On a dark battlefield, inside his headquarters, friend-of-the-show Shran frets with a female Andorian (Tarah) about their current tactical impasse against the bellicose Vulcans. He suggests they turn the negotiations over to someone new he trusts, a pink skin named Archer. After a century of stewing, hostilities between "precious logic" and "illogical aggression" are set to boil over regarding a barely-habitable world positioned at a strategic point between the two powers.

Archer leaps to deliver the first help for which the Vulcans have ever asked, nearly shaking the ship apart - or at least spilling some iced tea - speeding to the conflict. Once there friend-of-the-show Soval, reluctantly agreeing to Archer's intercession, orders a Vulcan to attend; Archer chooses T'Pol. While being pre-treated against Vulcan biological weapons he foresees their mission as proving humanity's readiness to join the larger interstellar community. T'Pol tries to help Archer bone up on diplomacy by rushing him V'Lar's copy of 2112 (!).

The two talk their way to Shran, enjoying that "pink skin sense of humor" as Archer jests about sitting around a table, drinking champagne. The release of a hostage persuades the ambassador to parlay in person, but returing to the surface their shuttlepod is shot down. (While moving now on foot T'Pol and Soval share a private moment of each others' concerns, and muse about the human "fixation with our ears.") In a phirephight Soval is wounded yet Archer hits a girl (Kirk was not beyond hitting a girl) and so exposes Tarah as traitorous to Shran (Trek veteran Suzie Plakson excelling in sadly a thankless role).

Andorian starships arrive ready to engage the Vulcans as Malcolm, Travis and Hoshi each get a sentence on the bridge (very nice though to see the flashing red lights of the Re(e)d Alert!). Trip, safe in his fire-retardant underwear, orders NX-01 in between the tense forces and in so boldly going defuses the conflict. The "brave noise" intervention of the humans indeed saves the day, and Soval pays Archer (if not the entire crew, if not humanity) a Sarek-like compliment as not being "overly meddlesome."

Shran, obviously an exceptional Andorian leader, successfully executes a near bloodless mission transitioning a long needless conflict into "a celebration of our mutual dissatisfaction." I shivered when I realized not only about the prescience of Archer's jest, but also just being in the presence of the "Birth of the Federation" there around that table toasting peace. I cannot express how much I now look forward to seeing Suvol's ambassadorial mission to Andoria.