Cease Fire

From the Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction - http://encyclopedia.wizards.pro

Archer is called in to mediate a territorial dispute between the Vulcans and the Andorians.

Summary

Hostilities have escalated on Weytahn (Paan Morak as Vulcans call it). Commander Shran have brought a military force to the planetoid in hope to renegociate the old unsatisfying and oppressing hundred years old Territorial Compromise treaty. The Vulcans managed to get half of the colony back but both sides have suffered.

Jonathan Archer is ordered by admiral Maxwell Forrest to go there as a negociator. Shran asked for him and ambassador Soval accepted to give it a try. When they arrive in orbit, Archer first meet with Soval and learn the vulcan point of view of the situation. He however makes it clear that, as a negociator, he will be as impartial as he can and is more than happy to do more than the usual exploration job and take the chance to prove that humanity is ready to "join a much larger community".

Archer and T'Pol then go to meet with Shran on the planet and even if relations stay tense, the Andorian commander accepts to free one prisonner as an act of good will. His conditions are clear: he wants to discuss the matter with Soval himself and not one of his subordinates.

Back on Enterprise, Archer is able to convince the ambassador of the good will of Shran and they (Archer, T'Pol and Soval) return on the planet. On their way down, they are fired upon by andorian weapons and they make an emergency landing without taking too much damage. As soon as they exit the shuttle, Soval is already backing up, suggesting to fall back on vulcan positions, but Archer insist on trusting Shran. Unfortunately for them, the first Andorians they encouter are a couple of mutineer and they must deal with them. Fortunately, Shran arrives before anyone get killed (Soval has been lightly injured).

In orbit, the situation is at least as tensed. Three andorian ships had come out of warp and are in a kind of mexican standoff with the two vulcan cruisers that were there previously. Trip decides to enforce his neutrality by taking the Enterprise between the two ennemies that are already charging weapons. The situation is defused when Archer calls from the surface, saying that everyone is fine.

From there, negociations can finally get somewhere and while both sides are not fully happy with the terms of the cease fire, they are at least equally dissatisfied and Shran proposes a toast drink to their mutual dissactisfaction, which Soval accepts given the exceptionnal circumstances.

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