- Is it them? - I don't know.
No. It's not their ship. It's someone else.
My name is Captain Archer from the starship Enterprise.
- We tried to hail you, but there was no response. - Our communications are down.
That must make it difficult to do business.
A Kreetassan merchant told us this was a deuterium facility.
He was correct.
Our ship took some damage a few weeks ago. We lost most of our reserves.
I'm sorry, but we can't help you. Two of our pumps are off-line.
- You'll have to return later in the season. - Our supply will be gone in less than two weeks.
- There's nothing we can do. - Are you certain? You seem to have a large inventory.
- Our sensors showed over 80,000 liters. - You scanned our tanks?
I apologize, but when you didn't respond to our hails...
- You sure you couldn't spare a few hundred liters? - We're holding that for someone else.
Come back at the end of the season. I'm sure we'll be able to accommodate you.
Do you have any experience repairing extraction pumps?
Not specifically, but... I could grab some tools and take a look.
We get those pumps operating we can make our quota.
It seems that there might be an opportunity for us to help each other.
Follow me.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Sh....! Boom! Boom!
What are you doing in my chair?
Um... I-I didn't touch anything. I just like to look inside the ships that come here.
- You should have asked. - You might have said no.
Well... what do you think?
Well, it's a little small and your thruster controls are hard to reach.
Oh. Well, maybe you need longer arms.
How fast can it go?
She's designed for one-quarter impulse, but, uh...
I've been able to squeeze a little more out of her.
- You're a pilot? - Engineer. Commander Trip Tucker.
- Q'ell. - Nice to meet you.
Could you teach me how to fly it?
I can drive the crawler that we use to move our drill rigs.
Tell you what... I'll be heading back up to the ship later.
You can come along if it's all right with your folks.
- I'll give you a tour. - Really?!
- Two power cells. - We need six.
We can't spare that many.
Maybe three.
Do you have any idea how much labor it takes to refine a liter of deuterium?
Actually... no. I'd enjoy seeing how your facility works.
We have three months of good weather, Captain. Three months to pump all the deuterium we can before the winter.
We don't have time to give tours. Five power cells for 200 liters.
I can't do any better.
Our medical stores are running low.
Four power cells... and whatever medical supplies we can spare.
All right.
But only if you can repair our pumps.
Commander Tucker and his team will do the best they can.
I expect you to leave orbit in two days.
If the pumps are working, you'll leave with the deuterium. If not, you'll leave without it.
- Are we agreed? - Agreed.
It's yours, if you'd like it.
I wouldn't know what to feed it.
Her needs are modest.
A nutrient broth every three or four days. Less often when she's working.
- Working? - She'll ingest a little blood while she's healing an injured artery.
Thank you but I'll just take some vascular adhesive.
Try this, hmm? Instead.
- An auto-suture. - Mmm! I'm surprised you don't have one.
This is a very expensive piece of equipment. I can't...
Nonsense. Please.
Cardio-stimulator, neural shock kit...
I had no idea processing deuterium was such a dangerous business.
It can be.
I've, uh... only heard of hexatriol being used to treat serious plasma burns.
Deuterium can burn almost as hot as plasma when is ignited.
I hope you won't need it.
Is there something wrong?
No.
- I'd better get back. - Of course.
Thank you again.
You've been to other colonies that trade deuterium, haven't you?
- Several. - Are they all this rustic?
- Not usually. - Their equipment's falling apart.
Half these structures look like they're about to collapse. Phlox tells me they don't even have basic medical supplies.
Deuterium is a highly valuable commodity. You'd think these people would be better off.
We're here to trade with them... not judge their living conditions.
Then why do they need us to finish fixing their pumps in two days?
What's the hurry?
Lieutenant, a ship just dropped out of warp. 600,000 kilometers and closing.
- I see it. - Probably more deuterium customers.
I'm reading 12 bio-signs... all Klingon.
You'll want to keep an eye on those phase-inverters. They tend to depolarize.
- Pump Six. - Korok's ship is entering orbit.
I thought we had three more days.
Secure the pumps. Get everyone inside.
- Some kind of trouble? - Help me close these induction valves.
What's going on? Who's Korok?
They must realize that you trade with other ships.
They believe that we have an exclusive arrangement.
If they think anyone's been here before them they get very angry.
Please... don't get involved. We'll talk to them.
- Archer to Enterprise. - Go ahead, Captain.
- Have the Klingons detected Enterprise yet? - No indication, sir.
Travis, adjust your orbit. Keep Enterprise out of sight.
Aye, sir.
My old friend.
We weren't expecting you so soon. We've had trouble with two of our pumps.
My crew's hungry. Let's have food and drink.
Then we'll discuss business.
Your deuterium... we don't have all of it.
We did our best but we need more time.
Can you make out what they're saying?
Tessic is explaining that their yield isn't what they'd hoped.
Good ears.
Without those pumps we couldn't operate at full capacity.
I sense what you're about to say is not going to make me happy.
We can give you 80,000 liters.
- If you'll give us one more week we'll have the rest. - You've had enough time.
- We'll take all of it. Now. - We don't have it.
I told you, two pumps were down.
They all appear to be working.
- We were just able to repair them. - You're lying!
Leave him alone. You'll get your deuterium.
Wait, please.
I can get deuterium anywhere.
I come here because I like you... when you show me hospitality and respect.
you take everything we own and you want us to respect you.
I'll give you four days. Have it all ready.
HIjol!
Let's get him inside.
- So this is your "exclusive" arrangement? - It's not your concern.
How long have these bullies been pushing you around?
Five seasons. They take all the first yield deuterium we can extract.
Hold still.
After they leave we manage to pull a few thousand liters out of the deep strata
but it takes weeks and it's so full of impurities we can barely refine it.
It still brings in a decent price. We make enough to get through the winter.
Barely.
Have you tried contacting your homeworld?
It's too far away.
You must have weapons... some way to defend yourselves.
How many of them are there?
Usually seven.
Seven?!
You've got them outnumbered nine or ten to one.
You've never seen a Klingon in battle, have you?
We tried to stand up to them once... three seasons ago.
Five of us died fighting them. And then they killed three more... to prove their point.
One of them was his father.
Maybe there's something we can do.
Just take your 200 liters and go.
If you're here when they come back... they'll kill you.
- Mr. Reed. - The Klingon ship's gone to warp, sir.
- I'm sending a shuttlepod down. - We'll be at the landing site.
I'll catch up with you later, Captain.
Sorry I never got to give you that tour.
I once saw a Kellenite ship with cannons and torpedoes.
- Most big ships carry weapons. - Like Enterprise.
- Yeah, like Enterprise. - You could have fought the Klingons. Beaten them.
- Maybe. - Why didn't you try?
It's not that simple.
Come in.
The deuterium's been stowed. 200 liters.
Should I instruct Ensign Mayweather to break orbit?
So that's it? We just take our deuterium and leave?
They work their asses off to provide for their families and then the Klingons just stroll in and rob them blind.
Does that seem right to you?
Malcolm tells me that Klingon ship isn't much more than a freighter.
I'd lay odds they're no match for Enterprise.
And if they withdraw?
What will keep them from coming back after we've gone?
We could try to contact the Klingon High Council.
We saved Klaang from the Suliban... we pulled one of their battle cruisers out of a gas giant.
I say they owe us a favor.
I doubt these marauders answer to the High Council.
I already know where Vulcans stand on interfering with other cultures but this isn't a culture.
76 settlers are being preyed upon.
If this were an Earth colony I'd be grateful if someone showed up to give me a hand.
Captain, this may surprise you... but I agree.
However... short of killing the Klingons any action we take will only make the situation worse.
I just... hate the idea of turning our backs.
Need a hand?
Control arm is jammed.
I could use some help with the release valve.
Okay.
Turn it to the left.
This one?
Thought you'd be off charting your next start system by now.
Sometimes I have a bad habit of overstaying my welcome.
You obviously didn't come down here in the middle of the night to help me with this crawler.
Seems to me this crawler's the least of your problems.
We've been through this before. It's not your concern.
Give it another turn.
You said they've been coming here for what... five seasons?
How much longer do you plan on letting this go on... another five?
That's good. Leave it there.
Reconnect this coolant line.
The intake's above your head.
I had a talk with my tactical officer.
We're confident you have the ability to defend yourselves.
We already tried.
There are eight people buried not far from here who can attest to that.
It would be different this time.
- We would help you prepare. - I don't want your help.
I'm responsible for my people, not you. They put their trust in me.
They depend on me. I'm supposed to protect them!
Look at me...
I can barely keep this crawler running.
You say you and your tactical officer want to help us.
Even if you do once you're gone, we'll be alone again... waiting for them to come back.
There's a saying on my world: "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day."
"Teach him to fish, and he eats for a lifetime."
I was hoping for a bit more to work with.
They do a decent job keeping the shib'a lizards from chewing on the power couplings.
With a few modifications these should be effective against more than lizards.
You must have a well stocked armory onboard Enterprise.
But this battle won't be won with firepower.
Deception and surprise can be just as potent as brute force.
Klingons are aggressive warriors but their tactics are crude.
They're slow to adapt to changing circumstances.
This all sounds very ambitious.
What exactly are you expecting us to do?
You're going to lure them into a trap.
- What kind of trap? - A very hot one.
The deuterium in those wellheads. How much pressure is it under... 3,000, 4,000 millibars?
Five.
Should create some interesting fireworks.
You'll never get the Klingons near that deuterium field.
- They know it isn't safe. - They may be crude, but they're not fools.
That's where deception and surprise come in. Did you bring the map I asked you for?
It's right here.
The structures in the colony... they're mostly modular, right?
They're all modular.
Most deuterium fields are depleted within three or four years at most.
Forces us to be itinerant.
So you're saying you could relocate these buildings in a relatively short time.
It depends. Where are you suggesting we relocate them?
About 50 meters to the south, right here.
What good would that do?
The terrain there is no different than where the town is now.
That's what we're counting on.
If we can move the structures and the rigs everything should look pretty much like it did yesterday.
Everything except the wellheads.
They'll have to be capped off and camouflaged.
We can do that.
The gullies on this hillside. Are they deep enough to hide in?
If you keep your head down.
We'll shuttle small groups to Enterprise for whatever training we have time for
preferably people who have experience with weapons.
We've got three days. We should get to work.
What are we waiting for?
One more meter...
Okay, shut her down.
You ready?
And begin.
Shib'a lizards don't move that fast.
Do you mind, Lieutenant?
I can see your finger tensing on the trigger before you fire. It's throwing your aim.
I used to make the same mistake.
Keep your eye on the target and don't squeeze the trigger until you have a clear shot.
Try again.
I think the table was a little bit to the left.
Thanks. How are things going with the pumps?
It'll be tomorrow before they're all in place. We started capping off the heads.
Let me know... I got it.
- ...if you need more people. - I rigged two ignition sequences.
The perimeter and the center are on separate circuits.
I thought taking the town apart was tough.
- But putting it back together... - This plan is a long shot... isn't it?
- You think it's a mistake? - I didn't say that.
I've never liked bullies, Trip. Not on Earth... and not out here.
Klingons carry disrupters but they prefer to use bladed weapons in combat
the two most common being the bat'leth a curved, bilateral sword
and the mek'leth, a two-pronged dagger.
The bat'leth can decapitate its victim with one stroke
while the mek'leth is typically used to slash the throat or disembowel.
I cannot teach you to defend yourselves against these weapons.
The Vulcan martial art, Suus Mahna, takes years to master.
However, I can teach you a simple evasive technique.
Ensign Mayweather.
Since I don't have a bat'leth, this will have to suffice.
Try to strike me.
- You won't hurt me. - It's not you that I'm worried about.
That was called the Navorkot. It isn't difficult to learn.
Who would like to try first?
Thanks.
Lieutenant Reed said I have to hide in the canyons when the Klingons come back.
He doesn't want you to get hurt.
But I want to help. I can shoot a shib'a lizard from 40 meters.
Malcolm's got this rule: You've got to be taller than the gun to use it.
I don't want to hide.
Well... shooting at a lizard is a whole lot different than shooting at a person and, uh...
lizards don't shoot back.
When those Klingons show up... I want you to do exactly what Lieutenant Reed says.
- Understood? - Yes, sir.
We had a little trouble moving one of the pumps... but it's in place now.
We're ready.
I just hope everyone survives this.
Your people as well as mine.
We left Earth just over a year ago... to explore... to meet people like you.
We'd only been out of spacedock for three days when we found ourselves in a...
full-fledged firefight with some pretty nasty characters called the Suliban.
I got shot in the leg.
Just before I passed out I remember thinking "This isn't what I signed up for."
"I should be mapping star clusters or making first contact with friendly species."
But when those Suliban started firing at my crew
I knew I didn't have any choice but to fight back.
I'm not ashamed to admit I was nervous. I'm nervous now.
But I know... we can do this.
Archer.
The Klingon ship just dropped out of warp, Captain.
Acknowledged.
Listen.
What?
The pumps...
They're silent.
Where's your hospitality?
This is no way to treat your friends.
Show yourselves!
Tu'chaH! HI-qem chaH! Dah!
This will cost you more than deuterium!
P'tok!
Hey!
Come on.
There.
What are you doing?
You'll kill us all. Those wellheads, they're under great pressure.
- If you ignite them you'll incinerate the entire town. - They're making fools of us.
They're hiding in the dirt like Targ. Gorat kA.
They'll learn to show us respect. We'll kill another four.
Perhaps the boy as well.
They're too far south.
We've got to get them to move 50 meters to our left.
Everybody, this way.
Net joj! Hiv chaH qagh!
muH HoH toch!
A little farther.
This is good.
A few more meters.
This shouldn't be here.
Now.
They're all yours, Tessic.
Korok!
I wouldn't do that. There's two more wellheads by your feet.
- Leave here now or we'll ignite them. - P'tok.
You'll live to regret this.
If you're thinking about coming back, I wouldn't advise it.
We'll be ready.
We're not afraid of you anymore.
We can find deuterium anywhere. Yours isn't fit for a garbage scow.
HIjol!
We did it! We did it.
Unless you're planning to join Starfleet I'm afraid you'll have to give up that chair.
I wish you didn't have to leave.
That's one of the tough things about my job... saying good-bye to people like you and your friends.
Oh. Almost forgot.
Schematics for Enterprise.
You said you like to look at starships.
- This one'll knock your socks off. - Thanks.
Do you think you'll come back?
Who knows? Our engines need a lot of deuterium.
There must be over a thousand liters here.
2,000.
Our deal was for 200.
Our deal was for power cells, medical supplies and repair work...
You provided us with much more than that.
Besides, we seem to have a surplus at the moment.
- Give your crew our thanks. - Have a good season.

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