Stardate 57501.4: The USS Cerritos was en route to Cardassia Prime for peace negotiations, but is withdrawn from the mission because the conference has been moved to Vulcan. Captain Freeman is angry about the low reputation of her ship. When she learns from Boimler that the crew enjoys "buffer time" between their tasks, she orders a strict schedule for all work on the ship that causes everyone to become exhausted and inattentive - except for Boimler, who enjoys this situation. When an away team with Ransom and Mariner arrives on Gelrak V to deliver a crystal of peace, it turns out that this precious item was accidentally swapped for a piece of wood, a fertility totem meant for Mavok Prime. The insulted Gelrakians take the away team prisoners. They expect Ransom to choose one of his people to fight to the death against the apparently extremely strong Vindor. Ransom does not want to let Mariner fight, so he stabs her foot with a spear. Meanwhile in orbit, the Gelrakians have invaded the Cerritos, but they face no resistance as Freeman has ordered the crew to stay on schedule no matter what. Only Boimler recognizes the problem and convinces Freeman to loosen her grip. The crew successfully drive the invaders off the ship. On Gelrak, Ransom defeats his opponent while offering a diplomatic solution. Mariner says she wouldn't report the incident with the spear, which would mean a court martial for Ransom, upon which he throws her into the brig. Captain Freeman is so grateful for Boimler's advice that she officially names it the "Boimler Effect" - which makes Boimler unhappy because he doesn't want to be associated with the idea of not following the rules - an accomplishment that will still be remembered in the far future.

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