When Spock arrived at the bridge, he quickly observed that only Chekov, Uhura, and the Captain remained conscious.

Captain Kirk shot up from his chair, spinning around to face Spock who had just entered. "Spock!" he spoke, elated. "I want a full scan on that anomaly!" Kirk pointed to the front of the ship were a sheer-metallic, cylindrical object could be seen on the viewscreen.

"Yes, Captain," Spock promptly complied and ran a scan on the foreign body. "Fascinating," he said, turning his head to the Captain. "There appears to be a humanoid figure contained within the structure."

Bewildered, Chekov stared unblinking at the bizarre object. "Is it a spaceship?" he asked.

"Incorrect, Ensign," Spock replied. "There are no propulsion systems present on the object; however, I have detected a series of life support systems from within. Whoever is in that craft, Captain, is currently alive."

Kirk shifted his wide eyes between Spock and the viewscreen. "Uhura," he called, "have you been able to make contact with the vessel?"

"No, Captain," she answered. "Trying on multiple frequencies, but still no response, sir."

Unsure of what to do, Chekov began devising his own theories, "Is this related to Akronians?"

The Captain shook his head, disagreeing, "Doubtful. But just to be safe; Uhura, contact sickbay and ask Bones if the Akronians can provide us with any information."

"Captain," Spock said, keeping his eyes on his science console, "I've scanned nearby planets to determine if any local bodies contained the same metal alloys found in our anomaly. Nera Five, a derelict colony planet, contains alloys identical to those found in the anomaly."

"Derelict, Spock?" Kirk asked.

Uhura interrupted the pair to inform the Captain on the Akronian's situation, "No answer from sickbay, Captain."

"The colony was wiped out nearly one century ago after a meteor impact to the planet's surface," Spock elaborated.

"And you're certain this vessel came from that planet?" the Captain asked.

"It would be the logical assumption, Captain," Spock confirmed, finally turning away from his console. "Perhaps the colonists of-"

Before Spock could complete his thought, an apparition of a young humanoid woman materialized at the helm of the ship. She was almost angelic in appearance, Kirk noted in his mind. Her hair was white and gleaming, reaching almost past her knees. Her eyes were a milky hue; it was impossible to detect the difference between her iris and cornea. And finally, and most notably, she was completely naked.

"Protect, protect," the creature spoke with a thin voice that echoed throughout the ship. "To protect, to protect."

"Protect…?" Kirk rose from the Captain's chair. "What do you mean to protect?"

As Kirk completed his question, the entire ship was engulfed in darkness and the apparition vanished.

"Report!" Kirk yelled at the bridge crew.

Spock's eyes darted across his console. "Complete loss of engine power and life support, Captain," he replied.

The Captain dropped into his chair and clicked at his intercom. "Kirk to engineering; Scotty, report."

After a brief moment, the voice of Lieutenant Warren came through the com, "Uh, well… Scotty isn't conscious right now, Captain."

"Are you currently in charge, Lieutenant?" Kirk demanded.

"Uh, well, yeah, I guess," was the Lieutenant's uneasy response. "It's just myself and Ensign Van."

"I need a report, Lieutenant."

"Uh, report?" she paused. "Well, Captain, it seems we've lost power to the engines and life support is gone."

"I am aware of that, Lieutenant," impatience was growing in the Captain's tone. "I want those engines back up and running, and life support back."

"I'm not sure if I can, sir," she replied.

Spock interjected, "Captain, I can report to engineering and assist the Lieutenant in getting engines and life support back online."

"No, Spock. I need you here on the bridge," Kirk raised his hand. "Lieutenant, I need you to get ship's engines and life support back online. That's an order, Lieutenant."

"Aye, Captain," was Warren's final response as she turned to Ensign Van. "Ensign, I need you to hotwire our ship."

Ensign Van, who appeared as nervous as the Lieutenant felt, stared blankly at his commanding officer. "Excuse me, ma'am?" he said. "I don't follow."

"Get to deck seven," Warren responded as she began guiding the Ensign to engineering's exit. "I need you to realign a few couplings and fuse some circuits."

"I don't know how to do that!" the Ensign cried. "I wouldn't know what to do down there!"

"Relax, Ensign," the Lieutenant gave the young man a confident smile. "I'll send you instructions on exactly what you need to do when you get there, okay?"

"Do you even know what you're doing?!" he questioned.

"Maybe?" the Lieutenant shrugged, releasing a jittery chuckle as she did so. "We have to do something, right?"

"I've never fused a circuit before… Not for real." The Ensign resisted the Lieutenant as she tried to shove him out of engineering. "Why can't you do it and I'll stay up here?"

Warren spun her head around engineering, glancing at the dozens of workstations and computers. "Do you know how to properly monitor and manage all of this equipment?" she asked.

"No," he admitted.

"Well, I do, Ensign." She nudged him forward once more. "It'll be okay; just do what I tell you and we'll get through this, alright?"

He vigorously nodded and bolted from engineering, making his way to deck seven.

It was only a couple of minutes before Captain Kirk's voice came ringing through the intercom into engineering. "Lieutenant?" he said. "I need life support three minutes ago."

As Warren floated across multiple consoles and stepped over an array of unconscious bodies, she frowned at the com. "Yes, Captain," she said. "Working on it. We should have life support and engines back any minute now."

"I need it right now," the Captain called back.

"Aye, Captain-" and the second she spoke, the engines hummed back to life and the whirring of the air recyclers could be heard all throughout the ship.

The Captain smiled, lifting his head to Chekov. "Report?" he asked.

"Power to engines and life support has been restored, Captain," Chekov beamed, swiveling in his chair to face the Captain.

"I knew she could do it," Kirk looked over to Spock.

Spock raised a single brow at his friend. "It seems that you had more faith in her than she did in herself," he replied.

"Great job, Lieutenant," Kirk spoke into the intercom.

"Uh, Captain," the Lieutenant began, anxiously, "Ensign Van isn't responding to any of my hails. I'm going to deck seven to check on him."

"No, Lieutenant. We need you in engineering until we've gotten to the bottom of this mystery."

"Aye, Captain-" and just then, the apparition that had previously appeared on the bridge manifested before Lieutenant Warren.

"No, I must protect," the naked woman spoke. "I must protect my planet."

"Uh, Captain," Warren leaned back to the com. "An unusual, naked woman has appeared in engineering from nowhere."

Kirk jumped from his chair, leaving Warren with one final message, "Keep her there, Lieutenant. Spock and I will report to engineering immediately."

When Spock and Kirk arrived at engineering, the ghostly apparition turned to them in horror. "Disgusting men," she snarled, "Terrible creatures. I must protect."

With knit brows, the Lieutenant gave her attention to the two men. "I guess she doesn't like you," she said.

"I tried to stop you all," the naked creature examined the fallen officers who laid prone throughout engineering. "My power is too weak; I must protect."

"Protect what?" Kirk inquired.

"No!" the woman snarled once more. "Disgusting creature!"

Warren stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do. "Protect what?" she repeated Kirk's question.

The creature's fear softened and she offered the Lieutenant a forlorn expression. "I must protect my planet from the men; from the intruders!"

Kirk leaned his face closer to Spock and whispered in the Vulcan's ear, "Spock, can you explain?"

"The colony on Nera Five consisted of a race of humanoids known as the Hallonites," Spock recalled one of the few reports Starfleet had on that sector of space. "These creatures, all female in appearance, were able to maintain their population through asexual reproduction."

"Then where does this hatred of men stem from?" Kirk wondered.

The Lieutenant observed Spock and Kirk's whispering, figuring she should be the one to respond to the agitated being, "We come in peace; we mean no harm."

"Men mean harm," the naked woman shot daggers at the Lieutenant. "And you are here, with men! Do you also mean us harm?"

"No, of course not!" Warren defensively lifted her palms. "None of us mean you harm. This is the starship Enterprise and we are on a mission of peace."

Spock was intrigued by Warren's level of diplomacy and calmness in the face of the strange being. "She is correct," he spoke to the creature in an attempt to support his crewmate.

"Silence!" the woman hissed. "I will take this one and we will decide what to do with these men!"

Suddenly, the apparition vanished, and not long after the Lieutenant began disappearing as she was being beamed off the Enterprise.

"Uh, Captain?" Warren peered down at her vanishing arms.

"Lieutenant!" Kirk shouted as he leaped out to grab his crewmate, but by the time he reached her, he was met only by thin air.