William Riker's internal moral dilemma: torn between his Klingon oath/honor aboard the Pagh and his loyalty/duty to Starfleet and the Enterprise; must preserve honor without betraying his home crew.

During a casual phaser practice, Picard uses light banter to plant a serious proposal: Starfleet's Officer Exchange Program, and that a Klingon vessel is nearby. Riker masks any surprise with …

With the Klingon bridge tense and the Pagh cloaked and ticking toward catastrophe, Riker seizes the command vacuum and orders the tactics officer to lower cloaking and shields. When the …

Riker rematerializes on the transporter pad, bruised but alive, and the crisis that threatened both ships is translated into a private, low-key reckoning. Picard converts relief into measured praise, formally …