Tempers are rising on a planetoid known as Weytahn (or Paan Mokar to the Vulcans). While Shran is managing the fighting, his subordinate, Tarah, tells him that the Vulcans, who they are fighting against, have new deployments. Shran received a request for a cease fire, and they both decide to go to Archer, not trusting the Vulcans.
Admiral Forrest orders Archer to go to the planet as a negotiator to address the animosity caused by an unsatisfactory, century-old treaty. Archer isn't sure how he'd be able to help if no one's been able to help for a hundred years, but Forrest tells him the mission's important, since it's the first time Vulcans have asked for Starfleet's help, and Archer is the closest thing Starfleet has to an ambassador.
At dinner, Archer asks T'Pol for information about the planet, with Trip noting that it's odd to be fighting over a Class D planet since those are uninhabitable. She explains that Andorians terraformed it, prompting Archer to wonder what the problem is, since clearly no one owned it before. T'Pol explains that since it was so near Vulcan, the Vulcans thought the Andorians were building a military base, but the Andorians refused to let the Vulcans inspect it, so the Andorians were removed by force.
When they arrive at Paan Mokar, Archer meets Ambassador Soval and Sub-commander Muroc. Soval is unhappy with Archer as a negotiator, and tells him that an Andorian Imperial Guard asked for his involvement, asking him why. Archer doesn't know and asks if he can leave, but Soval doesn't want him to leave either. He explains that six days ago, Shran landed a force on the planetoid, then some Vulcans tried to invoke the treaty, leading to them re-taking half the colony, several being injured, and three being kidnapped. Shran has agreed to discuss bringing the hostages back, but only if Archer negotiates. Archer agrees, but Soval wants to send Muroc with him. Archer refuses, saying that he will bring T'Pol instead.
While Phlox gives Archer radiation to protect him from a pathogen, they discuss the situation, with Archer noting that it seems like humans are proving they're ready to join a larger community, and Phlox warning him that the "battlefield" can be unpredictable even if a truce is present.
Archer and T'Pol go to the surface, while the Andorians use a jamming signal to make their sensors stop working. On the way, T'Pol expresses uncertainty, and Archer responds that his plan is to convince Shran that he can trust him. On the surface, Archer and T'Pol explore and meet up with some guards, led by Tarah. She isn't sure about T'Pol's presence since T'Pol is Vulcan, but Archer points out that she helped expose P'Jem. Tarah takes Archer and T'Pol to Shran with bags on their heads and removes the bags at HQ.
Shran says that he believes Archer will negotiate without prejudice, then shows him the three Vulcan prisoners. T'Pol states the Vulcan point of view, but is turned down by Tarah. Shran demands that the Vulcans remove all of their military forces, end the treaty, and give the planetoid back to the Andorians. Archer wants Shran to go to someone else if he wants to simply list his demands, but Shran reveals that the reason he chose Archer was because he wants to talk to Soval, who can make binding decisions directly as opposed to asking a superior. Archer agrees to help and Shran says that he wants the negotiations to take place on the planet, freeing one of the Vulcan hostages in return.
Back on the Enterprise, Soval doesn't accept the proposed conditions, saying that agreeing to a meeting is legitimising the Andorian position, but Archer counters that if he doesn't agree to one, the negotiations end before they begin. Muroc adds that Andorian battle cruisers are five hours away. Soval is still not onboard with the meeting, so Archer says that at least the Andorians are willing to talk, which is more than can be said about the Vulcans. At this, Soval finally (albeit reluctantly) agrees to go down to the planet and attend the meeting.
On the planet, while Shran prepares for the meeting, Tarah asks him if talking is the best idea, since they've tried talking to the Vulcans for a hundred years but didn't get anywhere. Shran brings up P'Jem, but Tarah still thinks he's putting too much faith into the "pinkskins", saying they're nothing but Vulcans' pawns, leading to an argument. Archer, T'Pol, and Soval head down to the surface in a shuttlepod, but are fired upon by Andorians and forced to make an emergency landing.
Archer and T'Pol exit to secure the area, and Soval recognises the place. He wants to fall back on Vulcan positions, but Archer, pointing out that they don't know what happened, thinks it's better to trust Shran. Soval blames the Andorians for attacking them and believes that Shran is just exploiting Archer, calling him naive for believing otherwise. Archer, however, still thinks Soval is wrong.
Meanwhile, Muroc hails Trip and him that he and others have been ordered to find and rescue the group. Trip wants to join in on the rescue effort, but Muroc turns him down, saying that they have "more experience". Trip isn't so sure about that, bringing up their last rescue mission, but Muroc ends the call. Travis notes that the Andorians are now three hours away. Shran is frustrated that the group was fired upon, and Tarah states that it wasn't on their side. Shran thinks it's weird that the Vulcans would fire on their own ambassador, but Tarah thinks they have no conscience. He then orders her to find the group and bring them back alive.
Archer, T'Pol, and Soval reach the border between Vulcan and Andorian control. Archer investigates to find the best way forward, while Soval questions T'Pol about her decision to stay on Enterprise, claiming that she's become too emo from hanging around humans. T'Pol counters that just because she trusts Archer doesn't mean she's being emotional, then Archer returns. Meanwhile, Tarah has found the shuttle and the Andorian ships have arrived at the Enterprise.
Archer and his group are fired at and Soval is hit. They shelter and Archer shouts out their intentions, but they continue to be fired at. He then sees the Andorian attackers and sneaks behind them, neutralising one and recognising the other as Tarah. He makes her drop her weapon and confronts her on her actions. She claims that they need to fight for what's theirs instead of negotiating. They fight and Archer wins, grabbing Tarah's weapon. Shran arrives and Tarah tries to claim Archer betrayed them, but Archer tells Shran that he will find Andorian weapon signatures on Soval's injury and the shuttle. Shran confronts Tarah, who claims to be unwilling to follow orders to "do nothing". She again tries to get him to fight the Vulcans, but he arrests her.
The Andorian ships head towards the Vulcan ships, so Trip puts the Enterprise in between them, surprising Malcolm. Muroc and Andorian captain Telev hail the Enterprise, wanting to start a firefight but not wanting to hit the Enterprise. Trip says that the situation is a Starfleet matter as long as Archer is involved, and, to protect Archer and his group, he will fire at whoever shoots. Archer calls saying that everyone is fine.
The negotiations are finally able to begin, and while both parties are unhappy, they are at least equally unhappy. Shran proposes a toast to their dissatisfaction, which Soval excepts despite Vulcans normally never drinking. The negotiations will continue on Andoria and Soval grudgingly thanks Archer.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Ambadassador: Soval mentions that he used to be an intelligence agent in his younger days.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Shran can't believe that Tarah would betray him, but he gets hit with two of these.Soval: Commander, it seems you're willing to resolve this situation through peaceful means. Do all your officers feel the same?
T'Pol: Have you considered there might be Andorians who would want a war with Vulcan? - Blindfolded Trip: Shran's people blindfold Archer and T'Pol before leading them from the shuttlepod to the command center.
- Call-Back:
- Shran refers back to his previous encounters with Archer as justification for requesting his help.
- Ambassador V'Lar has experience negotiating with the Andorians and T'Pol has great respect for her, so it makes sense that T'Pol would recommend her treatise to Archer as study material.
- Call-Forward: While talking with Phlox, Archer muses on the opportunity the current crisis has provided his own mission."Maybe we're not out here to just scan comets and meet new species. Maybe we're out here to prove that humanity is ready to join a much larger community. I intend to do that, whether the Vulcans like it or not."
- Deadpan Snarker:
- Archer says that he pictured his first diplomatic mission to involve a big table, signing things with lots of pens, and toasting with champagne. He does get something similar at the end of the episode.
- When Soval wonders why humans are fixated with Vulcan ears, T'Pol's response is "I believe they're envious."
- Hypocrite: Tarah denounces Shran as betraying the Andorians after she's been caught betraying him.
- Indy Ploy: Archer admits the only part of his strategy involves convincing Shran to trust him. Otherwise, he's going to "play it by ear."
- Irony: Phlox notes how the Vulcans opposed Archer being made captain and now need him.
- Lampshade Hanging: Archer asks Forrest how he can settle a conflict that the Vulcans and Andorians have struggled with for 100 years.
- Only Sane Man: Shran. As paranoid as he usually is, he genuinely wants a peaceful solution. Not all Andorians feel the same, though.
- The Power of Trust: In a couple shades.
- Shran might not fully trust Archer, but he recognizes that he's always been fair in their past dealings and trusts him over Vulcan ambassadors.
- Soval recalls the fallout of Archer's first encounter with Shran and wants one of his officials to oversee his diplomacy. Archer refuses—saying if he's going to have a Vulcan by his side, it'll be the one that he trusts.
- When Archer's shuttle gets shot down while carrying Soval, Archer refuses to believe that Shran is responsible, despite Soval insisting that Shran is playing him. Archer turns out to be right.
- Please Select New City Name: The disputed moon is called "Paan Mokar" by the Vulcans and "Weytahn" by the Andorians.
- Reconcile the Bitter Foes: Archer's mission is to act as a mediator between the Vulcans and Andorians as they negotiate an armistice. Since he is familiar with (if not entirely liked by) Ambassador Soval and has the begrudging respect of Shran, he is the first person in a long time in this unique position to bridge the gulf of trust between them. Despite the efforts of Shran's perfidious Warhawk lieutenant, he succeeds.Archer: I believe someone once defined a compromise as "a solution that neither side is happy with".
Shran: In that case, these talks have been extremely successful.
Soval: I consider any negotiation that averts war to be a success. - Red Alert: The "Tactical Alert" gets its first official use, but without the "bag full o' cats" siren.
- Standing Between the Enemies: Trip puts Enterprise between the Andorian and Vulcan fleets and threatens to fire on the first one that makes an aggressive move.
- The Teetotaler: Played With when Shran offers a drink to celebrate the compromise:Soval: Vulcans don't drink.
*Archer gives him a look*
Soval: But this occasion merits an exception. - Unusual Ears: When he goes to scout ahead, Archer remarks that his ears are less likely to attract attention.Soval: What is their fixation with our ears?T'Pol: I believe they're envious.
- We Need a Distraction: Archer has T'Pol and Soval distract the Andorians shooting at them so that he can sneak up on them from behind.
