Bones felt himself materialize on the surface of the planet and his body took a moment to get used to the planetary conditions.

"Pretty windy here, huh?" McCoy said over the wind. Spock stopped as if listening to the wind. "Is it? I never noticed," the older Vulcan said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, never noticed it before?" Bones muttered. "Right, it just wouldn't be logical to notice something as mundane as wind."

"What was that, Doctor?" Spock asked. Bones shrugged. "Nothing, just admiring the view." McCoy wasn't being sarcastic now. The landscape was breathtaking, with rollings hills and huge valleys as far as the eye could see, with grass the color of the purest green. The air was so fresh, McCoy could practically taste it.

He glanced down the hill and saw the Vulcan colony. Dome houses and large tents occupied most of the valley before him.

"Temporary dwellings until we get settled in," Spock told him. McCoy made an "O" with his mouth. Spock led him toward one of the dome houses and led him inside.

Once inside, Spock began pulling clothes out of drawers and putting them in suit cases that he grabbed form a small closest.

"So tell me Doctor McCoy, how do you like serving aboard the Enterprise?" Spock asked conversationally.

The question caught Bones by surprise, but he quickly recovered. "Oh, I love it, Mister Spock. She's a real beauty."

Spock nodded. "That she is. She's so...different from my universe, though."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" McCoy's interest had been peeked. Spock looked at him for a moment, then went back to packing, answering, "Well, for starters the Enterprise in my universe wasn't as advanced as the one here. Touch screens were a thing of the future. The ship I served on also wasn't as big as the one in this universe. How many crew members does she hold?"

"Over eight-hundred, sir," Bones said.

"Ah," Spock said. "The Enterprise I served on only held a little over four-hundred." Bones' eyebrows rose in a very Vulcan manner. "Big difference," he observed. Sock nodded. "Very."

The idea of a whole other universe, with another version of himself—Bones—chilled him to the bone. Perhaps, in another universe, he and his wife lived happily ever after and had many children. Yeah, right.

"Mister Ambassador, are there...other universes? Besides the one you came from?" Bones inquired.

Spock seemed to be searching his memory. It didn't take long, much to Bones' chagrin. Spock nodded in the affirmative. "We've had dealings with the Mirror Universe over the years. The evil, more sadistic of our counter-parts reside there. I remember when Jim—" Spock broke off abruptly and went back to packing as if he hadn't even been speaking.

Bones looked at him expectantly. When Spock gave no indication that he would continue on his reminiscing, McCoy prompted him. "Well? What about this 'Mirror' Universe? What did Jim do?"

Spock waved his hand and closed the latching on his suitcase.

"I do not know whether it would do more harm than good, Doctor," Spock said simply. "I believe your task was to help me with my bags."

He lugged the suitcase into McCoy's arms, thus quenching any further questions the doctor may have.

Spock led the way to the door. After Spock had informed T'Salim of the situation McCoy struggled to tap his combadge over the suitcase. "McCoy to Enterprise," Bones said.

"Enterprise here, Doctor," the younger Spock's voice came back. "Two to beam up," Bones said.

They were shrouded in the shimmer of beaming.

Spock walked the corridors of the Enterprise with his older, alternate self in total silence. It was quite awkward. Spock decided to bring up a topic to discuss while on their way to Jim's ready-room.

"Tell me, Ambassador, were you...involved with Lieutenant Uhura in your universe?"

Spock Prime looked at him in total surprise—with a lift of his eyebrow and a glint in his eye.

"I beg your pardon?" Spock Prime asked.

Spock felt his face redden. "It is a simple question." Spock Prime cleared his throat. "Well, indeed, it is, but I just...what on earth made you ask me that question out of all the others?"

Spock looked straight ahead. "I simply wish to know," he said blandly. Spock Prime looked forward as well. "Ah, well, no, we were not involved beyond than the mutual respect and friendship we had with one another. Why do you ask?"

Spock gulped. "It appears I have...feelings for Uhura."

Spock Prime stopped mid-step and looked at his younger self in barely concealed surprise. Spock looked at himself coolly. "Problem?" he asked his older counterpart.

"No," Spock Prime replied with a shake oh his head, "I merely find it...odd. Why Lieutenant Uhura?" His younger self rounded on Spock Prime, his face showing no outward anger, and his tone remained the same, except his voice had risen to what humans would call an "outside voice."

"If you recall," Spock practically spat the words at Spock Prime, "Our father married a human woman. He loved her with all his heart, soul, mind, and body. I do not think it is logical for you to question my relationship with Lieutenant Uhura any more so than you should question our father about it."

It was the older Spock's turn to glare at his younger self. "I am not criticizing, mind you. Lieutenant Uhura is a fine officer and helped save the crew of the Enterprise—she is a fine officer. I simply ask why you choose her as a life mate."

Spock turned away and said softly, "I did not say she was to be my mate." Spock Prime took a moment to digest this. "So you are what, dating her, as the humans would call it? I—we—have better standards than—" Spock Prime cut himself off before he could get out of control. This was not the Vulcan way. This was not the way Spock Prime was in his younger days. "You are so different," Spock Prime whispered.

Spock stood straighter and lifted his chin. "Well in case you didn't know, I am my own person. I am whomever I choose to be—and I will date whomever I choose to date. I am not your copy," Spock growled at his older self. "And I will not subject myself to worrying about what you think of me—I have our father for that. Now if you will please accompany to the Captain's ready-room," Spock gestured ahead of them, "that would be greatly appreciated." To anyone who had been watching the ordeal, it would have looked as if the two Vulcans were discussing something as mundane as the weather.

Spock's—his—words stung. But Spock was right, technically. In this universe, Spock was whomever he chose to be, as he had stated. Spock Prime recovered himself and nodded for Spock to lead the way.

They arrived at Kirk's ready-room in record time. Spock rang the bell. "Come on in," Kirk called from the other side.

"Ah, Misters Spock," Kirk said, followed by a sly grin. Kirk gestured for them to have seats. As they did so, Kirk said, "I just finished talking with Starfleet Command and they've informed me of the situation."

"What situation, Captain?" Spock asked. Kirk leaned back in his chair. "Getting there, Mister Spock," Kirk said. "But first, I must start a the beginning." He took a deep breath.

"As you both know, twenty-five years ago, Nero and the Narada exited through a black-hole and destroyed the USS Kelvin in battle. It was the battle my father died in."

He paused.

"Just before the Kelvin went critical, my father guided her near-lifeless hulk into the Narada, thus crippling it. Three Klingon warbirds decloaked and brought it to over to their side of the border."

Both Spocks nodded. "During the twenty-five years of capture," Kirk continued, "the Klingons took advantage of the Narada's technological advances. Near the end of that twenty-five years, Nero escaped. We know what happened next."

Both Spocks nodded grimly. Nero then captured Spock Prime—who had just exited the wormhole—and deposited him on the barren world of Delta Vega, where he later met Kirk—who had also been deposited there by the Spock of this universe to keep Kirk out of his hair while Spock took the Enterprise to regroup with the rest of the fleet.

Kirk and Spock Prime later met Montgomery Scott. Using codes that Spock provided, claiming Scotty had created them already and he was just jogging the engineer's memory, he beamed Scott and Kirk aboard the Enterprise while it was in warp.

Kirk then took command of the ship—albeit he used trickier to do so—and turned the ship around to save Earth from Nero.

After destroying the plasma drill the Narada was using to attack the planet, the Enterprise drew her away from the planet. Using Red Matter to open up a wormhole, what was left of the Narada after the Enterprise shot off torpedoes into her,was then sucked through, and the Enterprise would have followed the doomed ship—had she not ejected her warp-core and blast them away from the black-hole.

Kirk leaned forward and interlaced his fingers, rested his chin on them. "During Nero's escape, he destroyed forty-seven Klingon warbirds while in the Narada, thus crippling the Empire's defense force."

irk continued, "So, Klingons being Klingons, they have declared war upon the Romulan Star Empire."

Spock all but guffawed. "The Klingons are declaring war? Even if the Narada had been from this time period—the Klingons were the ones who had captured the ship. The Romulans would be within their own right to declare war."

Spock Prime nodded, "Agreed. Also: the Klingons just lost forty-seven warbirds—perhaps a little less than half of their forces. Are they really in a position to go to war with the Romulans?"

Kirk held up a finger. "You are forgetting something. The Klingons had over twenty-five years to study the Narada and to put her technology to their own uses. The Klingon warbirds are just as advanced—if not more—as Starfleet ships. The Romulans hadn't even gotten a chance to even lay eyes on the Narada, much less scan her. They are now the least powerful—at least military wise—of the three largest governments in the Alpha Quadrant."

Kirk let that set in before continuing.

"The Romulans somehow got wind of the fact that their planet is going to explode in the next hundred years or so. And now they have two things to worry about. The Klingons have already launched attacks on the their Neutral Zone. The Romulans are desperate."

"They've called upon the Federation to resolve the matter, haven't they?" Spock Prime asked.

Kirk dipped his head. "They have," he confirmed. "They want the federation to mediate a cease-fire between the two factions. They want us to convince them that the Narada was not under their jurisdiction, that it came from a different time and place."

Spock Prime's right eyebrow shot skyward. "That could prove to be difficult," he stated. Kirk grinned wearily. "Just wait, it gets better."

Both Spocks exchanged looks.

"The Federation Council and Starfleet Command have both agreed—since you, Mr. Ambassador, also came from that time and place, you should hold the cease-fire talks and talk some sense into the Klingons. And the talks will be held aboard the Enterprise. Right in the middle of the Klingon-Romulan Neutral Zone."

Although neither of the Spocks showed it outwardly, the each radiated shock and surprise.

"Me?" Spock Prime said, gesturing to himself. Kirk nodded, saying, "Starfleet Command mentioned something about you being a diplomat in your universe."

Spock Prime shook his head, then shrugged. "Well yes," he said slowly, "but that was...different. This was not meant to be..."

Spock Prime caught himself as a sudden realization hit him—this universe was filled with different people with their own futures, and their own lives. They were not copies of the people Spock had known. He had to stop thinking of this universe as a simple copy, and start thinking of it as the place he lived—the place where anything could happen.

Spock Prime sat up straighter and met Kirk's eyes. "I will perform my duties to the fullest, Captain Kirk," he said determinedly. As Kirk and the younger Spock exchanged looks—with one grinning and one with an eyebrow raised—Spock sagged a little. If I don't, Spock thought, the Federation may be dragged into this war. The Klingons would take it we were siding with the Romulans, and thus attack Federation worlds as well. Perhaps the very survival of the galaxy depends on these peace-talks.

As both Spocks rose to leave, Spock Prime couldn't help but feel dread settle in his stomach.