ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. GOVERNING CONGRESS OF PEACE
We’re in the main gathering area of the Congress of Peace, which is reminiscent of the UN on Earth. There are hundreds of seats, most of them filled, arranged like stadium seating all along the walls of the hemispherical room. Archer and Sato come in through the front entrance, walking slowly and cautiously as they are eyed by hundreds of aliens ... or rather, hundreds of natives since they are the aliens here.
They continue to walk slowly until they reach a section designated for guests, where President Meltak is waiting for them. All three of them take a seat, and wait for the speaker to appear.
ARCHER
(to Sato)
Don’t tell anyone, Ensign, but I haven’t been this nervous since grade school.
SATO
(smiling)
Your secret is safe with me, Captain.
(beat, joking)
Though I can’t guarantee how lon-
She is cut off by a loud bell that signifies the arrival of the speaker. Its ringing reverberates throughout the room and silences the mass of people. Archer’s head snaps around to witness a short man enter at the podium in front of them. The man takes his seat and addresses the crowd.
SPEAKER
[I ask that we all bow our head in a moment of silence to honor those brave souls lost today.]
Sato looks at Archer and indicates for him to bow his head, which he does once he realizes that is what everyone else is doing. Everyone bows their head for a LONG BEAT.
SPEAKER (CONT’D)
[Thank you.]
(beat)
[Now we shall begin the 101st gathering of the Governing Congress of Peace. I would like to note in the record that this is an emergency meeting called by the nation of Calthan.]
(beat, pressing a control)
[The Speaker recognizes President Meltak of Calthan.]
Meltak stands to address the crowd. Sato continues to quietly translate off her small device.
MELTAK
[As you all know today has been a day of tragedy with the loss of our first FTL ship and one of her crew.]
(beat)
[However, today has also been one of great importance. For today, we have accomplished that which we had hoped to do with that ship…we have made contact with alien life.]
Archer briefly smiles at being referred to as alien by an alien. His attention, however, is caught by a light flashing on the podium.
SPEAKER
[My apologies, President Meltak, but Representative Gresht of Lont wishes to speak.]
MELTAK
(bowing his head)
[Of course.]
Archer turns his head slightly to try and spot the man the speaker referred to. Surprisingly, he is right behind them, already standing to speak.
GRESHT
[It is not debatable that this is a great moment in our history, but how we act in this moment certainly is.]
(beat, angry)
[These aliens arrive at our planet, claim that another group of aliens destroyed our ship, and now are being heralded as saviors by the people of Calthan.]
He pauses a BEAT for effect.
GRESHT (CONT’D)
[Am I the only one that sees the issue here?]
(beat)
[A Calthanian did not die in the collision…a Lontian did, and what has been done about it? Nothing! Instead, these aliens kiss the ground Meltak and his people walk on, offering all kinds of things. All the while, they do nothing for us, the people hurt most by this tragedy!]
Out of turn, Meltak whips around to address the disgruntled man.
MELTAK
(sharp)
[What are you trying to say, Representative?]
Meltak glares openly, but Gresht has taken on a more composed demeanor.
GRESHT
(calmly)
[What I am saying, and no offense to our guests, is that the nation of Calthan is being showered with undue favoritism.]
(beat)
[Need I remind you that this was an international effort? And as such, it is unjust that Calthan be the ones so heavily rewarded!]
Understanding the language better than Archer, Sato is the first to realize that this could end in a bad way. She is nervous about what will come next, but is doing her best to keep translating for Archer, even as she is hampered by the quickened pace of the conversation.
MELTAK
[Why do you think we’re here?]
GRESHT
(dead serious)
[To put on a show of cooperation. When your real intention is to “keep” them to yourselves.]
The room erupts into undistinguishable babble, causing Sato to give up on translating entirely. She sighs heavily, clearly flustered. Archer sits at her side, looking around and clearly confused with what is happening. Noticing the captain’s confusion, Sato leans in to speak to him.
SATO
This isn’t good, Captain.
CUT TO:
INT. NEWS ROOM
Once again we are in the news studio; the now familiar anchor is at his desk as always. Behind him the screen is already active with the image of Representative Gresht from the previous scene.
ANCHOR
[Representative Gresht of Lont is with us via satellite from the headquarters of the Governing Congress of Peace.]
(beat)
[Good evening, Representative.]
GRESHT
[Good evening.]
The news anchor adjusts the papers in his hands.
ANCHOR
[Mr. Representative, we have only heard a handful of reports about the emergency session and none of them sound good.]
(beat)
[Is it true that things became so out of control that the Speaker was forced to call a three hour recess?]
GRESHT
(faux shame)
[Those reports are indeed true.]
ANCHOR
[Mr. Representative…Gresht if I may, what happened?]
GRESHT
[I’ll tell you what happened…greed happened.]
(beat)
[The nation of Calthan was hoping to horde the information, the friendship of these newcomers. They say that they are interested in cooperation but at every turn, they do what they can to further themselves, leaving poorer nations behind.]
ANCHOR
[Certainly your claims seem hard to believe by the populace. The Calthanian government was the one to establish the Governing Congress of Peace nearly twenty years ago.]
Gresht seems to laugh to himself at the statement.
GRESHT
[Just because they established the Congress doesn’t mean they fully believe in it or are willing to participate in it.]
The anchor clears his throat and shifts slightly.
ANCHOR
[On a similar subject, what are your thoughts on the aliens?]
Gresht considers his words carefully.
GRESHT
[They seem to be people worthy of our friendship; I only hope it to be an international relationship that we choose to have with them. One with every nation, rich and poor, participating.]
ANCHOR
[Indeed, Mr. Representative.]
CUT TO:
INT. PLANET – CALTHANIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
Archer, Sato, and Meltak are in the presidential office once more. Meltak is pacing furiously behind his desk and, once again, Ensign Sato is providing a running translation.
MELTAK
[Gresht didn’t mean a damned thing he said!]
(beat, ashamed)
[Pardon my language.]
ARCHER
No problem.
MELTAK
[The man is insane; if he’s not careful he could start another war!]
This gets Archer’s attention.
ARCHER
(curious)
Another war?
Meltak stops his pacing long enough to look at the two Humans; he’s worried by Archer’s tone.
MELTAK
(apprehensive)
[Yes…there was a world encompassing conflict that ended nearly twenty years ago.]
(beat, frowning)
[Since then the major powers have maintained an uneasy peace through the Congress.]
Archer sees the concern in Meltak’s new stance. The politician stops pacing and clasps his hands together nervously.
ARCHER
(reassuring)
Sounds a lot like what my world went through just under a century ago.
(beat, smiling)
If you were to ask our “allies,” they’d be happy to confirm the long history my people have had when it comes to war.
Meltak visibly relaxes.
MELTAK
[Yes, I suppose it is something all worlds must go through.]
(beat, dark again)
[I have spent my entire career trying to maintain this peace…]
Meltak begins to pace again, keeping his hands clasped behind his back.
ARCHER
What exactly does he hope to accomplish?
MELTAK
[Who can say for sure? My best guess would be that he hopes to win over the people of Lont; their elections are coming up soon. Going on about how poor they are, and how they are treated because of it would go a long way in the election.]
(beat, worried)
[He might even be hoping to gain support from other smaller countries to attack Calthan. Lont was our main enemy during the war.]
ARCHER
Sounds like a worst case scenario. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
(beat)
If he's anything like the politicians back on Earth, he’s probably just looking to raise an issue that could get him his votes.
MELTAK
[I hope that is all it is.]
(beat, glancing at a clock)
[We better head back and get started on smoothing over this mess.]
The three of them stand and start to leave the room as we…
CUT TO:
INT. GOVERNING CONGRESS OF PEACE
Everyone has gathered again within the massive meeting place. Larger groups of representatives are talking amongst themselves, probably about what took place earlier, but they silence as the bell again rings.
SPEAKER
[President Meltak has requested that the alien visitors be allowed to speak.]
(beat)
[At this time, our honored guests shall be allowed to do so.]
He gestures for Archer to stand, he does so with Sato following his lead. As he begins to speak, she rapidly translates, a lot faster than one would expect for someone so new to the language.
ARCHER
I would like to address the points raised by Representative Gresht earlier.
(beat)
Namely, we are not showing favoritism.
Archer pauses for a BEAT. He manages to hold his nervousness in check and starts to work his diplomatic magic.
ARCHER (CONT’D)
It is understandable how it could appear that way. After all we did contact the Calthanians first.
(beat, as he assesses his audience)
But you have to look at it from our perspective. We know nothing about your world’s politics. When one of the injured pilots from your test ship gave us these coordinates, we had no choice but to use them.
(beat, sympathetic)
It’s unfortunate that the nation of Lont lost someone in this tragedy, but that is part of exploration. We’ve lost our fair share in the months since we began our own mission. I would hate for those deaths, from both of our people, to have been for nothing. I would hate for them to have died in the name of exploration, and then have their accomplishments torn down due to a simple misunderstanding.
Again a light flashes at the podium. Archer stops speaking, hoping that he hasn’t caused offense to these people. He exchanges a look with Sato, but she doesn’t appear to know anymore than he does.
SPEAKER
[The speaker recognizes representative Fontret of Nildat.]
FONTRET
[Nildat must agree with Lont on this issue. Though it is understandable that the aliens wouldn’t be familiar with world politics, it is still undeniable that favoritism has been shown to the Calthanians.]
(beat)
[During our lengthy recess, the aliens did not take the opportunity to speak with Lont or other nations about the issue. Instead, they spent the entirety of their time with President Meltak.]
As Sato finishes the translation, Archer is taken slightly aback.
ARCHER
My apologies, but I felt it would be better to address all issues here in front of all nations.
Though Frontret’s argument is weak, Archer’s statements seem to be falling on deaf ears.
SPEAKER
[The speaker recognizes Gresht of Lont.]
GRESHT
[That is a noble sentiment, but if I were being accused of showing favoritism, I certainly wouldn’t spend all of my time with those I was accused of showing it to.]
There is a hushed murmur among the crowd.
ARCHER
I see your point.
GRESHT
[Do you?]
Archer’s best neutral expression falters slightly, the edges of his lips turning downwards. This is obviously going to be a long discussion.
CUT TO:
INT. GOVERNMENT BUILDING – MEETING ROOM
The room is darkly lit, as Archer and Sato sit at the table going through a stack of files. We PAN around and see the looks of exhaustion on both of their faces. After a BEAT Archer throws down a thick stack of bound papers.
ARCHER
(exasperated)
This is ridiculous.
SATO
Maybe you should take a break, Captain.
ARCHER
Oh, I’m going to. Maybe even steal the shuttlepod and get the hell away from here.
Ensign Sato eyes him curiously, not used to seeing her Captain like this.
ARCHER (CONT’D)
(off Sato)
Sorry, I just need a breather. I just haven’t seen this much bickering since, well…Alpha Centauri.
Sato doesn’t appear to be entirely convinced. She seems to have picked up on what he was going through earlier, before they ever left the ship when he was talking with Midas.
SATO
Something else wrong, Captain?
ARCHER
(lying poorly)
No, Ensign. I’m just tired.
(beat)
At this point, I’d gladly turn things over to the Vulcans…if it wouldn’t prove them right.
SATO
Prove them right, sir?
ARCHER
It would prove to them that we aren’t capable of handling this. That we’re just as incompetent as they say we are.
Ensign Sato gives Captain Archer a skeptical look.
SATO
I don’t believe that. I bet they’d have just as much trouble with this as we are.
ARCHER
(smiling)
Thanks, Ensign.
(beat)
Just imagine how many times they’d raise their eyebrows; it’d probably get stuck that way.
The young woman laughs softly at the thought.
ARCHER
(uncomfortable)
You know what? Let’s just call it a night.
(beat)
Won’t be meeting until zero nine-hundred tomorrow anyway.
SATO
It sounds like an idea to me, sir.
Archer smiles as she gets up and leaves the room. He remains seated for a LONG BEAT, thinking to himself. Exhausted, he leans back in the chair and runs his hands through his hair.
ARCHER
(to himself)
Just don’t screw this up Jon…don’t let them be right.
CUT TO:
INT. ENTERPRISE – D-DECK CORRIDOR
Lieutenant Picard, PRIVATE FIRST CLASS SAKHAROV, and PRIVATE WARREN are creeping along the corridor, pistols drawn. They silently approach a small alcove leading to a maintenance tube. Picard pulls out a scanner and takes some readings of the area. After a BEAT, he puts the scanner away and signals for Warren to open the tube. As Warren approaches, Picard and Sakharov get in position in front of and on the other side of the hatch.
Warren jerks open the hatch and Sakharov immediately trains his pistol at the entrance, ready to fire at anything that moves. There is nothing there, so Picard motions for Sakharov to enter.
Sakharov slowly moves forward, entering the tube he looks around. We remain outside in the corridor with Picard and Warren.
PICARD
(whispering)
Spot anything, Private?
SAKHAROV
(whispering)
Negative.
(beat)
Wait.
There’s silence except for the sound of Sakharov’s footsteps in the tube.
PICARD
Report.
Picard tenses when Sakharov doesn’t immediately reply. After a BEAT, we finally hear the Private’s reply.
SAKHAROV
I saw something, but it moved away really fast.
(beat)
Whatever it is sir, it’s definitely alive…and it has a tail.
PICARD
A tail?
Sakharov comes out of the tube, startling Picard slightly.
SAKHAROV
Yes sir. A tail.
Based on their expressions, all three are thinking of far too many monster movies, all of which begin with scenarios eerily similar to this one. Before Picard can issue further orders T’Pol’s voice comes over the intercom.
T’POL (COMM VOICE)
Bridge to Lieutenant Picard.
Picard moves over to a nearby wall unit and presses the response control.
PICARD
Picard here.
T’POL (COMM VOICE)
Lieutenant, report to the bridge.
(beat)
We are approaching the next set of coordinates.
PICARD
Yes ma’am. Picard out.
(to Sakharov)
Private, you and Warren keep looking. I want this thing found, and I want it found now.
SAKHAROV
Yes sir!
Picard turns away and heads off down the corridor as Warren approaches the tube as we…
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT THREE
Continue to Act Four
