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The Andorians and the Vulcans are
locked in battle over a small planet, situated on the frontier
between their two systems. Both sides claim that it belongs to
them — the Andorians refer to it as "Weytahm," while the Vulcans
call it "Paan Mokar." Andorian Commander Shran has landed a
force on the planet and occupied the settlement. Now, the
Vulcans are calling for a cease fire and Shran wants Archer to
help the two sides negotiate. Vulcan Ambassador Soval is
reluctant to bring Archer in as mediator, but three Vulcans have
been taken hostage, and Shran has made his position clear — he
only trusts Archer.
Archer and T'Pol head down the
planet for a meeting with Shran. Shran's lieutenant, Tarah, is
especially wary of T'Pol, but Archer manages to convince Shran
to release one of the Vulcan hostages as a show of good faith.
He also agrees to bring Soval down to the planet for a meeting.
Soval is skeptical, but agrees to go. Meanwhile, on the planet,
Shran has a tense moment with Tarah, who objects to his attempts
to negotiate with the Vulcans. She would rather continue the
fighting and reclaim the planet for the Andorians. Shran notes
her suggestion, but still wishes to proceed with the
negotiations.
 As their shuttlepod nears the planet, Archer, T'Pol and Soval
find themselves being fired on — they are forced to crash-land
right in the middle of the conflict. Soval suggests the
Andorians are trying to sabotage the peace talks, but Archer
doesn't believe Shran would resort to such tactics. Back at the
Andorians' position, Shran, for his part, is furious that
Archer's shuttle was fired on. Tarah claims that it was the
Vulcans who fired, but Shran doesn't believe her — he orders her
to find Soval and Archer and bring them to him alive.
Meanwhile, on Enterprise, acting captain Trip is having troubles
of his own. As the crew tries to pinpoint Archer's location,
Trip must keep a Vulcan ship and an Andorian vessel from firing
on one another. He maneuvers Enterprise right between the two
ships, hoping to avoid bloodshed.
Down on the surface, Archer, T'Pol and Soval are attempting to
make their way to Shran's location, when Soval is injured by
weapons fire. Archer discovers that Andorian snipers are behind
the attack, so he has T'Pol and Soval distract them with weapons
fire while he disables them. As he sneaks up behind the second
sniper, he discovers that it is none other than Tarah, Shran's
lieutenant. He manages to subdue her just as Shran and his men
arrive on the scene. Even though Tarah denies it, Archer manages
to convince Shran that his officer has betrayed him. Tarah
eventually confesses, but angrily informs Shran that there are
others who feel the same way she does.
Now that the situation's under control, Shran and Soval are
finally able to sit down for a series of difficult but
productive negotiations. With Archer's help, the two sides agree
to cease fire and continue the peace talks on Andoria.
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