After Ensign Nerell has contacted the Odyssey to inform them that Lieutenant
Helfrump is unconscious, Commander Denebris leads the two Pabloyan
representatives (who have become somewhat suspicious when they see that the
crew seems to be on some kind of mission on Pabloias Prime) to see the
prisoner called Tholok, who has been recaptured. Lieutenant Andrusia gets
angry with Ensign Elan, since she allowed the communication from Nerell to
come through. He claims that the communiqué could have jeopardised the whole
mission. When Denebris returns to the Bridge, he discovers a disturbing fact
about the Pabloyan mining equipment; so disturbing even, that he proceeds to
the ready room to send a message to Starfleet Command about it. As he does,
Andrusia and Elan resume their heated argument.
Meanwhile, on the surface of Pabloias Prime, Captain Bennek, Counsellor
Sellser and Lieutenant Byrne have teamed up with the rebels who rescued
them, and they decide to help the rebels to defend this city, which is
attacked by the government.
The other team on the surface, consisting of Lieutenants Velden and Travian
and Ensign Lett, is posing as offworld merchants in an attempt to find the
Rebel leaders and find out more about the rebels and their cause. They meet
a couple of Pabloyan rebels, and are instructed to wait in an empty room.
After a while, they are led to a large land-vehicle, where they meet Akra, a
Pabloyan rebel leader. She sees through their disguises, and the team is
forced to reveal that they are Starfleet officers. Their true identities
revealed, the team is ordered to hand over their equipment. Gradually
however, they manage to win Akra's trust.
Velden, Travian and Lett leave the vehicle near the rebel city, as Akra
heads off into battle help the rebels. Arriving in the city, the officers
meet Captain Bennek just before they enter the rebel hideout. The Captain
has a plan: everyone in the city has to go to the mining facility, because
that's what the government is after: the Gyranzite which is mined there.
On the Odyssey, Andrusia goes to complain to Commander Denebris about Ensign
Elan's behaviour towards him. Elan joins the argument, and is cleared of the
blame by Denebris. As Andrusia blames Denebris, they are called to the
Bridge. Sensors have detected a Breen ship moving towards them. They had
intercepted the message Denebris sent to Starfleet, concerning the Pabloyan
government's mining equipment; part of it was made out of Breen technology.
The Breen are secretly assisting the Pabloyan government, both in their
mining operations and in their fight against the rebels. That is also what
Captain Bennek found out on the surface; the energy weapons mounted on the
Pabloyan tanks seem Breen in origin. Now the Breen have sent a ship to make
sure that the Breen involvement will be covered up. They are coming to
silence the Odyssey...
Seeing how allowing the Breen to send troops to the surface would only
increase the danger to the away teams, Commander Denebris informs the Breen
Captain that he will fire upon the Breen vessel if they transport down
people or launch shuttle's. Not long after this, the Breen do indeed beam
down troops, decreasing the odds of the away team to win the fight against
the Pabloyan government. The Breen are calling Denebris' bluff...
Commander Denebris is true to his word, and fires at the Breen ship while
their shields are down. However, the Odyssey does not do enough damage, and
the Breen begin to fire back. The fight does not go well: the Breen ship is
more than a match for the Odyssey. On the surface, the crew faces a battle
as well, as the government's forces are marching up to the mining facility.
Fortunately, Captain Bennek manages to persuade the government forces to put
down their weapons. Now the crew only has to deal with the Breen...
