Star Trek Continues

I'd like you to take a look at this gun.

It's handcrafted to my specifications.

Balance is excellent.

The trigger responds to a pressure of 1 ounce.

I'm...

quite familiar with the piece.

Perhaps we could talk about this?

I rarely draw it unless I mean to use it.

Care for a demonstration?

Freeze program.

Was she everything I promised, sir?

And more...

I've never seen a holographic program this detailed before.

I swear I can almost smell the gun oil.

Aye. Well she's still in the experimental stage, but once we get the bugs out...

Bridge to Captain Kirk...

Kirk here.

We've arrived at the first of the power stations that have gone offline, captain.

I'll be right there.

All right...

Playtime's over...

Let's get back to work.

Report, Spock.

Starfleet's communique was accurate.

All 3 power stations in this system are completely drained.

Any idea what caused it?

Aye. Likely the Klingons stealing fuel cells again.

There is no evidence to support that theory, Mr. Scott.

That's because it wasn't a theory.

It was a joke.

The power stations were anchored in this system...

with the purpose of providing energy and fuel for passing Federation ships.

And what would cause a failure on that scale?

Unknown.

If theft was intended...

it would be far more efficient to steal the stations themselves...

as opposed to siphoning them one-by-one.

Captain...

I'm registering a minor drain on engine power.

Scotty?

Checking.

Aye.

Slight, but noticeable.

Any danger?

Not yet, sir. But I don't like it.

I can't even tell you what's causing it.

All right...

Spock.

Scan the station...

for any clues to the power loss.

Captain...

I'm reading something 320,000 kilometers off the starboard bow.

Put it on screen.

What the devil...

Spock?

Unknown.

Sulu, bring us around. Scotty, shields up.

Shields not responding. Power drain has accelerated.

The source of the drain is the anomaly directly in front of us.

Can we do anything about it?

Unknown.

Ship's systems, including life support, at 54 percent and falling.

What is it? A machine? An organism?

Unknown.

That's an awful lot of unknowns, Mr. Spock. I need answers.

Go to red alert.

Sulu, put some distance between us... Back away...

Engines not responding, captain.

I can't seem to...

Warp drive and impulse engines are offline.

Uhura, anything?

Nothing, sir.

I've tried friendship messages on all known hailing frequencies!

Ship's power now at 29 percent! She's fading fast!

Not without a fight.

Ready phasers...

We don't have enough power for phasers, sir.

I had to divert everything we have to life support.

Photon torpedos then.

Aye... we might be able to get off one shot, but there's no telling if...

Lock photon torpedo on it. Dead center.

Torpedo locked.

Fire!

20 seconds to impact.

Power levels at 14 percent.

Captain, I'm detecting two life forms in the center of the anomaly.

Life forms?

McCoy: Jim...

Readings are very faint but definite.

McCoy: Jim, you don't know anything about them.

They could need our help.

Scotty. Transporters.

No way, sir! Power levels at 9 percent!

Impact in 5 seconds.

McCoy: Jim!

We're out of options!

But you don't know if...

Impact!

Report.

Power levels at 12 percent.

19 percent.

Increasing steadily.

All decks reporting in. No casualties.

Our torpedo broke off small pieces of the anomaly.

The bulk is still intact, but it is no longer a viable threat.

I detect no life forms.

Cancel red alert.

I'm sorry, Bones.

But it couldn't be helped.

I know, Jim.

It's just hard to see the taking of any life, even if it's to save our own.

24 percent.

31 percent.

Still climbing.

Captain, I'm detecting an energy buildup.

Focused within the Enterprise.

Can you identify an exact location?

The bridge.

Space...

The final frontier.

These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

Its continuing mission...

To explore strange new worlds...

To seek out new life and new civilizations.

To boldly go where no man has gone before.

KIRK (V.O.): Captain's log, star date 6147.3.

It's been nearly two years since the alien called Apollo...

from Earth's ancient history tried to enslave us on Pollux 4.

Now, a much older Apollo has reappeared. Only this time...

on board the Enterprise.

Security to the bridge. On the double.

Apollo?

A thousand years...

in a day...

Rest dearest.

We continue because of you.

You continue.

I am pleased...

The final image my eyes behold...

is that of your face.

No...

We're safe together.

You can't go.

I forbid it.

Live on...

for us.

Sleep...

Dwell upon thine eyes.

Peace in thy breast.

Would I were sleep in peace...

so sweet to rest.

Travel gently...

beloved Athena.

Where did she go?

I don't know.

Emptiness.

Don't know what I can do for him. But let's get him to sickbay.

Sir? You're not actually going to...

Power's stabilized, sir. Shield output is increasing but...

But...?

Well, pieces of whatever that thing out there was, sir.

They've hung to the ship's hull.

Captain, if that debris clogs the intake manifolds...

I've sealed them, but we are stuck here until we can clear that debris.

Readings indicate the material to be innocuous once hardened.

Corrosive enough to eat through the hull?

Possibly...

Suggestions, gentlemen?

What a whaup I the raip...

We could go out on the hull with a couple hand phasers.

Cut the residue from the ship's exterior.

Interesting strategy, Mr. Sulu.

By setting phasers to the proper resonant frequency...

we should be able to easily scrape it off the hull without damaging it.

Aye. Like sandpaper.

But it's precision work. We can't afford any bumps.

I think Chekov can handle that.

Well, Mr. Sulu? Up for a little walk outside?

Absolutely.

Very well...

You and Simone from structural engineering suit up and get it done.

Mr. Scott will monitor the EVA from here.

You look...

concerned, Mr. Spock.

I am, captain.

I think Sulu knows what he's doing.

It is not Sulu that concerns me.

It is Apollo.

Yes.

I don't like him here one bit but I feel somewhat responsible for him...

being here.

Curious he has aged so rapidly in 2 years.

Computer...

Analyze subject's age on screen.

COMPUTER (V.O.): Working...

Subject on screen's physiological age...

based on established norms...

between 38 and 41 Earth years.

Now, analyze the age of the subject currently in sickbay.

COMPUTER (V.O.): Working...