Once the planetary survey team had completed its work, the Enterprise left orbit. Spock had decided that their first tentative search for a new planet should take place toward the far edge of the neutral zone. The possibility of finding a Class M planet seemed more promising in that area, based on the quantities of things like asteroids and other stellar bodies. They checked in with the most remote of the Federation outposts, and then they began searching in earnest. Spock had ordered round the clock sensor sweeps. He took one shift, Chekhov took another, and someone from the astrophysics department usually took the third.

The Enterprise crew had realized that they had limited time to find a new home for the group they had begun calling "the Innocents", for lack of a better term. Although they had 18 months until the system's star went supernova, the botanists report indicated that the temperatures had risen so high, that it was unlikely that the Innocents could produce a crop large enough to get them through the next year. The Enterprise didn't have food stores enough for 10000 people for any length of time, so getting them to a new home was critical.

Two weeks into their sensor sweeps a promising planet was encountered. There seemed to be no advanced life forms. Spock and the planetary survey team went down to a temperate region of one of the larger continents.

Spock ran his tricorder over the soil. The composition seemed rich enough for growing food staples. They might have to supply the Innocents with seed grains local to this planet, rather than hoping that the grains from their previous planet would be able to grow here, but this was a small matter.

"Sir?" It was a member of the security team.

"Chief?"

"We – we think we've spotted a door, Sir."

"A door?"

"Yes, Sir. It looks manmade. It's in those rocks over there, at the base of that hill."

Spock went over with the two members of the security team to investigate. It was indeed, some kind of mechanical door. He was standing about 10 feet from it, taking tricorder readings, when it opened and people came pouring out of it. Later, Spock would reflect that these particular people were Romulans, and they had an uncanny ability to appear to be greater in number than they actually were, perhaps because they moved so rapidly. He vaguely remembered calling for an emergency beamout. Emergency beamouts, however, never seemed to come quite as quickly as one wanted, although this one managed to retrieve him and the landing party just after the disruptor beam hit him.

Kirk shut his intercom against the ranting of his chief medical officer, who was expressing his displeasure about the large quantity of burned and injured crewmen who had materialized in Sickbay "with no warning and while I was still eating my oatmeal!" He then listened to a breathless report from his security chief. He pounded the arm of his chair.

"Mr. Chekhov, I don't recall authorizing you to move into the Neutral Zone."

"And I did not, Captain."

"So the Romulans are getting a little grabby? Dammit, this was just the kind of thing I was hoping to avoid. Lieutenant, can you establish communications with the planet?"

"Negative, Captain. Just after the landing party came back, there was a communication from the surface, but I can't find any trace of it now. In fact, I'm not receiving the usual static that would be emitted if there were any communications equipment at all." Kirk looked at Uhura. She seemed to be all business, but he knew that she must be panicked.

"How is that possible?"

"Captain, if the Romulans were underground or living in the side of the mountain, as the chief suggested, their transmissions might be blocked. That might also be why our sensors didn't detect them," Chekhov said.

"Why would they be underground?"

"Spock mentioned that the planet was mineral rich. He thought this might be good for the Innocents, enable them to progress with their development of metalworking," UHura said, her voice tight.

"So the Romulans want this planet for its resources. That might explain why they are on our side of the Neutral Zone. It's just so…obvious." Kirk seemed almost disappointed by the venal motives.

"Sir," shouted Chekhov, "Romulan ship decloaking now!"

"They're hailing us, Captain."

"Onscreen."

A Romulan centurion appeared on the viewscreen.

"Why have you breached the Neutral Zone, Earth vessel?"

"Why have we?" shouted Kirk, "Why have you?"

"We are well within our side of the Neutral Zone. This will mean war!"

"Lieutenant, close channel! Chekhov, how well are they armed?"

"It is a small ship, Sir. We would outgun them." Apparently, the Romulans had made the same discovery. They cloaked again and disappeared.

Kirk held his breath. Five minutes passed. It was safe to say that the Romulan ship might want war, but not just now, with these odds. Kirk turned to Uhura.

"Lieutenant, get me Starfleet Command." Kirk spent a very painful ten minutes talking to two sighing admirals, who said that they might be able to send the Intrepid, in a week or so, as their lone reinforcement.

"Just in time to send our remains to our next of kin," muttered Kirk. He looked at Uhura.

"Lieutenant, if you have somewhere else you need to be…" She was in the turbolift before he had finished his sentence.

Entering Sickbay, she noted that the initial chaos they had heard an hour ago seemed to have died down. All the biobeds were filled, but everyone seemed to have been banadaged or sedated, which was how McCoy generally liked his patients. She saw Spock in the bed on the far left. They had apparently had to cut off his shirt, and a large bandage covered the upper part of his chest. His eyes were closed, and he was very still. She slowly went up to him and took his hand. McCoy came over.

"He took a hit to the chest. I think we've repaired the damage. Fortunately, he was hit by a ricochet. He hasn't regained consciousness, though, although his brain scans are normal. Try talking to him." McCoy turned to dump his oatmeal in the garbage. "Nurse, if any more wounded people materialize, they're going to have to wait until I have finished my BLT." He swept out of Sickbay.

Uhura began speaking to Spock in Vulcan, mostly so she could say what she wanted without anyone overhearing, but also because she though he might find it comforting. "Spock, please open your eyes. Please, wake up." She stroked his hair. When there was no response, she pulled a chair up to the side of his bed, and sat, holding his hand, and telling him random details of their encounter with the Romulans. If begging didn't convince him to wake up, maybe offering him an intellectual puzzle would.