DIRECTED BY
AIRED ON
May 12, 2004
RUNTIME
42 minutes
STARRING
VIEWS
155
LAST UPDATE
2024-09-12 18:26:53
PAGE VERSION
Version 1
LIKES
0
DISLIKES
0
SUMMARY
Archer and Hoshi stand before the Xindi Council as T'Pol and Reed lead a team into the heart of a Sphere.
STORY
No story yet.
BEHIND THE SCENES
No trivia yet.
QUOTES
FILMING LOCATIONS
TOPICS
No topics yet.
REVIEWS
Good
Written by
Pike on 2021-05-17
★
★
★
★
★
A good episode, with Benton trying (and failing) to run the ER, Marc in a falling helicopter and Kovac trying to deal with the aftermath of killing his assailant.
VERDICT
I give it 5 out of 10. Good.
TRANSCRIPT
T'POL [OC]: Previously on Enterprise
DANIELS [Enterprise J]: We're four hundred years in the future.
ARCHER: You know about the alien we found, the test subject?
DANIELS: He belongs to the same race that built the Spheres. They're altering this space to make it habitable for their species. You have to make the Xindi understand that humanity isn't the enemy.
DEGRA [Degra's ship]: The weapon won't be launched for several days. Show us your proof.
DEGRA [Sickbay]: You're saying the Expanse will no longer be compatible for us.
PHLOX: For any of us.
ARCHER [Ready room]: We're destined to form an alliance to stop them.
DEGRA: You need to speak to the Council. With the evidence you've shown me they'll have no choice but to take us seriously.
BUILDER [Xindi Council Chamber]: If it weren't for my assistance your species would be facing destruction.
DEGRA: Is it true your species built the Spheres?
[Degra's ship]
DOLIM [on viewscreen]: Where is Degra?
ARCHER [Bridge]: What kind of weapons do you have?
DEGRA: You expect me to attack a Reptilian warship?
(Degra's ship blows up the attacker.)
T'POL [OC]: The Reptilian vessel's been destroyed.
DEGRA [on viewscreen]: They would have contacted the Council and exposed our alliance.
HUMANOID [Degra's ship]: He'll be killed the moment he steps into the Council chamber.
DEGRA: If Archer is telling the truth, then all the Council's efforts will be for nothing.
[Trans-dimensional space]
(A milky atmosphered place with no points of reference, just the camera swooping from one white bald female figure to another.)
BUILDER: We've been successful. The Xindi weapon is days away from completion.
PRESAGE: The timelines don't support that assessment.
PRIMARY: What have you seen?
PRESAGE: The number of lines with favourable outcomes has diminished. There is now an increased chance the Earth ship will prevent the weapon from being launched.
BUILDER: Not necessarily. Timelines are sensitive. They're prone to temporary fluctuations.
PRESAGE: This is no fluctuation. This is a trajectory away from our desired outcome.
PRIMARY: See that you take definitive actions to correct this. The weapon must be launched. Earth must be destroyed.
[Sickbay]
PHLOX: I'm not detecting any trellium in your system. How are you feeling?
T'POL: The emotions are still difficult to control.
PHLOX: Meditation isn't helping?
T'POL: Somewhat, but I'm still experiencing frequent
(The door opens.)
TUCKER: You okay?
T'POL: Just a mild headache.
TUCKER: I thought Vulcans didn't get headaches.
T'POL: I'm needed in the Command centre.
(T'Pol leaves.)
TUCKER: You notice anything strange about the way she's been acting?
PHLOX: There isn't anyone on the ship who hasn't been affected by recent events. What can I do for you?
TUCKER: I think I pulled a muscle.
(He indicates his left shoulder.)
TUCKER: Pain's pretty bad.
PHLOX: Have a seat.
TUCKER: We've been running double shifts in Engineering. Captain's in hell of a rush to get to this damned Council.
PHLOX: He believes he can get the Xindi to reconsider their attack on Earth. We owe him a little faith.
TUCKER: Oh, I have faith in the Captain, but not in the people he's trying to convince.
PHLOX: Degra seems to be a reasonable man.
TUCKER: Reasonable? I don't think many people back in my home town would go along with that.
(Phlox gives an injection.)
TUCKER: Thanks Doc.
[Command centre]
T'POL: The Spheres are controlled by a network of artificial intelligence. This section houses the redundant memory core. It should contain a significant amount of information.
ARCHER: We're hoping that'll include data on the Sphere Builders.
DEGRA: That could help us with the Council.
T'POL: Our present course will take us close to another Sphere.
ARCHER: I'm sending a crew in a shuttlepod. They'll join up with us later.
DEGRA: How do you plan to get inside it?
ARCHER: We're pretty sure we've found a way in. You've mentioned the Xindi have been studying the Spheres for decades.
T'POL: We're interested in any information you have on the construction of their outer shells.
DEGRA: I'll send over whatever's in my database.
[Armoury]
HAWKINS: Sir.
REED: I've been reviewing service transcripts. You've got over a thousand hours in an EV suit.
HAWKINS: I did six months on the Janus loop.
REED: Are you interested in running this mission with us?
HAWKINS: I'm always ready to stretch my legs, sir.
REED: Get prepped. The Janus. That includes EV combat training.
HAWKINS: Yes, sir. Are we expecting a fire fight?
REED: Don't know what to expect.
(The shuttlepod launches.)
[Degra's ship]
DEGRA: When it's finished compiling, send it to Enterprise.
BUILDER: It's not too late.
DEGRA: Dismissed. Dismissed! (but the crewman only leaves when Builder nods)
BUILDER: Not everyone has forgotten what we have done for your people.
DEGRA: What do you want?
BUILDER: You've turned away from us. Come back.
DEGRA: I can't.
BUILDER: I hear it in your voice. You have betrayed everything you believe in and now you're in turmoil.
DEGRA: I don't regret what I'm doing.
BUILDER: At one time or another you must have asked yourself why we've protected the Xindi for so long.
DEGRA: Many of us have wondered that.
BUILDER: It's because we can see a future where the Xindi are no longer fragmented, no longer struggling for existence. You are destined to become a great civilisation, and now it's all in jeopardy because of you.
DEGRA: No.
BUILDER: You created a device that will prevent a devastating attack. Your name was to be spoken with reverence for generations to come, and instead you have chosen the role of betrayer.
DEGRA: How I'm remembered isn't for you to decide.
BUILDER: What have we done to lose your faith?
DEGRA: You never deserved my faith.
[Ready room]
DEGRA: The Sphere Builders have lied to the Xindi. They've manipulated us for decades. I see that. Perhaps the arboreals will, and the others.
ARCHER: We have the evidence to back it up.
DEGRA: The evidence may not be enough. The Sphere Builders saved the Xindi from extinction. When our home world was destroyed they began appearing to the survivors. They'd guide them to habitable planets, show them the location of valuable resources. They're practically worshipped. We call them the Guardians.
ARCHER: It's no wonder you had a hard time accepting this.
DEGRA: I was brought up to revere them. I taught my own children to give thanks to them at the end of each day. That is what we're facing.
ARCHER: I've stood before a Klingon tribunal. I can handle a tough room.
DEGRA: The Klingons weren't determined to destroy your world. But the evidence is strong, perhaps it will be enough. We'll face the Council together. I may take my seat at the Council table, but I'll be at your side no matter what happens.
HOSHI [OC]: Bridge to Captain Archer.
ARCHER: Go ahead.
HOSHI [OC]: We've picked up several Xindi vessels. They're closing on our position.
DEGRA: Humanoids, arboreals and aquatics. They're with us. When we reach the Council's location we'll need their protection.
[Corridor]
DEGRA: Certain members have more influence than others.
ARCHER: Anything you can tell me about them. I need to know what I'm up against.
DEGRA: You know Jannar, the arboreal. He's fair-minded, a scientist, he'll listen to the facts. I count him as a friend. Unfortunately the other members are somewhat more complicated. The aquatics for instance. Kiaphet Amman'sor is a member of the Ibix dynasty, a very wealthy, very powerful family. Her opinions carry considerable weight when she arrives at them. There's a saying. It's easier to count the stars in the sky than it is for an aquatic to reach a decision. As for the insectoids, well, their names grow longer the older they get, so they become a little difficult to pronounce. In many ways insectoids are the opposite of the aquatics.
ARCHER: They're quick to take sides. We've run into them.
DEGRA: Which brings us to the reptilians, and Commander Dolim. There's a story about him. I don't know if it's true, I'd like to believe it isn't. His daughter gave birth to a son. He had a deformity in his right arm, not life-threatening but enough to preclude his ever joining the military. Commander Dolim had his own grandson poisoned.
ARCHER: From what I've seen that's not hard to believe.
DEGRA: As I said, it may be just a story, but as a father it's always in the back of my mind whenever I have dealings with him.
[Reptilian Solar room]
DOLIM: Enter. What is it?
SOLDIER: We've located debris. It's from the ship we sent to find Degra.
DOLIM: Where?
SOLDIER: Seven light years from here, within the cloaking barrier of a Sphere.
DOLIM: I want to know how it was destroyed. Begin an analysis.
SOLDIER: It's underway. Preliminary findings suggest they were attacked.
DOLIM: Yes.
LIEUTENANT [OC]: Commander, there are six vessels approaching. One is the Earth ship.
(Degra's ship is in the lead, with Enterprise in the middle of the diamond formation.)
[Reptilian Bridge]
DOLIM: Contact the lead ship.
DEGRA [OC]: This is Degra.
DOLIM: Degra. I was just thinking of you. How many
[Degra's ship]
DOLIM [OC]: Prisoners have you taken?
DEGRA: We're escorting Enterprise to the Council.
[Reptilian Bridge]
DOLIM: For what purpose?
[Degra's ship]
DEGRA: Power down your weapons
[Reptilian Bridge]
DEGRA [OC]: And withdraw.
DOLIM: What makes you think I would let you bring an enemy ship into a security zone?
[Degra's ship]
DEGRA: Power down your weapons now.
[Reptilian Bridge]
DOLIM: I don't take orders from you.
LIEUTENANT: They've launched a torpedo.
DOLIM: What!
LIEUTENANT: Three hundred metres off the port bow.
DOLIM: You would fire on a Xindi vessel?
[Degra's ship]
DEGRA: We're prepared to destroy your vessel if necessary.
[Reptilian Bridge]
LIEUTENANT: They're locking weapons.
DOLIM: Prepare to return fire!
[Degra's ship]
DEGRA: You're outnumbered and outgunned. There's no need for this. I assure
[Reptilian Bridge]
DEGRA [OC]: You the Earth ship poses no danger.
DOLIM: I'll see you in the Council chamber.
[Degra's ship]
DEGRA: I look forward to it.
[Shuttlepod]
TRAVIS: Five seconds, three, two.
(The pod passes into cloaking barrier and something goes bang.)
TRAVIS: RCS inverter.
T'POL: Shut it down.
(They make it through.)
REED: Damage?
TRAVIS: Nothing we need to worry about sir.
T'POL: Adjust heading oh two six mark three.
[Bridge]
TUCKER: I'd breathe a whole lot easier if you had a couple of MACOs watching your back.
ARCHER: Don't worry. Keep my chair warm.
TUCKER: Good luck.
[Turbolift]
ARCHER: How's your Insectoid these days?
HOSHI: It depends on which dialect. There are sixty seven.
ARCHER: Is that all?
[Degra's shuttle]
DEGRA: Aquatics respect boldness and confidence. They view hushed tones with suspicion.
ARCHER: I'll make sure I project.
DEGRA: Not too loudly. The Insectoids interpret raised voices as a sign of hostility.
HOSHI: When Aquatics use the past tense they switch to sonar.
DEGRA: You should see it in a moment.
ARCHER: We're still two kilometres up.
DEGRA: The only way in is through the air. These cloud layers are present throughout the year. It's perfectly concealed.
(The buildings are carved into the mountain peaks.)
ARCHER: Avians.
HOSHI: It's beautiful.
DEGRA: The sixth Xindi race. This was built centuries before they became extinct. According to our archaeologists it's over four thousand years old.
[Council corridor]
ARCHER: Kind of feels like being called to the Principal's office.
HOSHI: I was never called to the Principal's office.
ARCHER: I was once.
DEGRA: (to Reptilian guards) Move aside.
(They do, reluctantly.)
HOSHI: What for?
ARCHER: When we're done here.
[Council chamber]
DOLIM: You've brought humans into this Chamber, Degra. Explain yourself, if you expect them to leave here alive.
DEGRA: I'm fully prepared to explain my actions. There's no cause for threats.
JANNAR: Agreed. We've reviewed the data you sent. We're prepared to listen to what you have to say.
(the Council members all take their places while Archer addresses them from the top step of the entrance)
ARCHER: You killed seven million of my people. I want to be honest with you, I don't much like standing here.
JANNAR: We did what we felt was necessary.
ARCHER: I know. You've been told that at some time in the future my world is going to destroy yours. That's a lie.
(Insectoid outburst.)
HOSHI: He said, the Guardians have never lied to us.
ARCHER: The Guardians built the Spheres. They're reconfiguring the Expanse, preparing it for colonisation.
DOLIM: You reek of desperation. You would say anything to save your world, as evidenced by this manufactured data.
DEGRA: It's the truth. The data is accurate. Anyone with an objective eye will come to the same conclusion.
DOLIM: You have no idea what the truth is. Your sympathy for these humans has corrupted your judgment.
DEGRA: My judgment is perfectly sound.
DOLIM: Were you using sound judgment when you attacked my ship?
DEGRA: You were trying to prevent us from reaching this Council.
DOLIM: I was protecting this Council!
HOSHI: (translating aquatic) This is not relevant. We're here to discuss the human's claims.
HUMANOID: Agreed. We need to return to the subject at hand.
ARCHER: I am trying to save my world, but it's not just Earth that's in danger. If you wipe out mankind you'll be destroying yourself.
DOLIM: I refuse to listen to any more of this.
ARCHER: Earth is going to lead a battle that defeats the Sphere Builders. They know this. That's why they manipulated you into attacking us.
DOLIM: Enough! I demand the immediate seizure of the Earth ship.
DEGRA: Any vessel that attacks Enterprise will be fired upon.
DOLIM: You will not defy this Council.
HUMANOID: We haven't arrived at a decision yet.
DOLIM: And we never will as long as we listen to this human's lies. If this Council will not defend it's people then it has no reason to exist. (starts to walk out)
DEGRA: Wait.
(Dolim punches him, Archer goes to help and is pushed over by the Insectoid. Hoshi translates what the Insectoid said to Archer.)
HOSHI: You don't want to know.
[Shuttlepod]
T'POL: Hold this position. The exhaust vent.
REED: Where?
T'POL: Set a course, oh three one mark four.
(Reed peers hard at the Sphere.)
REED: I don't see an exhaust vent.
TRAVIS: You sure about this?
T'POL: Half thrusters.
(The shuttlepod heads straight for the Sphere.)
REED: T'Pol!
T'POL: Hold your course.
REED: I'm telling you!
T'POL: Hold your course.
(They fly through a section of the Sphere.)
HAWKINS: Some kind of hologram?
T'POL: Exactly.
REED: You could have warned us ahead of time.
T'POL: Proceed along this conduit.
TRAVIS: Aye.
(They enter the central chamber.)
T'POL: Sixty degrees starboard. Eighty degrees z axis. We should prepare for EVA.
REED: Let's break out the suits.
[Degra's quarters]
JANNAR: We've had difficult sessions before. In the days following the founding of this Council
HUMANOID: This is different. The Council is on the verge of tearing itself apart.
JANNAR: You underestimate us.
HUMANOID: We were all in the same room. You saw what happened.
DEGRA: We knew it wasn't going to be easy.
HUMANOID: We are never going to convince the Reptilians or the Insectoids.
ARCHER: Then we'll focus on the aquatics.
DEGRA: The Aquatics weigh every argument in excruciating detail. For a long time, they were against building the weapon.
ARCHER: What changed their minds?
JANNAR: The Guardians addressed the Council. They presented what they claimed was a visual record taken from the future.
DEGRA: It showed mankind destroying our new homeworld.
JANNAR: That convinced the aquatics.
DEGRA: It was powerful evidence.
(Archer looks at a skull.)
JANNAR: The Avians. Once they darkened the skies of Xindus with their numbers. We formed the Council to prevent other Xindis from sharing their fate.
ARCHER: Your Council just might have the opposite effect.
DEGRA: Perhaps not. There might be a way to convince them. I'll require the services of your ship's Doctor.
[Reptilian Bridge]
BUILDER: The Council is preparing to betray it's own people.
DOLIM: Archer has achieved nothing.
BUILDER: He has succeeded in raising doubts about us. The arboreals, humanoids and aquatics are considering what he had to say. He should never have been allowed before the Council.
DOLIM: I couldn't prevent it.
BUILDER: And now they may decide against launching the weapon.
DOLIM: The weapon will be deployed.
BUILDER: For that to happen, three of the Xindi species must agree.
LIEUTENANT: If we can prove to them that your people didn't build the Spheres.
BUILDER: Prove to them, or you?
DOLIM: My Lieutenant simply wants to know that there's a way to persuade the Council.
BUILDER: Persuasion is no longer a viable option. You must act with the insectoids. Secure the weapon.
DOLIM: The weapon's well guarded. The casualties on both sides would be heavy. We'd be risking civil war.
BUILDER: A temporary schism cannot be avoided, but eventually Reptilians will preside over a stronger unified Xindi empire. We will guarantee Reptilian dominance if humankind is eradicated.
DOLIM: Understood.
(The Builder vanishes and he goes to his Lieutenant.)
DOLIM: If you ever question the Guardians again your skin will adorn the bow of this ship.
[Sickbay]
DEGRA: Yes, this will be very helpful.
(The images of the dying alien from Harbinger.)
PHLOX: I'll have it sent over immediately. I've never heard of this procedure.
DEGRA: It was developed by the aquatics. They have an innate distrust of the spoken word. They respond more strongly to visual stimuli.
TUCKER: (entering) You need me for something?
PHLOX: The transport pod that carried this alien?
TUCKER: It's in the cargo bay.
PHLOX: There are some modifications that need to be made to it.
DEGRA: The Captain would like you to assist me with the work.
TUCKER: Lucky me.
DEGRA: Your Captain thinks there's no one better to make these modifications.
[Corridor]
DEGRA: I agree.
TUCKER: Do me a favour. Don't try to get on my good side.
DEGRA: I understand you and I will always be enemies.
TUCKER: You got that right.
DEGRA: I can't change what happened to your sister or any of the seven million but I'm risking my life, I'm risking the lives of my family, I've killed members of my own species, all because I'm trying to save both our worlds.
TUCKER: This way.
[Inside the Sphere]
(The away team are clambering through the structure at the middle of the Sphere.)
REED: Picking up a very powerful energy signature.
T'POL: We're approaching the memory core.
[Shuttlepod]
T'POL [OC]: It's fifteen metres ahead.
(Travis is monitoring their progress.)
[Inside the Sphere]
(Looking down at their objective.)
REED: It's practically gift-wrapped.
(They don't notice some kid of metal arm coming from the ceiling.)
[Shuttlepod]
TRAVIS: I'm detecting some kind of movement.
REED [OC]: Can you pin-point it?
TRAVIS: There's too much interference. I don't know where it is
[Inside the Sphere]
TRAVIS [OC]: But it's close.
REED: I suggest we work fast.
[Ready room]
ARCHER: Come in.
DEGRA: We've completed the work. Mister Tucker was extremely co-operative. I know it isn't easy for him, working with me.
(He turns to leave again.)
ARCHER: Degra, when I was on the future Enterprise four hundred years from now, there were Xindi aboard. Humans and Xindi were serving together in the Federation. That's a future worth fighting for.
[Council corridor]
ARCHER: Passing notes.
HOSHI: Sir?
ARCHER: I got sent to the Principal's office for passing a note in class. It was to Katy Bentley. I was inviting her to a party a friend of mine was throwing.
HOSHI: What'd she say?
ARCHER: Funny thing. She'd already turned me down, but after I got in trouble.
HOSHI: Some women can't resist the bad boys.
{Council chamber]
JANNAR: After much deliberation we've agreed to listen to this new evidence you wish to present.
HUMANOID: Proceed.
ARCHER: The Sphere Builders, the beings you call the Guardians, are the same species.
DOLIM: Have you manufactured more data to support this claim?
ARCHER: A few weeks ago we came across an alien. He was adrift in what we believe was a transdimensional disturbance. The alien was inside a pod which was constructed of the same combination of alloys that make up the outer shell of the Spheres. He was a Sphere Builder.
HOSHI: (translating aquatic) You've already presented this information.
ARCHER: Not all of it. Energise.
(The alien's pod is beamed into the centre of the council chamber, and appears to have a body inside it.)
JANNAR: Your data states that this alien disintegrated when it came into contact with our universe.
ARCHER: He did.
DEGRA: What you're seeing is a biometric hologram. It's the same technology used to train our physicians. It was constructed from medical data collected by Enterprise's medical doctor.
HOSHI: (translating Insectoid) How do we know the data used to create this phantom wasn't falsified.
DEGRA: Humans don't have the technology to produce a fabrication of this detail.
ARCHER: Tell me, is this one of the Guardians?
JANNAR: The physical resemblance is hard to deny.
HOSHI: (translating aquatic) It is a Guardian. (translating Insectoid) We are not deceived by this illusion. Restore the dignity of our Council. Expel the humans from this chamber.
DOLIM: We are open to hearing more.
JANNAR: So are we.
HOSHI: [translating aquatic) We agree.
JANNAR: Please, continue.
[Inside the Sphere]
REED: Reed to Shuttlepod one. Anything?
TRAVIS [OC]: No sir.
[Shuttlepod]
TRAVIS: Whatever it was, it's stopped moving. Got something! It's heading in your direction.
[Inside the Sphere]
TRAVIS [OC]: Moving fast.
REED: I don't see anything.
HAWKINS: Where is it?
[Shuttlepod]
HAWKINS [OC]: Give me a position.
TRAVIS: It's coming down from the upper
[Inside the Sphere]
TRAVIS [OC]: left quadrant.
REED: Are you sure?
TRAVIS [OC]: Damn sure.
[Shuttlepod]
TRAVIS: It's seventy metres away. Fifty metres, thirty, fifteen!
[Inside the Sphere]
HAWKINS: I see it.
(he climbs a ladder to fire at the mechanical hand device. It grabs him.)
REED: Hawkins!
(The hand disintegrates the valiant MACO.)
REED: (to T'Pol) Go! Go!
(A second hand grabs for T'Pol and the memory core, but Reed blows it away. The shuttlepod moves in to pick them up.)
[Shuttlepod]
TRAVIS: Five more headed this way. Move!
[Engineering]
TUCKER: I still can't pin down the problem with the converter. I think it's an energy drain somewhere. We're far from one hundred percent.
(Degra enters with the humanoid Xindi.)
DEGRA: There's been a development.
ARCHER: Dismissed.
HUMANOID: We have the three votes we need.
DEGRA: The Reptilians have agreed to postpone the launch of the weapon. They'll need more convincing before they solidify their position, but this is a significant step. That future you spoke of. Perhaps this is where it begins.
(Degra and Archer shake hands.)
TUCKER: Question. Those portable power cells you left us. We're having a little trouble getting them in synch. Think you can stick around for a few minutes, give us a hand?
DEGRA: Of course.
ARCHER: We'll be in my Ready room.
(Archer and the humanoid leave.)
TUCKER: Listen, about all those things I've been saying. I just want to tell you I know you went out on a limb.
DEGRA: If I had suffered your loss I'd feel the same way. Shall we get to work?
TUCKER: It's over here.
[Degra's quarters]
DEGRA: Come in. I wasn't expecting you.
DOLIM: There are some things we need to discuss. (looking out of the window) I've never liked this place.
DEGRA: I've always found it to be peaceful.
DOLIM: It's too exposed. Reptilians prefer to be near the ground. And then there's the stench.
DEGRA: Stench?
DOLIM: Of failure. Of a race that failed to survive.
DEGRA: I was surprised by your decision to postpone the launch.
DOLIM: It seemed like the right thing to do.
DEGRA: I hope the other members will come to the same conclusion.
DOLIM: They'll fall into line. I have always believed that all Xindi long for unification. It's in our blood.
DEGRA: I agree.
(Dolim looks at Degra's computer display.)
DOLIM: The Earth ship.
DEGRA: I'm assisting them with their engine repairs.
DOLIM: They've found quite an ally in you. A pity you haven't extended the same friendship to your fellow Xindi.
DEGRA: What do you mean?
DOLIM: We recovered a sensor encoder from our missing scout ship. It was in the cloaking barrier of a Sphere. We were able to extract the final scans it took before they were destroyed by you.
DEGRA: I don't know what you're talking about.
DOLIM: The evidence is irrefutable. We have an image of your ship firing. Don't try to deny what you did.
DEGRA: They left me no choice.
DOLIM: And you've left me no choice.
(Dolim stabs Degra in the chest.)
DOLIM: The crew of that ship are the last Xindi you'll ever betray. When the humans have been eliminated, when the Council has been replaced by reptilian rule, I am going to find your wife and children and do the same to them. Your traitorous bloodline will end at the tip of my blade.
[Sickbay]
PHLOX: Trouble sleeping?
TUCKER: It's weird. With things finally looking up you'd think I'd finally be able to get some shut-eye. There's a section of the mess hall up and running. In the mood for a snack?
PHLOX: Certainly.
[Corridor]
TUCKER: I guess you heard, the Captain pulled it off. The Xindi postponed the weapon launch.
PHLOX: You make that sound like bad news.
TUCKER: Ever since the attack on Earth, all I've thought about is getting back at whoever was responsible.
PHLOX: Now we are making peace with them.
TUCKER: I've gotten used to the anger. It's going to be like, I don't know, losing an old friend.
PHLOX: You have other friends.
TUCKER: Is it my imagination or are you losing weight?
PHLOX: Ah, I was hoping someone might notice.
TUCKER: Yeah, I'm not the only one. Hoshi commented on it last week.
PHLOX: Well, I'm pleased to see that my efforts are yielding results.
TUCKER: What's your secret?
PHLOX: A Denaxian tape-worm.
[Mess hall]
PHLOX: It attaches itself to the lower intestinal tract and absorbs nutrients.
TUCKER: Hold on, hold on. You have a worm inside you?
PHLOX: It's perfectly harmless. I hardly notice it at all.
TUCKER: How are you going to get it out?
PHLOX: I insert a standard V probe into my
TUCKER: No, no, no, no, no. Never mind.
PHLOX: Well, it's a simple procedure.
TUCKER: I'm sure it is, Doc. I just don't want to lose my appetite.
[Archer's quarters]
(Archer and Porthos are woken by a comm. chime.)
HUMANOID [on monitor]: Degra's dead. He was found in his quarters about an hour ago. He'd been murdered, stabbed.
ARCHER: Who did this?
HUMANOID [on monitor]: The Reptilians have called an emergency meeting of the Council. I believe their recent turnabout was nothing more than a ruse to keep us off guard. They're planning something, I'm certain of it. Your ship's in danger.
ARCHER: Keep me appraised.
(The communication ends.)
ARCHER: Archer to the Bridge.
HOSHI [OC]: Bridge.
ARCHER: Go to Tactical Alert.
[Shuttlepod]
TRAVIS: It was that last run through the cloaking barrier. The coil assembly's been damaged.
T'POL: Reduce speed. Hold at half impulse.
(Reed drops a locker lid on his finger.)
T'POL: Lieutenant?
REED: I'm all right. I'm fine. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe we're getting a bit too comfortable with losing people. Twenty three men and women. On any given mission the limits of acceptable casualties is twenty percent. So says traditional military doctrine. Well, we've crossed that margin.
T'POL: There's a Vulcan axiom. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Corporal Hawkins understood that.
REED: That doesn't make his death any more acceptable.
T'POL: No, but it makes it honourable.
[Council chamber]
JANNAR: You admit killing him.
DOLIM: With pride. He was a traitor.
HUMANOID: He was a member of this Council.
DOLIM: Degra destroyed a Reptilian ship. Twenty two crewmen died. I only regret not doing it sooner.
HUMANOID: You're going to regret a lot more than that.
JANNAR: Why did you call this meeting?
DOLIM: You have a decision to make. We've taken control of the weapon. We're going to launch it.
HUMANOID: And you accuse Degra of being a traitor!
INSECTOID: We are acting on behalf of all Xindi.
DOLIM: Either you stand with us, or you stand against us.
JANNAR: That's not a choice, it's an ultimatum.
DOLIM: Call it what you will.
AQUATIC: We won't submit to intimidation.
HUMANOID: Neither will we.
JANNAR: None of us will.
DOLIM: Then we withdraw from this Council.
JANNAR: Think about what you are doing. This alliance has lasted for decades.
DOLIM: It's lasted too long. You've become complacent.
HUMANOID: The weapon cannot be launched without three of the codes. You only have two.
DOLIM: Do you really believe we haven't considered that?
[Engineering]
TUCKER: I can give you three point four with a little coaxing, but some of the relays are still fried. We're in no shape for combat.
[Corridor]
ARCHER: That hasn't stopped us in the past.
TUCKER: You sure they're coming after us?
ARCHER: Count on it.
TUCKER: I can't believe I actually feel bad about Degra. Twenty four hours ago I would have been celebrating.
ARCHER: A lot can happen in a day.
HOSHI [OC]: Bridge to Captain Archer.
ARCHER: Archer.
HOSHI [OC]: Five Insectoid ships are descending toward the surface.
(A circular section of the planet surface splits into four and a big metal sphere thing comes out.)
[Bridge]
ARCHER: Report.
HOSHI: The weapon's been launched from beneath the surface. The Insectoid ships are in formation around it.
ARCHER: Pursuit course.
HOSHI: We're being hailed.
[Degra's ship]
HUMANOID: The Reptilians and Insectoids have seized control of the weapon.
ARCHER [OC]: We're tracking it.
HUMANOID: I've ordered all available ships to intercept.
ARCHER [OC]: We're right behind you.
[Shuttlepod]
(Going through the data they got from the Sphere.)
REED: I hope there's something in there you can use.
T'POL: Most definitely.
TRAVIS: There's a large group of ships leaving the system. One of them is Enterprise. I'm detecting weapons fire.
[Bridge]
ARCHER: Stay with it. Keep firing.
HOSHI: It's the shuttlepod.
ARCHER: Tell them to stay put, and we'll come back for them when we can.
(A vigorous space battle takes place around the Xindi weapon.)
ARCHER: Open a channel to Degra's ship. We're moving in on the weapon.
[Degra's ship]
HUMANOID: Concentrate your fire on the primary generators.
[Bridge]
HUMANOID [OC]: Six metres below the aft thrusters.
[Reptilian Bridge]
DOLIM: Forget the others. Target Enterprise.
(They hit the port nacelle.)
DOLIM: Get the female.
[Bridge]
(Hoshi is beamed away.)
ARCHER: Hoshi!
[DOLIM Bridge]
LIEUTENANT: They're disabled.
DOLIM: The female?
(A crewman nods.)
LIEUTENANT: Generators at maximum power.
DOLIM: Take us into the vortex.
(The weapon and ships disappear from view.)
[Bridge]
HELMSMAN: We've lost them, sir.
2024-09-12 18:26:53 -
Pike:
Added the transcript.
