7th February 2258
Captain Pike's Office, Starfleet Academy
(Ben's First Person POV)
Pike raised both hands, looking between me and Spock as though he were still trying to reconcile everything I'd just told them with the laws of physics he had spent his entire life trusting. "Wait a minute... hold on. Are you saying that this guy—this Nero—actually came here from the future? Chasing after... future Spock... through a black hole?"
I shrugged. "I know it sounds ridiculous. Believe me, I would probably have the same reaction if I were sitting where you are. But yes. That's exactly what happened."
Spock remained remarkably composed, although I could see the analytical machinery working behind his eyes. "It would explain the technological superiority of the Romulan vessel. A ship from the late twenty-fourth century, even a mining vessel, would possess considerably more advanced shields, weapons and propulsion systems than anything available to Starfleet in this era. Such technology would be more than sufficient to overwhelm an Einstein-class vessel such as the USS Kelvin. If the current Romulan Star Empire had access to technology of that level, it is highly probable that their approach toward other sentient species in the galaxy would have been far more aggressive." He paused, studying me with renewed interest. "I am curious, however, as to how you managed to acquire all the information you have shown us so far."
I shook my head. "I didn't acquire anything, Mr. Spock. I saw it." I looked around the table at all four men. "As I told you before, there are people among my kind who can sometimes see events of great consequence before they happen. They're called seers, psychics, diviners... different cultures have different names for them. Fortunately or unfortunately, I happen to be one of them." I leaned back slightly. "And that's the important part. I didn't come here because I saw what Nero has already done. I came here because I saw what he was planning to do next."
Barnett leaned forward, his expression becoming markedly more serious. "What do you mean?"
"Watching the destruction of his homeworld broke something inside Nero. He blamed Spock, obviously, but he also blamed Vulcan, Starfleet and the Federation. They had promised to help Romulus and assist with the evacuation, and when they failed to prevent the disaster, Nero decided they were all equally responsible." I paused for a moment. "What's interesting is that, in this reality, Romulus still exists. Nero could have returned home. He could have contacted his people, warned them about what would happen, or even shared the technology aboard his ship. He could have spent the last twenty-five years trying to advance his civilization. He did none of those things."
Barnett frowned. "Why?"
"Because he doesn't care about progress. He cares about revenge." I glanced toward Spock. "But Nero isn't stupid. If he simply wanted to cause damage, he could have spent the last twenty-five years attacking Federation colonies, destroying starships or striking at Vulcan. He didn't. Since the battle with the Kelvin, he's been hiding in dark space and waiting. Waiting for Spock to arrive with his ship..."
I paused deliberately.
"...and for what's inside it."
Spock's expression changed immediately. "Red Matter."
I nodded. "Precisely."
I tapped the Vibranium cube resting on the table. The device hummed softly before projecting another series of images into the air between us. "Nero intends to use the Red Matter to completely destroy Vulcan, then Earth and, eventually, other Federation worlds. He'll use a high-energy plasma beam to drill deep into the planet, creating a passage all the way toward its core. Then he'll deploy the Red Matter inside."
The projection changed, displaying the Narada hanging ominously above Vulcan.
"This is what I saw."
A brilliant plasma beam erupted from the enormous Romulan vessel and punched through Vulcan's atmosphere, tearing through the planet's surface. The beam bored deeper and deeper until an enormous pit existed beneath the Narada.
A small torpedo was fired from the ship and flew into the shaft. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the planet shook.
A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact and raced outward through Vulcan's interior. The projection shifted rapidly between different regions of the planet. Vast fissures tore across the desert. Buildings cracked apart. Mountains crumbled. Tectonic plates shifted beneath the surface. Rivers of molten rock erupted through the ground, while enormous columns of lava and superheated debris were hurled kilometres into the atmosphere.
Cities began to collapse. Entire districts vanished into enormous sinkholes. The ground itself seemed to fold inward as the artificial singularity at the planet's core began consuming Vulcan from within.
I glanced toward Spock. He had gone pale.
He was staring at the destruction of his homeworld with an expression so tightly controlled that it would have been easy to mistake him for unaffected. But I could see the tension in his jaw and the faint tightening of his hands.
Pike looked horrified. Barnett had stopped blinking. Jim simply stared.
The projection showed Vulcan collapsing in on itself. Massive sections of the planet broke apart and were swallowed into the growing singularity. Mountains disappeared. Seas vanished. The atmosphere was ripped apart as the entire world began imploding.
Finally, the planet was gone. Nothing remained but darkness.
I tapped the cube again, and the projection vanished.
"That," I said quietly, "is what I came here to prevent. An entire planet obliterated. More than six billion people gone in a matter of minutes."
"And that's not the end of it. When the Narada appears over Vulcan, the planet sends a distress call to Starfleet. Your primary fleet is currently engaged in the Laurentian system, so Starfleet mobilises its secondary fleet—eight Federation starships carrying Starfleet Academy's best and brightest."
I looked at Pike. "Those ships drop out of warp near Vulcan and are immediately engaged by the Narada. Seven of them are destroyed."
Pike's expression tightened.
"All except the Enterprise."
Spock looked at me. "Because of me," he said quietly.
I nodded. "Because Nero wants you to witness the destruction of Vulcan as well. He wants you to understand exactly what it feels like to lose everything."
Several seconds of tense silence followed. Spock remained deep in thought, while Pike and Barnett exchanged grim looks. Even Jim, whose eyes had burned with rage only minutes earlier when he watched his father's death, was silent now. The sheer scale of what I had shown them had pushed the situation beyond the realm of something personal.
Pike eventually broke the silence. "How much time do we have?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. A day, maybe two. Once Spock Prime emerges from the singularity, everything is going to move very quickly."
Barnett shook his head. "That's nowhere near enough time to get the fleet back from the Laurentian system."
"And even if we could assemble the entire fleet," Pike added, "I'm still not liking our odds against that Romulan ship." He exhaled slowly. "The casualties alone would be enormous."
Spock had been silent throughout the exchange. Now he looked directly at me. "Earlier, you stated that you believed there was a way to navigate through the coming crisis without losing everything. I assume you were referring to Nero's planned attack."
I nodded. "Exactly. I've given this a lot of thought, and a few things have become pretty obvious. First, we can't stop Nero from acquiring the Red Matter. We have no idea where Spock Prime will emerge, while Nero has spent years calculating his arrival coordinates. He'll be waiting for him." I leaned forward slightly. "Second, a head-on confrontation with the Narada would be a terrible idea. Even with your shields up and every weapon firing, you'd probably lose several ships before you managed to seriously damage that thing. And there's another problem. If one of your lucky shots destabilises the Red Matter containment chamber, you could create a singularity powerful enough to destroy everything in the immediate vicinity."
I shook my head. "No. If you want to defeat Nero without turning this into a massacre, you have to take the ship from the inside."
Jim finally spoke. "From the inside? What, are you suggesting we beam aboard and fight our way to the bridge?"
I looked at him. "Fight your way to the bridge? Yes. Beam aboard? Not so much."
Jim frowned.
"Once the Narada activates that plasma drill, the enormous energy output creates interference powerful enough to disrupt nearby communications and transporter systems. If you wait until then, your plan could be over before it even begins." I paused. "And there's another issue. If you scan the Narada beforehand, Nero is likely to detect it. Once he knows you're coming, he'll have no reason to wait around for you."
Pike folded his arms. "So if we can't beam aboard, how exactly are we supposed to get inside the ship?"
I smiled.
"Why, Captain Pike..." I leaned back in my chair. "Have you forgotten how we all came into your office just a little while ago?"
For a moment, nobody said anything. Then Pike's eyes widened slightly. Spock's eyebrow rose. Barnett stared at me. Jim's face slowly broke into a grin.
I smiled back. "Exactly."
"I can open a portal and take us directly inside the Narada. Unlike your transporters, high-frequency electromagnetic fields have no effect on my ability."
Pike exchanged a quick look with Barnett before turning back toward me. He was clearly intrigued, but there was also a healthy degree of caution in his expression.
"How exactly does it work? Your portals?"
I thought about how best to explain something that, to me, was as natural as breathing but to these people probably sounded like a direct violation of several centuries of established physics.
"The simplest explanation would be that I'm creating a controlled topological shortcut through spacetime by temporarily changing the geometry between two points." I glanced toward Spock. "As you observed earlier, my portals are quite similar in nature to extremely stable wormholes. The difference is that a conventional wormhole would require enormous amounts of energy and some form of exotic matter to keep the throat open and prevent it from collapsing. Magic allows me to bypass most of those requirements by manipulating the underlying energy field directly." I gestured toward the space between us. "Think of spacetime as a fabric. Normally, if I want to travel from here to somewhere else, I'd have to move across that fabric. Instead, I fold two distant points together and establish a temporary connection between them. The portal is simply the visible boundary of that connection."
Pike nodded slowly. "How difficult is it to open these portals? And how much energy does it take?"
"If you know what you're doing, opening a portal isn't particularly difficult for someone like me. The energy expenditure is mostly involved in creating the connection and locking the two endpoints together. Once the pathway is established, the portal doesn't need to continuously force its way through normal space."
Barnett leaned forward. "What's the range of your portals?"
"When it comes to warping spacetime, distance isn't really the limiting factor. Precision is." I paused briefly. "A portal between two points in the same universe is relatively straightforward. I can open one across different star systems, and even across different star clusters with a little effort."
Pike and Barnett exchanged another look. Spock's eyebrow rose slightly, while Jim looked far more impressed than he was trying to appear.
"The caveat," I continued, "is that I need to know or be able to visualise the destination. Without a reasonably clear picture of the endpoint, forming a stable path becomes extremely difficult."
Spock tilted his head slightly. "In that case, how were you able to open a portal into Captain Pike's office? Have you been here before?"
"Not really, no." I looked toward Pike with a grin. "But I didn't have to be. After all, the good captain provided me with a clear picture of this place just a few minutes ago."
Pike frowned. "When did I do that?"
"When we were speaking downstairs and you suggested continuing the conversation in your office. For a split second, the image of this room surfaced in your thoughts. I was able to grasp that image and use it as a reference point."
Pike's mouth opened slightly. Barnett stared at me. Even Spock's expression shifted by the smallest degree.
Jim, however, asked the obvious question. "You can read minds?"
I shook my head. "It's not quite that simple. The mind isn't a book that can simply be opened and examined at will. Thoughts aren't neatly written inside someone's skull for an intruder to browse through. The human mind—and Vulcan minds are no different in that regard—is complicated and layered."
I leaned back slightly. "Those of us skilled in Legilimency—the ability to extract feelings, impressions and memories from another person's mind—can, under certain conditions, delve into someone else's thoughts and retrieve information. But that doesn't mean we can casually read everything a person has ever thought."
Barnett frowned. "Can all of your people do this?"
"Quite the contrary. The mind arts are an obscure branch of magic, and very few practitioners ever become genuinely skilled in them." I glanced around the room. "Memories, dreams, assumptions and fantasies have a nasty habit of becoming mixed together inside the human mind. It takes years of practice to distinguish an actual memory from something a person merely imagined. It takes years more to master Occlumency—the branch of magic specifically concerned with shielding the mind against magical intrusion and influence."
I paused. "Which is why I wouldn't recommend trying to hide a secret from a skilled Legilimens unless you've learned how to defend your mind first."
Nobody seemed particularly reassured by that.
"Either way," I continued, "if I'm in the same star system as the Narada, I should be able to open a portal directly aboard the ship."
Pike leaned forward. "You said 'should.'"
"Because there's one thing I'll need first."
Spock looked at me. "Which is?"
"I'll need to have a conversation with Ambassador Spock."
Spock's eyebrow climbed. "Ambassador Spock?"
"Ah, yes." I smiled. "Near the end of this century, Spock Prime officially retires from Starfleet at the rank of Captain and eventually becomes a highly influential Federation Ambassador. Following in the footsteps of his father, Sarek, his diplomatic career ends up having an even greater impact on the galaxy than his years aboard the Enterprise."
Spock's eyebrow rose even higher. Pike, Barnett and Jim all glanced toward him.
Spock remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking. "You wish to speak with Ambassador Spock in order to acquire an inside view of the Romulan vessel."
I nodded. "Right on one, Mr. Spock."
I looked around the room at the four men. "We've got a narrow window here, but I think we can make it work. We need to find Ambassador Spock after Nero maroons him somewhere in the Vulcan system, most likely on Delta Vega. Once we locate him, I can get the Narada's spatial coordinates from his memories. Then I open a portal aboard the ship, we secure the Red Matter, get to the bridge, take Nero down, and arrest him and his crew."
Jim blinked. "That's your plan?"
I shrugged. "More or less."
Pike leaned back in his chair, considering the implications. "You really think this could work?"
"I wouldn't have come all the way here if I didn't."
---
5:30 PM, 7th February 2258
Starfleet Academy
(3rd Person POV)
Admiral Barnett handed Pike a PADD displaying the latest personnel roster for the USS Enterprise. Pike accepted it and gave the list a quick glance, scrolling through the names and assignments before looking up at his old friend.
"Thanks for the help, Richard. I really didn't think we'd be able to assemble a full crew for the Enterprise this quickly."
Barnett waved the comment away. "Don't worry about it. We both know how important this mission is. If what Carter says is true, it's not just Vulcan that's at stake, but Earth and other Federation worlds as well."
Pike's expression became more serious. "Have you spoken with the other admirals?"
"I'm on my way to brief them now," Barnett replied. "If the worst happens and you fail, we'll need everything we've got to face what's coming."
Pike grimaced. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"Agreed." Barnett glanced down at the PADD before continuing. "Now, regarding the Enterprise's crew, I've taken Mr. Carter's recommendations into account, along with making a few additions of my own. I've assigned several combat specialists to the ship—people experienced in boarding operations, tactical combat and close-quarters engagements. The sort of people you might want around when it comes time to take that Romulan monstrosity from the inside."
"That should help."
Barnett smiled. "It had better. I'd hate to see the Federation lose its newest flagship on its maiden voyage."
Pike smiled back and extended his hand. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen. Thanks again, Richard."
Barnett shook his hand firmly. "Good luck, Chris."
Pike gave him one last nod before leaving the room.
He crossed a short corridor and soon found Ben, Kirk and Spock waiting beside the turbolift doors. Spock was already dressed in the blue uniform of a Starfleet science officer, while Kirk wore the familiar red of command and tactical. Ben, by contrast, looked completely out of place among them in his dark jacket, shirt and trousers.
The turbolift doors opened as Pike approached.
"Gentlemen."
Pike stepped inside. Ben, Kirk and Spock followed.
"Shuttle Hangar One," Pike said aloud.
The doors closed, and the turbolift descended rapidly through the Academy.
When the doors opened again, Ben found himself staring into a vast cavernous chamber filled with activity.
Hundreds of cadets and officers moved between rows of shuttlecraft, checking manifests, carrying equipment and boarding transports. Heavy cargo was being moved on powered dollies, while technicians hurried around the vessels performing last-minute inspections. Engines hummed beneath the enormous ceiling, blending with the constant chatter of personnel and the occasional announcement echoing through the hangar.
Ben slowed for a moment, taking everything in.
He had visited other worlds. He had travelled across dimensions. He had stepped through portals into places that shouldn't even exist from the perspective of his original universe.
But this was different.
For the first time, he was leaving Earth the way an astronaut might have imagined doing it in his old world. No portal. No magic. No dimensional shortcut.
He was actually boarding a Starfleet shuttle. And that shuttle was taking him to the Enterprise.
The thought filled him with a distinctly boyish excitement.
A few nearby cadets noticed him. Their eyes lingered curiously on the civilian travelling alongside Captain Pike, but nobody stared for long. The fact that Ben was walking directly behind the captain seemed to answer enough questions for most of them.
Pike led the group toward one of the waiting shuttles, with Spock following behind him and Ben and Kirk close behind.
Inside, several officers were already seated. Among them was Leonard McCoy. Kirk immediately headed toward him.
"Hey, Bones. How are you doing?" He dropped into the seat beside McCoy before gesturing toward Ben. "Let me introduce you. Ben, this is Leonard McCoy, one of my best friends. Bones, this is Benjamin Carter. He's coming with us on this trip."
McCoy sighed. "I figured." He looked toward Ben and extended his hand. "Dr. Leonard McCoy."
Ben shook his hand before taking the seat beside them. "Benjamin Carter. But you can call me Ben."
McCoy gave him a brief, assessing look before settling back into his seat. "Nice to meet you, Ben."
The remaining passengers strapped themselves in, and a few minutes later the shuttle lifted from the hangar. Ben immediately turned toward the window.
San Francisco quickly fell away beneath them as the shuttle climbed through the atmosphere. The late-afternoon sky stretched across the horizon, orange sunlight fading behind the curvature of Earth. Clouds drifted below like enormous white oceans, while the city gradually became smaller and smaller.
Ben smiled as the shuttle broke through the atmosphere. The blue sky vanished. Blackness replaced it, scattered with countless stars. He turned toward the window behind him and simply stared.
Earth expanded beneath them, blue and impossibly beautiful against the darkness of space.
He had travelled through space and time using magic far more advanced than anything aboard this shuttle. And yet, this was how humanity had dreamed of exploring the stars.
And now he was doing it.
A few seconds later, another structure appeared ahead.
Starbase One.
The enormous orbital facility dominated the surrounding space, its massive docking arms extending outward from the central station. A dozen Federation vessels were berthed around it, their hulls illuminated by the station's docking lights.
The shuttle approached one of the larger docking bays. Then Ben saw it.
The Enterprise.
The ship dwarfed almost everything around it. Its enormous saucer section gleamed beneath the station lights, while the secondary hull stretched behind it, flanked by the two immense warp nacelles.
Along the side of the hull were the words he had seen countless times on television.
U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC-1701
Ben couldn't help staring.
McCoy noticed. "You don't see that every day."
Ben smiled faintly. "No. You really don't."
The shuttle approached the docking bay and passed through the shimmering semi-permeable energy field protecting the opening. The field rippled around the shuttle before allowing it through, preventing the atmosphere inside the bay from escaping into space.
The shuttle settled smoothly onto the deck. The hatch opened, and everyone began filing out.
Ben stepped onto the Enterprise and looked around. Technicians hurried between equipment stations while cargo containers were being secured and transported toward different sections of the ship. Crew members moved with the purposeful efficiency of people who knew they had very little time before departure.
Ben's attention was drawn toward the enormous energy field covering the docking bay entrance. A force field strong enough to hold an atmosphere in place while allowing space shuttles to pass through it.
Even after everything he had seen in the 23rd century, it was still impressive.
Pike noticed that Ben had stopped. He glanced back. "This way."
Ben nodded and followed him.
Kirk began heading in the opposite direction with McCoy and several other officers, but paused long enough to look back at Ben with a grin. "See you later."
Ben returned the grin. "See you on the bridge."
Kirk disappeared into the crowd. Ben followed Pike and Spock toward a nearby turbolift. The doors opened, and the three stepped inside.
"Bridge," Pike ordered.
The turbolift accelerated upward. A few moments later, the doors opened again.
Ben stepped onto the bridge. For perhaps the hundredth time that day, he had to remind himself that this was actually happening.
He recognized several faces immediately. Nyota Uhura sat at communications. Hikaru Sulu occupied the helm, while Pavel Chekov sat at navigation. Other officers were already at their stations, preparing the ship for departure.
Everyone looked toward Pike as he entered. Then their attention shifted toward Ben. It was difficult to blame them. Everyone else on the bridge was wearing a Starfleet uniform. Ben was wearing a jacket, shirt and trousers.
Spock gestured toward the science console. "If you will follow me, Mr. Carter."
Ben followed him across the bridge. An additional chair had been installed beside the science console. Ben sat down and looked around, doing his best not to look like a kid who had just been given permission to wander around the cockpit of his favourite starship.
Pike settled into the captain's chair. "Mr. Spock."
Spock looked up from his console. "Captain, Engineering reports ready for launch."
"Thank you."
Pike glanced around the bridge. "Ladies and gentlemen, the maiden voyage of our newest flagship deserves more pomp and circumstance than we can afford today. A christening will just have to be our reward for a safe return. Carry on."
He toggled the intercom. "All decks, this is Captain Pike. Prepare for immediate departure. Helm, thrusters."
Sulu's hands moved across his controls. "Moorings retracted, Captain. Dock control reports ready. Thrusters fired. Separating from Spacedock."
The Enterprise began to move. Through the viewscreen, Starbase One slowly receded as the ship cleared the docking facility.
Sulu worked his controls for a few seconds before announcing, "Ship's cleared Spacedock, Captain. Ready for warp."
Pike nodded. "Set course for planet Delta Vega in the Vulcan system."
Sulu entered the coordinates. "Aye, aye, Captain. Course laid in."
Pike leaned back slightly. "Maximum warp. Punch it."
Sulu pushed the controls forward.
The Enterprise surged. The warp nacelles flared brightly. And then...
Nothing happened.
The ship remained exactly where it was.
An awkward silence settled over the bridge. Every eye turned toward Sulu. Sulu stared at his console.
Pike slowly turned toward him. "Lieutenant, where's Helmsman McKenna?"
Sulu swallowed. "Uh, he has lungworms, sir. He'll be fine, but he couldn't report to his post." He paused awkwardly before adding, "I'm Hikaru Sulu."
Pike stared at him for a moment. "...And you are a pilot, right?"
"Very much so, sir." Sulu glanced helplessly at his console. "I'm not sure what's... wrong here."
Pike's expression remained perfectly serious. "Is the parking brake on?"
Sulu gave an awkward half-laugh. "No. I'll figure it out, just..."
Spock glanced toward his console. "Have you disengaged the external inertial dampener?"
Sulu looked down at his controls and realised Spock had correctly diagnosed the problem before he could. His expression tightened with embarrassment as his fingers moved rapidly across the console. "Ready for warp, sir."
"The external inertial dampener." Pike paused, barely suppressing a grin. "That's the parking brake."
Sulu nodded sheepishly. "...Yes, sir."
Pike finally laughed. "Let's punch it."
Sulu engaged the warp drive.
This time, the Enterprise responded.
The stars on the viewscreen stretched into brilliant lines as the ship accelerated beyond the speed of light. The familiar blue-white glow of the warp field enveloped the vessel, and in an instant the Enterprise was gone.
Ben watched the stars blur across the viewscreen with a grin. His first conventional trip into space had officially begun.