On board the mercenary ship, Riker is greeted by the group's leader, Arctus Baran, who implants the prisoner with a neural servo capable of inflicting great pain. Riker is astounded to discover that Picard is aboard the ship, alive and well, posing as a smuggler named Galen. Seizing an opportunity to talk alone, Picard explains to Riker that while on an expedition, he found that a site had been looted and practically destroyed, so he wanted to search out who was responsible. He tracked down the mercenaries to the bar on Dessica II, asked too many questions and was taken captive. Rather than being "vaporized," Picard was actually beamed away by weapons that activate their transporter. He then convinced his captors that he was a smuggler who was an expert on appraising relics, so that he could stay on board and learn why they are stealing Romulan artifacts. Believing that Baran is looking for something specific that he's keeping to himself, Picard tells Riker to get close to Baran and gain his confidence.

Meanwhile on the Enterprise, Data surmises that the next target for a mercenary raid will be Calder II, which has a small Federation outpost with limited defenses, so as acting captain he sets a course for that planet. Picard learns that Baran's next objective is indeed the Sakethan burial mounds on Calder II, and points out that it's defended by Starfleet. Baran expects they can destroy the outpost, but Picard convinces him to avoid violence by using Riker to help them get through Federation controls. When the mercenary ship reaches Calder II, they encounter problems with their raid, so Baran orders the Starfleet outpost destroyed. But the Enterprise arrives on the scene and fires upon them. Baran prepares to engage in combat with the starship.