The Cerritos visits Beta III where the inhabitants have reverted back to the worship of a violent AI called Landru. Freeman sets them straight and beams back to the ship.

When she tries to head onto the next mission, Freeman discovers that Mariner is still on Beta III handing out art supplies to the kids in an effort to promote creativity and wean them away from Landru. Boimler joins her and, instead of lecturing her, he participates in the handing out of supplies. He removes his uniform top and misses the call from the bridge via his com badge.

Not realizing the entire bridge is listening in, Boimler tells Mariner that he knows that Freeman is her mom. Mariner freaks on him and as he continues to dig a hole, Freeman initiates a point-to-point transport beaming them both directly to the bridge.

The USS Solvang is in the Kalla System, captained by Dayton, previously of the ill-fated Rubidoux. Suddenly, they are attacked. The attacker latches onto the ship and when Dayton orders them to warp, the ship is destroyed.

Tendi is excitedly sharing with Rutherford her joy of being an orientation liason for a new recruit. Rutherford's tweaking his attitude selector.

The recruit is an exocomp, a sentient robot.

Freeman and Mariner discuss the situation. Ransom comes in and is weird about it. Mariner leaves and everyone treats her differently in the corridors.

The Cerritos receives a partial distress call from the Solvang and Freeman chooses to respond rather than let the Titan take care of it.

Boimler tries to get Mariner to sign a letter of recommendation for the promotion to the Sacramento. Mariner decides that she'll apply for it to get away from the attention on the Cerritos. In order to improve her chances, she decides to become the perfect ensign.

The exocomp shares with Tendi her chosen name: Peanut Hamper.

Boimler and Mariner both meet with Ransom about the promotion. He's torn between Boimler's spotless record and Mariner's relationship with the captain.

Tendi brings Peanut Hamper to see Rutherford and Tendi worries that Peanut Hamper won't do well because she doesn't have hands.

In the sick bay, it turns out Peanut Hamper is uniquely proficient at surgery and suturing.

Just as Boimler and Mariner have a fight about the promotion, the Cerritos arrives at the Kalla system, in the middle of the debris field left from the Solvang. Suddenly, they are attacked by the same ship that destroyed the Solvang.

When the ship latches onto the Cerritos, Freeman chooses to shut down engines rather than suffer the same fate as the Solvang. Still, an entire lower decks portion is ripped away.

The attackers reveal themselves to be Pakleds with the intention to harvest the Cerritos's ship pieces to add to their own vessel.

As the Pakleds start to carve up the Cerritos, Freeman orders Mariner to come up with an innovative, last chance plan. She orders Rutherford to come up with virus program to take over their system. Rutherford activates Badgey.

In order for Badgey to code the virus, Rutherford has to disable safety protocols.

The Pakleds beam onto the bridge so the bridge crew escape. The route to the armory is blocked so Mariner reveals her stashes of contraband weapons.

They fight the Pakleds but Freeman is wounded and they get her to the sick bay where Rutherford joins them and informs them the virus has to be physically downloaded to the system. When they realize the best crew member for the job is Peanut Hamper, she refuses and beams herself into space rather than risk being destroyed with the rest of the Cerritos.

Rutherford finds his normal setting and uploads the virus into his implant. Shaxs picks him up and gets them to the Pakled ship aboard the Sequoia shuttle. As the virus nears complete download, Badgey appears and explains the virus won't complete until Rutherford's been killed. When Rutherford demands Badgey complete the mission, Badgey triggers a detonation program. Shaxs rips the implant out of Rutherford's head, throws him into the shuttle, and shoves it back through space to the Cerritos.

The Pakled ship explodes, killing Shaxs, but the Cerritos and the Sequoia shuttle are blown clear. As they try to get away, they are surrounded by more Pakled ships.

As Mariner prepares to abandon ship, the U.S.S. Titan, commanded by Will Riker, arrives and routs the Pakleds. Riker and Mariner know each other and Mariner lets slip that he supplies her with a lot of the contraband she's hoarded which Deanna Troi catches.

Freeman oversees the Cerritos's repairs while Tendi reads to Rutherford in his hospital room. Rutherford wakes up but doesn't remember Tendi.

Shaxs's memorial is held on the deck of the Cerritos. Afterwards, Freeman and Mariner debrief the Betan and Pakled encounters and decide to try working together.

In the crew lounge, Riker greets Freeman and Ransom asks Troi to hook him up with some Betazoid friends. Riker then congratulates Boimler on his work and grabs Mariner for a drink, leaving Boimler to read over a tablet.

Boimler takes a promotion to the Titan much to Mariner's dismay.

Peanut Hamper is left floating in space.