Summary
We open with a shot of Earth and a mysterious probe seems
to decloak and enter a low orbit. Almost immediately it
opens fire upon Florida, North America, carving a line
straight through Cuba, and onward to Venezuela. After it
quits firing, the probe breaks apart into several pieces
and heads for the planet.
Next, the Klingons are discussing the recent history regarding
Archer and Duras. The Klingon High Council informs Duras
that Archer has escaped him twice, and have made Duras
look like a fool. The Council offers Duras one last chance
to regain his command and honor. Duras vows he will not
fail. Onboard Enterprise, the senior staff are gathered
in Archer's ready room. No one knows what's going on, and
Hoshi states that Archer has spoken to Admiral Forrest
three times in the past hour. Phlox is also surprised he's
been summoned to a meeting with the Starfleet officers,
since this has not happened before. As the officers are
speculating, Archer slowly enters and delivers devastating
news - Earth has been attacked. He adds that it's a probe
of unknown origin, and it cut a swath 4,000 kilometers
long stretching from Florida to Venezuela. Archer then
says that it's estimated that at least a million people
have been killed. Reed is shocked by this news, as are
the rest of the senior staff. Archer then says Enterprise
has been recalled. Suddenly, the bridge calls to inform
Archer that Admiral Forrest is calling again. Next, Archer
orders Travis to set course back to Earth at warp five.
Later, Archer is alone when Trip comes to see him. Trip
asks Archer if Forrest told him which part of Florida was
hit. Archer says that he didn't tell him, and Trip hopes
his sister was away when the attack happened. Archer then
informs Trip that the casualty numbers have been updated
to three million. T'Pol enters next to report that the
Vulcan High Command has recovered the probe and sent it
to Starfleet Command. She also says that there was a pilot
onboard, but the pilot was killed upon impact. Trip asks
her if she knew which part of Florida had been it, but
she does not know. Malcolm then calls to report eight Suliban
ships are approaching. Archer orders the ship go to tactical
alert and the three head to the bridge.
On the bridge, Enterprise attempts to hail them, but they
do not respond. The power browns out for a minute, then
Suliban soldiers are seen crawling on the bridge ceiling.
The power blacks out again, and when it comes back online
Archer and the Suliban are gone. On the Suliban ship, Silik
confronts Archer.. Archer believes Silik and the Suliban
are responsible, but Silik does not know what Archer is
talking about. Silik informs Archer that someone wants
to see him and they have information that is useful. Silik
also adds that the human species is in great danger. Archer
is taken into another room, and we see Future Guy. Future
Guy tells Archer that a race named the Xindi are responsible
for attacking Earth, because the Xindi's homeworld is destroyed
400 years in the future by humans. Archer asks how they
found this out, in which Future Guy says people from the
future informed them. Archer then asks if it's the person
the Suliban are working for, in which Future Guy says the
Suliban work for him. Now Archer knows who is responsible
for almost starting the Klingon Civil War, and the one
who's manipulated his mission from day one. Future Guy
says the people who gave the Xindi are another faction,
and that the probe was just a test - the Xindi are building
a more powerful weapon that will destroy the Earth. Archer
asks Future Guy why he's telling him this, and Future Guy
says the Xindi are not supposed to know of their future
and these events will contaminate the timeline. Archer
asks Future Guy why he should believe him, to which Future
Guy says Archer has no choice.
April 24, 2153 - Archer's starlog states that the trip
home has been difficult, and now over seven million people
were lost in the attack. Travis shows everyone the Sol
System's star, which brings a moment of silence from the
crew. Suddenly, a vessel drops out of warp and fires upon
Enterprise. It is discovered this is a Klingon bird of
prey, and Duras is in command. Enterprise's forward phase
cannons are taken offline, then the Klingons hail Enterprise.
The Klingons say that Enterprise will be destroyed unless
Archer surrenders. They also say Archer is an enemy of
the Empire, and must be brought to justice if honor is
to be regained. Duras then disables both of Enterprise's
warp nacelles, and begins to prepare a boarding party.
Suddenly, three Starfleet vessels enter the scene and damage
Duras' ship to the point where he has to retreat. Captain
Ramirez of the Intrepid hails Enterprise. He asks who was
attacking Enterprise, and wishes Enterprise's homecoming
was under better circumstances.
When Enterprise arrives at Earth, they take a low orbit
over the attack site. The bridge crew are stunned as they
look down at Florida and the impact of the damage. Later,
in a briefing with Admiral Forrest and Ambassador Soval,
Archer talks about Future Guy and the information he told
Archer. Both Forrest and Soval are skeptical, but neither
can come up with another explanation. Soval still insists
the Vulcan science directorate has deemed time travel impossible.
Archer asks both of them if he can take Enterprise and
search for the Xindi. Soval asks Archer if he knows where
the coordinates Future Guy provided are, and Archer says
it's about three months away at warp five. Soval says the
area is the Delphic Expanse; a region of space 2,000 light
years across. Many Vulcan ships have been there, and only
few have returned. Soval goes on to say the area consists
of fierce and dangerous species, unexplained events and
in some areas the laws of physics do not reply. Soval then
talks about a Klingon vessel that entered the expanse and
how the crew's bodies were anatomically inverted, and were
still alive. Soval is still against the idea, and Forrest
says that in order for Enterprise to go Starfleet would
need proof.
Archer, Forrest and Soval examine the wreckage of the
probe. Archer takes a scanner and begins to quantum date
the debris. The first piece appears to be four years old,
the next five, the next twelve. Soval and Forrest start
to become impatient until Archer finds something interesting.
The scanner scans an object and shows the quantum date
is -420. That is odd because quantum dating always shows
results with positive numbers. A second scanner shows the
same reading. Archer then takes a look at the pilot's body.
Soval asks Archer if he believes the pilot is a Xindi,
and Archer responds by saying he'd like to find out.
In spacedock, Enterprise is undergoing repairs, upgrades
and crew replacements. Archer goes to sickbay and meets
a Doctor Fer'at who will examine Archer for radiation poisoning.
Fer'at begins to examine Archer and asks him a lot of questions
about Archer's experience with Future Guy. After a series
of questions, Phlox abruptly stops the examination when
he discovers Fer'at is actually a analyst sent to see if
Archer is losing his mind. This angers Phlox, and Archer
asks Phlox to escort Fer'at to the airlock On Earth, Malcolm
and Reed are at the site where Trip's sister lived. The
area has been totally devastated and Trip points out to
Malcolm where the old movie theater was, and where the
house was. Reed wonders if Trips's sister is really dead,
but Trip says if she was alive someone would have heard
something by now.
After a few days of debate, Starfleet finally grants Enterprise
permission to proceed with their new mission - to seek
out the Xindi. Meanwhile, Archer and Forrest are in a shuttlepod
and they take a look at the NX-02, currently under construction.
Forrest says she'll be ready to launch in fourteen months.
Forrest says that the NX-02 will have the same compliment
of weapons as Enterprise, and he asks Archer if he's informed
the crew. Archer says he informed them this morning, and
that most will go on the mission but some have not made
up their mind. Archer then says he spoke with General Casey,
and that his team will be coming onboard at 1800 hours.
Forrest admits he was surprised Archer asked for them because
they are non Starfleet personnel. Archer says he doesn't
have any problem with non Starfleet personnel, and that
he'll need all the muscle he can get when he enters the
Expanse. Later, T'Pol enters sickbay to talk to Phlox about
his decision to stay on Enterprise. She tells Phlox that
the High Command does not want her to go to the Delphic
Expanse. Phlox asks her what she wants to do, but she says
that she cannot go against the High Command. Phlox dismisses
this and states that she's went against them in the past,
and points out the interesting situation she's in - torn
between her loyalty between the High Command and Archer.
In the armory, Reed and Trip are taking a look at the new
photonic torpedoes. They have a longer range and a variable
yield that can knock the comm array of a shuttlepod without
scratching the hull or could put a three kilometer crater
on an asteroid. The two then proceed to reconfigure the
power grid for the new torpedoes. On the way, Reed asks
Trip if there was going to be a memorial for Trip's sister,
but he says she's no more important than the other seven
million who were killed. Malcolm says that she was more
important to Trip, but he gets angry and tells Reed to
let the subject go. Trip then adds that maybe Malcolm should
spend more time worrying about upgrading the weapons so
he can blow the hell out of the bastards when they find
them.
Back at Starfleet, Soval shows Archer and Forrest a transmission
from a Vulcan ship that entered the expanse. The crew are
acting insanely and are killing each other. Soval suggests
to Archer that he needs to reconsider this mission, but
Archer's mind is not changed. As they leave, Soval takes
T'Pol aside to talk to her. As Soval and T'Pol leave Starfleet
headquarters, Soval talks about T'Pol returning home. She
asks him why can't get she go with Enterprise on this mission.
He says that in the expanse logic will not help Enterprise,
but T'Pol says it should be her choice. In spacedock, the
last of the refits are completed and Enterprise leaves
spacedock on course for Vulcan, to talk T'Pol there. After
Enterprise leaves orbit, Duras' ship finds them and starts
to follow them.
Later, Duras attacks, but is met with the new torpedoes.
He tries to disable Enterprise's weapon ports, but it not
successful. Enterprise manages to disable Duras' ship long
enough to get to Vulcan space. T'Pol then comes to Archer
and talks to him about he allowing her to stay onboard
for this mission. She states that she has decided to resign
from the High Command, and that Archer is taking Enterprise
into a dangerous region, and he needs her. Archer decides
to allow her to stay, and orders course adjusted to the
Delphic Expanse.
Eventually, Enterprise reaches the outer area of the expanse.
Trip dispatches a communication buoy and establishes a
channel with Starfleet Command. Suddenly, T'Pol's sensors
show that Duras has returned - only this time he has help
as three Klingon birds of prey approach. Duras hails Archer
and orders him to surrender or be destroyed. Archer replies
by yelling "Go to hell!" and cuts off the transmission.
The other two birds of prey become afraid of the expanse
and turn back. Duras continues ahead, and continues to
fire. Archer notices the torpedoes are not having the same
effect this time, in which Malcolm reports that Duras has
transferred all his shields to forward. This gives Archer
some room to maneuver. He asks Travis if he can perform
an L-4. When a thick cloud approaches, Travis turns the
ship hard and flies over Duras. Duras, blinded by the cloud,
does not see this. Enterprise emerges behind Duras and
fires three torpedoes, destroying Duras' ship.
All is clear, and Archer orders Travis to continue ahead,
straight and steady...
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