Original subtitles

* *

Previously on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds...

This is Dr. Korby.

At first she was a fellow, but she quickly became more.

She was running the excavation site on Vadia Nine with me.

SPOCK: Vulcans have an ancient technique

of regulating pain through meditation.

(screaming)

When we joined minds,

I absorbed your pain.

I saw something.

- It felt both a part of you and not. - Was it Gorn?

SPOCK: This openness to new life experiences suits you.

Okay. Who's this?

ORTEGAS: My little brother.

Starfleet's Public Relations.

They may commission

a feature-length documentary of Starfleet.

GAMBLE: Junior medical officer's log,

stardate 2184.4.

Reporting from the USS Enterprise.

(chuckles) Enterprise.

I will never get tired of saying that.

The last six months stationed here have been awesome.

Today started out like any other day here,

me working in sickbay.

But after today

I know my life is never gonna be the same again.

Oh. Exciting, isn't it?

Yeah, if you're into that sort of thing.

Nurse Chapel and Dr. Korby are about to make history.

Well, this could change the way we view mortality.

And Korby's work on molecular memory

and corporeal transference.

The idea that ancient man's fascination

with resurrection and reincarnation

could all be based on forgotten technology? I mean...

If you're into that sort of thing.

I may have read some of his papers.

Should I expect a transfer request

- from you to archaeological medicine? - Never.

I mean, as fun as it sounds to dig up old worlds

and find lost medical science,

- I like where I'm at. - Well,

you can make your own mark on history

by charging the dermal wands at all the biobed stations

before Captain Batel gets here for her treatment.

Gotcha, sir. On it.

(chuckling softly)

You're sure the Enterprise's deflector array

won't overpower the magnetic anomaly?

How many times do I have to promise you

- it's all gonna be fine? - I know. I know.

You, uh, you let Pike know how-how sacred this place was

- to the people here, right? - Do you really think

that Starfleet is just gonna waltz on in there,

phasers blasting, and obliterate a heritage site?

(chuckles) Uh, no.

But-but-but can you blame me? I mean...

sometimes people that-that are used to giving orders struggle

- when-when receiving them, huh? - God, you're so right.

I'm just gonna go and hypospray Captain Pike

so he doesn't give us, like, any trouble at all.

How much Tarazine is sublethal?

Just always get the numbers all mixed-up.

You having fun?

Maybe just a blow to the head?

Command function's left lobe, right?

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Okay, look, maybe I'm being a little paranoid.

Oh, you, my dear?

Never.

Okay.

I know how much work you've, you've put in,

lobbying Captain Pike to help.

There's just no getting below

the planet's surface without a starship.

And I am more than grateful.

- It's just that I always get nervous... - You always get nervous

- before a dig. - ...before a dig.

I know.

I'll see you soon, Roger.

Yes, you will.

Hurry down.

Don't make me wait.

(chuckles softly)

LA'AN: Chapel.

Uh, quick question.

How's Spock doing?

Fine?

I haven't seen him today.

Has he, uh, said anything about Roger being here?

Um...

I mean, I know you guys have been...

spending more time, getting closer

- these last months. - Oh. No.

No, please don't be one of those women.

This is why I don't do this.

Oh, me? No. Oh. (chuckles)

Heck no. (chuckles)

I'm good.

Spock and I made it very clear with each other.

No labels, no complicated expectations.

Just fun times.

Please don't make it weird.

Uh, y-you're good with that?

Look, if you're really worried

about Spock behaving around Korby, then just ask him.

- We're all adults here, right? - Mm.

Yeah.

Okay.

(indistinct P.A. announcement)

(indistinct chatter)

It's amazing. With Spock's brain,

M'Benga's research, and Chapel's genetic expertise,

frankly, it's a...

- Don't say "miracle." - Okay.

- Top-notch science. - (doors whoosh open)

How's my favorite patient doing?

Great, actually.

Thank you, Joseph.

What you've done here,

I owe it to all of you.

How are the dermal wands looking?

All accounted for, sir.

Every biobed station fully charged.

And the remote synthesizers?

I thought you would ask, so I recharged them, too.

Good. So you won't be late.

Uh, late for what?

The mission brief.

The landing party's meeting soon.

The landing party?

On Vadia Nine?

You've requested away team assignment six times.

- You've earned it. - (exhales)

Just don't embarrass me with Dr. Korby.

(exhales)

I'm sorry. I'm just so excited.

Go.

They'll start without you.

(Gamble chuckles softly)

Mm!

Whoo!

(chuckles)

GAMBLE: My first official research mission

on an alien planet.

I've been dreaming of this since I was first accepted

to Starfleet Academy.

And now it's my time to shine.

- (doors whoosh shut) - (turbolift chimes)

Lieutenant Spock.

(exhales) Why are we always so quiet when we need to talk?

Is there something to discuss?

I am...

glad to see you and Lieutenant Noonien-Singh

spending more time together.

She is an excellent dance instructor.

That, too.

Um...

Roger's... feeling nervous about the dig.

And, um...

you know, I know you guys are, like, friends now...

A relative term.

I just want to be s-sure that things are gonna go smoothly

- down there. - You do not trust me.

Not to worry, Christine.

I have instituted certain safeguards

to ensure it will all go smoothly.

What do you, what do you mean, "safeguards"?

- (turbolift chimes) - (doors whoosh open)

Ah, great! Crewmates!

(doors whoosh shut)

I don't have to go into the briefing alone.

I interrupted something, didn't I?

CHAPEL: The M'Kroon have declined Federation membership

on multiple occasions, which is why they're only allowing

a small landing party.

PIKE: All right, Chapel, you'll be boots on the ground.

Give us the go-ahead once the signal amplifiers are in place.

Has the science team finished adjusting

- the deflector arrays? - SPOCK: Yes.

And I will be monitoring the adjustments in real time,

here aboard the Enterprise.

Monitoring from the ship

as a safeguard.

You're not coming down to the planet.

PIKE: Chapel, this is

your mission. Any last... (stammers)

- thoughts or words? - (static)

BETO: Could you do that again?

Mr. Ortegas.

Sorry. I just needed to adjust for subspace static.

- It interferes with my... - UNA: Mr. Ortegas,

Erica promised you wouldn't be a problem.

You'll get better footage if you just keep it quiet.

Sorry.

PELIA: Young man,

if there is anything you want to see in Engineering,

anything at all,

I am more than comfortable

around a camera.

You know what, Pelia, let's not encourage...

Ensign Gamble,

would you kindly read the first paragraph of our mission brief?

(stammers softly)

"To commemorate the Federation's centennial,

"documentarian Humberto Ortegas

"has been given security clearance

to record Enterprise's current roster of missions."

Okay, according to that, we're stuck with each other.

But maybe just try to keep the cameras

out of the way.

Let's go dig up the past.

* *

N'Jal.

Thank you for allowing us to document this...

historic occasion.

It is such an honor to meet you.

I hear the M'Kroon have a unique vocal range.

Come.

Let me show you.

Hi.

How are you?

Good.

CHAPEL: Our magnetic anomaly?

KORBY: You were right about this place.

There is indeed some form of advanced technology

hiding beneath us.

(Chapel sighs)

Let's set up,

see what it is.

- Okay. - (pylon whirs)

They keep you busy, huh?

Uh...

We don't all get to play with toys.

(chuckles) Come here.

Let me show you something.

(Uhura sighs)

So, it's intuitive.

A.I. lenses track movement and inflections in speech

that indicate strong emotions.

Uh, it clocks nonverbal cues?

BETO: It's always looking for the subtext, the heat.

Could be why it's focused on us right now.

(Uhura laughs)

(both chuckling)

CHAPEL: Done here. Uhura.

How's it going over there?

(sighs)

- (whirs) - Finished.

Chapel to the bridge. The pylons are set.

- Ready when you are. - PIKE: Copy.

Stand by for deflector beams.

(chuckles)

(comms chime)

Captain, we're gonna need a bigger landing party.

PIKE: 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.

*

* *

* *

I knew you'd have to come down

and see this all for yourself.

What'd I tell you? You owe me a drink.

The M'Kroons vetoed our request to send more personnel,

so Spock and I are the only ones coming.

(sighs) Copy that.

UHURA: Uh, we found an access panel

with symbols in an unknown language.

These symbols are the interface?

Maybe. Or instructions.

Or a warning.

They have a remarkable similarity

to the M'Kroonian alphabet.

So, five years ago,

hundreds of light-years from here,

I discovered this.

I believe it is a royal insignia.

So this place could be

some sort of temple or palace.

All I know is, I found this ring on Polaris 12.

But there are similar symbol sets on Praetorian.

Where we found tablets...

That Christine matched with ancient texts here

on Vadia Nine.

CHAPEL: We think the M'Kroon are

the direct descendants of an advanced civilization

that could travel across multiple galaxies.

- Ancient astronauts? - KORBY: We don't know,

but they claim to have achieved immortality.

A common myth.

A fantasy many cultures share.

But in this case our research suggests

that their secret to immortality...

Had something to do with creating quantum instability

at a molecular level.

Fascinating.

- Right? - UHURA: Okay,

so I cross-referenced the symbols

with Praetorian and ancient M'Kroonian.

"The path to absolution, only with blood given freely."

Blood given freely?

A ritual sacrifice. An offering to the gods.

Blood magic.

On M'Kroon, our ancestors would sacrifice

to stand before the deities of time.

Whoa, hold on.

Just take a moment

before we choose the dramatic option.

(closes knife)

Don't.

(rumbling)

Really?

It worked.

Nothing foreign detected in your bloodstream.

Any pain, symptoms of any kind?

I'll live, Ensign.

Well, Chapel, this is your party.

I'm guessing you want to come with me on point.

LA'AN: Watch your footing and try not to touch anything.

Sadly, that would defeat my entire purpose here, Lieutenant.

Well, you know what I mean.

(comms chime)

Comms on the ship are down.

Which means we'd have to go outside to report back.

More importantly...

We cannot transport from inside this chamber.

- Far from ideal. - UHURA: It's open here.

Huh.

Some kind of light barrier.

Yeah, whatever it is, I don't like it.

Scared of El Cucuy?

(chuckles)

I'm not five, and it's not my bedtime.

Hey, what's that, an oversized...?

Bag. I was gonna say bag,

but, nope, it's a body.

LA'AN: Well, they're not immortal.

The readings indicate these remains are centuries old.

Cause of death appears to be starvation.

LA'AN: They were trapped down here.

Just a hunch, but it looks to me

like they were trying to rob the place.

This discovery raises the threat level of the mission.

We must exit, report this to the captain,

and reassess our investigation.

Hold on a second.

Isn't Christine in charge of this mission?

Actually, Spock is the senior science officer.

Well, I don't answer to Starfleet, now, do I?

CHAPEL: Look... this is not the first time

that a landing party mission has faced

escalated but not lethal danger.

Starfleet protocol clearly states

a landing party must alert the ship

to any clear and present danger.

- But nothing dangerous has happened. - Spock,

wh-what we can discover here is important.

Not just to me, not just to Roger.

Not even just to science.

N'Jal, the M'Kroons,

this is their history.

As you've stated, this is not just about us.

N'Jal, we are your guests here.

Would you prefer if we cease or proceed?

Tika-mak chan tario pik-tah.

Vika, chan tario tah.

Eek lok to, ma vika tario.

Closest translation:

"My people have a deep desire.

We wish to know the core of our being."

Trust is a two-way street, Spock.

We will continue with the mission.

I got you.

CHAPEL: Roger.

It's a memory stone.

- It's just like the ones we found on Praetorian. - Mm-hmm.

KORBY: Christine, this...

this is exactly what we came here to find.

Careful.

(Gamble screaming)

CHAPEL: Gamble!

Gamble, Gamble, Gamble, Gamble, you okay?

(screaming)

(groaning)

Easy, easy. I've got you.

(sighs)

We just sent the fragments to Pelia for analysis.

The orb triggered when he picked it up.

PIKE: Gather the rest of the team

and beam back aboard immediately.

Understood, Captain.

UHURA: How's Gamble?

CHAPEL: He's stable.

M'Benga's already working on

bioengineering him new eyes.

UHURA: We found something.

I think this is some kind of register.

- There are thousands of names here. - KORBY: Some of which

are actually on the artifact you found among the dead.

Guys, this is great, and there's so much to learn here,

but it's time to go.

- We got to get back to the ship. - KORBY: Um...

N'Jal and I are, are gonna stay behind.

Waited my whole life for a find like this.

(softly): Roger.

BETO: Hey.

- Look at this. - What is it?

I sent a camera through the doorway.

Before or after we said to pull out?

- That's the next chamber? - Mm-hmm.

Mika-tah, Vezda-pah.

Um...

- What's he saying? - "Danger."

Mika-tah, Vezda-pah.

Not "danger."

- "Evil." - N'Jal, what's wrong?

We're all gonna die.

N'Jal. N'Jal!

(mechanical whirring)

* *

The door.

GAMBLE: Hello? Who's here? (grunts)

Why is it dark?

Try not to sit up.

(pants)

- Is this why I can't see? - No.

Your bulbus oculi were ejected from their orbital sockets.

- I lost my eyes? - This should be regenerating them.

But right now it's just keeping them from deteriorating further.

When was I injured?

You were injured on the planet by a grenade of some type.

We're still analyzing the fragments.

- The landing party? Are they okay? - The others are fine.

They should be back here any minute.

My short-term memory was damaged.

Hopefully, it's not permanent.

A post-traumatic stress response.

- Status? - Conscious. Alert.

And scared but happy to be alive.

Well, that's understandable.

Rest. I'll be right back.

PIKE: All right, what's the full report?

M'BENGA: I've shifted my initial assessment

from flash burn to some kind of agent.

- Biological weapon? - Maybe.

And before you ask, he's not contagious.

But something is preventing his eyes from regenerating.

Okay, how are you holding up?

I'm fine.

You know, when Gamble came on to replace Chapel,

it was supposed to be temporary, but she came back.

And he stayed.

It's no secret I'm fond of the boy.

He wasn't ready for away missions.

Joseph, you know more than most, we can't protect everyone.

But if anyone's going to help him, it's going to be you.

(door whooshes open)

(chimes)

(chimes twice)

CHAPEL: It's locked. Why now?

The structure must have engaged a safety protocol.

Christine, it didn't trigger

when you and La'An took Gamble through.

Or when you came back.

When you unlocked the door, it took a sample of your DNA.

You were scanned.

And we all entered together as a group.

Your biosignature kept us safe.

So, N'Jal tried to leave without me.

Well, if the door liked me then, it's done liking me now.

No, no, there has to be another way out.

We know what happens if we try to wait things out.

You are suggesting we go deeper into the structure?

KORBY: We stay here and we starve.

Either way is a risk.

I prefer the one that keeps us active.

May I?

Yeah.

UHURA: La'An.

Beto's camera's still showing the feed from the other chamber.

It looks safe, relatively.

So that chamber is on the other side of this door?

BETO: Yes.

Okay, let's try it.

Chapel?

Maybe this door still likes you.

(gasps)

CHAPEL: Okay.

That worked.

As a precaution, we should use the same formation as before.

Yeah.

Precaution against being incinerated by burning light?

Chapel with me. Uhura, Beto.

Spock and Korby, you take up the rear.

CHAPEL: Look at it.

Roger, this...

They're gone.

Wait. Let's think about this.

- We could get separated, too. - Yeah.

Huh, what about comms?

- I know we can't reach the ship, but... - Maybe,

maybe the interference is coming from the building itself.

(comms chime)

(over comms): La'An to Spock, do you read me?

Spock here, I read you.

Dr. Korby and I appear to be in a room by ourselves.

We copy, too. It's Beto and I.

Also alone.

Together but alone.

We have comms.

I'd call that a silver lining.

LA'AN: Okay.

Stay put wherever you are.

UHURA: No arguments here.

SPOCK: Agreed.

Do you guys have a giant statue in the middle of your chamber?

KORBY: Our room looks just like the one we left.

Dead grave robbers and all.

Perhaps we should surveil our respective areas

- and report back. - All right.

Let's reconvene on comms in ten minutes.

And stay alert.

(softly): Inconclusive.

(grunts) That tickles.

You're awake.

(exhales)

This isn't doing anything, is it?

No, it's not.

What's happening to me, Joseph?

Hmm.

You used my first name.

I'm sorry. Dr. M'Benga.

- You're right, I... - No, it's good.

It's more than time you feel comfortable around me.

I guess a close call like that

can really put some things in perspective.

(device beeps)

This reading...

Hold on.

* *

All right, let's try this again.

(device beeps)

- (sighs) - What?

What is it? What does it say?

- We need more tests. - Doctor...

Joseph, just tell me.

There's no other way to put this,

- your brain is dead. - (gasps)

The scan shows entire lobes, electrons, neurons,

- all shut down. - No.

That's impossible. How am I alive?

- I-I'm awake, we're talking. - Yes, I know. Exactly like I said.

- We need more tests. - I'm not dead!

- Hey, take a breath, I didn't say that. - No, but, but,

but... (hyperventilating)

I'm giving you a sedative. Relax.

But--

- Stay calm. - (exhales)

I'll figure this out.

- LA'AN: Chapel. - CHAPEL: Hmm?

Why is there an Earth language at your ancient dig site?

CHAPEL: It's Chinese.

"Here stands the Beholder, sentry of eternal bridges."

A biosignature?

This thing has a life sign reading.

(phaser whirring)

Doesn't act very alive.

Oh, well, technically, it's both alive and not.

Also, it's not really here.

Hmm, well, I'm looking right at it, so...

On a quantum level, the-the particles that make up

this Beholder are in constant flux.

Both here and not here.

(laughs softly)

Quantum instability at a molecular level.

Great.

So what does that mean?

Not a clue.

Brilliant.

KORBY: Is this really the same room

we were just in?

Perhaps, but look.

I wouldn't go that way after what happened to N'Jal.

Do you really think it's a fantasy?

You balk at the idea of immortality?

You don't think that the science exists

to prevent our consciousness from fading?

I do not balk at your ideas, Dr. Korby.

I merely believe you neglect to take the proper precautions.

Huh?

I said you neglect to take the proper...

No, no, no, no, look here.

Above the names, this-this word, it means, um,

parasites or hitchhikers.

And-and this word, it means well or pit.

This word... Vezda.

Vezda. The M'Kroon word for evil?

Yes.

Only here it's used, Vezda, it-it...

it isn't singular.

(visor trills)

(visor trills)

Fascinating.

What is it?

(visor trills)

KORBY: What do you see?

Thousands of them.

(screeches)

Our landing party never came back.

My brother didn't sign up for this.

All of the M'Kroon liaisons on the project have

suddenly gone radio silent.

The locals have cut us off.

So send down another landing party.

Aye. They cannot keep us from getting our people back.

Unfortunately, they can.

We're here with a special access agreement.

I can reach out,

if the ambassador is no help, we will go down there.

What do we know about the explosive device

that we encountered?

SCOTTY: Technically it's a...

It's a, it's a containment unit.

SCOTTY: On its own, the orb should not have exploded.

It's possible it got separated

from its power source and weakened.

But best we can figure is

that the energy source inside of it forced its way out.

Forced its way out, how?

Could it have been sentient?

SCOTTY: Oh, we don't know.

Pelia, what aren't you telling us?

This thing...

is older than anything I've ever seen.

PIKE: What do you think was inside of it?

I'm not sure.

And I have no scientific way of putting this,

but whatever it is,

it gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Ensign Gamble.

Captain to Security. Meet me in sickbay.

* *

Rukiya, what a beautiful name.

It's a shame you had to let her go.

I never told you about Rukiya.

Hmm, you're right.

My mistake.

Do you think that woman who came to you

was really your daughter?

Or do you think it was something wearing her skin?

Something that drank her tears and fed off her screams?

Who am I talking to right now?

(gasps) What the hell?

What was that? (panting)

A foreign intelligence.

Inside me?

How was it talking? It had my voice.

I don't know yet.

Why would it say those things?

- Relax. Take a breath. - Joseph...

I'm having a reaction, feels like a migraine.

You.

Cali-katchna!

Mika-tah, Vezda-pah!

Captain...

(alarm blaring)

(both grunting)

(groans)

(both grunting)

(gasps)

(Gamble groans)

Marie!

(grunts)

Marie.

Marie, it's me...

* *

GAMBLE: I don't want to have to do this,

- everybody just leave me alone. - Easy, easy.

- Gamble, it's me. - Dr. M'Benga?

(alarm blaring)

I didn't mean to do that.

I believe you.

Please, put the phaser down.

Why is everybody trying to hurt me?

They are not, we're trying to help you.

Stand down.

Give him room.

If I let them take me, will you fix me?

I just want to be me again.

I've got you, don't worry.

(grunts)

REX: Sickbay or the brig, sir?

* *

Scans are showing

this pillar is shifting in and out of this reality.

You mean the freaky underground hell hole gets even freakier?

We're just going to die here like those explorers we found.

Hey.

Look at me.

I've been where you are right now,

and I know that all you can focus on

is how bad this all feels.

All I can think about is being trapped down here alone with...

We're not alone.

We are going to find our way out of this.

Together.

Just breathe.

(both breathing deeply)

Thank you.

UHURA: I'm seeing the impossible.

Look.

Uhura to landing party, I think I've got something.

We have some interesting finds, too.

Indeed, there is much to discuss.

The statue in here is giving off unstable phase variances.

And it has a life sign.

Korby and I discovered the presence of sentient life.

Curious, I do not recall this injury.

UHURA: Look, all of that is amazing.

This whole place is, but the thing is

we are all still together.

How is that even possible?

The intuitive software,

it's-it's picking up our biosignatures and placing us

- all in the same room. - This is layered dimensional space.

CHAPEL: We're not in different rooms.

This is different planes of existence.

We never left the first chamber.

If subatomic instability was being

utilized as a means to immortality, then...

Then maybe this place is a lab

or a-a fountain of youth?

SPOCK: I fear it is not that simple.

Spock found life-forms trapped inside orbs,

just like the one that injured Gamble.

The tablet called them parasites. Hitchhikers.

Unwelcome guests.

It is possible phase-shifting through dimensions

to achieve immortality had a side effect.

Of bringing something through.

What kind of something?

Somethings... from somewhere else.

What if this place isn't a palace or a lab?

What if it's a prison?

* *

I'm sorry, but we'll have to look after you from here.

GAMBLE: It's okay.

I understand.

What's gonna happen to me?

I wish I could say.

*

This inscription reads "Here and not here."

* *

On Praetorian,

artifacts were sometimes set into pedestals like this.

KORBY: Component parts.

Together they might be the key

to unifying the dimensional shift.

SPOCK: The relief there.

- KORBY: The signet ring. - I still have it.

LA'AN: Okay, but how do we get those

two things to work together

whilst stuck on different dimensional planes?

Put the tablet where it says tabernacle.

Done.

Uhura, the ring.

UHURA: Okay. What now?

I'm the key to all of this, right?

* *

(whirs softly)

(whirring)

Christine.

(rumbling)

SPOCK: Curiouser and curiouser.

Okay, so we're all back together, but...

...how do we get to the door?

(grunts softly)

How are you?

In case I go off the rails again?

Mm.

M'Benga didn't want to release you to the quarters

without knowing it was safe, and...

I knew I wouldn't need it.

Chris, I don't know what happened in there.

Something inside of me just snapped.

How's Gamble?

In custody.

He's not quite himself, either.

I remember seeing him, but it...

It wasn't him.

He was something else.

And I felt...

...like something else.

What?

I can't describe it.

I just had this overwhelming desire to kill...

...no, to exterminate him.

Well, you're back now.

Has anyone else reacted to him this way?

No. We have to consider

that it's an expression of the Gorn DNA in your body.

We don't know all the downsides.

This feeling I had,

I can't explain it,

but it felt... old.

Okay.

Whatever it is, we'll figure it out.

- The landing party? - Still missing.

UNA: Captain, I've got the M'Kroon Ambassador on standby for you.

Patch it through.

Okay.

So, we got to find a way to get to the door.

(slices)

SPOCK: Of course.

In this reconstituted dimensional space,

inverted causality coexists.

Uh, yeah, you're gonna have to walk me through that one.

Inverted causality is a dimension

where effects can happen before cause.

It's, uh... It's paradoxical.

Yes, and theoretical, but also scientifically possible.

When Dr. Korby and I were separated,

there was a bridge here.

And that panel by the door was glowing white.

Well, it's red now.

Yes. So we must have turned it on.

Effect before cause?

So you're saying... No, no.

(Chapel chuckles)

No.

- What? "No, no" what? - SPOCK: Yes.

We must walk across this empty space

and turn on the bridge.

GAMBLE: Guard. Guard!

Your mother. She's in pain.

Something's hurting her.

What?

Her name... it's Jara.

She wants to tell you what's hurting her.

Who told you that?

(chokes, sputters)

(Jara's voice): You did. You let me die alone.

(neck snaps)

(phaser whirring)

(alarm blaring)

Nope, I-I'm not doing that. No way.

Our other option is to remain here and starve.

A sound tactical argument.

So... you lead, I'll follow.

Just don't step on my toes.

I am also willing to take this risk.

However, I believe that we must, in fact,

commit to doing this all together.

And Nurse Chapel is the key.

KORBY: Don't do it, Christine.

Theoretical doesn't mean you can just go and walk on air.

SPOCK: Nurse Chapel,

I may no longer have your confidence on many things,

but this is a matter of science.

And what hangs in the balance is our survival.

We are on a two-way street.

And now I'm asking you to simply trust me.

Roger, it's time to go.

No.

Christine, listen to reason.

Yes, it is a risk walking out there,

but in the short time that I've known you,

you've never been afraid of taking a chance.

Remember what you said to me, all those months ago?

BOTH: "Nothing in life is guaranteed."

That's what makes life worth living.

Okay.

Roger, leave the relic where it is.

It's the only thing keeping us together.

* *

Okay.

So this is where you saw it?

Yes.

Okay.

(breathes shakily)

Well...

let's go.

LA'AN: Let's get out of here.

* *

Hey. We're alive.

Take the win.

Senior officer command codes, please,

or I will kill you.

What? What are you saying?

I have the boy's thoughts, his memories.

You can take control of this vessel from Engineering.

Lanthanite child.

- Wha-- - Perhaps I take him instead?

Hmm?

- Or him? - (phaser whirring)

- Hurt them and you die next. - (scoffs)

Oh...

you couldn't kill your favorite ensign now, could you?

(gasps) Help, please.

Dr. M'Benga, it's me, it's really me.

Don't hurt me.

Fight it. You can fight it.

No, Joseph, I don't think he's really in there.

(gasping, sobbing)

He is.

Let the boy go. Please.

Take me.

- (phaser blasts) - No!

(moans)

(groaning, gurgling)

W-Where did you send it?

Nowhere.

Thanks to Pelia and Lieutenant Scott's quick thinking,

we should not be seeing the Vezda again.

Are you sure it'll hold?

Until we learn more about this entity,

the transport buffer is the best proxy we have

for a layered dimensional prison.

What about the rest of them?

Starfleet and the M'Kroon are already working together

to establish a security perimeter around the site.

Apparently, they're starting to see

the benefits of the Federation.

You know, if Ensign Gamble, or...

rather, the entity inside of him,

had taken hold of the ship's phaser banks...

M'BENGA: He could have set them all free.

An army of cosmic beings like that set loose on the galaxy?

I'm sorry, Doctor, I know you were fond of the boy,

but he was gone.

BETO: Were they evil, Captain?

I saw the recordings of what Gamble did,

and the things he said.

Good and evil are relative terms, son.

Nonsense. There is evil in this universe,

as sure as there is good.

A-As sure as there is matter, as sure as there is light.

I know...

that being was ancient.

Malevolent.

The desire to malign, to pervert...

and consume,

given corporeal form.

If any of those things...

ever escape that well down there...

...God help us all.

You want one for the camera?

No.

No, I'm good. Thank you.

Suit yourself.

* *

- (comms chime) - UHURA: Dr. M'Benga?

I have the subspace relay to Earth.

Thank you. I've got it from here.

Hello, I'm Dr. Joseph M'Benga of the USS Enterprise.

I've asked to be the one to call you.

- (crackles) - It's about your son,

Dana Gamble.

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