“The Aenar” is episode fourteen of season four of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Following the events of the previous episode, “United”, Senator Vrax is upset with Admiral Valdore. The mission has had the opposite effect. Tellarites and Andorians are working together for the first time. There’s a motion at the senate to cancel the mission. Valdore thinks that would be a mistake. The senator says his position has been wakened. Valdore says when it’s over, Vrax will be First Consul; Vrax thinks dead is more likely after a failure of this magnitude. Valdore considers it a setback. He will deal with the humans. The second drone is armed and ready and they will hunt and destroy Enterprise.
The Tellarite ambassador has left Enterprise but Shran is staying. Captain Archer, Dr Phlox, Shran, T’Pol, Reed and Trip are meeting. T’Pol says the drone is operated by telepresence from a remote location. The Andorians tried that but nothing came of it. T’Pol thinks they can construct their own telepresence unit and interfere with the operation. However, the brainwave pattern of the pilot shows they are highly telepathic. More so than Vulcans. Phlox can’t identify the species, but the closest match was Andorian.
Nijil is briefing Valdore on the damage to the drone ship. He’s also concerned they’re putting too much strain on the pilot. If he’s dead or permanently damaged, there is no mission. Valdore just wants him kept alive long enough to destroy the Earth ship.
Shran comes to see the captain; Andorian scientists have identified the brainwave pattern. It’s from his world, but not from any Andorian the captain would know. Aenar, a kind of subspecies. Blind icedwellers, considered a myth until 50 years ago they were discovered living in the northern wastes. Extremely secretive and barely seen. They don’t have the capacity to build the ship. There’s only a few thousand of them and they’re pacifists who don’t believe in violence. The captain comments that one does. They need to find out who controls the drone. He orders Travis to set a course for Andoria.
T’Pol finds Trip working on the device, even though Phlox said he should rest. She offers to take over, but Trip demonstrates she’s not so good at practical. He asks T’Pol if there was ever any time she thought she was definitely going to die and had time to think about it. When T’Pol says yes, in the Expanse when they were attempting to destroy a Sphere, he asks her what went through her mind. T’Pol thought about transferring auxiliary power to the deflector. Probably not the answer Trip was looking for.
Archer and Shran are going to beam down. Reed would like them to take MACOs with them, as they’re going to be within a dampening field and out of contact. They beam down; Shran appreciates the cold. The captain notes it’s 28 below. Shran tells him he’s lucky it’s the middle of summer.
Nijil tells Valdore they will be ready in 12 hours. The pilot is resting and will be ready. Valdore says that’s spoken like a soldier. Nijil objects that he’s a scientist. Valdore says they are all soldiers. He was once a senator. Vrax was a colleague and considered a friend. But Valdore challenged the precept of unlimited expansion, asking if conquest was truly the best course for their people. He was expelled and vowed never to repeat the error or forget his purpose.
Shran, whose balance is still off, slips in the ice caves the and captain are travelling through, ending up with an icicle through his leg. Someone is watching them and when Archer asks how far they are from the Aenar, Shran says he thinks they just got a lot closer. When the Aenar shows herself, the captain asks for help.
On Enterprise, the telepresence unit is finished. They lack data on the neural interface and would need to connect someone to get more. Phlox says that’s dangerous and risks brain damage. Trip volunteers but T’Pol points out he isn’t telepathic. Trip thinks they’d at least find out if it caused brain damage. T’Pol will test it; the risk is acceptable.
Archer and Shran are in the Aenar city. Shran has been treated and an Aenar woman says she was contacted by the Andorian chancellor. She has been assigned to speak regarding this situation. She knows what she’s been told, but it would save time and foster trust if she could have Archer’s thoughts. Despite Shran suggesting not, Archer gives the go-ahead, which results in a comment on his mind and a comment on that from Shran. The Aenar agrees the evidence is irrefutable, but they are non-violent. But there is a possibility. A year ago, a citizen disappeared, assumed killed, but there was no body. But no Aenar would do what he did voluntarily. Shran says he still needs stopping.
They need one of the Aenar to operate the device constructed – which isn’t exactly perfect – and the Aenar are reluctant to say the least.