EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Close up on the wreckage of a Starfleet shuttlepod. It has gouged out a rough trench in the arid, gray landscape upon impact, scattering parts in a fan of debris behind it. We move to the side of the mangled fuselage where the door has been opened. Lying on the ground adjacent is HOSHI, wounded in her arm and on her forehead. She is unconscious, but as we zoom in to her face, her eyes flicker open. A wave of pain hits her, and she rolls on her side in agony. This lets her see the shuttle, however, and she decides to get up and stumble slowly towards the open hatch.

HOSHI
Hello?
(beat)
Travis? Kehl? Mr Ambassador?

She clambers into the shuttlepod.

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

Ruined. We see TRAVIS at the controls with a severe head wound. Ensign KEHL (from 'Assignment: Enterprise', engineering department) is on the floor, and in one of the side seats is Tiburonian Ambassador VASIRN. They are all unconscious. Hoshi quickly surveys them, and deduces that Travis is the most in need of help. She gets a medkit out of a compartment and clambers over to his side, beginning to scan him with a hand-held medical device that came with the kit. In the background, Kehl stirs.

KEHL
Whoa, my head! Did somebody get the number of that shuttlepod? (beat, glances around) What...what happened? Was Kitten at the helm?

HOSHI
Check Ambassador Vasirn.

Slowly, Kehl crawls over to the Tiburonian and gives him a look over.

KEHL
What am I checking exactly?

HOSHI
His vitals!

KEHL
Yeah, but I'm not sure how to do that.
(beat)
I mean, do they even have pulses like us?

HOSHI
Just...just look!

Kehl feels the man's neck.

KEHL
Well, I've got something.

Hoshi injects Travis with something, then begins to apply a bandage to his head wound. At the same time, the Ambassador comes around, surprising Kehl who still has her hand on the man's skin.

VASIRN
Please remove your hand, Ms Kehl.

KEHL
Oh, sorry.

She does so.

VASIRN
What is going on? Where are we?

KEHL
Good question. I can only remember leaving the engineering research base on the Tulan moon.

They look to Hoshi, who has just finished working on Travis.

HOSHI
We crashed.
(beat)
I remember...I remember the ship, the docking maneuver, and then...then a flash.
(beat)
The Tiburonian transport...I think, I think it exploded.

ACT ONE

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

Continuous from teaser. Vasirn tries to stand.

VASIRN
Ah, my legs! I can't feel my legs!

Hoshi goes over to look. As Kehl moves some fallen debris, we see that a large sheet of metal has blown off the back of the pod and lodged itself half way into the Tiburonian's legs. Kehl looks like she's ready to vomit, but Hoshi remains calm and cool. She injects Vasirn with the same chemical she used on Travis. He goes numb.

HOSHI
The cut is deep. We'll have to remove the metal before infection sets in from the bacteria on the shard. He could loose a lot of blood, but we'll have to risk it.
(beat)
Kehl, apply pressure here above the cut.

KEHL
What? No way!

Hoshi is taken aback by her rudeness.

HOSHI
Do it, Ensign. That's an order.

KEHL
You can't order me around! We're the same rank.

HOSHI
Do you want the Ambassador's death on your conscience?
(beat)
Because if we don't get that thing out and stop the bleeding, he will die.

Kehl considers, then places his hands firmly on the spot Hoshi indicated.

KEHL
Like this?

HOSHI
Press harder.
(beat)
That's it.

She rips part of her uniform off and uses it to wipe away a lot of the blood around the cut. Casting the sodden material aside, she analyzes the wound for a moment, before suddenly grasping the shard and tugging it out. Vasirn twinges, but the drug absorbs most of the pain. Hoshi then applies some gel from a tube in the medkit directly inside the cut. Glancing around, she spots a storage cabinet and opens it. Pulling out an emergency blanket, she tears it in two and wraps it tightly around the cut. Kehl is impressed.

KEHL
Wow, where'd you learn how to do that?

HOSHI
Movie nights, mostly.
(beat)
I secretly enjoy medical thrillers.

KEHL
Will he live?

HOSHI
I don't know. That cut is very deep, and without a doctor...
(beat)
His chances aren't good. Travis is stable, but I can't bring him around at all.

A beat.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Come on, let's take a look at the shuttlepod. We have to get this thing fixed.

KEHL
And that's where I come in, huh?

They climb out.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Hoshi and Kehl exit the shuttlepod and look around. The crash is in the side of a very parched valley with a dried-up, cracked stream in the middle. In front of the pod is the edge of a large forest of petrified trees, withering away yet still alive. As Hoshi takes all this in, Kehl is going over the damage.

KEHL
Oh man, this does not look good.
(beat)
The thruster assembly is shot, the impulse deck is fried... I'd need a manufacturing yard to fix this baby up.

HOSHI
Is there nothing you can do?

Kehl opens a hatch at the back. As she looks in, it sparks, causing her to jump.

KEHL
Nope, nothing.

She sighs.

KEHL (CONT.)
I'll have a look inside, see if I can salvage anything.

Kehl clambers back in. Hoshi looks around the side of the shuttlepod to the forest. Just in front of a large tree is a small, reptilian creature that somehow manages to look cute. As the Ensign watches on with interest, a snake-like predator that is perfectly camouflaged uncoils from the bark. Before Hoshi can do anything, it darts for the reptile, consumes it, and settles back onto the tree. Hoshi backs away slowly as Kehl returns from the pod interior.

KEHL (CONT.)
You okay?

HOSHI
I think the sooner we get out of this place the better.
(beat)
Find anything?

KEHL
Yeah. The emergency distress beacon looks to be damaged though operational, but there just isn't enough power left to activate it.
(beat)
The energy pile is completely dry and don't even get me started on the main reactor. Not fit to even power a wristwatch now.

HOSHI
So what can we use to charge it up?

KEHL
I don't think you heard me correctly. There's no power in the shuttlepod at all.
(beat)
Looks like we'll be here a while until help arrives.

Hoshi still looks optimistic.

HOSHI
There has to be something.

KEHL
Like what?

HOSHI
I don't know! You're the engineer here, you come up with an idea!

Kehl, frustrated at Hoshi's inability to face facts, reluctantly has a think.

KEHL
Well... I guess we could use the energy stored in the phase pistols and their power packs to charge the beacon, but I don't know if it'll work or not. It's never been done before.
(beat)
Not only that, but with the beacon the way it is I'm not sure if it could handle the energy siphon.

Hoshi smiles.

HOSHI
It's a plan. Get on it right away.

Kehl nods, still not very hopeful. She goes back inside as Hoshi takes a last look at the snake creature. It slithers a little, and she shivers.

EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE

We see the proud vessel traveling at impulse speed towards an ash-looking planet with a single lush, green moon.

ARCHER (V.O.)
Captain's Star Log, date May 23rd, 2155. Enterprise is currently arriving in orbit of Tulan II, a barren, volcanic world with a Tiburonian engineering research outpost located on its rainforest moon.
(beat)
We are in search of the Tiburonian transport Sevroth that failed to make its scheduled rendezvous. They were carrying three of my officers and one of their Ambassadors. Talks have been held in view of strengthening the relationship between Earth and the Tiburonian people.

The distant star peaks over the moon's gentle curve.

ARCHER (V.O.)
Since their homeworld is currently beyond the reach of Earth starships, we had to rely on the Tiburon high-warp cruisers as a mean of intermediary transport.
(beat)
The Shenzhou and Bison are watching over the fleet as it stops for re-supply at a nearby Osaarian merchant station.

INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE

ARCHER paces worriedly around the bridge. REED mans Tactical, T'POL sits at Science, BAIRD works at Communications and SMITH controls the Helm. As the log recording continues, Archer walks around the situation room, inspects the dedication plaque, and looks half- heartedly down the science scanning viewer.

ARCHER (V.O.)
The starship Yorktown made first contact with the Tiburonians two years ago in a different part of the galaxy. A dialogue was opened up, and they have since expressed interest in joining the Coalition of Planets. As part of that process, an exchange of cultural knowledge has taken place. Several groups of people from Tiburon have visited Earth, and in return, we have sent teams of our people to their home planet.

T'Pol raises an eyebrow at Archer, who quickly moves away from the scientific area and across towards Reed.

ARCHER (V.O.)
Since a few of their outer colonies and outposts were inside the Delphic Expanse and we are in close proximity to them, I was ordered to make arrangements for my own officers to be transported to Tiburon via one of their larger cruisers for a two day visit. Most returned to the fleet five days ago, but Hoshi chose to extend her trip a little longer...

REED
Sir, we don't store any spare deck plating aboard. Maybe you shouldn't wear out the ones installed?

ARCHER
I shouldn't have let Hoshi stay longer on Tiburon.
(beat)
Nausicaan pirates operate in this sector of space. A lone transport would make a pretty tempting target.

REED
With all due respect, sir, Hoshi's a big girl. It was her choice to stay a while longer and visit the library about ancient Tiburonian languages.

T'POL
The Lieutenant is correct, Captain. The information she gathered from the other archive facilities during her initial three day visit was most impressive. It even revealed that the Tiburonians traded with Lorian's NX-01 over thirty years ago.

KITTEN
Yeah...she did her job, sir. Now all she wants is some fun.

Archer smiles a little, knowing that his crew are right. He takes his central chair.

ARCHER
(ref: planet on viewscreen) Tulan II.

T'POL
Captain, sensors are becoming distorted.
(beat)
It appears there is heavy solar flare activity from this system's star. I am unable to scan any further than six hundred meters around the ship.

That isn't happy news to Archer.

ARCHER
Any sign of the Sevroth?

T'POL
Not in six hundred meters around the ship.

A hint of sarcasm? Archer shoots her a look.

ARCHER
Hail the engineering outpost on the planet's satellite.

BAIRD
Aye Captain.

He hits a few keys. After a moment, the face of Doctor ZORA appears on the viewscreen. She wears a uniform of sorts, but has a large fur coat over the top. We can't really tell if she is Tiburonian or not, due to her long, dark, wild hair and thick eyebrows.

ZORA
Administrator Zora here. State your business, Starfleet.

ARCHER
I'm Captain Jonathan Archer of Enterprise. One of my officers has been on a visit to your facility for the past week and a half as part of the exchange program.

ZORA
Ah yes, Officer Kehl.
(beat)
What about her?

ARCHER
A transport vessel traveling from Tiburon to meet my ship was supposed to stop off en route and pick Ensign Kehl up.
(beat)
We haven't heard from them since they arrived in the Tulan system. I was wondering if you knew anything about their reason for being late?

ZORA
The Sevroth left here hours ago. Everything was in order before they did.

ARCHER
I see.
(beat)
Well, thank you, Administrator.

ZORA
Always a pleasure, Starfleet.

She cuts them off abruptly. Reed looks significantly at Archer.

REED
She's hiding something. Something to do with the Sevroth.

ARCHER
I got that too.

T'POL
Captain, on our way into the system I ran long-distance scans.
(beat)
Sensors showed no sign of a warp trail pertaining to a Tiburonian vessel leaving the area. However, I did detect a degraded trail seven hours old entering the system from a vector pertaining to the Sevroth's course from Tiburon.
(beat)
Logically, the Sevroth may have arrived here but it did not leave, at least not at warp velocity.

ARCHER
Zora was lying?

T'POL
A strong possibility.

A beat.

ARCHER
Ensign Smith, put us into a standard orbit above Tulan II's moon.

KITTEN
Standard orbit, aye.

Archer turns to Reed.

ARCHER
Malcolm, assemble away teams.
(beat)
Be prepared to initiate a Phase One search on my orders.

REED
But sir, with only Shuttlepod One...

ARCHER
Get it done, Mr Reed.

REED
Aye sir.

He leaves the bridge.

T'POL
How do you know that the Sevroth is here at Tulan II?

ARCHER
I don't, but the last place we knew it to be visiting seems like a logical place to start in a star system this large.

T'Pol raises and eyebrow.

T'POL
Indeed.
(beat)
I may be able to modify the sensors on Enterprise and Shuttlepod One to compensate for the solar radiation. It could triple the scanning range.

ARCHER
Get on it.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Night is falling in. Hoshi sits by a fire she's made, sorting out their food and medical supplies.

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

Lit only by the glow of the flames outside, Kehl works at connecting both four phase pistols and four power packs to a device under a console, presumably the distress beacon. Travis and Vasirn have been made comfortable with blankets, but we can see that the Ambassadors' is soaked through with blood where his wound is. He stirs, coming around.

VASIRN
My...my legs...

KEHL
Hey, you're awake!

She calls out of the door.

KEHL (CONT.)
Hoshi, the Ambassador is awake!

Hoshi enters from outside.

VASIRN
My legs...

HOSHI
I removed the shrapnel, but I couldn't close the wound fully.

VASIRN
My...legs...can't feel...

HOSHI
He's delirious.

She takes the spray from the kit again and injects the Ambassador, putting him out cold once more.

HOSHI
Keep an eye on him. If he wakes again, use another half-dose only.

She puts the spray in Kehl's hand.

KEHL
What, so you expect me to fix the beacon and play nurse to baldy here?
(beat)
Just what are you doing out there?

HOSHI
Trying to ration our supplies. We may need to give more water to Travis and the Ambassador to keep their strength up.
(beat)
I imagine it's going to get pretty hot at noon tomorrow.

Kehl sighs, shrugs and goes back to work. Hoshi exits.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Hoshi leaves the pod and goes back to her sorting. As she does, she looks up and notices a bird swoop down low towards the trees. It is not unlike a scaly woodpecker, and lands on the tree inhabited by the snake. Watching, the serpent very slowly advances around behind the bird and reels up. Oblivious, the woodpecker begins to hammer away at the seemingly dead bark until the snake pounces, devouring it instantly. Again, this freaks Hoshi out somewhat.

Looking beyond that tree, she sees movement in the shadows of the forest. Squinting her eyes, a large stone hurtles through the air and almost strikes her on the head! She lets out a shriek of surprise and falls to the ground. Kehl clambers out of the pod.

KEHL
Hoshi, what is it?

HOSHI
Look out!

Another three stones shoot out of the trees and land very close to the officers.

KEHL (CONT.)
What the...take cover!

She dives for the pod as one rock whacks into her leg. Stumbling, she falls. As Hoshi throws herself into the nearby trench cut by the shuttlepod's landing, a dozen strong- looking figures charge out from the woodland. They throw some more stones as Hoshi makes a beeline for the pod's hatch. Dragging Kehl inside, she closes it just in time as a few rocks are deflected off the hull.

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

We hear more stones and boulders hitting the outside as Hoshi thinks. Kehl cradles her leg.

KEHL
What are they?

HOSHI
Natives, probably. They looked humanoid.

Without warning, a boulder-carrying fist smashes through the glass of the forward viewport. Several arms reach in, all looking for blood. They find Travis in the pilot's seat, and begin to tug the unconscious Ensign out of the shuttlepod.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Travis, no!

Both her and Kehl try to pull him back, but the arms are too strong.

KEHL
It's no good!

HOSHI
I'm not letting him go!

But the sheer strength of the arms force them to. Thinking quickly, Hoshi grabs a nearby phase pistol.

KEHL
No, don't! We won't have enough power to charge the beacon! The power is bleeding too much into the other lithium circuits and we need every drop!

A tense beat.

With a hint of uncertainty, Hoshi aims and fires. A phased energy beam lashes out and hits one of the arms. They all drop Travis and pull back. Kehl crawls over to make sure the space boomer is okay. Hoshi, a vengeful look on her face, hits the panel to open the hatch. She darts out.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Hoshi charges hastily out of the pod. Seeing the figures retreating back into the wood, she begins to fire off another two or three shots in their general direction. Kehl exits the shuttlepod and, while hobbling, dives onto Hoshi, both collapsing on the ground.

KEHL
Stop firing, they're gone!
(quieter) They're gone.

Both officers stare after the attackers' retreat.

ACT TWO

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

It is now the following morning, and Kehl is at the front of the shuttlepod, surveying the damage to the viewport.

KEHL
Those...creatures had some strength. This transparent aluminum can withstand a plasma bolt at full power.

Hoshi exits the pod carrying a backpack. A phase pistol is part of her kit. She is trying to get a communicator working.

HOSHI
Enterprise could be in range now...
(beat)
Nothing. No signal is getting though, but I don't know why...

KEHL (CONT.)
Hey, where are you going?

HOSHI
To follow the trail back to their dwellings.
(beat)
They'll most likely live near a source of water, and we don't exactly have a massive supply of it right now.

KEHL
Oh no, you don't! You're not leaving me here alone with boomer and funny ears.

HOSHI
You'll be fine, Ensign.
(beat)
Just keep charging the beacon.

KEHL
I can't.

HOSHI
Why not?

KEHL
Because we don't have enough energy left now. I told you not to waste it last night.

HOSHI
I don't believe that the beacon needs the power of every phase pistol and reserve power pack in the pod to work.

KEHL
Of course it doesn't, but like I guessed before the beacon is damaged and won't be able to handle a direct power transfusion. I have to energise that entire section of lithium circuitry and let the power bleed its way through.

Hoshi stares back blankly. Kehl sighs.

KEHL (CONT.)
Think of the circuits as a maze of a thousand tubes all connected together with one way in, one way out and nine- hundred and ninety-nine dead ends. You put a hose at the entrance and want to get the water out the exit quickly, but have no control over where the liquid goes once it's in there. Only a small portion will make it through at a time and even then it will take a while.
(beat)
That little adrenaline charge you had may have cost us our ticket off this rock.

Hoshi can't believe what she's hearing from a fellow Starfleet officer.

HOSHI
I saved Ensign Mayweather, Kehl, and quite possibly ourselves too.
(beat)
If those natives had gotten hold of Travis...

KEHL
If they'd had gotten Travis, he'd probably be dead now but we'd have enough power to get the beacon activated by noon.
(beat)
One dead, yes, but three alive and on their way to being rescued. It's that simple.

Hoshi, stunned, shakes her head.

HOSHI
We're all in this together, Kehl. I'm not going to start sacrificing team members just so that the others have a slightly greater chance of being saved quicker.
(beat)
And do you think that was an easy decision I made? Sacrificing our chances at survival?

KEHL
If I were in charge...

HOSHI
If you were in charge, the Ambassador would probably be dead already and we'd still be cowering in the shuttlepod, waiting to die slowly without a hope or a prayer.
(beat)
I may only be an Ensign too, Kehl, but I have damn sight more experience than you. So I'm asking kindly, for the last time, get on with charging the beacon. I don't care how you do it or where you get the energy from, but get it done, understand?

Kehl is slightly dumbstruck by her speech.

KEHL
Aye... (slightly sarcastic) Sir.

HOSHI
Good. I'll be back before midday.

With that, she sets off into the foreboding trees.

EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE

In orbit of the planet. A tiny shuttlepod flies up to its lower hull and docks.

INT. ENTERPRISE - BRIDGE

As before, except Archer, T'Pol, Reed, TRIP and Baird are standing around the table in the aft situation room. A schematic of the Tulan II moon is displayed on the wall screen.

T'POL
A warp trail matching the unique composition left behind by Tiburonian warp engines was detected vectoring into the system from a course that would have brought it in from their homeworld, Tiburon.
(beat)
Extrapolating from their angle of entry, and assuming they did not change course, the ship was heading for a high orbit of Tulan II's natural satellite.

REED
The degradation of the trail also corresponds to the approximate time of arrival that was on the Sevroth's schedule, and Administrator Zora confirmed at least this when she said that the ship made its stop.

TRIP
But there ain't no warp trail leaving, and because of the interference from the solar flare activity we don't see any trace of the ship on our sensor screens.

ARCHER
(glancing at T'Pol) Then...logically, it would still be somewhere nearby.

T'POL
Indeed. Between ourselves and Shuttlepod One, we have covered the entire orbit of the moon. There are no traces of the ship or any debris.
(beat)
All we detected were some residual ion particles in a loose trajectory towards Tulan II.

ARCHER
Could the Sevroth or any wreckage have burned up entering the atmosphere?

T'POL
Possibly, but there would still be some fragments at this time had the ship been attacked or destroyed in orbit.

TRIP
What makes you think she was attacked? We still can't count out mechanical failure, Captain.

REED
Or pilot error. It's a difficult task navigating at warp speed, which is why Enterprise always has three people on duty in the navigation room below for FTL travel.
(beat)
We can't say the same for the Tiburonians. Maybe they jumped out of warp too close to the planet or the moon and crashed into it?

T'POL
While we know that a ship from Tiburon did arrive in this system several hours ago, we have no firm evidence that it was the Sevroth or that they even arrived at Tulan II. I am only working on hypothesized information from computer-extrapolated data.
(beat)
They could be anywhere in the system.

REED
And yet Administrator Zora lied about the ship leaving.

ARCHER
It's too much of a coincidence to think that it wasn't the Sevroth that came here, T'Pol, but you're right in saying that they may be anywhere in the system...
(beat)
You said that there were residual ion particles heading in a trajectory for Tulan II?

T'POL
Yes Captain.

ARCHER
(to Baird) I take it you didn't raise anyone on subspace, Ensign?

BAIRD
No one, sir, but I did notice something strange.
(beat)
There seems to be a jamming field in place around Tulan II. No subspace signal could get in or out of the atmosphere.

Archer thinks for a beat, then walks to the railing separating the situation room from the bridge.

ARCHER (CONT.)
Ensign Smith, set a course for Tulan II itself. Thrusters only.

KITTEN
Tulan II, aye. Thrusters only.

T'POL
Captain, there is no reason to believe that the ion trail belonged to either the Sevroth or Shuttlepod Two. This is an engineering research station that tests many new propulsion drives and designs.
(beat)
The particles are most likely from one of those experiments, and they are far too degraded to have coincided with the arrival of the Sevroth.

ARCHER
But we don't know for certain, do we? I doubt Administrator Zora would give us a straight answer. And can you explain what could be causing the selective jamming of subspace signals in the atmosphere of Tulan II, either naturally or in connection with the propulsion experiments?

T'Pol considers for a moment.

T'POL
No, I cannot.

ARCHER
Co-ordinate with Malcolm and his teams. Find the most probable emergency landing locations or recent impact sites on Tulan II and check them out.

T'POL
Sir, that could take weeks.

ARCHER
Better get started then, hadn't you?

T'Pol reluctantly nods and moves back towards her station with Malcolm. Trip and Archer exchange concerned glances over the table.

TRIP
You really believe that the Sevroth has crashed or been attacked here?

ARCHER
All I know is that I don't trust the Administrator and there are too many signs pointing to foul play.
(beat)
I hope I'm wrong...

EXT. FOREST

Hoshi slogs through the almost ash-like dead foliage on the ground. This place is cold and gray - dead, dreary and depressing yet at the same time teaming with life. It is unnatural and wrong, but also ancient and wise. Hoshi is clearly fighting back her own fears, knowing that she has to be strong for Travis and the others.

She pulls out a scanner and reads something on the ground. We see her to be following tracks in the ankle deep undergrowth. Something startles her in the branches above, so she decides not to linger and moves on. We pan up to the streams of light piercing the loose canopy.

EXT. FOREST - LATER

Looking tired now, Hoshi endeavors onward. Suddenly, though, she sees movement ahead, and switching to her POV, a figure ambles between the trunks. Hoshi ducks down and uses the scanner again. Clearly getting an interesting reading, she puts it away and stealthily moves after the silhouette.

EXT. FOREST - VILLAGE

Wide eyed, Hoshi stumbles onto a clearing in the forest with a large hollow tree in the centre. A number of dwellings made of local wood are constructed around this, and to Hoshi's surprise, they are inhabited by a humanoid species not dissimilar to Copper Age tribes on Earth (beyond mere loincloths and spears, but far from any form of industry). Watching them go about their daily lives, they appear docile and friendly, helping one another at day-to-day tasks. The juxtaposition of their physical structure is instantly apparent, however, with both the males and females having abnormally large muscles. Further viewing reveals that they do not communicate verbally, but seem to make sense of one another through minimal amount of hand gestures.

Gripping her phase pistol out of sight, Hoshi stands and slowly moves forward towards the village. Immediately she is spotted, and is advanced on by two females and a MALE NATIVE, brandishing spears defensively. They actually look scared of the Ensign, so to alleviate the tension, Hoshi shows them her pistol, before placing it down on the ground.

HOSHI
It's alright. I'm friendly, see?

She holds her hands up, palms open, and turns around on the spot. Still looking distrustful, a female makes another hand gesture, and the three lower their weapons. Hoshi smiles.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Good, now we're getting somewhere.

The natives look confused at her use of words. Evidently, they are only used to the occasional scream or guttural noise coming from each other. Hoshi notices. Her reply is accompanied by hand signals.

HOSHI (CONT.)
I speak to communicate.
(beat)
How do you talk to each other?

The natives simply look confused. She tries again.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Do you understand me?

Again, nothing. A beat as Hoshi attempts to think of something else to ask, but the three guardians step aside and indicate towards the dead tree in the center. Still aware of the danger, she nods. Passing through the dwellings, she witnesses multiple acts of the natives communicating with each other, despite seemingly doing nothing.

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

Kehl is still at work on the beacon, muttering to herself.

KEHL
(mimicking Hoshi) Get on with the beacon, Ensign. I don't care where you get the energy from, Ensign. Just get it done, Ensign.
(beat)
I'm not a bloody miracle worker!

Vasirn awakes.

VASIRN
What...are you...?

KEHL
What am I doing?
(beat)
I'm trying to make wine from water, that's what I'm doing.

The Ambassador is clearly confused, not helped by his delirium.

KEHL (CONT.)
I'm connecting these three phase pistols and these four power packs to the distress beacon in a futile attempt to get it working.

VASIRN
Packs...?

KEHL
Power packs? They're disposable, one-shot recharges for the phase pistols. Very handy in a firefight, which we had last night by the way.

Vasirn seems to react to the news of the fight.

VASIRN
Fight...who...?

KEHL
Who? I don't know, some natives or other.
(beat)
Almost got Travis there.

VASIRN
Is this...Tu...Tu...Tulan II or...or...moon?

KEHL
Well, judging by the distinct lack of rainforest trees and water, I'd say Tulan II.

Vasirn seems to become more and more agitated.

VASIRN
No...danger...the tribes...mustn't let them work...get off...out...away...

KEHL
Danger? What danger?

VASIRN
(grabs Kehl's arm) Danger...danger, Kehl...danger!

KEHL
Okay, Robinson Robot, I think it's time you went sleepy again.

She goes for the spray Hoshi gave her earlier.

KEHL (CONT.)
Let's see, half a dose.

She injects the Ambassador without too much of a struggle, sending him back into a restless sleep. Kehl sighs, then climbs outside.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Kehl leaves the pod and goes over to some adjacent boxes. Opening one, she gets out a Starfleet water pouch and takes a drink. As she does, she notices a lizard-like animal dart swiftly across the ground towards the forest. It reaches the tree with the serpent living on it, and begins to climb up. Kehl watches curiously. Seemingly out of nowhere, the snake lunges out of a hole and grabs the lizard, dragging it back inside to its doom. Kehl jumps.

KEHL
Whoa!
(with a grin) Stupid animal.

She takes another sip from the pouch, but is suddenly hit on the back of the head by something unseen. Focusing on her unconscious face, we see Kehl as she is dragged off by the legs.

EXT. FOREST - VILLAGE

Hoshi is sitting idly at the base of the old tree. She has been there some time, attempting to talk to the male native. He is mulling around, preparing a mixture of sorts by crushing nuts, stones and leaves in a bowl. She touches him on the shoulder, and he turns. She speaks, using a different form of hand signals than before.

HOSHI
What are you making? Is it food?
(beat)
You know, food?

She pretends to eat something and enjoy it, rubbing her stomach and smiling. Like a cat that is bored of a piece of string, the man turns away and walks over to a cooking pot over a fire, pouring in the now powdery contents of the bowl. Hoshi sighs.

HOSHI (CONT.)
I don't understand, all humanoid species that we've come across before have developed some form of verbal communication. It's even supported by Saitek's Theory of Universal Communication...but you...
(beat)
Hell, you don't even understand the basic universal body signs, do you?

She watches him stir the pot.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Yet you are intelligent.
(beat)
I'd like to show you to Starfleet Science, that's for sure! They'd have a field day proving the Vulcan's theory wrong.

She sighs again, getting out her communicator and flipping it open.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Let's see if I can get anything on this. (into comm.) Hoshi to Kehl.

No answer.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Hoshi to Kehl, come in, Kehl.

She shrugs.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Hoshi to Enterprise? Hoshi to Tiburonian Engineering Outpost Seventeen?
(beat)
Hoshi to Elvis?

As she sits, the man comes up behind her with the cooking pot. Dipping his hands inside, he takes a purple dollop in each and creeps up. Just as a twig cracks and Hoshi spins, he dives and covers her mouth with the yogurt-like solution. Hoshi tries to fight him off, but he is far too strong for her. Eventually, after several seconds, he lets go. Hoshi stumbles back with purple around her mouth, choking. The man simply looks on innocently.

HOSHI (CONT.)
What...what...the...hell...

She falls down and blacks out.

EXT. ASHEN DESERT

Elsewhere on Tulan II, we see Shuttlepod One swoop down out of the clouds over an ancient desert. Unlike the valley in which the other pod crashed, this is a wasteland. An occasional dead tree breaks up the bleakness, but otherwise, it looks cold and uninviting. wind occasionally whips up the finer ash, lowering the visibility in patches. The pod lands, and we focus on the hatch as it opens. Two EV-suited crewmen climb out. One is Reed, the other is ILLETSCHKO, carrying a hand scanner. Reed turns back to the pod.

REED
Drop Deweese and Alderidge at site four!
(beat)
We'll check out the readings here.

The pod hatch closes as it takes off and flies away. Illetschko begins scanning.

REED (CONT.)
Are you getting anything, Nikky? ILLETSCHKO The Shuttlepod's sensors were right, Mal.
(beat)
There is something down here. Four hundred and three meters that way.

She points.

REED (CONT.)
Right, let's move.

They walk off through a cloud of ash.

EXT. SPACE - ENTERPRISE

Re-establishing the ship in orbit.

INT. ENTERPRISE - READY ROOM

Archer sits in front of his desk, bouncing his water polo ball against the bulkhead. It is a new one, a different colour to the previous one lost on 'Meat'. PORTHOS sits obediently in his basket, watching his master. As we pan around, we can see that Archer is talking to Captain MOSWEU. Her NV-06 Shenzhou assignment patch is clearly visible.

MOSWEU
Captain, the fleet is ready to depart the merchant station. We've stocked up with some extra supplies and an Osaarian chemist even offered to mix up the Deltan disease inoculation for us at a small fee. It's going to save using up our own medical supplies.
(beat)
We need to get moving. You're already two hours late.

ARCHER
I told you that I'm not leaving until I find my missing crewmen.

Mosweu closes her eyes and sighs.

MOSWEU
I respect that, Captain, believe me...but Operation North Star is behind schedule as is. If we don't evacuate those colonists before the Xindi civil war reaches their shores, many lives will be lost. Human lives.
(beat)
The Tiburonian Unificatium Assembly has been apprised of the situation, and their star cruisers are already en route to begin a search...

She stops as both her and Archer hear the ready room door chime.

ARCHER
It's open.

Trip walks in, notices the subspace conversation, and signals that he will wait.

ARCHER (CONT.)
(back to Mosweu) I know how important this mission is, but I'm not going to sacrifice the lives of three of my crew as well as a Tiburonian Ambassador for the sake of a few hours.

MOSWEU
(frustrated) I'm going to Starfleet Command about this.

ARCHER
You go do that, Captain. In the meantime, I'm still in charge of the fleet and I'm ordering you to maintain position at the merchant station.
(beat)
Enterprise out.

He closes the channel. Trip chuckles.

TRIP
How the hell did she get a command commission of her own?

ARCHER
Her mother is a senator. Mosweu was going to be head of this operation until Enterprise was taken off the UESPA exploratory assignment.

TRIP
I think we're all glad that happened and they chose you. Hell, they shuda made you a Fleet Captain!

ARCHER
They tried. I turned them down.
(beat)
They said it would lead to a comfy desk job afterwards, but I didn't want to loose Enterprise.

Trip nods, understanding.

TRIP
T'Pol wanted me to inform you that both Malcolm's and Deweese's teams are checking out the possible crash landing sites we detected.
(beat)
The pod picked up some strange readings in those areas that could amount to wreckage.

ARCHER
She sent you here to tell me that?

Trip smiles ruefully.

TRIP
Well, I needed an excuse to visit.
(beat)
You've been in here pretty much all day.

ARCHER
Since when did you need an excuse to barge into my office?

TRIP
Since that time back at the Warp Five Complex when I burst in on you and Caroline while you were getting 'reacquainted' on the day of the first NX-Delta fight.

Archer nods with a grin, remembering.

ARCHER
Caroline...
(pause)
I was different back then. More reckless, more naive.

TRIP
Hey, if you hadn't been reckless, you wouldn't have this ready room to brood in now, would you? This ship would still be on a drawing board somewhere.

ARCHER
I'm not brooding.

Trip turns to Porthos.

TRIP
What you reckon, Porthos?
(beat)
The Captain brooding or not?

Porthos barks once. Archer shakes his head.

TRIP (CONT.)
See? Once means yes.

ARCHER
I'm not brooding!

A beat.

TRIP
Hoshi, Travis and Kehl are going to be fine.
(beat)
The transport ship probably just had a navigation error, that's all.

ARCHER
A navigation error that also disguises warp trails and jams subspace communication frequencies around whole planets?

Trip can't argue with that one.

TRIP
Alright, but nothing bad has become of them. Trust me.

Archer looks to his friend with a degree of respect.

ARCHER
What happened to you?
(beat)
You've been happy ever since the mission on Amelior.

Trip seems hesitant, almost uncomfortable at the mention of that particular planet.

TRIP
Let's just say I learned to let go of a few things there.
(beat)
You have to stop fretting over something that you can't change. Shuttlepod Two is missing, yes, but there's nothing you can do about it.

He grabs the ball from Archer as he bounces it again.

TRIP (CONT.)
This life is like a game. You can't go around beating yourself up over the plays you should or shouldn't have made. You just gotta get out there and play the best defense you can till the ball's back in your possession.

Trip throws it back at Archer, who grabs it. Looking at it for a second, he sets it aside on his desk, before standing and gazing out the window.

ARCHER
It's not just Hoshi, Travis and the others.
(beat)
It's...it's everything. This ship, our new mission, Starfleet, the so-called Coalition...the attack on Vega colony...

TRIP
The sons of bitches who attacked Vega are gonna pay, Captain, you know that.

ARCHER
Yeah, and that's the problem. They shouldn't have to.
(beat)
I thought we could handle ourselves out here, Trip. But the truth is, we just can't. Earth just can't.

Trip places a hand on his shoulder.

TRIP
And we won't have to. That's why we're here, remember? On the edge of Tiburonian space, sending out our people to mingle with theirs.
(beat)
To form a friendship. And right now, Columbia is doing the same with the Ardanans. When it comes to the fight, we won't stand alone.

We see Archer's reflection in the glass - he is clearly not excited about the prospect of 'the fight'.

TRIP (CONT.)
Now, what's say you and I go down to the command center? We can monitor the away teams from there.

Again, Trip looks at Porthos.

TRIP (CONT.)
Well, Porthos? Should the Captain get out and about?

He barks twice.

TRIP (CONT.)
See? Double yes!

Archer shoots him an amused look.

EXT. FOREST - VILLAGE

Hoshi, looking rough, comes around. Holding her head, she stands and looks about. The village is empty. Looking concerned, she grabs her pack and phase pistol and jogs back into the trees.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Hoshi exits the woodland area and dashes towards the pod, now bathed in the light of dusk.

HOSHI
Kehl? Kehl, where are you? Ke...

She stops when she sees drag marks in the thin layer of ash on the ground. They lead off towards the open desert, but stop abruptly at a small crater some twenty meters away. It is as if a craft of sorts recently landed there. We hear Vasirn moaning, and Hoshi clambers into the shuttlepod.

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

Vasirn is delirious, babbling incoherently as Hoshi checks him over.

VASIRN
No...they...stopped...must not...inside the ash...inside the trees...inside the air...

She looks to the spray, but it is empty. Frustrated, she goes back outside.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

Hoshi begins to furiously search through the little container boxes that she piled up outside before.

HOSHI
Come on, there has to be more medical crap in here somewhere.

As she does, there is a noise amidst the trees - like before when the natives attacked, only quieter. Startled, Hoshi looks up as the male native walks into the clearing. Sensing danger, she draws out her phase pistol, but he continues to walk forward.

HOSHI (CONT.)
What do you want? I don't have time for this!

They stand off against each other for a moment, before Vasirn moans again. The native looks over at the pod and begins to walk towards the hatch. Hoshi jumps in his way.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Oh no you don't!
(beat)
Away, now! Go on!

He stops momentarily, then continues.

HOSHI (CONT.)
Don't make me kill you.

He continues onwards. Having no alternative, she pulls the trigger. The phased energy beam hits the native square in the chest, but he barely stumbles backward. Hoshi fires again, and the same thing happens. The man reaches her and pushes past, climbing into the pod. She soon follows.

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

As Hoshi enters, the native is already at Vasirn, looking him over. Slowly, he places his hand across the Tiburonian's forehead and closes his eyes. A second later, he retracts his hand and makes for the door, again shoving Hoshi gently out of the way.

EXT. SHUTTLEPOD - CRASH SITE

The native exits the pod and hurries over to a smaller tree by the forest edge. As Hoshi watches from the hatch, he breaks off a root and piece of bark. Moving swiftly back to the pod. Hoshi this time lets him in, beginning to understand what he is up to.

INT. SHUTTLEPOD

We briefly see Hoshi look on amazed as the Male Native squeezes the orange sap from the root into the wound like sealant.