| Enterprise
navigates into a stellar nursery hoping to make contact with some of the
alien vessels detected among the colorful gases and protostars. Finding
a transport vessel escorting a group of alien pilgrims to the "Great Plume
of Agosoria," a protostar which emits an epic burst of energy every 11 years,
Captain Archer decides to caravan with the pilgrimage ship, and invites
the group for a social dinner onboard Enterprise. Relations fare well among
the starship crew and the pilgrims; culminating with Commander Trip Tucker
giving a guided tour of the Enterprise engineering bay. As the group listens
attentively to Trip's oversimplified explanation of the warp engines, one
pilgrim silently slips behind a bulkhead unnoticed. He opens a panel and
dislocates his limb in order to disconnect a conduit within he is a Suliban.
After the disguised invader rejoins the group, the entire ship is suddenly
rocked by a powerful plasma storm within the stellar nursery. Unsuccessfully
attempting to steer clear of the storm, Enterprise is repeatedly hit with
plasma lighting, severely damaging the warp manifold and starting a disastrous
antimatter cascade traveling towards the reactor. Instead of completely
destroying the ship, though, the cascade is suddenly stopped dead at the
very console the Suliban tampered with moments before. After the jostled
pilgrims return to their ship, Trip informs Archer of the recently discovered
separated conduit, and that although it's what saved the ship, no one is
taking responsibility for its disconnection. Perplexed, a sullen Archer
is approached by Crewman Daniels, a steward in the Mess Hall, who reveals
he is not really a member of Starfleet, but a soldier from 900 years in
the future. Taking Archer to his quarters, Daniels uses a futuristic device
to project a holographic "temporal observatory." Daniels claims he was sent
to track and stop Silik the same Suliban whom Archer fought on the Helix
during the ship's first mission from altering history, but he requires a
portion of the Enterprise's power and equipment to operate his futuristic
tracking technology. Archer discusses Daniel's proposal with a stunned Trip
and the ever-skeptical T'Pol, ultimately deciding that in case a "Temporal
Cold War" actually does exist, it would be best to give Daniels the aid
he needs. Trip and T'Pol help Daniels set up his tracking devices in Engineering
and are amazed at his futuristic technology, particularly a device that
allows its operator to literally walk through walls. Meanwhile a suspicious
Archer attempts to seek out Silik from the group of pilgrims, who have returned
to the Enterprise Mess Hall in order to gain a better view of the rapidly
approaching Plume of Agosoria. But when Archer returns to his quarters he
is ambushed by the awaiting Silik. Insisting someone else is actually the
one trying to alter history, Silik claims to be there to stop whomever it
might be and needs Archer's help in identifying the unknown soldier. In
an attempt to gain Archer's trust Silik confesses to having disconnected
the conduit and saving Enterprise, but while Archer denies knowing who Silik
is referring to, T'Pol announces over the com that Daniels' modifications
in Engineering are complete, which unwittingly provides Silik with the information
he required. No longer needing him, Silik stuns Archer into unconsciousness.
While waiting for Archer to arrive, Daniels' tracking device alerts him
to Silik's presence within Engineering, and he insists Trip and T'Pol immediately
leave to bring reinforcements to help contain Silik. As the two comply and
leave Engineering, they witness Silik murder Daniels without hesitation,
then use his genetically enhanced camouflaging ability to disappear from
sight. Awakened by Dr. Phlox, a sore Archer orders every outer door and
hatch sealed, and security posted on all decks to prevent Silik's escape.
Then confirming his suspicion, Archer takes T'Pol into Daniels' quarters
and discovers that the device Daniels used to project the Temporal Observatory
has been stolen, deducing it was probably Silik's mission in the first place.
Silik is detected by Ensign Hoshi Sato as he attempts to bypass the lockout
codes for Launch Bay One, while Trip helps Archer by giving him the phasing
device he witnessed Daniels use earlier. Archer uses it to walk through
a bulkhead wall, catching Silik by surprise, when suddenly both men are
violently rocked as Enterprise experiences heavy plasma turbulence from
the much anticipated Plume of Agosoria. Silik seizes the moment to escape
inside the Launch Bay, quickly followed by Archer, who, rather than letting
Silik have it, opts to shoot Daniels' device out of Silik's clutched grasp.
Seeing the device is destroyed, Silik camouflages himself and flees, gaining
enough time to open the Launch Bay doors. Holding on to a handrail as the
ensuing vacuum decompresses the bay of air, Archer watches as Silik steps
to the edge of the opening and jumps out of the ship headlong into the cloudy
depths of the stellar nursery. Saving himself from being sucked into space
after Silik, Archer climbs into a control room and repressurizes it so he
can breathe again. T'Pol comes over the com, requesting to follow Silik
who has just been picked up from space by a Suliban cell ship. Archer denies
T'Pol's request, opting to let the conniving Silik go as he failed to get
what he came for anyway. Before retiring to bed, the exhausted Archer orders
Daniels' quarters to be sealed off indefinitely, as a safeguard against
any other unknown powerful and mysterious devices that may lie within. |
