| abstract | - In the Neutral Zone, the Narada reels from the destruction of the USS Kelvin. All of its systems are damaged; its shields and weapons are offline. Nero calls out to Ayel, who replies that he is fine but that navigation is destroyed. Ayel reports that the Kelvin damaged its warp drive at the moment it struck the Narada, and that the warp field nearly destroyed the Romulan ship. Nero realizes that the "maniac" knew ramming the Narada was his crew's only hope, and says he almost admires the human's courage. He knows that the Narada will eventually heal itself. Standing over Captain Robau's dead body, Ayel remembers what he said about the current date, and Nero says the black hole must have sent them back in time. Ayel realizes that this means Romulus still exists, and that they can return. Nero refuses to consider this. He believes that Romulus can only be made safe by their taking control of the Red Matter device and destroying the Federation. They will then return home as "saviors". Pulling his bladed staff out of the corpse's chest, Nero says they will first find Spock, then use the Red Matter as a weapon. He knows Spock must be coming through the black hole after them; wiping the human's blood off the staff, he says they simply need to know where and when Spock will appear. Xandr reports that life support is stabilizing. Nero orders that Robau's body be thrown into the replicators as soon as it is possible to do so. He leaves the bridge to Ayel, asking him to assemble the crew in an hour and alert him when Spock's ship appears. Wandering through the ship, Nero ponders Ayel's words and the possibility of returning to Romulus. He and his crew could watch their grandparents and parents grow up; they could see themselves born, and he could see his wife's birth. But Nero remembers Romulus' destruction and realizes that he will not do this; Romulus is dead, and he died with Romulus. At the assembly on the bridge, Nero tells his crew their mission remains unchanged. He realizes how tempting returning to Romulus is, but says they need to destroy Vulcan and the Federation; to return home would be to betray their dead loved ones. A crewman named Baratt asks for permission to speak, and suggests that they have been granted a miracle by the gods, the chance to go home. Nero coldly asks where the gods were when the Hobus star exploded and killed their families. Baratt points out that this has not happened yet, but Nero retorts that if it had not happened they would not remember it, and that it will happen again unless they destroy the Federation. Turning his back on Baratt and those who agree with him, Nero tells them they are free to take a shuttlecraft home. When the shuttle is clear of the ship, Nero asks Ayel about weapons status. Despite ongoing repairs there are a few torpedoes available. Nero takes control of tactical and destroys the departing shuttlecraft. He orders power re-routed to the computers to calculate when Spock will appear, but suddenly the Narada is fired upon and surrounded by decloaking Klingon warships. The Narada, which still has no shields, is hailed by Captain Kor of the IKS Klothos. He demands that Narada identify itself, and Nero claims that it is merely a Romulan mining vessel, thrown off course by a solar storm. Kor, however, knows that the anomaly detected in this system was not a solar storm, and that the Narada is not merely a mining vessel. He says he will take their ship in the name of the Klingon Empire. Ayel reports that they are outnumbered, but Nero says they will not surrender. Klingon warriors beam onto Narada's bridge. Nero extrudes the blades from his staff and attacks them. More Klingons transport in, and Nero implants the staff in the forehead of one as he materializes, but it is a losing battle, and soon Nero is caught and held by a Klingon. Kor tells Nero that his crew is contained throughout the ship. A Klingon lieutenant tells Kor a human body was found in the hold, and shows him the Starfleet captain's insignia he has torn from the corpse's chest. Kor orders the body taken back to Qo'noS, where it may prove useful, and asks Nero how many mining ships have dead Starfleet captains in their holds. "Burn in hell, Klingon," Nero snarls. As he is knocked unconscious, Kor answers, "You first, Romulan." Nero slowly awakens, barechested, kneeling, and shackled, in a Klingon interrogation facility. He is greeted by a Klingon named Koth whose right eye is permanently closed. Koth tells Nero he has spent time with some of his crew, who are less "durable" than their captain. Koth demands that Nero speak, but he remains silent. Laughing, Koth asks whether he has taken a "vow of silence". The Klingon says he is curious about the advanced technology of the Narada, now in Klingon hands. He addresses Nero by his name, having learned it from his crew, and says Nero must have more to say about why they were stranded in space. He welcomes Nero to Rura Penthe, the Klingon prison ice-planet, where the Narada remains in orbit and where Nero will "spend the rest of your miserable life."
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