“Marauders” is episode six of season two of Star Trek: Enterprise.
People are working at machinery on a planet as a ship comes in to land. One man asks another if it’s them. They say it’s not, then say it isn’t. It’s not their ship. Someone else. Enterprise‘s Shuttlepod 1 as it happens.
Captain Archer, T’Pol and Trip get out after landing. Archer introduces them; they tried to hail the colony but there was no response. The others say their comms are down. The captain thinks that must make it difficult to do business. A Kreetassan merchant told them this was a deuterium facility. It is. Trip says that their ship took some damage a few weeks ago, presumably referring to the events of “Minefield”, and they lost most of their reserves. The colony’s leader, Tessic, says they can’t help. Two pumps are offline. Return later in the season. Enterprise can’t; their supply will only last two weeks.
Tessic says there is nothing they can do. However, Enterprise scanned the site when there was no response to their hails and discovered that they have 80,000 litres of deuterium. That’s for someone else. Come back at the end of the season. The other, Maklii, asks if they have any experience repairing extraction pumps. Trip can take a look. Maklii says if the pumps are running, they can make their quota.
Trip returns to the shuttlepod for tools and finds a boy inside it. He likes to take a look inside the ships that pass through. He didn’t ask because he could have been told no. The boy, Q’ell, introduces himself. He wants Trip to teach him how to fly. Trip offers to give him a tour of Enterprise.
Archer and T’Pol are negotiating for supplies. They can’t spare the number of power cells asked for. A woman, E’Lis, says they’re running short of medical supplies. The captain offers four cells and all the medical supplies they can spare. Tessic agrees, if they can repair the pumps too. But they will have to leave orbit in two days. If the pumps are working, that will be with the deuterium. If not, without.
E’Lis is in sickbay and Phlox is loading her up with stuff. Sometimes over her objections as to how expensive it must be. Phlox had no idea that processing deuterium was so dangerous. One of the items is used to treat serious plasma burns. E’Lis says that deuterium can burn almost as hot as plasma. She denies that anything is wrong.
On the surface, the captain speaks to T’Pol; she has been to other colonies that trade deuterium. And no, they’re not normally this rustic. Phlox has told the captain they also lack basic medical supplies. Given deuterium’s value, Archer would think they’d be better off. And why do they need the pumps fixing in two days? On Enterprise, Travis tells Reed that a shop has dropped out of warp. 12 biosigns. All Klingon.
Trip is working with Maklii at a pump when a message comes saying that a ship is in orbit. All three from Enterprise are told by Tessic that the Klingons believe they have an exclusive arrangement and get angry when they hear other ships have been through. Tessic asks the captain not to get involved. Archer contacts Enterprise and asks if they’ve been detected yet. On hearing no, he tells them to change orbit to keep it that way.
Klingons beam down to the colony. T’Pol can hear the discussion between the leader, Korok, and Tessic. Korok isn’t pleased that all the deuterium isn’t ready and knocks down both Tessic and Maklii. He comes here because he likes them. He will be back in four days. The Klingons beam out.
The Klingons have been coming for five seasons and take all the best deuterium. They are manging, but only barely. Their homeworld is too far away, but Archer points out the colonists outnumber the Klingons significantly. Tessic says that Archer must never have met Klingons in battle. They tried fighting, but five died in the fight and three more were killed afterwards to make a point. Including Q’ell’s father. Take the deuterium and go. If Enterprise is here when the Klingons return, they will kill them
Trip isn’t happy and speaks to Q’ell who wants to know why Enterprise didn’t do something. It’s not that simple. T’Pol reports to the captain in his ready room. The deuterium is onboard. Should they leave? Archer says the Klingon ship isn’t much more than a freighter. It would be no match for Enterprise. T’Pol asks what if the Klingons come back? Archer thinks the Klingon High Council owes them a favour. T’Pol doesn’t think these Klingons answer to the High Council. She actually agrees with the captain but, short of killing the Klingons, anything they do will make the situation worse. Archer hates turning his back on the colony. He heads back down.
So, they can’t kill the Klingons (never mentioned seriously as an option) and if Enterprise helps, once they leave the Klingons will be back. The only real solution is to train the colonists so they can drive away the Klingons themselves.