On the bridge of the Andorian warship Kumari, Shran crawls out from under the rubble of his damaged ship which has been attacked by Tellarites. He tries to contact the Imperial Command, but the communications are down. The computer announces an imminent warp core breach, forcing Shran and his crew to abandon ship.
In Archer's ready room, he and Hoshi are having a heated argument...which turns out to be rehearsal for a meeting with a Tellarite ambassador, since Tellarites like to argue. The reason the Tellarite is visiting is they need to transport him to a planet called Babel as part of a plan to settle a trade dispute between the Tellarites and the Andorians. Archer talks with Trip, Trip noting that he and the other engineers have been preparing a mud bath, and Archer explaining that the reason they and not the Andorians are transporting the Tellarites is because the Andorians don't want the Tellarites in their space, noting that if the conference fails, Andoria and Tellar may go to war.
A Tellarite shuttlepod docks, and Archer, T'Pol, Trip, Hoshi, and some MACOs greet the Tellarites. Archer talks with (and insults, as he practiced) the ambassador, whose name is Gral, in the mess hall. Archer notes that they're entering Andorian space and Gral asks how they can trust the humans, since the Andorians helped save Earth from the Xindi. Archer tells Gral that all the humans want is to make peace, which they can't do if they take sides, and that Grarl's options are limited.
On the bridge, Hoshi tells Archer that the ship has received a distress call from the Andorians. Travis notes no other nearby Andorian ships, so they head to the one that sent the call. Malcolm determines that its reactor breached, while T'Pol detects duranium alloy and concludes that it was probably designed for combat. Malcolm detects bio-signs in its escape pod, so Archer orders them brought onboard.
In sickbay, Phlox treats Lt. Talas, when Archer enters with T'Pol and tells Shran that he and the others saved nineteen of his crew. Shran tells Archer that there were initially eighty-six people on the Kumari, that he believes his attackers were Tellarites, and that they were transporting the Andorian ambassador to Babel. When Shran learns that Tellarites are on the Enterprise, he becomes angry.
In the armory, Malcolm notes that he's analysed the hull fragments and determined that the damage likely comes from Tellarite particle cannons. T'Pol says that the memory core of the Andorian data core was damaged but she managed to reconstruct the last few seconds' worth of sensory data, which shows a Tellarite firing. Archer decides to head for Andoria. In Gral's quarters, he denies that the Tellarites did it and points out that perhaps the sensory data was fabricated. When Archer shares that he's sending the Andorians home, Gral fears that he and the other Tellarites will be arrested.
In the dining room, Shran toasts the Enterprise while sharing ale with Archer. They discuss the Tellarites, who Shran is sure attacked the Kumari. T'Pol hails Archer, telling him that an Andorian ship has been detected. Hoshi tries to hail it, but the ship doesn't reply and attacks instead. After Enterprise loses warp velocity, Shran tries to get the attackers to stop, but fails. Archer tells Shran to tell Malcolm where the vessel's shield generator is and he reluctantly does, but when Malcolm fires at it, nothing happens. The ship retreats, but strangely, the power grid glitches out even though he didn't attack it.
In the briefing room, Archer asks Shran why the Andorians are attacking when they themselves asked for Starfleet's help. Gral thinks the distress call was a trap, but Shran asserts that the Andorians don't wish to begin animosity towards Starfleet. Gral suggests that the Andorian Imperial Guard did it without consulting the government and Shran suggests that maybe the attacking ship wasn't Andorian at all, noting that its shield matrix was a lot different than other Andorian ships. He then suggests that the Tellarites stole an Andorian ship and rewired it, but Gral thinks Shran is being paranoid. They then begin to fight, causing Archer and the MACOs to restrain them and Archer to threaten to put them in the brig.
Later in his quarters, Gral tells the other Tellarites that Archer is more inclined to trust the Andorians. One of them, noting that there's a MACO outside their quarters, wonders if Archer is even conspiring with the Andorians. Shran arrives on the bridge and Archer and T'Pol reveal that the energy signatures of the ship that attacked the Kumari and the one that attacked Enterprise are identical. Trip notes that the repairs are progressing well, and Archer tells Shran that his intention is to follow the ship's warp trail. Shran wants to take the injured Andorians home for treatment, but Archer thinks that there isn't time.
Archer and T'Pol dine, with him wondering if Starfleet's involvement in the Andorian/Tellarite conflict was a bad idea, wondering if the Vulcans would be better suited. She reminds him that the Vulcans and Andorians still don't get along despite their situation improving. T'Pol also notes that her and Koss have split up, but she doesn't seem to mind. Malcolm then detects the Andorian ship. Meanwhile, two Romulans detect a vessel approaching. One of them, named Admiral Valdore, orders another, Nijil, to display it on the viewscreen, and it's the Enterprise.
Archer and his crew follow the warp trail, but the ship they find looks nothing like the Andorian one from before. Hoshi hails it, but no one replies. Archer notices some spikes on the ship and asks what they are, to which T'Pol replies that they appear to be subspace transceivers. She also notices some multispectral emitters, but doesn't want to guess what they're for.
Archer sends an away team, consisting of Malcolm, two MACOs, and Trip (to fix the life support) to the ship. Nijil, meanwhile, reports that the ship is still being repaired, to which an impatient Valdore orders him to prepare a core overload lest Starfleet take over the ship. Trip contacts Archer and says that he's found a computer interface, but the ship has no power. He asks T'Pol for advice, and she tells him to uplink his scanner.
The alien ship then lunges forward and begins attacking the Enterprise. The rest of the crew try to retrieve the away team, but due to the hull plating, can only beam them back one at a time. They beam the two MACOs back, but then the transporter goes offline and would take several hours to repair. Archer explains the situation to Trip, then leaves, with the alien ship in pursuit. Malcolm, meanwhile, is starting to run out of oxygen, so Trip begins his attempts at fixing the life support.
Travis struggles, but eventually manages, to outrun the alien ship. Meanwhile, Shran still suspects Gral and tells Talas that he won't trust Starfleet, even though Talas thinks he has no choice. Shran then asks Talas to bypass the security protocols so he can interrogate Gral. Meanwhile, on the alien vessel, Trip can't even find the life support, so he and Malcolm go to the bridge to look for it. Nijil reports that Enterprise is out of range. Valdore insists that it mustn't escape as the humans know too much. Nijil points out that the ship is only a prototype, but Valdore orders a search for Enterprise.
Once the Enterprise has been repaired, T'Pol determines that the alien ship is neither Andorian nor Tellarite, but may be Romulan because it uses boridium cells, which Romulans use. Archer asks why the Romulans may attack, and she responds that they attack when they feel threatened, but Archer has no knowledge of humans, Andorians, or Tellarites threatening Romulans. They wonder if the Romulans fear an alliance between the Andorians and Tellarites, but Archer also notes that since the conference has been postponed indefinitely, one doesn't seem likely.
Meanwhile, Trip and Malcolm are having a hard time finding the bridge. They try following the data conduits, and on their way, they find a machine powered by oxygen and liquid hydrogen, which they use to replenish their oxygen tanks. Talas tries to seduce the MACO guarding the Andorians' quarters, but it doesn't work, and they end up fighting. The MACO is knocked out and Shran and Talas escape.
Nijil detects a problem with a fuel tank on the Romulan ship and thinks somebody has opened the starboard transfer valve, so Valdore orders him to activate the sensors. While Malcolm and Trip work on restoring the air supply, Valdore detects them. He asks if the internal stabilisers are offline, and when Nijil affirms, Valdore orders him to initiate evasive maneuvers, throwing Trip and Malcolm onto the deck.
Talas and Shran make their way to the Tellarites' quarters. While Talas fights Gral's aide Naarg, Shran points a particle rifle at Gral. Meanwhile, T'Pol and Hoshi determine that the emitters are used to create holographic images to make the ship look different and that its weapons can similarly mimic other types of weapons. Someone hails the bridge reporting weapons fire outside the Tellarites' quarters, and Archer dashes off, calling for a team of MACOs.
In the Tellarites' quarters, Shran insists that the Tellarites are to blame. Archer and the MACOs fight their way to the quarters and Archer convinces Shran to give him his weapon. When he does, Gral's aide fires at Talas, and Archer fires at Gral, so Archer sends for Phlox.
Meanwhile, Trip and Malcolm reach the bridge but there's no crew. Nijil reports to Valdore that the away team has arrived on the bridge of the drone ship as he looks out of a window on Romulus.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Abandon Ship: Shran is forced to abandon the Kumari before it suffers a warp core breach. Less than a quarter of his crew survives.
- Achilles' Heel: The marauder can disguise itself as any ship and modulate its weapons to mimic the particle weapons of those ships, but can't disguise its power signature.
- Action Prologue: The episode's cold open is Shran on the bridge of his rapidly-disintegrating warship.
- "Ass" in Ambassador: Gral, as is expected from Tellarites. However, Archer being able to insult them (and taking the lead in doing so) earns him the ambassador's respect.Archer: You people are even uglier than I remember.
*Gral grunts in surprise* - Attack Drone: The silent, attacking vessel is remotely controlled by the Romulans. When the Enterprise finds the ship undisguised, they find it's a forest of subspace sensors with no life support.
- Bait-and-Switch: The Intercom Villainy hides The Reveal that Valdore and the Romulans are remotely operating the vessel from light years away.
- Big Damn Heroes: For once, Archer is this for Shran, picking up the survivors of the Kumari.
- Call-Back: The power signature on the drone ship is similar to that from the Romulan minefield, giving Archer and T'Pol a clue about its origin.
- The Chains of Commanding: Archer admits to T'Pol he really feels the pressure to make sure negotiations go well because of how it will reflect on Earth's standing.
- Continuity Nod:
- Prior to the events of The Original Series, no human had ever seen a Romulan. Yet Trip and Malcolm find themselves wandering around a Romulan ship, while its commander and his staff monitor them from the control room. When the two get to the bridge, it's deserted, because the control room — the remote control room — is on Romulus.
- Trip reminds Malcolm of the time he complimented T'Pol's bum.
- Crushing Handshake: Gral extends a hand to Archer in a show of respect for Human custom. Archer grimaces visibly as he returns it.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Shran drunkenly toasts his lost ship with Archer.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Brian Thompson's deep voice is used to excellent effect, making Valdore sound suitably imposing and authoritative.
- The Faceless: The operator of the remote vessel wears a sensor helmet that covers his entire head.
- False Flag Operation: The Romulans are using a ship with holographic camouflage, allowing them to provoke the other powers into blaming each other.
- Fantastic Racism: The Andorians hate Tellarites as much as they hate Vulcans, and the feeling is mutual.
- A Father to His Men: The way Shran talks about his fallen crewmen makes it clear that he cares for his crew as much as Archer does his.
- The Gadfly: Archer 'practices Tellarite' on Trip but only smiles after Trip has left the room.
- Green-Skinned Space Babe: Talas is a blue-skinned space babe, but just as hot in her pink lingerie.
- He Knows Too Much: Or rather, They Know Too Much, since it's two people: Trip and Malcolm see enough of the drone ship that Valdore wants them found and eliminated.
- Ham-to-Ham Combat: Shran, Gral, and Archer begin chewing the scenery as their argument becomes more and more heated.
- Hyperspeed Escape: Facilitated by the new injectors on Enterprise.
- Ignored Expert: The Romulan engineer in charge of the remote vessel protests, not for the first time, that the vessel is a prototype and not ready for combat.
- Inertial Dampening: The drone ship has a rather weak system compared to other starships, since it was designed to operate without a crew and thus only needs the bare minimum necessary to keep the equipment functioning. This means Trip and Malcolm gets tossed around every time it maneuvers.
- Insult Backfire: Upon boarding Enterprise, Gral says he finds the ship small and unimpressive. Archer fires back "I was gonna say the same thing about you." This causes Gral to give a hearty laugh.
- Lampshade Hanging: While struggling to find their way aboard the marauder, Reed admits there's no rule the bridge has to be on the top deck like with so many Starfleet vessels.
- Not so Dire: It looks like Archer and Hoshi are having a heated argument over ship's policies, until it turns out that they're practicing for dealing with the Tellarites, who proudly wear the "Ass" in Ambassador hat.
- Orphaned Punchline: Trip tells a joke to two of the Tellarites that ends with "And then the guy says, 'I'm not really a pilot.'" Unfortunately for him, the joke goes over the two's heads.
- Relationship Upgrade: Shran and Talas had one off-screen. Turns out that Andorian women are rather...sexually aggressive, and he was forced to either have her charged with assaulting a superior officer or return her affections.
- Self-Destruct Mechanism: The Romulans consider using this to keep Enterprise from learning too much about the drone ship.
- Show Some Leg: Talas in her underwear, trying to seduce the guard assigned to her and Shran's quarters. He's Not Distracted by the Sexy and has to be subdued by force, managing to land a solid punch on Shran as he turns around before he goes down.
- Team Switzerland: This is the beginning of an 'origins of the Federation' arc, in which Earth takes the lead largely because they're the only ones none of the other founders have longstanding conflict with. Archer spends much of this episode trying to keep Shran and Gral from ripping each other's heads off and is the only one willing to consider an alternate explanation for the attacks.
- Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway: The Romulan drone ship is a prototype, and works as well as prototypes tend to — in other words, it breaks down a lot.
- Weird World, Weird Food:
- Chef went through all the trouble of creating authentic Tellarite dishes, and Gral complains that he wanted to sample Earth foods and if he wanted authentic Tellarite dishes, he could eat those at home.
- Hoshi also tells Archer to keep Porthos out of sight, as Tellarites consider canine to be a delicacy.
- The bottle Shran and Archer share is the often seen Andorian ale.
- Wham Shot: Trip and Malcolm arrive on the maurader's bridge... only to find it completely deserted. Turns out Valdore is controlling the ship from Romulus.
