Stardate 2369.2

Enterprise is at space dock at Starbase 1. The crew is on shore leave while Chief Inspector Pelia and her team are checking the systems and upgrading the ship’s operations.

Pike’s concerned about a tension in Starfleet’s higher-ups he doesn’t understand, but he’s more concerned about Una’s case.

He and Una confer on the lawyer they need to defend her. Pike refuses to let her take a plea deal.

Pike decides to seek out the lawyer in person. He’ll take a shuttle and leave Spock in charge.

M’Benga diagnoses Spock with stress. Spock is skeptical. M’Benga reminds him that Vulcan emotions are stronger than human ones, only kept in check by mental blocks. Spock removed those blocks to combat the Gorn with more primal energy.

M’Benga offers a musical instrument to Spock and recommends he use music as therapy to calm himself and relieve stress. He notes when Spock plays it, his heart rate is going down. It suddenly spikes when Chapel enters the sick bay. Spock excuses himself and leaves.

Chapel shares with M’Benga that she’s going to apply for a fellowship to study archeological medicine at the Vulcan Science Academy.

On the bridge, the crew and the inspectors are butting heads. Uhura picks up an odd signal variance she and takes it to Spock.

The signal originates from a planet near the edge of Klingon space, Cajitar-4. Uhura decodes it and discovers it’s a distress signal from La’an. Spock seeks permission to respond but April denies it.

Because it is a dilithium mining planet under treaty with the Klingons, April won’t allow the Enterprise to approach it while the Klingons have the right to mine it even though La’an’s message states there is an anti-Federation threat. It would be an act of war for the Federation to visit the planet during the Klingons negotiated time on Cajitar-4.

The bridge crew meet about La’an’s message. Spock decides to steal the Enterprise.

The bridge crew set a plan in motion to fake a coolant leak in order to get the inspectors off the ship, but Commander Pelia is not fooled.

Pelia deduces the plan and offers a suggestion to make the danger the Enterprise poses the station more credible. The station actually orders them to move away.

Spock asks Pelia why she’s helping them. She offers to be their chief engineer on this mission. She’s eager to be on an active ship again, stating it’s been over a hundred years since she had engines of her own. Ortegas is skeptical but Uhura realizes Pelia is a Lanthanite, a long-lived humanoid species.

On Cajitar-4, La’an wins a drinking game with a Klingon. She refuses the next challenger, stating she knows what La’an really wants. The challenger responds she can only set the meeting, she can’t guarantee her boss, Greynax, will meet with a human.

As the lackey leaves, M’Benga moves closer and catches La’an’s eye. She comes out and meets with the crew.

She explains the planet had always been a source of steady income for its dilithium. The war caused its profits to balloon. Now that the war was over, the mining syndicate has decided to start a new war to increase their profits. They’ve been buying Federation tech. A few days previously, an explosion at the mine had made many people sick with ion poisoning. M’Benga says ion poisoning doesn’t happen from dilithium but from photon torpedoes.

Chapel reveals she and M’Benga both served in the Klingon War. She asks about the victims of the explosion which includes La’an’s ward, Oriana, and her parents. Chapel and M’Benga have med kits with them and will go to the med tent to tend to the wounded.

After tending to Oriana’s mother, Chapel and M’Benga are checking their inventory when a Klingon with an armed guard approaches and forces them to come tend to their wounded.

Elsewhere, underground, Uhura and Spock are spotting for La’an as she prepares to meet a Klingon buyer of Federation tech.

The buyer refuses to tell La’an why he’s interested in buying the Federation weapons. She bargains for a good price and promises to find more for him.

In the debrief, Uhura informs them the Klingon speakers said their plan was happening the next day. Spock won’t contact Starfleet until they have solid proof. When he contacts the transporter chief, he’s informed M’Benga and Chapel’s signals have disappeared.

Chapel and M’Benga are marched at weapon-point down into a massive cave. The syndicate’s built an entire Federation starship inside the cavern. They are ordered to treat the people in the ship suffering from ion burns.

They realize this false Federation ship will be used to start the war again. Knowing they need to get to the bridge to warn the Enterprise and the Federation, M’Benga pulls out hypospray cartridges that’ll give them the strength and stamina to fight their way to the bridge.

They administer the hyposprays and fight through the Klingon syndicate members guarding the ship. M’Benga grabs one and begins to interrogate him. He beats the numbers and communication access out of him.

As they make their way to the transponder, the engines fire up. M’Benga sends a message to the Enterprise. He and Chapel look for a way off the ship.

With the booster wearing off, they evade another wave of attackers by sealing themselves into an airlock. The ship takes off.

A Klingon battle cruiser warps into orbit above Cajitar-4. The Enterprise hides in the debris field. La’an hails them to inform them she’s had no luck locating Chapel and M’Benga. Just as she’s theorizing on what the play is, the false starship emerges from the ground and heads into orbit.

The Enterprise crew notes the launch. Uhura immediately says the transponder ping is wrong. She decodes M’Benga’s message as, “Enterprise, destroy this ship.” In the airlock, M’Benga and Chapel look for EV suits.

On the Enterprise, Spock deduces the plot by the mining syndicate. He orders the Enterprise to follow the false ship. The false ship fires on the Enterprise. Spock holds off on firing back.

M’Benga and Chapel find a helmet and a propulsion pack. They plan to jump out and hope the Enterprise notices the beacon in the helmet before they freeze to death without EV suits.

The false ship approaches the Klingon cruiser. The Enterprise locks its torpedoes on the false ship. M’Benga and Chapel prepare to leap into space. Spock orders the torpedoes fired.

M’Benga and Chapel open the airlock and propel themselves away from the false ship before the torpedoes hit, destroying the ship.

Uhura detects the EV helmet’s transponder. Spock orders the transporter chief to lock onto the signal and beam them on board.

Chapel is unconscious on the transporter pad. Spock resuscitates her, pleading with her not to die.

The Klingon captain, D’Chok hails the Enterprise and does not believe Spock’s explanation they had saved the Klingons from a rogue Federation ship. Spock offers to convince him in person over a barrel of blood wine. This intrigues the captain who agrees to meet on the planet.

At the meeting, Pelia and Spock chat over drinks. Spock asks if she’s actually Lanthanite. She is. She shares that Amanda Grayson, Spock’s mother, was one of the first people she revealed herself to. Pelia tells Spock she is bored teaching engineering. She’s decided to stick around the Enterprise.

Oriana runs to hug La’an. She asks where La’an plans on going next. La’an looks to where Spock is roaring with the Klingons.

On board the Enterprise, Admiral April lectures Spock who is suffering a hangover from the blood wine. April states the hangover is his punishment this time and order him to bring the ship home.

In sickbay, Spock watches over a resting Chapel. M’Benga approaches and assures him she’ll be fine. Spock is overwrought and tearful. He cannot express his feelings in words. M’Benga understands. Spock returns to his quarters and his musical instrument.

At Starbase 1, April confides in another admiral that Spock just prevented them fighting a war on two fronts. The display shows a Gorn attack ship entering Federation space.

The episode is dedicated, “For Nichelle who was first through the door and showed us the stars. Hailing frequencies forever open…”