|
Enterprise navigates into a
stellar nursery hoping to make contact with some of the alien
vessels detected among the colorful gases and protostars.
Finding a transport vessel escorting a group of alien pilgrims
to the "Great Plume of Agosoria," a protostar which emits an
epic burst of energy every 11 years, Captain Archer decides to
caravan with the pilgrimage ship, and invites the group for a
social dinner onboard Enterprise. Relations fare well among the
starship crew and the pilgrims culminating with Commander Trip
Tucker giving a guided tour of the Enterprise engineering bay.
As the group listens attentively to Trip's oversimplified
explanation of the warp engines, one pilgrim silently slips
behind a bulkhead unnoticed. He opens a panel and dislocates his
limb in order to disconnect a conduit within — he is a Suliban.
After the disguised invader rejoins the group, the entire ship
is suddenly rocked by a powerful plasma storm within the stellar
nursery. Unsuccessfully attempting to steer clear of the storm,
Enterprise is repeatedly hit with plasma lighting, severely
damaging the warp manifold and starting a disastrous antimatter
cascade traveling towards the reactor. Instead of completely
destroying the ship, though, the cascade is suddenly stopped
dead at the very console the Suliban tampered with moments
before.
After the jostled pilgrims
return to their ship, Trip informs Archer of the recently
discovered separated conduit, and that although it's what saved
the ship, no one is taking responsibility for its disconnection.
Perplexed, a sullen Archer is approached by Crewman Daniels, a
steward in the Mess Hall, who reveals he is not really a member
of Starfleet, but a soldier from 900 years in the future. Taking
Archer to his quarters, Daniels uses a futuristic device to
project a holographic "temporal observatory." Daniels claims he
was sent to track and stop Silik — the same Suliban whom Archer
fought on the Helix during the ship's first mission — from
altering history, but he requires a portion of the Enterprise's
power and equipment to operate his futuristic tracking
technology. Archer discusses Daniel's proposal with a stunned
Trip and the ever-skeptical T'Pol, ultimately deciding that in
case a "Temporal Cold War" actually does exist, it would be best
to give Daniels the aid he needs.
Trip and T'Pol help Daniels set up his tracking devices in
Engineering and are amazed at his futuristic technology,
particularly a device that allows its operator to literally walk
through walls. Meanwhile a suspicious Archer attempts to seek
out Silik from the group of pilgrims, who have returned to the
Enterprise Mess Hall in order to gain a better view of the
rapidly approaching Plume of Agosoria. But when Archer returns
to his quarters he is ambushed by the awaiting Silik. Insisting
someone else is actually the one trying to alter history, Silik
claims to be there to stop whomever it might be and needs
Archer's help in identifying the unknown soldier. In an attempt
to gain Archer's trust Silik confesses to having disconnected
the conduit and saving Enterprise, but while Archer denies
knowing who Silik is referring to, T'Pol announces over the com
that Daniels' modifications in Engineering are complete, which
unwittingly provides Silik with the information he required. No
longer needing him, Silik stuns Archer into unconsciousness.
While waiting for Archer to arrive, Daniels' tracking device
alerts him to Silik's presence within Engineering, and he
insists Trip and T'Pol immediately leave to bring reinforcements
to help contain Silik. As the two comply and leave Engineering,
they witness Silik murder Daniels without hesitation, then use
his genetically enhanced camouflaging ability to disappear from
sight. Awakened by Dr. Phlox, a sore Archer orders every outer
door and hatch sealed, and security posted on all decks to
prevent Silik's escape. Then confirming his suspicion, Archer
takes T'Pol into Daniels' quarters and discovers that the device
Daniels used to project the Temporal Observatory has been
stolen, deducing it was probably Silik's mission in the first
place. Silik is detected by Ensign Hoshi Sato as he attempts to
bypass the lockout codes for Launch Bay One, while Trip helps
Archer by giving him the phasing device he witnessed Daniels use
earlier. Archer uses it to walk through a bulkhead wall,
catching Silik by surprise, when suddenly both men are violently
rocked as Enterprise experiences heavy plasma turbulence from
the much anticipated Plume of Agosoria. Silik seizes the moment
to escape inside the Launch Bay, quickly followed by Archer,
who, rather than letting Silik have it, opts to shoot Daniels'
device out of Silik's clutched grasp. Seeing the device is
destroyed, Silik camouflages himself and flees, gaining enough
time to open the Launch Bay doors. Holding on to a handrail as
the ensuing vacuum decompresses the bay of air, Archer watches
as Silik steps to the edge of the opening and jumps out of the
ship headlong into the cloudy depths of the stellar nursery.
Saving himself from being sucked into space after Silik, Archer
climbs into a control room and repressurizes it so he can
breathe again. T'Pol comes over the com, requesting to follow
Silik who has just been picked up from space by a Suliban cell
ship. Archer denies T'Pol's request, opting to let the conniving
Silik go as he failed to get what he came for anyway. Before
retiring to bed, the exhausted Archer orders Daniels' quarters
to be sealed off indefinitely, as a safeguard against any other
unknown powerful and mysterious devices that may lie within.
 |
