01x08 - Breaking the Ice

[bunniefuu]

Looks like we're going
about warp 4.5.

Human children have
such fertile imaginations.

Subcommander.

These were sent by my
nephew's fourth grade class.

I thought the crew
might like to see

how excited folks back home are

about our mission.

I'm going to put
this one up in Sick Bay.

Would you like one
for your quarters?

This rendering is crude,
yet surprisingly accurate.

Huh... some of these kids
are pretty talented.

Which one do you want?

This one's nice... or...

maybe you want "First Contact"?

Or...

how about this one?

We're dropping out of warp.

For those of you
who aren't near a window,

you might want to find one.

There's something pretty amazing
off starboard.

Senior staff,

please report to the Bridge.

I've checked
the Vulcan database, sir.

No previous sightings.

That means we discovered it.

"Archer's Comet."

Take us closer, Ensign.

Aye, sir.

♪ It's been a long road ♪

♪ Getting from there to here ♪

♪ It's been a long time ♪

♪ But my time is finally near ♪

♪ And I will see my dream
come alive at last ♪

♪ I will touch the sky ♪

♪ And they're not gonna
hold me down no more ♪

♪ No, they're not gonna
change my mind ♪

♪ 'Cause I've got faith ♪

♪ Of the heart ♪

♪ I'm going where my heart
will take me ♪

♪ I've got faith to believe ♪

♪ I can do anything ♪

♪ I've got strength
of the soul ♪

♪ No one's gonna bend
or break me ♪

♪ I can reach any star ♪

♪ I've got faith ♪

♪ I've got, I've got, I've got ♪

♪ I've got faith ♪

♪ Faith of the heart. ♪

Ever seen anything like that

in your astronomy books?

Wow!

That's one big snowball.

The diameter is 82.6 kilometers.

I always wanted
to chase a comet.

Maybe we should spend a few days

following this one.

Vulcan and human scientists

have researched hundreds
of comets.

They've proven to be
little more than rock and ice.

Except this one's
bigger than any comet

humans have ever seen.

Now, that's got to be
worth a look.

Stay with it, Travis.

Aye, sir.

Mmm!

Milk. Cold.

Catching up on your reading?

I came for tea.

Well, stay away from
the Zariphean blend,

unless you want to stay up
for the next three days.

Caffeine has little effect
on Vulcan physiology.

Green tea. Hot.

You want to join me?

I could use the company.

I'm very tired.

Tell me about it.

Put out about a hundred fires
in Engineering this afternoon

and missed dinner.

Then somebody told me
Chef made a pecan pie

and suddenly,
my life brightened.

It's been my favorite

since I was a kid.

Care for a bite?

No, thank you.

It's delicious.

It's mostly sugar.

Well, Vulcans don't have
a sweet tooth?

May not be good for the body,

but it sure is good
for the soul.

Mmm!

I feel better already.

Must be a real page-turner.

You all right?

I'm fine, Commander.

Good night.

Sweet dreams.

Eisilium?

It's an extremely rare mineral.

This comet appears to contain
large quantities of it.

I've never heard of eisilium.

Vulcan chemists have
only obtained small amounts.

They've never been able
to study it in detail.

This could be your chance.

Can we collect a sample
with the transporter?

Most of the eisilium deposits

are at least 20 meters
beneath the crust.

That's too deep to get a lock.

We've got the portable
drilling rig, sir.

The comet's certainly
big enough to land on.

We could take a shuttlepod.

I'd advise setting down
near one of the two poles.

If you're out
of direct sunlight,

the surface ice
will be more stable.

How long would you need?

Shouldn't take more
than three or four hours.

You up for a little comet walk?

By all means.

Get started.

Captain.

I'm detecting a vessel
closing on our position.

It's Vulcan.

The Starship Ti'Mur.

Hail them.

This is Captain Jonathan Archer
of the Starship Enterprise.

I'm Captain Vanik.

Pleased to meet you.

You're a long way from Earth,
Captain.

Are you lost?

Not at all.

Just taking a look
at this comet.

Our sensors detected it
two days ago.

We also decided to investigate.

Really?

My Science Officer tells me
that Vulcans aren't

very interested in comets.

Actually, it's your interest
in the comet

we're investigating.

We plan to send a drilling team
to the surface

to collect core samples.

You're welcome to participate.

If you have no objection,

we'd like to remain here
and observe.

Stay as long as you want.

T'Pol.

I'd love to know
what they're really doing here.

You don't find anything strange

about them suddenly showing up?

Perhaps they're simply curious.

Curious?

That doesn't sound
very Vulcan to me.

This isn't the first time

we've caught them
lurking around.

Remember three weeks ago?

The planetary nebula?

That was nothing more
than a survey ship.

So why didn't they
respond to our hails?

Why'd they go to warp
when we headed toward them.

I'm starting to get the feeling

they're looking over
our shoulder a little too often.

That seems unlikely.

We'll see.

Fine.

If Vanik is the kind of guy
who likes to watch...

let him.

I've never stood
on a comet before.

Has anyone?

Good question.

I've only seen snow
twice in my life.

Well, then it's only fitting

that we commemorate
the occasion.

You mean plant a flag?

Ah, too predictable.

Snowball fight.

EV suits would take
all the fun out of that.

We'll just have to see
how the spirit moves us

when we get there.

Commander, you wanted to see me?

Take a look at something,
will you?

I've been running diagnostics

and I found
some kind of power surge

in the transceiver array.

Looks like
an encrypted transmission.

It came from the Vulcan ship.

Who was it sent to?

You're sure this was sent
to her quarters?

I wish I wasn't.

Did she say anything to you
about it?

Not a word.

We had an agreement.

She promised not
to speak to the Vulcans

without telling me.

Looks like she's having
some trouble

keeping her promises.

Should I have Hoshi decrypt it?

Tell her it's top priority.

Whenever you're ready, Captain.

You sure you want me here
for this?

I've got a lot of work to do.

Stay put, Commander.

This is important.

Start the recording.

To the students of Ms. Malvin's
fourth grade class

at the Worley Elementary School
in Kenmare,

County Kerry, Ireland.

This is Captain Archer
aboard the Starship Enterprise.

On behalf of the entire crew,

I'd like to thank you
for your transmission.

We all got a real kick out
of your drawings and letters.

You asked a lot

of interesting questions.

I wish we had time
to answer all of them,

but if we did that,

we wouldn't get much
exploring done.

So, I've selected a few

and hopefully our answers
will give you a better idea

of what life is like out here.

Liam Brennan asks,
"What do you eat?"

For the most part,
the same things you eat at home.

Our chef can make anything

from a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich

to a... turkey
with all the trimmings.

We have a hydroponic greenhouse
on board

where we grow
fruits and vegetables

and we can also
replicate certain foods

with our protein resequencer.

Here's one from Geoff Miles.

"Is dating allowed
on Enterprise?"

Well, it's not discouraged,

but there isn't a lot of privacy
on a starship.

Most of our crew share quarters
with at least one other person,

so, it wouldn't...
exactly be practical.

But if two crew members

decided they really
like each other,

there are a lot of places they
can go to look at the stars.

Chloe O'Shannon wants to know,

"How do we talk to aliens?"

I think I'll give that one
to my Communications Officer,

Ensign Hoshi Sato.

Well, Chloe,
that's a very good question.

We use a device called
the Universal Translator.

It's like an alien dictionary

with hundreds of languages
programmed into it

and it can learn new languages
very quickly...

but it doesn't always work,
and when that happens,

it's up to me
to try to translate.

I'm sure
I don't have to tell you,

it can be really hard sometimes.

One wrong word can mean
the difference between saying

"Take my hand"
or "Take my life."

So far I've managed
to do pretty well.

Thanks, Hoshi.

Here's one from Molly McCook.

"When you flush the toilet,
where does it go?"

That sounds like an
Engineering question

so we'll ask Commander Charles
Tucker, our Chief Engineer.

Trip?

Pause it, will you?

A poop question, sir?

Can't I talk about
the warp reactor

or the transporter?

It's a perfectly valid question.

First thing
you've got to understand

is we recycle pretty much
everything on a starship.

That includes... waste.

The first thing that happens

to the waste
is it gets processed

through a machine called
a bio-matter resequencer.

Then it gets broken down
into... hold on.

They're going to think
I'm the sanitation engineer.

You're doing fine.

So, the waste is broken down
into little molecules,

and then they get transformed
into any number of things

we can use on the ship...

Cargo containers, insulation...
boots.

You name it.

Very enlightening, Commander.

Gabrielle Witty wants to know
if germs can live in space.

Ah... I believe I can

answer that, Captain.

Hello, children.

I'm Dr. Phlox,
the Ship's Physician.

I'm from a system
called Denobula Triaxa

and I feel very honored to be
part of this important mission.

Germs...

Mm-hmm... they may be tiny,

but they are among
the most resilient organisms

known to medical science.

They can survive
almost anywhere...

On your kitchen counter,
under your fingernail.

In the vacuum of space,
over 200 million

space-dwelling microbes
have been cataloged.

One of the most virulent species

lives inside grains
of interstellar dust.

Polycocyx astris.

They can drift

in a dormant state
for millions of years

and still cause a nasty cold.

I once discovered a peculiar
colony of spores on a hull...

Thank you, Doctor.

Fascinating.

I think we've taken up

enough of Ms. Malvin's
classroom time.

By the way, we've included

some pictures of a comet
we're studying.

We think it might be
the biggest one ever discovered

by humans or Vulcans.

That's what's so exciting
about being on Enterprise.

You never know
what you're going to find next.

We miss Earth,

but hearing from you

makes us all feel
a little closer to home.

Captain Archer out.

How'd it go?

The beauty of ice

is that it records everything
like a blank page.

The farther down you drill,
the farther back in time you go.

Lieutenant?

Yes?

What do you think?

Hand me the plasma torch.

Archer to Lieutenant Reed.

Go ahead, sir.

How are you doing, Malcolm?

We're just about
to set the charges.

I'm sure I don't need to remind
you we're being observed.

No, sir.

We want this to go
as smoothly as possible.

Make a good impression.

Right.

So, tell me,

who's the sculptor?

It won't be there for long, sir.

Archer out.

Any luck?

Sorry it took so long.

The code was pretty complex.

What's it say?

It's in Vulcan.

You'll have to run it through

the translation matrix.

You didn't read it?

I didn't feel it would be right.

Thanks.

Come in.

Well, we decrypted the message.

And?

It's not exactly
what we expected.

It's a letter.

What did it say?

It's personal.

What do you mean?

Very personal.

Oh...

You could order me
to tell you, sir,

but you wouldn't
be happy if I did.

Why the hell was it encrypted?

That's what I want to know.

Maybe Vulcans encrypt all
their personal letters.

All they had to do was send it
through regular channels,

mark it "personal"
and we'd have left it alone,

but, no, they had to encrypt it,

force me to start snooping.

I feel like I got caught
with my hand in the cookie jar.

Let it go, Trip.

I mean, come on, it
was an honest mistake.

Oh, I can't let it go.

I got to tell her.

How's that going to help?

It's the right thing to do.

At least I'll be able
to look her in the eye

without feeling guilty.

You're a good man.

You might want to take
a phase-p*stol with you.

I might need one.

Got a minute?

In private.

Excuse us, Crewman.

Did you ever...

Did you ever do anything
totally by mistake that...

you weren't very proud of?

No.

Did you ever...

come across something that-that
you thought was one thing,

so you reacted in a certain way,

but then it turned out to be
something completely different?

Your point, Commander?

I found out about your message
from the Vulcan ship.

It was a personal matter.

Why wasn't it sent through
normal Starfleet channels?

That takes time.

The letter was important.

So they sent it in code?

Do you have any idea
how suspicious that looked?

You read my letter?

Believe me, I don't feel
very good about it.

I have more letters
in my quarters.

Would you like to
read those as well?

I'm trying to apologize here.

Archer to T'Pol.

Yes, Captain.

Please report to my Ready Room.

Has anyone else read the letter?

No.

I'd appreciate it if
you wouldn't mention it.

I won't. I promise.

I thought I'd invite
Captain Vanik for a visit.

If he's so interested
in how we do things,

he might as well
come see for himself.

Once he realizes we're not going
to blow up the galaxy,

maybe he'll leave us alone.

I'm sure
he'll appreciate the gesture.

Dinner's a good way
to break the ice.

I was hoping you might give Chef
some menu suggestions.

Certainly.

A little food, a little wine...

Vulcans don't drink wine.

You know what I mean.

Just help me make him go away.

When did these symptoms begin?

Two days ago.

Hmm. Perhaps you slept
in an awkward position.

I haven't slept.

For two days?

Something on your mind?

It appears to be
a tension headache.

You know anything
said between us

is strictly confidential.

Would you like to talk
about what's troubling you?

No.

I don't know if there's
anyone on this ship

you would feel comfortable
talking with,

but, uh, if there is,
it might feel good

to get whatever's bothering
you out in the open.

This is a simple analgesic.

I can give you something later

to help you sleep this
evening if you'd like.

Thank you, Doctor.

The ears are a nice touch.

I thought so.

We should get out more often.

Don't get too comfortable.

This landscape is
about to change.

Reed to Enterprise.

Go ahead.

Charges are set.

Stand by.

Inform the Vulcans we're about
to make a very loud noise.

Aye, sir.

Archer to Reed.

Yes, Captain?

Blast away.

Understood.

Impressive.

I was hoping for a
little more symmetry.

I'll get the drill.

If I'm not mistaken,

you're flying
a Surok-class ship.

You are not mistaken.

You can get her up
to what... 6, 6.5?

6.5.

I'd love to get a look
inside those nacelles.

Our warp systems are classified.

A few years back,

I was a guest aboard
a Maymora-class ship.

The Yarahla.
Captain Tok.

Do you know him?

Not personally.

We made a run to
a dark-matter nebula.

I helped set up
the graviton telescope.

Most fun I've ever
had on a spacewalk.

Those Vulcan EV suits
are something else...

like you're flying around

inside your own little starship.

You're easily impressed.

Something wrong
with your Pok Tar?

No.

If it's not to your liking,

I'm sure our chef
can prepare you something else.

I've already eaten.

Hope you saved room for dessert.

After dinner...

I thought you might like
to take a look around.

Enterprise

may not be Surok-class,
but she's quite a ship.

Perhaps another time.

Tea?

I only drink water.

Ah.

You know, for people
who claim to not be explorers,

you sure do get around.

I hope our presence here
is not proving inconvenient.

On the contrary,

it's nice to know

no matter how big the universe
is, there's always

a Vulcan ship nearby.

So, Captain...
tell us about yourself.

Excuse me?

On Earth, it's customary to
exchange personal information

with someone you've just met.

We have this peculiar habit of
actually talking during meals.

I've noticed.

What would you like to know?

I don't know.

Where were you born?

How long have you been Captain?

Any... hobbies?

I've served in the Vulcan
Space Program for 76 years,

15 of those
commanding the Ti'Mur.

I believe this is
Captain Vanik's first visit

aboard an Earth vessel.

We'd be happy to answer
any questions you might have.

I have none.

Humans have never
held much interest for me.

Well, where did the time go?

Seems like you just got here.

I'm sure you're eager
to get back to your ship,

so I'll trouble you with
just one last question.

How long do you plan
on spying on us?

If we were "spying," Captain,

you would've never
detected our presence.

Your inexperience
and your arrogance

are your enemies, not us.

Please show Captain Vanik
to the Launch Bay.

Shanshot tulara komosh.

What'd he say?

Hmm.

Captain, you should
take a look at this.

Archer to Lieutenant Reed.

Go ahead, sir.

How's it going?

We hit a layer of magnesite
and we've cracked a drill bit,

but we've replaced it.

You may want to pick up
the pace a little.

Sir?

The comet's
rotational axis shifted

when you set off those charges.

In about two hours,

the shuttlepod
will be facing the star.

The temperature's going to sh**t
up by a couple hundred degrees.

I want you out of there
before then.

We'll be done
with time to spare, sir.

Be sure you are.

Archer out.

Come in.

Decide to tell me
what Vanik said?

Please, sit down.

I've never seen
your quarters before.

Cozy.

You know you're not supposed
to have an open flame

on the ship.

I was given permission
from the Captain.

They're for meditation.

So... what can I do for you?

Dr. Phlox believes
that it might help

if I was to discuss my problem

with someone I felt
comfortable confiding in.

You... want to talk to me?

Well, I, um...

I'm not sure
I'm going to be much help.

I mean, I've only been
in three relationships

and they all went bust.

Are you sure you wouldn't rather
talk to Hoshi or Ensign Kimball?

She's married.

You were far from
my first choice,

but speaking with someone else

would mean more people
knowing about my situation.

I'll do anything I can.

What's your problem?

You read the letter.

Yes.

Then you know

that unless I leave
Enterprise immediately,

my wedding plans
will be canceled.

Have you talked to...

Koss.

Have you talked to
Koss about all this?

We haven't spoken in many years.

Marriages on Vulcan are arranged

during childhood.

I've only met Koss four times.

How can you be in love
with a guy

you've only met four times?

It's assumed that
we'd eventually develop

an affection for one another.

So his parents send you
an ultimatum?

He doesn't have a say?

His parents planned the union.

It's their decision.

Boy...

where I come from,
arranged marriages

went out with sl*very.

Are you going to give me advice

or criticize my
people's tradition?

I'm still a little fuzzy
on why they threatened

to call it off
in the first place.

The ceremony was supposed
to take place next week.

When I decided to
remain on Enterprise,

I requested a postponement.

Koss' parents were insulted

that I would put off our plans

to serve on a human vessel.

Well, Vanik can take you home.

Why don't you go marry Koss,
then come back?

It's customary for a husband
and wife to reside together

for at least one Vulcan year.

Maybe he can come to Enterprise.

He's an architect.

It would be illogical for him

to live aboard a starship.

This whole thing
sounds illogical.

Your advice, Commander.

What do you want to do?

That is irrelevant.

No, it's not.
It's very relevant.

Do you want to go back
and marry this guy,

spend a year with him,
ten years, a hundred years,

or do you want to stay
on Enterprise?

I have an obligation.

You've got an obligation
to yourself.

You've spent the last
year around humans.

If there's one thing
you should've learned,

it's that we're free
to make our own decisions.

There's a lot to be said
for personal choice.

If you'd spent
the last year on Vulcan,

you would've learned that
our commitment to tradition

outweighs personal choice.

I respect your customs,

but this marriage was arranged
when you were a kid.

A lot's happened since then;
people change.

Vulcans don't.

Really?

My obligation is to my culture,
my heritage.

It has to take

precedence.

Sounds to me like you already
made up your mind.

Why the hell
did you ask me here?

It was a mistake.

I apologize.

Did it ever occur to you

that you might've
postponed the wedding

because subconsciously
you wanted to get out of it?

That would imply
that my subconscious mind

controls my decisions.

It doesn't.

Well, it happens to humans
all the time.

Maybe you're picking up
some of our bad habits.

Travis!

I'm okay.

Oh!

What?

My knee.

You rest here.

I'm all right.

Okay.

Well, let's get you to the pod.

I'll come back for the gear

if there's time.

At least take the core sample.

We shouldn't go back
to the ship empty-handed.

Almost there.

It might be faster
without the suits.

Yes, and a lot colder.

What's that?

I hope I never see snow again.

You all right?

We should have never ignited
the thrusters.

Well, it's not like
we had a choice.

Reed here.

You two okay?

More or less.

How far did we drop?

About 18 meters.

We'll get you out of there.

Just give us a few minutes.

We're not going anywhere.

Bring the grappler on line.

The mouth of that chasm's
a little narrow.

I'll get you in close enough.

Do you see them?

Bring us in another 50 meters.

Two meters starboard.

A little more.

The Vulcan ship is hailing us.

Take a message; I'm busy.

Captain Vanik wants to know

if we require assistance.

Tell him we've got
everything under control.

There. Right there.

Synchronize to the rotation.

Almost got it.

One hit, one miss.

One'll be fine. Reel them in.

The pod's hit an outcropping.

It's wedged in.

Take us a few meters to port.

We might be able to pull them
around it.

Those eisilium deposits
are disrupting

the maglock.
I'm losing them.

Ease them back down.

They've fallen
another nine meters.

Let's try it again.

Captain, they're moving
out of the sunlight.

The surface ice
is re-crystallizing.

In less than an hour, that
chasm'll be sealed up again.

Then we'd better hurry.

There is another option.

Captain Vanik.

I'd rather leave him
out of this.

His ship has a tractor beam.

It won't be affected
by the eisilium.

Reset the grappler.

Vanik offered to assist us.
There's no shame in accepting.

We can do this on our own.

I don't like him any more
than you do, Captain,

but a tractor beam sounds like
a pretty good idea right now.

Vanik expects you
to refuse his offer.

He sees humans
as arrogant, prideful.

Why not prove him wrong?

You can save them,

or you can let your
pride stand in the way.

You're human.

You're free to choose.

They've got us.

Go ahead, Enterprise.

This is Captain Vanik
of the Vulcan ship Ti'Mur.

Stand by to ignite your engines
and return to your ship.

I thought you might want
to take a look

at the data we collected.

You helped us bring it back.

It's the least we can do.

As your Science Officer
told you,

we have little interest
in comets.

That tractor beam of yours
is quite something.

Any chance we could take
a look at the specifications?

That information is classified.

I thought it might be.

We'll be leaving
within the hour.

Is there anything else
we can help you with?

You've done more than enough.

See you around.

You don't have much time.

I assume you're all packed.

Captain?

With your permission,

I'd like to transmit a message

to the Ti'Mur,
to send to Vulcan.

Go right ahead.

Thank you.

What was that all about?

It's personal.