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On Narendra III, Archer stands
before a Klingon court magistrate and a crowd of blood-thirsty
Klingons. The captain is charged with conspiring against the
Klingon Empire, and will stand trial. He is banished to his
cell, where Dr. Phlox pays him a visit. The doctor, who is
tending to Archer under the ruse that the captain is suffering
from a mysterious illness, quietly lets Archer know that T'Pol
and the rest of the crew are working on a way to free their
captain. As Phlox leaves, Archer meets his Klingon advocate
Kolos, who warns him not to speak during the tribunal.
The trial gets underway, and
Prosecutor Orak calls his first witness — Duras, the former
captain of the battle cruiser Bortas. After a skirmish with
Enterprise, Duras was demoted to second weapons officer. Duras
explains that Enterprise was harboring Klingon fugitives, and he
asked Archer to surrender them to the Bortas. Duras insists that
the captain was very aggressive, and ordered an attack on the
Bortas. Archer is appalled by Duras' account and wants a chance
to explain himself, but Kolos tells him to keep silent. Orak
notes that Archer was clearly the aggressor in the matter, and
that the captain was obviously conspiring to disgrace Duras and
incite a rebellion. In short, says Orak, Archer is an enemy of
the Klingon Empire. Archer insists that Duras' account of events
isn't correct, but once again, Kolos refuses to respond to the
accusations.
 Later, Kolos visits Archer in his cell — he's spoken to the
magistrate, who is willing to offer Archer a deal. If the
captain will give up the location of the fugitives, his life
will be spared. Archer, however, doesn't believe the fugitives
are guilty of anything, and refuses. Archer insists that he be
allowed to defend himself, and expresses outrage the Kolos isn't
willing to do more in order to attain justice. Kolos explains
that he became an advocate many years ago, when things were
different. Times have changed, and he feels that he's too old to
change the rules. Archer accuses him of being afraid, shaming
the honorable Klingon.
A short time later, Kolos seems to have a change of heart, and
presents Archer's case with flair. He even convinces the
magistrate to allow Archer to give his own version of the
events. Archer describes finding a vessel with a small group of
aliens aboard, many of them barely clinging to life. The crew
brought the refugees onboard Enterprise, offering them food and
medical assistance. The refugees explained that they were
"annexed" by the Klingon Empire, only to be stripped of their
resources and abandoned when they requested aid. When Duras
showed up with the Bortas, Archer was reluctant to turn the
refugees in. He tried to reason with Duras and negotiate a
diplomatic outcome, but the Klingon captain wouldn't listen and
the Bortas fired on Enterprise.
 As Archer recounts his story, Kolos feels the trial turning in
his favor. He offers further evidence that Archer is not an
enemy of the Klingon Empire — after all, the captain has helped
the Empire in the past. He exposed a Suliban plot to divide the
Empire and later rescued a Klingon Raptor. Kolos' defense is
convincing enough that the magistrate agrees to spare Archer's
life. However, he sentences the captain to life in the dilithium
mines on the penal colony of Rura Penthe. When Kolos objects to
the sentence, the magistrate sentences him to a year on the
colony.
On Rura Penthe, Archer and Kolos work side by side in the frigid
mines. The duo is surprised when Archer's crewmates show up to
rescue the captain — T'Pol managed to find a few Klingon
officials to bribe. Archer asks Kolos to come with them, but he
refuses. Kolos reveals that Archer has made an impression on him
— he wants to restore honor to the Klingon people, but he cannot
do that as a fugitive. As Archer and his crewmates escape, Kolos
returns to work in the mines. Perhaps one day, he can help his
people to a better future.
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