04x07 - The Forge

[bunniefuu]

Surak.

FORREST:Admiral Maxwell Forrest's
personal log.

I've arrived on Vulcan
hopeful that the High Command

is finally ready to conduct
joint missions with Starfleet.

Admiral, the High Command will
tell you its decision at the proper time.

After all we've been through,
I'd rather hear the good news from you.

The High Command hasn't
included me in their discussions.

They're not telling
their own ambassador to Earth

what they're planning?

Welcome to the club.

SOVAL: Admiral, I know you find
our reluctance

to share technology
and discoveries restrictive.

I can think of a few stronger words
than that.

We don't know what to do
about humans.

Of all the species
we've made contact with,

yours is the only one
we can't define.

You have the arrogance of Andorians,
the stubborn pride of Tellarites.

One moment you're as driven
by your emotions as Klingons,

and the next, you confound us
by suddenly embracing logic.

[SCANNER BEEPING]

I'm sure those qualities are found
in every species.

Not in such confusing abundance.

MAN:
Next, please. Step up to the scanner.

FORREST:
Ambassador.

Are Vulcans afraid of humans?

Why?

Because there is one species
you remind us of.

Vulcans.

We had our wars, admiral,
just as humans did.

Our planet was devastated,
our civilization nearly destroyed.

Logic saved us.

But it took almost 1,500 years

for us to rebuild our world
and travel to the stars.

You humans did the same
in less than a century.

There are those
on the High Command who wonder

what humans would achieve
in the century to come.

And they don't like the answer.

We're not the Klingons.

We only want to be your partners,

to do what the nations of Earth
have learned to do,

to work together in common cause.

Unfortunately, the future of relations
between our worlds

is not mine to control.

[RUMBLING]

[expl*si*n]

Captain.

HOSHI:
Here.

[ALL GRUNTING]

HOSHI: Aww.
TRIP: Yes. Ha-ha-ha.

- That's another game, 21 to two.
- Ha-ha-ha.

Time to switch sides again, doctor.

Certainly.

This is a most enjoyable sport.

Reminiscent of Octran
fertility contests.

HOSHI: Oh, good.
ALL: Ha-ha-ha.

Captain, I've just spoken
with Starfleet Command.

Except we're fully clothed,
which is probably for the best.

ARCHER:
Captain's starlog, supplemental.

Enterprise has arrived at Vulcan
as ordered.

Three days after the bombing
of Earth's embassy,

the death toll stands at 43, and I have
lost my friend, Admiral Forrest.

Vulcan authorities still have no lead
on who's responsible.

I'm sorry to keep you from your family,

but I need you
on the investigation full-time.

It's where I prefer to be.

Your mother and husband
will understand?

My mother hasn't responded
to my communiqués.

It's not unusual for her
to become lost in her work.

As for my husband,
our arrangement remains unchanged.

Captain Jonathan Archer.

I regret we meet
under such tragic circumstances.

I'd like to introduce
Administrator V'Las.

Administrator.

I wasn't told to expect
the head of the High Command.

Captain Archer, all of Vulcan
grieves with you today.

Twelve Vulcans d*ed in the blast,
ambassador.

To that end, this is Stel,

chief investigator
of our Security Directorate.

Captain, we now have suspects.

Andorians?

Why would they att*ck
our embassy?

To create conflict
between Earth and Vulcan.

They do consider us allies
who stand against them.

So far, we've done our best
to remain neutral,

and the Andorians know that.

They have nothing to gain
by attacking us.

You have other suspects?

Syrrannites.

I've never heard of that species.

Actually, they're a small group
of Vulcans.

They follow a corrupted form
of Surak's teachings.

Surak I've heard of.

He's the father of Vulcan logic.

Even after 1,800 years,

we consider him the most important
Vulcan who ever lived.

So why would these Syrrannites
want to att*ck our embassy?

It's hardly an act of logic.

They've been vocal
about their opposition to government,

but always peaceful.

Over the past year, their leader,
a dissident named Syrran,

has become a dangerous zealot.

Captain, I trust you
to keep this matter confidential.

We don't share it lightly.

But recently on our world,
there have been instances of v*olence

against non-Vulcans.

Though we have no conclusive proof,

there are signs
that Syrrannites might be responsible.

Is there any evidence connecting
Syrrannites to the bombing?

Your embassy is officially considered
to be on Earth soil.

We've preserved the site
for you to investigate.

If evidence is there,

the chief investigator and I
feel confident you'll find it.

I intend to.

MAYWEATHER: Lieutenant,
here's the junction room.

Schematics say the secondary
security bank's right in there.

Ah. Still in one piece.

There's a weak power signature
under this mess.

It's probably an emergency light
running on batteries.

Well, there's something here, some
kind of surveillance recorder. Uhn.

[GRUNTS]

Lieutenant.

The timer might be broken,
but that b*mb's armed.

Don't move.
The slightest vibration might set it off.

Reed to Enterprise.

I need an emergency transporter lock,
two to beam up on my mark.

HOSHI:
Acknowledged.

Why not beam the b*mb out?

If there's a gravity switch,
it'll detonate in the matter stream.

HOSHI: Enterprise to Reed.
The transporter's locked.

Do you need assistance?

Negative, Enterprise. Stand by.

I'm going to attempt to scan it.

- Attempt?
- Yeah.

If I'd designed that b*mb,

I'd rig it to go off the instant
a sensor beam made contact.

Look on the bright side.

If it detonates,

we'll never know.

Steady.

[THUMP]

[BEEPING]

[SIGHS]

There's Vulcan DNA
on these controls.

So much for blaming Andorians.

REED:
Boosting scan resolution.

[b*mb BEEPING]

That can't be good.

Oh, damn. Enterprise, mark.

[BEEPING CONTINUES]

Enterprise.

PHLOX: According to
the Vulcan Genome Registry,

the DNA on the b*mb's controls
was left by this woman, T'Pau.

Since you had her DNA on record,

does that mean
she's been arrested before?

The registry records DNA
from all Vulcans at birth.

- Do you know anything about her?
- T'Pau is a well-known Syrrannite.

All right, we've got a solid start.

Now we need to find her.

Captain, T'Pau is Vulcan.

The Security Directorate
will take charge of the investigation.

Of course. Vulcan sovereignty.

Lieutenant Reed and
Commander T'Pol will work with you.

Their assistance isn't required.

Chief investigator,
43 people d*ed in the bombing.

Twelve Vulcans and 31 humans.

We want her as much as you do.

This is now
a Vulcan security operation.

We'll inform Ambassador Soval
of any developments that concern you.

[DOOR OPENS THEN CLOSES]

SOVAL: His death is a loss
to both our worlds.

If you're lost, ambassador,
I can direct you to your shuttle.

He saved my life in the expl*si*n.

He could have saved himself.

He always put the mission first.

The last time we spoke,

he was anticipating the prospect
of joint missions,

humans and Vulcans
working together.

We have to make that possible.

Despite the High Command.

It makes no sense

to think the Syrrannites
are responsible for this outrage.

We have DNA evidence.

Recheck everything, captain.
Question everything.

And don't let them
keep you on Enterprise.

The answers you need
are on Vulcan,

and however far
you have to take this investigation,

you have my support.

[DOOR CHIMES]

Enter.

It is agreeable to see you.

What is the purpose of your visit?

Does a husband need a purpose
to visit his wife?

Your message was cryptic.

By necessity.

The Syrrannite thr*at has brought
new security measures into effect.

Private communications
are no longer private.

You have something to tell me
that the authorities shouldn't hear?

KOSS:
Something to give you.

Your mother asked me
to deliver it personally.

She told me that it's been
in your family for generations,

and now it's your turn to care for it.

Why didn't she give this
to me herself?

The new security conditions.

They've forced your mother into hiding
to avoid arrest.

My mother?

She's a Syrrannite.

ARCHER:
A Syrrannite?

And she never told you?

What's important is that
she's disappeared like the others,

facing unjustified arrest.

- Like T'Pau.
- No, there's a difference.

My mother wants me to find her.

- It's called an IDIC.
- Looks old.

It's been modified.

[LOW HUMMING SOUND]

This is a desert called The Forge.

The route's the one
Surak supposedly followed.

Eighteen hundred years ago?

Syrrannites follow the same path today,
seeking enlightenment.

And you think your mother
is somewhere along that path?

She told Koss
this was a family heirloom,

but I've never seen it before.

She didn't want Koss
to know about the map.

With any luck,

we can use this
to find your mother and T'Pau.

Captain, have you seen the reports
on this place? It's a hellhole.

It's a Vulcan desert.
I expect it'll be hot.

It's got electrical sandstorms.

Geomagnetic instabilities so bad
technology won't work.

So no communicators,
no scanners, no phase-pistols.

We can't even beam you into it.

- You're gonna have to walk in.
- I'll be careful.

You've got Enterprise.

You and Malcolm keep
the investigation going up here.

And whatever the Vulcans tell you,
believe the opposite.

Present company excepted.

- Ambassador.
- Captain. Commander.

This shows the gaps
in our satellite surveillance

when beam-ins can't be detected.

I'm thinking we're not exactly
cleared to have this.

Have what, commander?
All I see is a Starfleet data module.

Right.

Captain, what if something goes wrong
down there?

It already has.

Energize.

[MACHINE BEEPS]

This site is called Gateway,

where Surak supposedly began
his journey into The Forge.

ARCHER:
You keep saying "supposedly."

You don't believe Surak did the things
they said he did?

He brought logic to Vulcan, in an age
we call the Time of Awakening.

But his writings from that period
no longer exist.

There must be some record of it.

Over the centuries, his followers
made copies of his teachings.

Let me guess, with the originals lost,
whatever's left is open to interpretation.

- You find this amusing?
- I find it familiar.

We should get moving.

I thought technology
didn't work here.

The dampening field only extends

a few hundred meters
above the ground.

Patrol craft can fly over it,
but their sensors can't see us.

No wonder
the Syrrannites like it here.

We're being stalked.

[CREATURE SCREECHING]

What the hell was that?

Sehlat.

Run.

[SEHLAT SCREECHING]

Higher ground.

T'POL:
Higher. They won't climb.

[SEHLAT SCREECHING]

How long before it starts
to lose interest in us?

Days, at least.

They're very persistent creatures.

When I was a child,
I had one as a pet.

- You had one of those?
- Domesticated.

[SEHLAT CONTINUES
SCREECHING]

They're smaller, slightly.

How slightly?

You have Porthos.

Porthos doesn't try and eat me
when I'm late with his dinner.

Vulcan children are never late
with their sehlats' dinner.

I can believe that.

The captain asked me
to re-examine the DNA from the b*mb

to see if anyone else
might have handled it.

You say you found an anomaly.

In these chromosomal fragments,
here and here.

What kind of anomaly?

These are telomeres.

A genetic clock, if you will.

Each time a cell divides,
they grow shorter.

Sure. That's how you tell how old
someone is from a cell sample.

Mm. Though T'Pau's current age
is 32 standard years,

her DNA recovered from the b*mb
has an age of only a few months.

They used the DNA they sampled
when she was registered as a baby.

Precisely. The evidence
implicating T'Pau is false.

Captain Archer's
going after the wrong person.

And there's no way to get word to him.

Doc, take a look at this.

It's the recording Malcolm recovered
from the embassy.

REED:
According to the security log,

this is when T'Pau's
biometric signature was recorded.

- Undoubtedly another fabrication.
TRIP: But look.

The guard recognized whoever it was.

And that guard...

...is your patient.

Corporal Askwith?

He could be our only chance to identify
who planted the b*mb.

He's in a coma.
His cranial injuries are substantial.

I don't expect him to recover.

There must be a stimulant
you can inject him with,

something to bring him around
for a few minutes.

There's only so much damage
a human body can withstand.

I don't care about his body, doc.

We need what's in his mind.

[SEHLAT SCREECHING]

Sounds like that Klingon opera
Hoshi made us listen to.

[SCREECHING]

SYRRAN:
The path is safe again.

That's quite a trick.

You're a human.

Jonathan Archer.

Traveling with a Vulcan.

T'Pol.

Curious.

May we ask your name?

Arev.

That means "desert wind."

Does it?

- Why are you here?
- We could ask you the same thing.

I follow the path of Surak,
in meditation and study.

And you?

I'm on a pilgrimage
to study Surak and logic.

T'Pol is my teacher.

I welcome you to walk with me.

But this is no place for your kind.

Turn back.

ARCHER:
If it's all the same,

I'll walk with you too.

This desert's called The Forge
for a reason.

It will test you

and destroy you.

AREV:
The Plain of Blood.

Some say Surak crossed this expanse

when the hot blood of battle
still flowed green, but with logic,

he cooled it.

Captain, the reflected heat
is too hot for you.

I'll stick to the sand-covered parts
wherever I can.

I won't need water
for several more days.

You'd better protect your eyes
from the glare.

My inner eyelids will protect my vision.

My species evolved on this planet.

AREV: How long have you tried
to understand Vulcan logic?

ARCHER:
Ever since I met T'Pol.

Very well, student of Surak.

Who said,
"Logic is the cement of our civilization

with which we ascend from chaos
using reason as our guide?"

I'm new at this.
You tell me.

Something more basic, then.

What is Kiri-kin-tha's
First Law of Metaphysics?

I'm familiar with Newton's
First Law of Motion.

I imagine
they're pretty much the same.

You haven't been truthful
about your presence here.

Have you?

Vulcans do not lie.

I've dealt with the High Command.

Vulcans can lie and cheat
with the best of them.

The High Command does not follow
Surak's true path.

No wonder you humans
are their allies.

From the questions he asked you,

I believe he is a Syrrannite.

It's obvious that he doesn't trust us
enough to take us to the others.

That only leaves one option.

We have to tell him
what he wants to know.

The truth.

It may be too late for that.
Sandfire!

This man's our only witness.

He's comatose, brain-damaged,
and he's human.

A mind-meld is dangerous
under the best of conditions.

But under these...

I know Phlox says
there aren't a lot of Vulcans

who can do this sort of thing,

but you've got to know someone
who could at least try.

Those who do have the ability
won't risk their careers

by publicly attempting
what you suggest.

Most Vulcans see melding
as deviant behavior.

What's that got to do with it?

Evidence will solve this crime,
not mind-melds.

What evidence?

The DNA on the b*mb was planted.

- You can prove that?
- I can.

Ambassador.

I don't know what kind of pull it takes
to mess with DNA records on Vulcan,

but I think we're looking
at a deliberate attempt to hide the truth.

You're suggesting a conspiracy.

One that cost 43 innocent lives.

Aren't they worth a little risk?

The needs of the many...

I can perform the meld.

T'POL:
Captain!

Over here!

AREV:
Help me with this.

The sandfire can still reach us.

[ARCHER GROANING & GRUNTING]

I know this.

How did you get this medallion?

From my mother.

T'Les.

You're a Syrrannite.

The daughter of T'Les
serves on a human starship.

When did you talk with her?
Is she safe?

You're the human responsible

for the destruction
of the monastery at P'Jem.

Is that gonna be a problem?

The High Command defiled P'Jem
when they used it to spy on Andoria.

You exposed their hypocrisy.

You seem to know a lot about us.

I'm guessing that means
you know why we're here.

[SANDFIRE CRACKLING]

Your mother is safe with the others,
at the T'Karath Sanctuary.

It's not far.

I'll guide you both there
when the storm has passed.

I don't know if this has ever been
attempted with a human before.

My mind to your mind.

Our minds are one.

Our thoughts are joined.

Yes.

I see what you see.

The embassy.

I'm at my station.

At your station.

So many new people arriving

for the summit.

I don't recognize them all,

but some I know.

A package.

"That's all right.

I don't need to see it.
Go right through."

Who are you?

Who...?

Ambassador.

[GASPING]

What'd you see?

[SANDFIRE CRACKLING]

How long do these
sandfire storms usually last?

A day.

Perhaps two.
I've never seen one this strong.

But we're safe here.

And we're in no hurry.

Maybe we should be.

The High Command believes
the Syrrannites are responsible

for bombing the Earth embassy.

That's not our way.

They seem to think that it is.

That you and your leader

believe in a corrupted version
of Surak's teachings.

[CHUCKLES]

Did your mother tell you the story?

Of the IDIC?

"Infinite Diversity
in Infinite Combination."

Words that are a mere shadow
of its true meaning.

Surak tells us that the story
of the IDIC has no end.

But it begins here at Mount Seleya.

Surak d*ed on Mount Seleya.

AREV:
His body, yes.

But his katra was spirited away

before the last battle against those

who marched beneath
the raptor's wings,

those who wanted to return
to the savage ways.

What's a "katra"?

Syrrannites claim
it's the essence of a Vulcan mind,

that it can be transferred
from the body before death,

then stored in some manner.

Some say Surak's katra was found,

and now is carried by a Syrrannite,

so all those who meld with him
may touch Surak's mind.

Syrrannites conduct mind-melding?

Surak tells us
it is the heritage of every Vulcan.

Even those who don't believe
in the practice.

A witness?

The guard recognized the person

who brought in the b*mb
we found in the rubble.

The Syrrannite woman, T'Pau.

No.

It was you.

I would like to interrogate
this witness myself.

You're not getting near him.

Perhaps I could speak with the guard.

I'm afraid he's in no condition
to be questioned.

He's in a coma.

Yet he provided
an eyewitness account.

We accessed his memories
through a mind-meld.

Telepathic evidence is inadmissible.

It's not evidence at all.

You allowed this distasteful act
to take place?

I performed it.

Soval,

you've shamed Vulcan
and yourself.

The law leaves me no recourse.

You'll be summoned to appear
before the High Command

to account for your actions.

Commander, doctor.

AREV: At one time the High Command
was only responsible

for the exploration of space.

But that's changed.

I've been told Vulcans
have never been explorers.

I think you've been told
many things about us that aren't true.

[SANDFIRE BLAZING]

Reseal the entrance!

T'POL:
Aah!

T'Pol!

[MOANS]

Easy. Easy, easy, easy.

AREV: Listen.
The storm is gaining strength.

Aah!

Arev.

You must carry it to sanctuary.

Carry what?

[ARCHER GRUNTING
AND AREV SPEAKING IN VULCAN]

TRIP: You can't go back.
SOVAL: I'm not a fool, commander.

V'Las was involved
with the att*ck on your embassy.

He's responsible for blaming it
on the Syrrannites.

Then why turn yourself over to him?

It's the only chance I'll have to reach
the rest of the High Command.

What if they're all in on it?

If you really want humans and Vulcans
to work together someday,

you might start thinking about
trusting us.

Peace and long life, commander.

[DOOR CHIRPS]

Right.

[MUTTERING]

Arev.

[GRUNTS]

- Are you injured?
- I'm fine.

[SIGHS]

He said something in Vulcan.

[SPEAKS IN VULCAN]

Remember.

Remember what?

I think he...

He punched me.

Oh...

The storm's over?

[PATROL CRAFT WHIRRING]

The patrol craft are flying again.

They sound like they're closing in
on this location.

ARCHER: He said we weren't far
from the T'Karath Sanctuary.

We should keep moving.

After we bury him.

They're following a grid search pattern.

No sensors,
but they can still make visual contact.

We have to find cover
before the sun comes up.

That way.

- There's nothing there.
- That's where the Syrrannites are.

T'POL:
How do you know?

I'm good for a few more days.

Captain, you're not Vulcan.

Right.

It's almost dawn.

We need to find someplace to hide.

No.

Over here.

That won't help us.

Don't resist.

What do you mean?

[GRUNTING]