Port Authority
Er'dak, Vulcan
1500 hours

"Yes, I recognize these men." The port authority headmaster said, watching the video. "They are Sokil and Verovik, two of our more conscientious workers. Always on time and willing to go above and beyond in the pursuit of their duties."

"They may well have kidnapped someone." Archer said.

"I find that difficult to believe."

"Where are they now?" T'Pol asked.

"According to my data, they were escorting a professor Vorik to a dig in the Bashir Heights."

"Is that normal?" Archer asked.

"The archaeological dig isn't open to the public. It's much too dangerous. It would require escort by port authority officers."

"Then you'll need to assign us an officer." Archer said. "We're going there."

"Absolutely not. It's far too dangerous."

"Everything we have says these two men took professor Vorik there by force. I don't think your superiors will take kindly to your impeding our investigation."

"You are human. You have no authority here."

"I'm a personal friend of Director T'Pau. I have no doubt I can get that authority. And get you sanctioned for refusing to help."

"You don't understand. Pre-awakening archaeological sites are notoriously deadly."

"We'll take our chances."

The headmaster was silent for a moment.

"I want the record to reflect that I acted under complete duress." He said, at last.

"So noted." Archer said. "We need an officer and a shuttle. There's nothing more you need to do."

"Very well."

The shuttle and officer made themselves apparent in rapid time. The team boarded and left for the Bashir Heights without delay, the fate of professor Vorik weighing heavily on their minds.

The shuttle arrived at just after 1600 hours, disgorging its passengers near the entrance to the caverns that encapsulated the dig. Trouble immediately presented itself.

"If you stick to the tunnels and avoid any chambers, you should bypass most of the still active traps." The port authority officer said.

"You're not coming with us?" Archer asked.

"I've done my duty. Risking my life in these caverns is not in my job description."

"Well, can we at least have a map of the cavern system?"

"You would have to consult the Sovil College of Archaeology for that."

"Well, that leaves us at an impasse." Archer said. "Any ideas anyone?"

"There's no reason the Enterprise can't pinpoint any occupants of the cave system." Malcolm said. "We could transport to the ship, then down into that particular chamber. If we're clever about it, we should catch anyone there off-guard. A couple of MACO would not go amiss, either."

"Sounds like a plan."

The Takhir Dig
Bashir Heights
1535 hours

Vorik lay bound by the Vulcan version of zip ties, while the Vulcan whl'k'n wuh'rak Sokil busied himself setting explosive charges about the runes that covered the southern end of the chamber.

He had served his purpose and it was clear what would happen next. He would be left here to die in the explosion, destroying both his own knowledge of the runes' interpretation and the runes themselves.

"The holocaust weapon is a myth." He said. "You are doing all of this for nothing."

"I beg to differ." Sokil said. "Mind Lord Kwedai learned of it from the Orions. To place knowledge of it in a heavily protected reliquary speaks to his belief that it was real."

"Even if so, its presence in a supposed quinary system hardly narrows down the list of suspects. There are many quinary systems in known space."

"Is that where it is? In a five-star system?"

"It's all there in my notes. You should have availed yourself of that knowledge before wasting your time."

"Hardly a waste of time. If there exists any possibility of securing a weapon that can cleanse an entire planet of lesser sentients then it remains an avenue that must be pursued."

"Murder on such a grand scale. You find logic in that?"

"Vulcan logic supersedes the philosophies of lesser beings. Vulcans are clearly superior to other species. Pursuit of that superiority is unassailably logical."

"Infinite diversity in infinite combinations."

"A modern philosophy of the foolish. Surak never spoke of it."

"Yet he spoke of murder."

"The elimination of lesser sentients is not murder. It is cleansing the Vulcan people of the weak. We must remain pure if we are to have any hope of excelling in such a crowded galaxy."

"Surak would not approve."

"Surak would light the way to purity. His logic was for Vulcan minds alone."

A high pitched whine suddenly filled the air.

Sokil, being unfamiliar with matter transports, couldn't make sense of it until forms begin to come into the shape within the chamber. By then it was already too late. His plasma rifle was well out of reach.

He made due with quickly activating the datapad he used as a detonator. Whatever happened, he would not die alone.

Archer, Malcolm, T'Pol and two MACO appeared in the chamber, the MACO immediately taking aim at the only upright being in the room. Sokil.

"Stand down!" The MACO ordered. "We have you covered."

"Rather," Sokil said, "I have you covered. I have explosives littered all around this chamber and the detonator is in my hand. Cast aside your weapons or I will kill us all."

Malcolm immediately fetched his own datapad from its thigh pocket and began working furiously at it.

"What are you doing?" Sokil demanded,

"Oh, nothing." Malcolm said. "Just hacking your detonator pad so you can't set off the explosives. A little trick Commander Tucker taught me."

Sokil immediately thumbed his pad.

Nothing exploded.

"Stun him." Malcolm ordered.

The two MACO fired, dropping Sokil in an unconscious heap before them.

Archer turned to Vorik. "Professor Vorik, I assume? Are you alright?"

"He destroyed my hand." Vorik said. "But the wound is cauterized and the pain is manageable. I thank you for your timely rescue."

"Not a problem." Archer said. "But I'd like to know just what in the world is going on around here."

"Secure the notes and take me to your ship. We have much to discuss."

Safehouse One
55 Dupont Circle
Long Island, New York

Paxton sat in his private chamber, reading Plato's Republic and listening to Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. He valued what little free time he could afford for himself, but it was few and far between when so much of Terra Prime's activities required his oversight.

As if to drive the point home, a knocking came at his chamber door. Paxton pauses the music.

"Come in."

Mark Dupree entered the room, Terra Prime's point of contact with their asset aboard the Enterprise.

"We just received word from our asset." He said. "Archer is on Vulcan looking into some ancient writings from an archaeological site in the Bashir Heights. What exactly he's investigating remains unclear but it's linked to the dilithium rock in orbit. There's some connection between an ancient computer there and the dig site on Vulcan. That's all we know right now."

"What do our contacts in the Vulcan First organization have to say about it?"

"They've been conspicuously silent recently. My guess is that they're mixed up in it somehow."

"Then we'll have to get mixed up in it ourselves. They wouldn't have sent Archer if the matter wasn't of galactic import. Have our asset learn everything they can and report to us at the earliest."

"Understood."

"And T'Pol's nasal inhibitor? How goes that little project?"

"Our asset reports they managed to lace the inhibitor with trellium. It's just a matter of time before T'Pol uses it. What happens next remains to be seen."

"With any luck the outcome will be explosive." Paxton said. "You've done a fine job so far, Mark. Keep it up."

"Will do, sir."

"Now leave me.

Mark left, closing the door behind him as Paxton unpaused the music and returned to his studies.