Stardate 58130.6

The Cerritos rendezvous with the Archimedes to assist with a first contact mission with the Laaperians. Captain Freeman is old friends with Captain Sonya Gomez. They discuss the mission with Admiral Mariner.

After the briefing, Admiral Mariner pulls out champagne to congratulate Freeman on her new promotion.

In the corridor, Mariner and Jennifer bump into each other and have a snarky exchange. Mariner hides when Freeman and Gomez come out of the meeting room, discussing Freeman's promotion and the fact she probably won't be able to take her senior bridge crew with her.

In the lower decks, Rutherford is experiencing an error message in his implant which is blocking his vision. Boimler is working on his Captain Freeman Day banner.

Mariner comes in and tells them about the promotion. Tendi and Boimler are happy for Freeman. Mariner realizes the senior bridge crew don't know yet and would be super upset by the news, so she heads off to tell them.

Tendi is worried about T'Ana wanting to see her and Rutherford assures her things will be fine.

Mariner butts into a senior bridge crew conversation and tells them about the promotion.

As the Cerritos follows the Archimedes to the Laap system, the bridge crew start to give Freeman flack.

In sickbay, Tendi hears T'Ana comment that she's not cut out for medical and sees her delete her file.

The senior crew and Mariner confront Freeman with what they know.

Tendi runs to Rutherford with her suspicion that T'Ana is going to transfer her off the Cerritos. He suggests that they tour the ship one last time so Tendi can remember everything about it.

The Archimedes arrives in the Laap System.

Tendi and Rutherford bond over their love of the Cerritos.

Freeman notes the complaints of the senior bridge crew and kicks them out of her ready room. She holds Mariner back and condemns her for spreading the news before it was official. Mariner hits back verbally. An alarm sounds and they both head back to the bridge.

The Laaperian sun has emitted a flare that incinerates an unstable planetoid, causing a wave of debris to be propelled outwards. The debris hits the Archimedes hard and fries all its electronics and hurls it towards the Laaperian planet.

The Cerritos calculates 20 hours until the Archimedes crashes into the planet, causing catastrophic damage. The debris field impedes them from being able to help because it'll fry their systems as well.

Freeman decides to take her yacht into the debris field to help the Archimedes. Mariner follows, arguing against her plan. Their argument is overheard by Rutherford and Tendi who snuck onboard the yacht. Rutherford figures out a way to help the Archimedes.

He proposes stripping the outer hull of the ship, effectively removing the magnetic layer that would attract the debris and conduct the damage the debris would inflict.

Freeman gives a stirring speech to activate the crew on this plan.

Rutherford's implant is still giving him problems and Billups diagnoses a full memory storage as the issue. Rutherford reveals that he backups all his memories of Tendi in triplicate to prevent ever losing them again.

Captain Gomez is trying to revive some shuttles so they can save some crew but to no avail.

While sealing up a porthole, Mariner tells her mother she never wants to work with her again and storms away.

As their time runs out, one panel of the outer hull becomes fused and Billups isn't able to release it before the ship starts to get up to speed.

Rutherford's error messages become too much and he purges the redundant memories. When he does, he sees a memory of the technicians who installed his implant where they comment on something he has that he shouldn't.

Rutherford takes the other Delta Team crew into Cetacean Ops and introduces them to two dolphin crew members, Kimolu and Matt.

Mariner gets ready to swim out to the last panel release, complaining about her mother, and Boimler snaps at her. The others tell her they can handle it and she should go patch things up with her mom.

Boimler makes the swim and releases the panel but breaches his suit which begins to fill up with water.

Kimolu and Matt rescue him, and Tendi resuscitates him.

The ship enters the debris field and takes impacts. Mariner is knocked out into space. Jennifer saves her.

The Archimedes enters the planet's atmosphere but their descent is halted by the Cerritos's tractor beam.

Freeman and her crew make first contact at the insistence of Gomez. The Laaperians welcome them with great enthusiasm.

T’Ana calls Tendi into her office and informs her that she’s too smart to waste her time in sickbay. T’Ana is transferring her to senior science officer training.

In the mess, Boimler hangs his decorations and Freeman's a little drunk. Mariner thanks Jennifer for saving her life and they clear the air.

Boimler's being chill about being a hero but freaks out when Mariner says that Freeman noticed the decorations.

Freeman is informed that a contingent from Starfleet Command has requested to come aboard. Thinking they've come to officially offer her the promotion, she announces to her crew that she's turning it down.

When they meet the delegation, it turns out she's under arrest for attacking the Pakled planet. Commander Mandel and his team take her away in cuffs in front of the whole crew.

TO BE CONTINUED