Sickbay. T'Pol and Trip hover while Hoshi deciphers the messages from the mystery ship. "They're ordering us to leave their system immediately or they'll destroy us," she reports. "Charming," Trip says, "Could you figger a way to compose a message back explaining...we're going as fast as we kin?" Hoshi says she'll try, and puts two fingers on her earpiece, signifying that she's listening again. T'Pol wants to know what their next message is. "They say they've annexed this planet in the name of something called 'The Romalin Star Empire'?" Hoshi looks at Trip and T'Pol for anvil clarification. Trip shakes his head. Wait, wait... I...can...almost...reach it -- the Big Temporal Reset Button in the Sky! "Romulan," T'Pol corrects her, looking intense, "It's pronounced Romulan." Trip's been going to A.M. Furrowing Classes with Quantum again.

Hull. "Romulans? I read about them when I was with Daniels," Quantum is saying. "Whadja find out?" Trip asks. "Not much, just the name. He wouldn't let me see anything else," Quantum says. So, when you said "read," what you really meant was that you didn't. T'Pol adds, "They're rumored to be an aggressive, territorial species, but the Vulcan High Command has never made direct contact with them." They're definitely leaving it open for T'Pol to know way more than she's telling here. T'Pol gives Quantum the gist of the Romulan translated messages. Quantum tells her it's going to be a wee bit hard for them to comply with the Romulan demands and asks if Hoshi can explain the situation to them. T'Pol tells him Hoshi will have a reply within the hour. Trip steps up to the comm and asks, "How's it goin' out dere, Cap'n?" Quantum tells him they've disabled two of the five detonation circuits and requests he be kept abreast of developments not having to do with T'Pol's dinners. Reed instructs Quantum on which things to fiddle with and Quantum fiddles. As Quantum fiddles, Reed is able to see everything he's doing to the mine on his Game Boy. They have the best gadgets on this show. Quantum mistakes all this tenseness for a coffee klatch and asks, "So, where were we?" Reed's all "Huh?" "This morning, at breakfast, before we were interrupted. You said you didn't follow any particular sport," Quantum reminds him. "Well, I'm afraid I haven't started following one since breakfast, sir," Reed snarks. Hee! Go, Malcolm! Go Malcolm! It's your birthday! Buy some lipstick!