Last season on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds...
The Klingon War is over. The Enterprise was on
its five-year mission.
Missing the war
took a toll on my crew.
I've let something out.
My emotions.
Rage. Pain.
I can't control it.
It doesn't make you weak.
It makes you human.
LA'AN: I'd like to request
a formal leave of absence.
I found a lead on Oriana,
the girl we rescued from the Gorn.
If I said no, would it make a difference?
I am resigning my commission.
- I'm an Illyrian. - Rejected.
What do we do when Starfleet finds out?
You let me worry about Starfleet.
The hell is going on?
I'm arresting Commander Una Chin-Riley
for violations of our anti- genetic modification directive.
I really am sorry.
So am I.
This isn't over.
Captain's log, stardate 2369.2.
Enterprise is in spacedock at Starbase One.
The crew is taking some well-deserved leave
while Chief Fleet Inspector Commander Pelia
and her team from Operational Support Services
are running comprehensive inspections,
systems checks and upgrades.
I've had my hands full on Enterprise
getting everything ready. But even from afar,
I sense a tension here among the brass that I can't pin down.
The feeling that something is in the air.
But right now I have a crisis closer to home to deal with.
You're not giving up. Chris.
Did you manage to even talk to her?
She won't respond.
She won't take my calls either.
There must be other lawyers who can handle this.
I lied about my species
on an application to Starfleet.
Let's just say this is not a plum case.
She's the only one who might even try to fight it.
So we go public.
- They can't ignore your record. - No.
This is my life. I'm not letting my mistakes ruin yours.
- Una. - Anyway...
I hear they're going to offer me a plea deal.
You cannot resign.
The loss to Enterprise would be unimaginable.
To me.
Don't start a fight you can't win.
You taught me that.
You didn't start this. They did.
And we're going to find a way to win because it's what's right.
There's the Boy Scout in you again.
- I'm gonna talk to her myself, face-to-face. - Oh, sure,
just take three days off from being captain of the Enterprise
to go to the other side of the quadrant
and get a door slammed in your face.
Two and a half in one of the newer shuttles.
I'll be back before Enterprise's
inspections are complete.
Chris, you're being ridiculous.
If she's your only shot at fighting this,
I have to try.
Just hang in there, Number One. That's an order. Pike out.
And while you
take this short leave for personal reasons,
I will be acting captain of the Enterprise?
You don't sound excited, Spock.
I will remind you half our crew is on shore leave.
And we still lack
a chief engineer as well as a head of security.
Additionally, Commander Chin-Riley's loss
- is acutely felt. - Helping Una
is exactly why I have to go.
Take it easy, Mr. Spock.
You won't ever even have to leave spacedock.
What is the human expression? Famous last words.
Hey, I have faith in you.
See you in three days.
M'BENGA: Increased heart rate. Heightened pain in the neck,
jaw and lower back.
If I didn't know better,
I'd say you were experiencing
what we humans call stress.
That is... atypical.
As you know, Vulcan emotions are stronger than human ones.
But your people control them
through suppressive cognitive blocks.
Indeed.
When you unleashed your anger to combat the Gorn,
you removed those blocks.
Now all your emotions are flowing more freely.
Doctor, the captain has put me in command of the Enterprise
for the next three days.
I am concerned my emotions may impact my judgement.
You'll just have to learn to live with them.
Like we all do.
- I would prefer not to. - Mr. Spock,
may I offer a more human therapy?
All Vulcans study music, yes?
For its mathematical properties.
Humans use it as a way
of channeling emotion into expression.
Lovely.
And your heart rate is going down.
Doctor.
Lieutenant.
Just letting you know I'm coming on duty.
Of course. Thank you, nurse.
If you'll excuse me.
Fascinating.
Isn't that typically his line?
It's just that when he saw you, I...
Don't even.
No, no. I wouldn't.
Was there something else?
It's about that fellowship-- the archeological medicine.
I'm thinking about applying.
I'm going to have to replace you, aren't I?
It's two months on Vulcan.
You're not getting rid of me that easy.
More inspectors than crew on this ship.
The pitch and yaw controls are reversed from standard.
Standard positions aren't quick enough.
And I don't like getting shot, so I adjusted them.
Highly irregular.
Excuse me.
Oh, no, you don't.
Uh, I need to install a secure comms patch.
- That'll reboot the system. - And?
And we'll be off-line. Even the emergency bands.
Figure a few hours of radio silence
would be welcome at communications.
Let me get a secondary comms on line.
No offense, but we're in spacedock.
How many hails are you getting?
I just need a second.
It'll only be a few minutes. And I have a job to do.
This is my station. So if you don't mind?
Thank you.
Come in.
Lieutenant. Sorry for the interruption.
Did I hear music?
What can I do for you, Ensign?
I wanted to talk to you about
an odd signal variance I picked up.
Could you not simply have called?
Internal comms are being rebooted.
It originated in the Cajitar system.
Cajitar is on the edge of Klingon space.
Yes, sir. At first,
I thought it was random signal shifting.
But I ran it through meta-pattern analysis,
and it's a distress signal.
Who is it from?
La'An, sir.
Permission denied, Lieutenant.
But sir, if it is from Lieutenant Noonien-Singh,
she has indicated she is in dire need of our aid.
Well, if it is from Lieutenant Noonien-Singh, then I remind you
that she's been on voluntary leave from Starfleet for months.
Nevertheless, the message is dire.
It states: "Dangerous situation on Cajitar 4.
"Resources of Enterprise critical.
Anti-Federation threat."
How much do you know about Cajitar 4?
It is a dilithium mining planet on the edge of Klingon space.
A prodigious dilithium mining planet.
Since the war, the colony's been governed
by a painstakingly-negotiated treaty.
We alternate our access with the Klingons.
For the next 30 days, it's the Klingons' show.
We turn up during their shift,
they'll consider it an act of war.
There's no way we risk a resumption of hostilities
with the Klingons over a vague message
which may or may not be from a former member of Starfleet.
We'll check it out when we get access to the planet back
next month. And even if it really is your friend,
she's gonna have to fend for herself until then.
April out.
He's wrong. That message
has to be from La'An. She knows our maintenance schedule.
It-it was beamed right at us.
Still, it could be a deception.
Even a trap.
The admiral was pretty definitive.
Yeah.
Our former comrade is in trouble.
She has indicated aid to her is essential
for the safety of the Federation.
I will need your help to get the inspectors off the ship
and achieve our objective. But
I will not ask you to do something you believe is wrong.
If you wish to leave or report this plan,
I will not stand in your way.
What plan?
I would have thought it obvious.
We must steal the Enterprise.
Space.
The final frontier.
These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.
Its five-year mission:
to explore strange new worlds,
to seek out new life
and new civilizations,
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
UHURA [on P.A.]: Attention all personnel. We have detected a cooling leak
in the intermix chamber. All non-essential crew members
are ordered to evacuate the ship immediately.
Commander Pelia. We are at red alert.
Perhaps you did not hear the evacuation order? Yes.
Never mind me. I'm just finishing up my inspection.
But readings indicate a loss of antimatter containment.
Hmm. In the same intermix chamber that my team spent
three days evaluating, and found nothing wrong with.
Huh! Commander, I am alarmed at your lack of concern.
At what?
At the textbook signs of a warp core breach?
You do know that I teach a course
in warp core breaches at the Academy, yes?
I... didn't realize that.
Yes, well, if you had taken it,
you would know that heightened temperatures
around the intermix chamber
is the single factor most commonly mistaken
for an imminent breach.
Ooh, would you look at that.
Someone accidentally
simulated a coolant leak on the sensors.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say
it was on purpose. Commander Pelia,
I am not sure what you are implying.
I'm not implying anything.
I'm flat-out saying
someone violated about
17 Starfleet regulations.
Well, perhaps while you're theorizing,
you might explain why
anyone would engage in such subterfuge.
Mm.
I can think of one reason.
To steal the Enterprise.
Or do you want to tell me that's
not what's happening here?
Yes, you can always count on a Vulcan's
inability to lie.
Another thing I know about Vulcans.
They don't do things without a good reason.
Do you have a good reason to steal the ship?
I am having what you humans call a hunch.
A Vulcan with a hunch. That's a new one.
And not just any Vulcan.
Amanda Grayson's son.
- How do you know my... - Well, if you're going to
steal a starship, do it correctly.
Helm, can you vent
ionized plasma from the warp nacelles?
I could, but...
should I?
- Why are you helping us? - Oh, please.
We can spend a lot of time
talking about this or we can go.
You decide.
Vent the nacelles on my mark.
Ha!
Emergency transmission from Starbase One Docking Control.
They are blowing the docking clamps
and ordering us to make space
between the ship and the station.
I notice you're short a chief engineer on this mission.
Indeed.
Be happy to sub in.
Been a hundred years
since I've gone out with engines of my own.
A hundred years? Really?
It's a long story.
A really long story.
That's the accent. You're Lanthanite.
Guilty as charged.
Starbase One is hailing us, sir.
Ms. Ortegas.
Nacelles recharged and ready.
Starbase One will have to wait.
The Cajitar system.
Warp factor five.
You gonna say it?
Your thing?
My what?
Your thing. You know.
Everyone in the chair has their thing.
Captain Pike always says "hit it."
My last captain liked to say "zoom."
Must I have a thing?
Do you have a thing?
Well, I've been workshopping
"vamanos."
But it's supposed to be about you.
What kind of commander are you? All that.
So, no presh.
I would like the ship to go.
Now.
Aye aye, Captain.
Beat that, human.
Drink.
Drink! Drink!
Was that watered-down?
Hey, he's got it!
Oh, oh...
Oh!
Don't try to hide half the wine in your beard again, Kr'Dogh.
Oh, oh! Oh!
Oh!
You know what I really want.
I can set the meeting, but I am not sure
Greynax will meet with you, human.
Well, it's sweet that you worry about my problems.
Set it for tonight.
You better find Kr'Dogh before he
throws up on the wrong person.
Stole the Enterprise?
Yes. You said it was urgent.
Wow. I would have lost so many bets.
Yeah, Vulcans can surprise you.
Thank you for coming. All of you.
What's going on?
The little girl who
survived the Gorn-- Oriana.
I was trying to find her parents.
Uh, we tracked them here.
And they'd thought she was dead.
Sounds like a happy ending.
Well, up until the war, this planet
had provided, uh, a steady flow of dilithium
to both sides, like it does now.
But after the war started,
so many ships being destroyed,
dilithium constantly needing to be replenished,
this place became a promised land.
Ore was dug up and auctioned off
to the highest bidder at astronomical prices.
Fortunes were minted daily and the mining syndicate
got a piece of every single one.
Then, suddenly, peace.
A new syndicate made up of
ex-Klingon and Federation soldiers
has decided that
peace isn't good for business.
And they have one ideology:
profit.
They want to re-start the war.
- Restart the war how? - LA'AN: All I know is
they've been looking to get their hands on as much
Federation tech as possible.
Then, a few days ago,
there was an explosion at the mine.
Half the town got sick from ion exposure.
Including Oriana's parents.
Ion radiation is not naturally occurring from dilithium.
But it can be created by photon torpedoes.
That is correct.
We both served in the Klingon War. Doc here just
likes to read up on weapons systems is all.
Yes. A hundred million Federation bodies, slaughtered.
And for what-- a parsec of space or two?
And now some want to resume that theater of horror for profit?
Where are, um, Oriana and her parents now?
Med tent. They're short on everything-- doctors, supplies.
We have med kits with us.
See what aid you can provide.
But keep a low profile.
Ensign Uhura and I will stay to assist
- in your investigation. - I have a rendezvous with
three potential buyers tonight as well, so...
Wait. Ensign?
You go away, you miss things.
Seems I do.
This is not good.
It is not.
Dr. M'Benga! Nurse Chapel!
Well, looks like our cover's blown.
I'm so glad to see you guys. My parents...
Try an inducing recombination
to repair genetic damage.
Hey.
This should have you feeling better
in about a day.
- Thank you. - Yeah.
Nice tech.
You medical?
Just in from off-world.
Looking to trade at market.
I hate to bust up your plans, but we could use your services.
Who's we?
Follow me.
I think your prom dates just arrived.
Three Klingons approaching.
Copy.
Is that Klingon they are speaking?
I do not recognize it.
Kach-Ugh, I think. It's a pretty obscure dialect,
but I can make out the syntax.
Were you followed?
Yes. But then I cut their throats
and they stopped following me.
Leaving bodies to find when we don't want anyone looking.
This is the Klingon shift on this miserable world.
Bodies pile up. Did you bring what you promised?
I thought Klingons hated Federation weapons.
Why buy them?
That is not your concern.
You promised two dozen.
This is barely half that.
Well, it's what I have to sell.
I'll pay a third.
- I'm charging double. - Double?
For half the weapons you promised?
You don't like the questions,
you don't like the price.
And what would stop me from just taking them
from a tiny woman like you?
This is an anti-matter detonation switch.
You better hope I don't let go.
Unless you're keen on losing the bottom half of your body?
Are you sure
you have no Klingon blood in you?
Double for this lot.
But I need more.
I'll see what I can do.
Well done, Lieutenant.
What's an anti-matter detonation switch?
It's not a thing, is it?
Yeah, no, definitely not a thing.
I was able to parse out some of what they were saying,
and whatever they're planning, it's happening tomorrow.
Should we call Starfleet?
Not until we have solid proof.
I do not relish another call with the admiral without it.
Now let's get back to the Enterprise and see what
Nurse Chapel and Dr. M'Benga have found.
Chief Jay.
Ready when you are.
Roger that, Mr. Spock. Small problem:
I've been tracking the doctor and Nurse Chapel,
and we lost their signal about an hour ago.
I'm not a cave person, but this is for sure
the biggest I've ever seen.
Decades of dilithium mining.
How do you think they got that in here?
I think they built it.
Move. Now!
M'BENGA: Ion burns everywhere.
This level of scarring is normally too deep to treat.
But, fortunately, your dermal system is redundant.
You've treated Klingons before.
- Where? - It doesn't matter.
Tell me, or I'll cut out your tongue
so you spread no more lies.
Years ago I was stationed on the moon of J'gal.
Now I know you are lying. If you had served
on J'gal, you'd be dead.
Do you know that after the battle of ChaKana,
there was so much blood in the air
the rain turned red?
Ror'Queg. Are you fit for duty now?
M'BENGA: I'm done with him.
Hey. You good?
I'm fine.
You sure?
You want me to tell you this is not bringing everything back.
I can't.
But I can tell you I'm in control.
The war's over, Joseph.
Yes, but how can it ever be?
I'm fine.
Have you learned anything useful?
Um, yeah. The...
...severity of the burns suggest
the photon torpedoes are on this ship.
Maybe with all the other Federation tech
they've managed to acquire.
Why?
If you have a Federation ship
in the middle of a territorial dispute...
You could use it to attack the Klingons.
Start the war all over again.
We have to warn Enterprise.
There must be comms somewhere here on the bridge.
So, we just waltz up there,
say, "Mind if we make a call?"
M'BENGA: You know this can help us get there.
If it's important enough.
Do you ever not carry it?
No.
Hey.
Sure you want to do this again?
Again, no.
But I'm not seeing a better choice.
Oh! Oh...
Tell me about this plan.
- And how to stop it. - Or what?
I know about your Federation rules against torture.
What defenses does your group have?
How many in your number?! What weapons?!
He can't answer you if he's dead.
Joseph. Joseph!
30 soldiers.
On the bridge. Engineering.
Armed with phasers, phase-rifles,
Klingon disruptors.
Is there a transponder on the ship?
I will never.
Deck 13.
M'BENGA: The engines are warming up.
I thought transponders could only broadcast
a ship's name and class to other Federation vessels.
I can reprogram it to send a simple message.
We need to move. Now.
I need a minute.
I'll buy you a minute.
Got it.
Better find a way off this ship.
Airlock.
Unless you've got enough juice for another dance.
I think it's running out.
Better hurry.
Aah!
Klingon battle cruiser just warped in.
Red alert, Ms. Uhura.
Any indication they have seen us?
I'm reading internal comms only. All coded,
but the activity is pretty standard for arrival in orbit.
We haven't tripped any alarms yet, sir.
We're in low-power mode, surrounded by interstellar ice
and rock with a high internal iron content.
From their POV, we look like space junk.
You sound confident, Lt. Ortegas.
I've hidden from enough Klingons to know when to take a breather.
Battle cruiser moving away.
Sir.
We're being hailed. On a secure channel.
By whom?
No luck locating M'Benga or Chapel.
Anything your end? Negative.
Wherever they are must be shielded.
And a Klingon cruiser has arrived.
All my contacts in the Broken Circle have vanished,
so whatever they're gonna do, it must be something that's...
Holy...
Sir,
I'm reading a launch from the surface.
It's a ship.
On screen.
That's one of ours.
Crossfield class, I think.
And it's headed right toward
that battle cruiser.
A Crossfield's no match for
- a heavy cruiser. - Well, we can't just
let them get shot. Uh, Lt. Spock?
That ship's transponder ping is... off.
- Off? - It's sending standard ident codes,
but the signal keeps flickering.
Faulty? No.
It's a pattern. A code.
Uh, Morse 2, I think.
- What is it saying? - It's spelling
"Enterprise...
...destroy this ship."
Do you think they're reading the transponder signal?
How long until they get in?
Five minutes, if they have a laser torch.
Less, if they have a grenade.
We're in space. They can't be that stupid.
Or maybe they can.
What do we do?
Let's get those lockers open.
See if they have any EV suits.
If the Klingons see that ship, it will start a war.
Indeed.
In fact, Ms. Ortegas,
I surmise that is likely its precise intention.
I believe the Federation ship is part of
a false flag operation.
I think the extremists intend to use the ship
to attack the Klingons as a way of reigniting hostilities
with the Federation. I theorize
that Dr. M'Benga and Nurse Chapel were indeed
taken by the extremists and were able
to reconfigure the transponder to give us a warning.
Sir, what if Nurse Chapel and Dr. M'Benga
are still on that ship?
They thought it worth their lives
to prevent another war.
Logical.
Federation ship in firing range.
Mr. Spock,
what are your orders?
Follow the false Federation ship.
Stay in weapons range, but hold your fire.
And do not let the Klingons know that we are here.
Got it.
If we don't destroy it before we get out of the rings,
the Klingons are going to see both of us.
That's definitely gonna start a war.
- Shields at 80%. - Mr. Spock,
- should I return fire? - Not yet.
- 70%. - Copy. That is the last time
they dent our paint job.
They fired an array
of torpedoes.
I think they're cutting through.
There's a beacon in the helmet.
And an attitude jet in the pack.
So, we just jump into space without an EV suit?
The beacon will activate once we're in space.
I can use the attitude jet to guide us away from the ship.
Only we'll be dead.
Not necessarily.
It'll take almost a minute for us to freeze to death.
Don't worry.
We'll pass out after 15 seconds.
I know it's a terrible idea.
Yeah, it's terrible.
Let's get to it, then.
They're heading straight for the Klingons.
Stay on that ship, Ms. Ortegas.
- Pedal to the metal, sir. - Sir, they're in
sensor range of the Klingon battle cruiser.
There's only time for one shot. Photon torpedoes
locked on the Federation ship. Full spread.
Mr. Spock?
Not yet. Any signal
from Nurse Chapel or Dr. M'Benga?
Nothing, sir.
I can't believe this is how we're gonna die.
We've gotten out of worse.
No, not really.
I suppose not.
Mr. Spock, it's now or never.
Fire photon torpedoes!
Sir, I'm detecting a Federation EV suit transponder.
Bridge to transport. Lock on to that signal
and beam them aboard now.
I waited.
I waited for you.
You don't die. You don't die.
You do not die!
Why you got to be so rough?
Lt. Spock, we're being hailed by the Klingon captain.
CAPTAIN D'CHOK: What is the meaning of this?
Hiding?
Trespassing?
Destroying your own ship in order to cover your tracks?
We were in fact pursuing a rogue vessel
- which intended to do you harm. - Absurd.
Why else would I tell you the ship was not ours
if it was indeed ours?
To cover your own failure
in the face of our superior might.
But we destroyed the ship.
You anticipated defeat.
And now you're stalling for another day.
Captain, your sensors did not detect us
until we fired on the false Federation vessel.
Could we not have as easily fired on yours?
But why should I trust you?
I am Vulcan.
And as I believe your people know,
Vulcans cannot lie.
I care little for what legends say.
I know a man's truth
only when I look into his eyes,
face-to-face.
So be it.
Perhaps we can conclude this discussion
over a barrel of bloodwine?
You drink bloodwine?
I have been known to.
This is something I must see.
You're no typical Vulcan.
No.
It would seem I am not.
D'CHOK: Yah!
Indeed.
- Ah. - Ah.
Well, uh, listen, I think my Klingon
might be a little rusty,
but did he just say "may your blood scream?"
A Klingon toast, the true meaning of which
is becoming clear to me.
Right.
Well, thank you
for getting me out of the Academy.
Are you actually Lanthanite?
Oh, a couple of drinks
and you get personal--
that it, flyboy?
I am.
I have always been fascinated by your people.
That you managed to live on Earth among other humans
undetected until the 22nd century is remarkable.
You know your mother was one of the first people I came out to.
I did not.
But that's a tale for another time.
And now you teach engineering at Starfleet Academy?
Taught.
You asked me why I helped you.
You want to know the worst thing
about living almost forever?
The loss of those you love.
Oh, you sweet
un-Vulcan Vulcan.
No.
That's a pain shared
by all those who live
with even a half-open heart.
No.
It's boredom.
And on that ship of yours,
there seems to be a shortage of that.
I like it.
- Hm. - I might even try and stick around.
Huh?
Another?
Please.
To the Vulcan
who acts nothing like a Vulcan.
La'An!
Just promise you'll stay out of trouble, okay?
I will if you will.
Where are you gonna go now?
Um...
After explicitly ordering you not to go,
you risked hundreds of lives,
and you risked peace in the quadrant.
If you could lower the volume of your voice, Admiral.
Oh, my God.
Are you hungover, Spock?
The result of a peace treaty with the Klingon captain.
- After a successful mission. - You got lucky,
and that could have just as easily gone the other way,
with the Federation thrown into a brutal war with the Klingons.
I did what I believed was right,
followed my gut, as you humans are so fond of saying,
and I will accept
whatever punishment Starfleet feels is just.
Consider that Klingon hangover your punishment.
But next time--
and there better not be a next time--
it'll be your commission.
Now, get Enterprise home.
Mr. Spock.
I didn't hear you come in.
Are you all right?
Yes.
I just...
She'll be fine.
I'm not...
I...
I have no words for what I feel.
Yes.
You let Spock off easy.
He just kept us from potentially
having to defend two fronts at the same time.
Even if he doesn't know it.
In any case, he's one of our best.
And if this war happens...
...we're gonna need every good officer we've got.