doorbell chimes.)
GANNET: (camera apparently on) I can't decide if I like you better in uniform or not.
TRAVIS: What are you doing here?
GANNET: I've been assigned to do a story on Enterprise. They can build a ship that goes faster than light, but they can't give you a decent-sized room.
TRAVIS: A story?
GANNET: It's told from the perspective of the crew. It'll cover the missions, the perils, life in space. So, shall we start with a tour?
TRAVIS: I've got some work to do.
GANNET: You're not on duty.
TRAVIS: Gannet. (She switches off the camera.)
GANNET: Okay, so, maybe I wasn't assigned the story. Maybe I suggested the idea to my editor.
TRAVIS: He know how you feel about space exploration? That it's the last vestige of colonial impulse?
GANNET: I only said that to keep you from signing onto this mission.
TRAVIS: Find another story to do.
GANNET: It's too late. It's due a week from today.
TRAVIS: Then you're going to have to find another source for your information.
GANNET: Why are you avoiding me?
TRAVIS: Can you give me one reason why I shouldn't avoid you?
GANNET: We both called it off. It was a mutual decision.
TRAVIS: And it looks like you've changed your mind.
GANNET: I haven't decided yet.
TRAVIS: That's the first honest thing you've said.
GANNET: So, reward me by giving me that tour.
[Sickbay]
TUCKER: Got a minute?
PHLOX: Certainly.
TUCKER: This baby, can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?
PHLOX: It's a girl.
TUCKER: A girl. Is it okay? I mean, it's part human and part Vulcan.
PHLOX: Vulcan and human physiology are not all that dissimilar. From the evidence I have, there's no reason to believe she's anything but perfectly healthy.
TUCKER: That's good to hear.
PHLOX: You'll also be interested to know she has your eyes, and T'Pol's ears.
TUCKER: I still can't believe it.
PHLOX: I'm in something of a quandary about it myself. Especially since T'Pol's never been pregnant.
TUCKER: She could have gotten pregnant and not told me about it.
PHLOX: And she had the embryo removed, also without your knowledge? I believe you know the answer to that theory, Commander.
TUCKER: Yeah, I guess I do.
PHLOX: We'll get to the bottom of this soon enough. Until then, I suggest you keep any such theories to yourself.
TUCKER: That's good advice. You know, my father always wanted a granddaughter. He bugged my sister about it constantly.
PHLOX: It seems he got his wish.
TUCKER: Yeah.
[Paxton's office]
(He's watching a recording on a screen. The speaker is talking to an audience and being applauded.)
GREEN [on screen]: In the shadow of this incalculable devastation, we find ourselves facing a colossal challenge. There's an entire world to rebuild. Not only our cities and homes, but mankind itself! Now is not the time not the time for timidity and second guessing. We cannot afford to doubt ourselves.
(Greaves enters.)
PAXTON: The Third World War had just ended and the cease-fire was barely three years old.
GREEN [on screen]: Unless we act decisively, we will pass on the scars of mutation and decay to future generations.
GREAVES: Colonel Green.
PAXTON: Colonel Green. One of many men history has misunderstood.
GREEN [on screen]: For the sake of our children, and our children's children, we must reject the impure and cast it out!
PAXTON: (switching off the screen) Before my father died and left me in this facility, I was studying to be a historian. Until I had a very verbal confrontation with a certain professor who claimed that Green was nothing more than a genocidal madman.
GREAVES: Sounds like we had the same professor.
PAXTON: Green euthanised hundreds of thousands who were afflicted with radiation damage. Their millions of descendants would've endured horrible disease, yet history, history never says anything about that suffering that Greene prevented.
GREAVES: Guess it all depends on who writes the history.
PAXTON: Makes me wonder if I'll be remembered with any more accuracy.
GREAVES: I don't think you're going to be misunderstood.
PAXTON: Really? Sometimes, I'm not certain I understand myself.
GREAVES: We did what we had to do, not what we wanted to do.
PAXTON: I'm sure Greene told himself the same thing.
GREAVES: He was right, and so are we.
PAXTON: Daniel, you are a wise man.
GREAVES: Medical report on the patient. Her symptoms are gone. She's one hundred percent.
PAXTON: That's wonderful. Wonderful. Thank you.
(After Greaves leaves, Paxton goes to his desk, gets out a hypospray and injects himself.)
[Corridor]
(Gannet is getting her tour and interview.)
TRAVIS: That was some serious flying, trying to keep the warp fields aligned. Columbia was fifty metres above us. One wrong move and we would've lost Commander Tucker.
GANNET: How did you keep your cool?
TRAVIS: When I was studying to be a pilot, I memorised something Chuck Yeager said. I never let myself be afraid. I just focus on the dials and concentrate on flying.
GANNET: That simple, huh?
TRAVIS: Most of the time, simple works best.
[Launch bay]
TRAVIS: These are the shuttlepods.
GANNET: Which one did you use to penetrate the Sphere in the Expanse?
TRAVIS: Shuttlepod One. Do you want to see inside?
GANNET: If it's okay.
(Travis opens the hatch for her.)
[Shuttlepod]
GANNET: Beautiful little ship.
TRAVIS: I always thought so. Unfortunately, we use the shuttlepods less and less.
GANNET: Why?
TRAVIS: We're getting more comfortable with the transporter.
GANNET: Makes sense. Gets you there in a few seconds.
TRAVIS: Yeah, but there's no skill involved.
GANNET: Nothing to fly.
TRAVIS: I've always had a tendency to get attached to machines. It's crazy, but every time we use the transporter, I feel we're kind of turning our backs on these guys.
GANNET: You can't make a choice without leaving something behind.
TRAVIS: When I saw you at that conference, I started thinking about things, decisions I've made.
GANNET: Is it my imagination, or are you actually opening up to me?
(She takes off the camera.)
TRAVIS: Don't do that.
GANNET: What?
TRAVIS: Whenever things get a little serious, you always turn it into a joke.
GANNET: It's a bad habit. I have a lot of those.
(She kisses him.)
GANNET: Here's another one. When I'm attracted to someone, I can't hide it for long.
TRAVIS: You and your bad habits.
(They get into a serious clinch.)
[Conference room]
REED: The autopsy data confirms what we already knew: Susan Khouri was killed by phase-pistol fire.
T'POL: The case file contains very little else in the way of evidence. Some biographical data on Khouri. Most of it's out of date.
REED: They don't even know where she'd been living for the past year. It's like she dropped off the face of the Earth.
PHLOX: That may be exactly what happened.
REED: You know something?
PHLOX: Her blood had elevated levels of growth hormone. I ran some more tests and found traces of myofibrilin.
REED: That's what they prescribe for extended zero-G missions. It's hardly used anymore outside of military exercises. Not since the invention of artificial gravity.
PHLOX: It is still given to workers in remote places where artificial gravity isn't practical.
ARCHER: Like mining colonies.
T'POL: The nearest one is Orpheus, on the moon.
REED: I have heard that the moon is a hotbed of Terra Prime activity. You know, I think Travis has a friend who worked on Orpheus. He might be able to get a couple of us inside. We could pay a little visit, undercover.
TUCKER: I want to be a part of that visit.
T'POL: I'd like to volunteer as well.
ARCHER: Tell Travis to see what he can do.
REED: Yes, sir.
(At the Orpheus Mining Facility he workers have air in the mine, but they're lifting and moving rocks by hand for some strange reason. Then they discover the battered body of the doctor.)
Captain's Starlog, supplemental. With help from Travis's contact, Trip and T'Pol have been processed into the Orpheus Mining Facility.
[Orpheus Mining Facility]
(We see a rock face being cut by an industrial laser.)
TUCKER: This is the second time we've been through here. We've seen all this before.
T'POL: We still have twenty minutes before we have to report to the foreman.
TUCKER: Maybe you downloaded an outdated map.
T'POL: The map is correct.
TUCKER: Maybe you're reading it wrong.
T'POL: We could ask for directions.
TUCKER: Give me that.
(He takes the PADD off her.)
TUCKER: I think I know what the problem is.
T'POL: What?
TUCKER: We're lost. Let's try that direction.
T'POL: Any particular reason?
TUCKER: It's the only tunnel I don't recognise.
(They have left a busy work area behind.)
T'POL: Trip.
TUCKER: I think we're getting there.
T'POL: I know you're not convinced I've told you the truth, about the child.
TUCKER: What do you mean?
T'POL: You think I might have gotten pregnant without your knowledge.
TUCKER: I never said that.
T'POL: I know.
TUCKER: You been talking to Phlox.
T'POL: No. Have you?
TUCKER: Look, it's because you're Vulcan, isn't it, that you know all this.
T'POL: I believe so.
TUCKER: I am sick and tired of this bond we've got.
T'POL: I don't particularly enjoy it, either.
TUCKER: Listen, for the last time and for the record, I do believe you. And if you get anymore feelings. What?
(He follows her gaze to a door labeled Quadrant 3.)
TUCKER: There it is. Come on, let's go.
[Travis' quarters]
(It's dark, because there are clothes scattered everywhere, and the couple are in bed. She's still wearing her push-up bra, though.)
TRAVIS: I'm glad we finally left the shuttlepod.
GANNET: I thought you liked shuttlepods.
TRAVIS: I like flying them.
GANNET: Sure felt like we were flying. I have a rule. If I'm in bed with someone, they have to be in bed with me.
TRAVIS: What was that?
GANNET: You are not here.
TRAVIS: I'm just worried about some friends of mine.
GANNET: Want to talk about it?
TRAVIS: I'm under orders not to talk about it.
GANNET: That's the last thing you should tell a reporter.
TRAVIS: Let's change the subject. How come you haven't settled down?
GANNET: I'm never going to settle down. It doesn't mean I'm not going to get serious with someone, if the right circumstance comes along.
TRAVIS: And what constitutes the right circumstance?
GANNET: I'll know it when it happens. What did you mean earlier about reconsidering some decisions you've made?
TRAVIS: I've spent my whole life in space, going from one place to the next. Seeing you, I was wondering, maybe the next challenge, at least for me, is to stay in one place for a while.
(They kiss. Again.)
[Bridge]
REED: Hoshi.
HOSHI: Hmm?
(She's working on a translator device.)
HOSHI: No word yet from Trip or T'Pol.
REED: Is there anything I can help with?
HOSHI: Six of the universal translators started confusing Rigelian with Andorian. There's a glitch somewhere, but I can't find it.
REED: Carry on.
[Orpheus Mining Facility]
(Tucker is wandering around with his map.)
JOSIAH: Fresh off the boat? One of the S-K models. They only give them to grubbers.
TUCKER: I guess you found me out.
JOSIAH: Josiah.
TUCKER: Turner.
JOSIAH: What brings you to this dump site?
TUCKER: Change of scenery.
JOSIAH: Yeah, that's what I was after, too. Only it wasn't the landscape I got sick of. At least there aren't as many of them up here. Seems like everywhere you go, humans are getting to be an endangered species.
TUCKER: Know what you mean.
JOSIAH: Bad enough you can't walk down the street without some freak show scaring the hell out of your kids. Now the government's making treaties with them.
TUCKER: Sometimes I wonder where it's all going to end.
JOSIAH: It's going to end with human beings becoming second-class citizens on their own world.
TUCKER: Someone's got to make a stand.
JOSIAH: Yeah, that's how I feel, too. Some of us are meeting tonight at twenty two hundred. Level seven, junction four. I think you'll like what we have to say.
TUCKER: I'll try and make it.
JOSIAH: I'll look for you.
(He leaves and T'Pol turns up.)
T'POL: I've learned something.
(Trip shushes her.)
TUCKER: One of the locals isn't very fond of Vulcans. You were saying?
T'POL: A doctor from one of the medical facilities was found dead yesterday. They think it was a cave-in.
TUCKER: You're not buying it.
T'POL: He worked at the same clinic as Susan Khouri.
TUCKER: I think we each know what we're doing tonight.
[Level 7, Junction 4]
JOSIAH: Seven million people wiped out by aliens. Did the Xindi even apologise?
ALL: No!
JOSIAH: Did our government ever demand an apology?
ALL: No!
JOSIAH: And where are the reparations for the families of those seven million? And now those same leaders want to form a Coalition with Tellarites, Andorians, Rigelians, Coridanites and Vulcans! Vulcans, who not too long ago, massacred forty five humans working at the Earth embassy! Nathan Samuels claims that future generations will look back on this era with pride. But if things keep going the way they're going, there won't be any future generations. At least not human. I love humanity too much to sit by and let that happen.
(Meanwhile, T'Pol is scanning the area where the doctor's body was found when she gets shot.)
JOSIAH: It's estimated that there are at least five thousand unregistered aliens on Earth. Now, another study puts that figure at ten thousand. This insanity is the direct result of our government's policy and the enforcers of that policy, Starfleet! We need to send a message to the people in power. And there's someone here tonight who is going to help us do just that. Commander Tucker, of the Starship Enterprise!
(Everyone turns to stare at him.)
[Travis' quarters]
TRAVIS: All that stuff I said about leaving the ship.
GANNET: Of course, it's off the record. While you're on duty, you mind if I stay here and work a bit?
(The doorbell chimes. Travis opens the door to Archer and Reed, with two MACOs in attendance.)
ARCHER: I need to speak to Gannet.
GANNET: Something wrong?
ARCHER: Come with us.
GANNET: Where?
TRAVIS: What's going on?
GANNET: She's not here to do a story on Enterprise, Travis.
REED: She's a spy for Terra Prime.
[Orpheus Mining Facility]
(Josiah pushes Tucker into a room. Greaves is already there with T'Pol.)
TUCKER: Are you all right?
T'POL: I think so.
TUCKER: What did you do to her?
JOSIAH: Hey, hey.
GREAVES: Not nearly enough.
(The door opens.)
PAXTON: It's not worth it, Romeo. Juliet's in good hands. The two star-crossed lovers. I can't help but wonder whether your little drama will end happier than that famous double suicide in a medieval tomb.
TUCKER: Who the hell are you?
PAXTON: John Frederick Paxton. I run this facility.
TUCKER: Not for long.
PAXTON: You're right there, Commander. My mining business is about to take a turn for the worse. Daniel, get started.
TUCKER: You're behind this.
PAXTON: Behind this? No. I lead this, and proudly too. Before you ask, your child is safe and sound, finally sleeping through the night. I forgot how much trouble a newborn can be.
TUCKER: I want to see her.
PAXTON: No. And no is a word that Starfleet better get used to hearing from now on. Because up until today, it's always been yes, hasn't it? Yes, yes, go right ahead. roam the stars. Yes, inform potentially hostile species of the whereabouts of Earth. Yes, entrust the entire future of our world to non-human creatures who don't even feel like we do. Yes, promote the total degradation of mankind by encouraging alien-human relations. Well, yes is a word that ends here and now. I'm returning Earth to its rightful owners. I am giving Earth back to humanity, back to human beings. It is my life's work. It is what I was born to do, and there is no one, not an alien, not a human, that will stop me from achieving it.
[Another room]
PAXTON: My father designed this facility. He knew that mining was an unpredictable business. Mines tap out, veins dry up.
JOSIAH: Everyone's aboard, sir.
PAXTON: Go to launch mode, Daniel. You're an engineer. I think you'll appreciate this. Take a good long look.
(The main superstructure of the mining facility starts to change configuration. It detaches itself from the moon's surface and engines start up.)
TUCKER: Where are we going?
PAXTON: For you, this'll be like a walk across the street. Lock it up.
(Steel shutters close across the windows.)
PAXTON: You better hang onto something. She gets a little rusty out of the gate.
(Orpheus takes off.)
[Conference room]
ARCHER: You reconfigured your universal translator to record messages from all the other translators. You were spying on the delegates.
HOSHI: You accidentally triggered an ID protocol in the network. I tracked it back to the source.
GANNET: I don't know what you're talking about.
REED: You sure know what everyone else was talking about.
TRAVIS: Maybe she was after a story. It doesn't mean she worked for Terra Prime.
ARCHER: We did a background check. In the last month, you made three trips to the lunar colony.
GANNET: Is that a crime?
ARCHER: Depends on what you're doing there.
GANNET: I was on assignment.
REED: For?
GANNET: My news agency.
REED: Your editor claims he never sent you.
GANNET: Look, if I'm under arrest, then
ARCHER: Two of my crewmen are at Orpheus Mining Complex. We've lost contact with them.
GANNET: I don't know anything about your crewmen.
ARCHER: Are they in danger?
GANNET: I want to speak with counsel. Now.
ARCHER: Take her to the Brig. Get her whoever she wants.
(Reed takes Gannet away.)
CREWWOMAN [OC]: Bridge to Captain Archer.
ARCHER: I'm sorry, Travis. Archer.
CREWWOMAN: A large vessel is taking off from the mining facility.
ARCHER: Can you identify it?
CREWWOMAN: Sir, sensors indicate it is the mining facility.
[Orpheus Bridge]
JOSIAH: We're being hailed. It's Starfleet Command.
PAXTON: Ignore them. Reactor status?
GREAVES: Ready.
TUCKER: You're going to warp?
PAXTON: A five second burst.
T'POL: Inside the system?
TUCKER: We'll be lucky if we don't fly apart.
PAXTON: I plan on luck. Go.
GREAVES: Ten seconds.
(Everything starts shaking - a lot.)
[Bridge]
ARCHER: Hail them. Pursuit course, Travis.
TRAVIS: Aye.
HOSHI: No response, sir.
ARCHER: Tell Starfleet Command we're going after them.
[Orpheus Bridge]
GREAVES: We're in Mars orbit. All systems functioning.
PAXTON: That was a magnificent piece of flying, Daniel.
GREAVES: That's yet to come.
PAXTON: Impress me again.
GREAVES: Taking us down.
(The metal doughnut descends through the red atmosphere.)
PAXTON: Let's see it.
(They're coming in to land near a massive ray-gun device.)
GREAVES: Slowing our descent.
(Big metal feet thump onto the surface.)
PAXTON: Tie us in.
(A clamp fastens onto a pipe.)
GREAVES: It's ours.
PAXTON: Let's take in the view.
(The shutters open.)
PAXTON: This is where it all begins. Josiah.
[Bridge]
REED: They're on the surface.
ARCHER: Where?
REED: They've landed near the verteron array. It's used to redirect comets.
HOSHI: They're sending a subspace message on all frequencies.
PAXTON [on viewscreen]: My name is John Frederick Paxton. I've just taken over the verteron array on Mars. I can now fire on any ship or facility in the system.
(The big ray gun turns and fires a beam.)
REED: He's targeted Earth's moon.
(A new lunar crater is born.)
PAXTON [on viewscreen]: I have no intention of using this weapon again, provided that every single non-human in our system leaves immediately. A new era is at hand, an era that will expose the concept of interspecies unity as an absolute and vicious lie. An era that will witness the advent of a human-centred consciousness
[Orpheus Bridge]
PAXTON: that will place our world before all others. As of this moment, mankind casts off the shackles of alien interference and now determines its own fate.
[Bridge]
PAXTON [on viewscreen]: Terra Prime forever.
To Be Continued...
2024-09-12 02:49:45 -
Pike:
Added the transcript.
