The Champion of Themyscira: Act III

Hikaru Sulu was on good drugs. Very good drugs.

He knew that, because the moment he opened his eyes and felt the weird sensation of a dermal graft on his right cheek, he knew that should hurt. He'd been burned before on away missions, and considering the last thing he remembered was getting a face full of plasma sparks, it wasn't a difficult conclusion. He'd been injured and now he was sitting in the Enterprise's sickbay. And he drew that conclusion because Dr. McCoy was scowling down at him.

"Remind me to make a note in your record that you go through sedatives too quick. I gave you enough to knock out a damn horse and you're already up with the chickens."

Sulu tried to smile, then stopped when his skin pulled in a weirdly, mostly-numb kind of way. "Sorry, Doc. I guess I just had to know what I missed." His uniform shirt had been cut away so that the skin could be cleaned and grafts applied. Sulu absently realized he'd need a new shirt before he could head to the bridge. "How's the captain? And Chekov? How'd you know we were in trouble?"

Bones had a hand on the helmsman's shoulder before he could much past a sitting position, stern and all annoyance. Sulu knew him well enough to know that meant he was worried. "The captain's not back. Chekov's fine, but the two of you beamed aboard just before we lost contact with the shuttle. Ya'll were in the middle of the same firefight we were."

The pilot furrowed his brow, trying to piece together the last few memories we had. "Firefight? No, we had just gotten to the upper atmosphere and Chekov had begun scanning when we suddenly buckled and lost altitude."

McCoy arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, because a Romulan warbird decloaked and knocked you into that hyper-twister. They managed to knock our shields out for a minute before we realized what they were doin'." The doctor motioned to the three other crewmembers in biobeds on the other side of the bay. "Scotty got the shields up pretty quickly, but not before you two beamed directly to sickbay. The kid was rambling on about the captain still being on the ship, some sensor data he handed off to Scotty, and we ain't heard nothin' since."

"The warbird?"

"Got off a few more pot-shots and cloaked again." McCoy huffed. "Bastards have to still be in the area, though. We detected a transporter beam down to the surface a few hours ago, so we think they sent an away team. Scotty says the ionic-tachyon whatsit in the atmosphere has started to destabilize ever since the shuttle went in, so it's making it easier to see the surface. But, he reckons the Romulans just started beaming folks down there like throwin' spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks."

"And you said the captain's down there?" The good drugs weren't enough to stop Sulu's stomach from clenching. The idea that the captain was on a foreign planet alone with nothing but the wreckage of a shuttle was more than a little worrisome. Spock would need every crewmember he had if they were in the middle of a standoff as well.

Sulu threw his legs over the side of the biobed and began to get up.

"Hey, what the hell're you doing? You need to stay here for at least another two hours to let those grafts set!" Bones barked, the famous bedside manner in full swing. He tried to stop Sulu, but the younger man just shifted out of the way and stood anyway.

"I need to get to the bridge, the Commander will need me." He forced another somewhat numb and weirdly tugging smile. "I'm fine. I just need a uniform shirt and I'll go right back to duty."

"Hey, I've been runnin' all around Hell's half-acre to get you stitched up, and I'm not about to let you ruin it all! Get back in that bed, Sulu!" Bones was following him out of the sickbay, a hypo in hand.

Sulu backpedaled towards the turbolift, careful to keep enough distance between himself and the doctor so that he could time getting the lift doors closed. "Look, McCoy, you can confine me to quarters after we get the captain back, okay? I promise I'll be careful." Sulu managed to call for an available lift and stepped inside.

He could hear Bones still barking down the hall as the doors closed: "Hey, kid, just because the captain lets you sit in the chair doesn't mean you act like him with that stick shoved up your a-"

Yeah. Sulu was on the good drugs.

He still needed a shirt, though.

Ten minutes later, Sulu made it to the bridge with a new uniform shirt and a moment to look in the mirror to make sure he knew where the grafts were so he'd be careful not to bother them. He wasn't surprised at the somewhat perplexed and shocked looks from the bridge crew, but it was really Spock he needed to convince, so he headed right over to the commander where he stood, peering at the viewscreen and clearly considering his next move.

"Commander, reporting for duty."

Spock didn't shift his position or acknowledge him in any other manner other than to quirk an eyebrow and reply. "I find that highly unlikely, considering Dr. McCoy's report that you left Sickbay without being officially discharged."

He sighed, not entirely surprised. "I heard the captain's still on the surface. I flew the shuttle down there, I know the Galileo's specs better than anyone except for Scotty. I can handle the conn."

If Spock was concerned about his ability to perform his duties, he didn't voice it. Instead, he nodded and motioned to the conn. "Ensign, you are relieved."

The ensign who had managed his station vacated it with a curt nod in his direction, and he took a seat.

"Mister Sulu!" Chekov beamed at him. He was pretty sure he would have hugged him if they hadn't been on the bridge together. He'd have to remember to ask Chekov exactly what had happened while he'd been out.

He took a quiet moment to familiarize himself with the ship's logs so he could determine the patterns of fire, trajectory, and flight patterns. That was when he noticed the chronometer.

"Commander, it's been two days since the crash?" He asked, turning to face Spock again.

The Vulcan shifted to face him, his hands behind his back. "Yes. I assumed that Dr. McCoy would have shared that with you."

Sulu felt his cheeks warm a bit, and he chuckled. "To be fair, I didn't give him much of a chance."

"We've been in a standoff with them for the past 37 hours. It is unlikely that they have left orbit of the planet, due to the atmospheric barrier's high density of tachyon particles."

"Tachyon." He repeated, considering the implications. "When we hit the atmosphere, the tachyons flooded the warp core so quickly I couldn't get the impulse engine back online. Maybe they're worried the same will happen to them if they get too close."

"Ze warbird most likely has remained in ze same position since it cloaked again. Unfortunately, ve don't know vhere zat is. Ze sensors were offline at ze time." Chekov held up his padd to show Sulu what he'd been working on. "I sink ze tachyons may actually interfere vis their cloaking in some way because zey actually use ze particle."

"An intriguing theory, Mister Chekov." Spock brought a hand to his chin, mulling the suggestion over. "But, ultimately, it brings us no closer to understanding why they are so far from the Neutral Zone. This is well within Federation boundaries."

"Not to them." Sulu offered. "I mean, they've said for years that if the Federation doesn't have it stamped and serialized, it's not technically ours. Maybe they're looking to get their own piece of the pie past the nebula."

"Perhaps. And if that is the case, we cannot allow them to do so." Spock slowly circled the room, then paused as both he and Sulu noticed the way Lieutenant Uhura had gone still, then frantically began flipping switches. Spock broke the silence first, echoing what they were all thinking. "Lieutenant? Do you have something?"

"I think so…" She breathed, straining to hear. It took her a moment, but she brought up her console to perform additional enhancements. "It's a signal coming from the subspace relays on the planet, but… it has a Federation transponder. I think it's the Galileo."

"Can you put it through?"

"Affirmative, but it's lost a lot of fidelity in all the bouncing from relay to relay. I'm cleaning it up as best I can."

The bridge fell silent save for the occasional beep from a console and a low static as Uhura tried to clear up the sound. Finally, the voice came through. It was degraded, but it was instantly recognizable.

"-irk to Enterprise - repeat, Kirk to - terprise. If you can hear me - landed on surface - shuttle - cannot fly - need open channel to - the ship and -stablish transporter lock - If you get this, lock onto - signal and - see if you can enhance - will repeat hail until - core fails. Kirk out."

"He's alive!" Chekov jumped. "Yo mayo!"

Sulu was pretty sure he could see a smile tugging at the very edges of Spock's lips as he observed the ensign. "So it would seem." He glanced back at Uhura. "Can we do what the captain is requesting?"

"Well…" Uhura performed a quick set of calculations on her console as she considered it. "He's using the subspace network on the planet to bounce the Galileo's signal. Without a deflector dish at his disposal, that's the best he could do. So, if we can boost our signal and lock onto the originating point on the relay, then…. Yes. We can hail him and keep a channel open once he responds."

Nodding, Spock made his way to the chair and flipped the internal comm. "Bridge to Commander Scott."

"Scotty here. Did ye find anythin', Mister Spock? If ye found what bastards broke my ship, I'd very much request we blow the hell out of them. I'm gonna be scrubbing scorch offa the hull for weeks now." The chief engineer's brogue seemed to be even thicker than usual, most likely from fatigue and frustration at the damage his crew was trying to repair.

"We found the captain. His shuttle has wrecked on the surface of the planet. Can we lock onto the transporter station in the shuttle and beam him out if we can keep a channel open?" Spock seemed to have more faith in the new transporters on those shuttles than Sulu did. He was thankful it had clearly saved his skin, but he wasn't sure how he felt about them operating through that atmosphere.

"Aahhh… aye, I think so. I'll need a bit o'time to reroute power from non-essential systems, but that should be enough to lock on. I'm more worried 'bout the damn atmosphere than anythin' else."

"How so?" Spock quirked an eyebrow and took a seat in the chair, pressing his fingers together thoughtfully.

"Well, this atmosphere is a bit like the kinda science fair project me wee Granny used to do in primary school. Those ion storms and tachyon clouds worked in tandem to create a sort of spacial shield for the planet. We set it off by introducing an impulse field and I dinnae think the planet was meant to handle that. It's like adding vinegar to bakin' soda and watching the volcano just explode. Unless we can rebalance it, the atmospheric barrier will completely burn up and ruin the meteorological systems. We could destroy the planet. Not today, not tomorrow, but certainly in a few decades."

"Wait…." Sulu interrupted him before he could continue. "Scotty, are you saying the barrier is supposed to be there?"

"Aye."

"It is impossible for a tachyon particle to naturally occur in sub-orbit conditions, Mister Scott." Spock reminded him.

"I know that, but I'm sayin' that without it, that planet wouldn't be class-M! I cannae tell ye how it got there, just that is. And we broke it!"

"Then, we shall endeavor to restore the balance to the atmosphere once we're able to handle the present situation, Mister Scott. Please let us know once you have been able to reroute power appropriately. We will attempt to hail the captain in the meantime." Once the communication cut, Sulu found himself wishing for just a moment that he was telepathic. He wished he knew what was going on in the commander's head. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long for his decision. "Ensign Chekov. If we attempt to beam the captain back on board, there is a high probability that the Romulans will sense that our shields are down for the transport and attack us. We will need to devise a way to either distract them from this fact."

"Eh, yes, sir." Chekov grabbed his stylus and swiveled his chair. Sulu could tell his friend was concocting some genius plan and assuming it wasn't nearly as good as it was. "Ze shields will only be down for two or three seconds as we complete ze transport. Perhaps ve could shift our position and release a plasma vent to obscure zeir sensors."

"That'll work?" Sulu rose an eyebrow, then felt the graft on his face twinge again. That time, it actually stung. He struggled to keep his face as neutral as he could from that point.

"Eh, maybe. It depends on how good ze sensors on ze warbird are vhen cloaked."

Spock nodded. "A sound suggestion. Make the necessary preparations and coordinate with Mister Sulu. Lieutenant Uhura, let me know the moment you are able to make contact with the Captain."

"Aye, sir." The trio said from their respective stations. As the graft itched again and Sulu found himself pre-programming a tight about-face so they could vent plasma when ready, part of him wondered if maybe he should have stayed in Sickbay after all. He only hoped the captain was faring better.

It had taken about an hour to sort out the dead Romulans from the simply unconscious ones. The ratio was further in the deceased column than Diana preferred, but the rifles they had carried stirred her ever-present war with those sorts of weapons. Besides, when deflecting those disruptor pulses, she had found that they did more damage than bullets could. There was no honor in these Romulans. She found that their names matched their fury: Romulus slew his brother Remus and built Rome with his blood as its mortar. From what Captain Kirk had told her of these centurions, they had been much the same to their own people. And now they had begun with this Federation, this blossoming cluster of exploration that Earth struck out upon.

Diana could not let that stand.

Kal was there only moments after Diana and Kirk had begun to move the bodies. She knew it pained him to admit that he was slowing down, but she knew that being minutes late to a firefight was not indicative of his gifts. The red in the star took from him every day. Soon, he would be another old man on the island, content to see the waves lap upon the sand until he could be greeted by his wife. Until that day, Clark Kent would forever remain dead upon Earth, and Kal-El, the last son of his house, would remain on Themyscira. Forever a man away from his people.

She found herself thinking of Etta for a long moment. Sweet Etta. Her sister in man's strange, new world. She who had taught Diana how to move forward. If only she could have taught that to Kal.

Not all hearts were the same. Not all men were the same. Especially not supermen.

"Who are they?" Kal asked, not for the first time since he'd arrived. Until the bodies had been appropriately set aside, neither of the two in the fight would give him an answer. Now that there were two centurions - unconscious but alive - bound in straps from their own uniforms, Diana and Kal followed the captain of the Enterprise back into his shuttle as he promised them an explanation.

"I've already told the queen a fair bit," Kirk said as he made his way to a console. "But, the Romulans are an offshoot species of one of the Federation's key cultures - the Vulcans. Whereas the Vulcans purge emotion and value logic, the Romulans have excelled in cutthroat politics and subterfuge. We've been in sort of a cold war with them, I guess, for several decades." Kirk took a seat, bringing up an image of a vessel in space.

"It is a vulture of metal." Diana mused, struck by the predatory arc of the ship's wings.

"It is. We call them warbirds. The Romulans bought them off of another race, the Klingon Empire, and made a few modifications." Kirk didn't bother to hide his smirk. Clearly, he had impressed her in some fashion. Again, the expression was a bit too similar, and she forced her attention back to the image, pursing her lips. "Mainly, they can cloak."

"Cloak?" Kal echoed. "How so?"

Kirk sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "We're not sure. It's the biggest secret in military counter-intelligence right now. But, that would explain why we didn't see them before they shot my shuttle out of the sky."

"You think they did this?" Diana turned her attention from the image on the console to the larger state of the shuttle. "You said the atmospheric barrier brought the ship down."

"Oh, it definitely did. But, something came across our bow and knocked out our impulse drive in seconds. My guess is that the warbird came out of cloak long enough to hit us, then turned its attention to my ship." There was a dark edge to his tone that gave her pause. James Kirk had history with the Romulan Empire, and not in the abstract sense. It was a very concrete blow.

"Are you sure your crew is still up there?" Kal's mood had improved, although she hadn't had an opportunity to ask why. She assumed that the walk had helped him clear his mind. They would most certainly speak on the matter, but right now, they were all focused on the immediate threat to Themyscira, and to the captain's predicament.

But, this could all still be a trick of Fate, Diana. She almost hear her mother. There is much you do not understand. Men are easily corrupted. With the evidence that there were others who had landed on the planet, she could understand why her aunt had always feared invasion. There was a deep-rooted fear when danger came to the shores of one's own people. And every time she had faced it in the past… she had had others. She was an ally. She was not the queen.

She could not be the queen. Not now. Not with this threat looming overhead.

"I have to hope they are." Kirk replied, still watching the image of the warbird. "If they can open a channel with me, then I'm hoping they can find a way to beam me back."

"'Beam you back?'" Diana echoed, the parlance unfamiliar to her.

Kirk's eyebrows shot up as he realized what he'd said. She could tell he was now struggling to find the right way to explain the technology. "We have a device on our ship that interfaces with that pad over there - " He motioned to a dingy white-walled station. "That basically dematerializes a person into a small enough beam of particles and reassembles them instantly on the ship."

"You could just call it a teleporter, son." Kal sighed.

"Well, do you… have those? On Themyscira?" Kirk was trying to mask his curiosity and failed.

"No." He replied. "But, we know of the technology. Darkseid utilized similar technology with boom tubes when he tried to invade the planet."

"When you were Superman." Kirk pushed, another mischievous look in his eye. Diana found herself wondering if Kal would push back again.

Instead, he gave a resigned chuckle and noded. "When I was Superman, yes. And when Diana went by the moniker Wonder Woman." He motioned to Diana's armor. "Which, I did notice you're back to wearing that."

"Nice outfit," Kirk remarked, genuinely pleased. She had to wonder why he was so excited by all of this. What had the history books said of them? Did she really want to know? "So, that's a specific armor you wore for battle? When you were…"

"We were heroes." Kal acknowledged. "And… I'm sure she'd love to tell you all about it, but we don't have the time. The important thing is, you think you can get back up to the ship."

"Yes, and I think that's how the Romulans came down here - you didn't see any other vessels wrecked, just mine. I have a feeling my coming here may have opened your planet up to further incursions." His unspoken apology was clear, but Diana would have none of it. She had come too far for him to turn them away now.

"If you truly think that your crew can help repair the barrier, then it must be done." Diana said, making her way over to the captain. "And I will help you."

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that," Kal muttered behind her, sighing. "Diana, a moment?" The way he beckoned her, she knew he would have to say his piece. Kal knew her well enough not to try to dissuade her, but she had a feeling he would at least try to present his side of the argument. She knew she had already thought through them all.

Diana nodded to Kal, then politely smiled back at Kirk. "Excuse us a moment, Captain."

"Of course." Kirk replied, then as they made their way out, she heard him add, "By the way, I'd be happy to have you come aboard…"

Kal waited until they were reasonably out of earshot, although something told Diana that the conversation could have just as easily been for the captain's ears as well. "You want to leave."

"Yes." She said, firm as ever. "I cannot help my people from here, Kal. Our people. I was once a champion of Earth, and I can be their champion again."

"To what end?" Kal sounded so tired and she couldn't help but feel as though she'd somehow caused that. In two centuries, they rarely argued. And the arguments about returning to Earth had long disappeared alongside the arguments on how to integrate men into the Amazon society. "You don't owe them a damn thing, Diana. They have heroes. We did our duty, we did what we promised our families. I promised my parents I would do what I could to make humanity better. And we left an entire League ten times the size of what we started with in our stead. What makes you think they need us - need you - more than the people here?"

"Because I never wanted to be the queen of Themyscira, only its steward." Diana pleaded. "Kal, you came to my land because you left Clark Kent behind. And I have always respected that choice. But, it was never my dream to rule Themyscira instead of my mother. I just wanted it to be a haven. And it is. But, the Senate does not need a monarch. Let them shape the destiny of this planet now. Without me."

Kal closed his eyes, letting his head droop slightly. Nothing she had said would have been a surprise. "How long do you think this is going to take?"

"I only wish to see the world that they have made for themselves. I could do that from their ship." Diana motioned aimlessly to the sky above, as if they could see the vessel as one of many celestial bodies. "I could come back as soon as I have read their histories."

Kal chuckled, sad and yet at once relieved. When he finally looked at her again, she felt her heart clench with fresh loss. "We both know that's not you. Especially not now. Not when the person who lands here looks like him. And you will have to confront that at some point whether you like it or not. If a woman who looked like Lois just dropped out of the sky tomorrow, Diana, I'd follow her to the ends of the universe."

"That is you, Kal. Not me. I do not do this for him, or because of the similarity. I do it because I stepped away from my duty. The Amazons are meant to be a bridge to greater understanding between all of mankind. How am I a bridge to anything if I remain here, shielded and sheltered from the truth, no matter how dark or unpleasant it may be?"

Kal didn't have a good response that time. The two of them had both reached a mutual understanding, even if unpleasant. He knew why she would go, and she understood why he would stay - and why he wanted her to stay as well.

She hated goodbyes of any kind. It was the only true aspect of her life she could never master.

"I've got a signal!" Kirk called from the Galileo.

Diana glanced back at it, then turned to Kal. "Will you stay near the shuttle? Once we know how to restore the barrier, we should speak. They may need your help."

Kal nodded, but made no move to join her in the cockpit.

"It's good to hear your voice, Captain," A woman's voice carried to Diana's ears the moment she stepped into the shuttle, tinny but still pleasant.

"Believe me, Uhura, I've missed you, too." The captain was smiling, unabashedly pleased that his marooned time would hopefully come to an end. Even though he still seemed cool and unfazed, he still seemed open in a way that many people were not. "Please tell me you guys are okay and you have a way to get me back up."

"We do. The Commander can fill you in on the details, but we should be able to use the comm signal to lock onto the Galileo's transporter pad."

"Good." He turned to face Diana and flipped a button. Presumably, he muted the communication. "Are you coming? Did I accidentally start a fight for the throne or something?"

Diana chuckled. "No fights. We are in agreement. I will help restore the barrier and evaluate what has transpired since we left the world of men."

Kirk quirked an eyebrow at her. "The world of… well, I'm more than happy to have you for however long you're willing, your majesty." Before she could reply, he turned his attention back to the console and flipped a switch. "Spock, you there?"

"Affirmative, Jim. I am pleased that you are well and were able to reach us. We have determined a course of action to beam you aboard while accounting for the Romulan warbird that is cloaked nearby."

"They're still here?" Kirk winced. "That explains the dozen centurions that were on the surface of the planet. They were coming for the shuttle."

"Are you uninjured?"

"Nothing Bones can't take care of, Southern charm and all. Did Sulu and Chekov make it aboard okay?" The moment of silence on the other end had started to pull the smile from his lips before a youthful, Russian voice and another, more steady one, replied.

"Da, keyptin!"

"I appreciate the rescue, sir. We're fine."

Kirk shook his head. "Sulu, you didn't look fine. If I find you at the helm when I get back there, I'll walk you back to Sickbay myself. I don't need to get another lecture from your daughter. Demora's adorable, but last time I nearly got a spoonful of cereal chucked at my shirt."

"With all due respect, sir, you can do that when you're back. Right now, you need your best pilot to run circles around these guys."

"Captain," The first voice, that of Commander Spock, returned. "Mister Scott and Mister Chekov are ready to beam you aboard when ready, captain."

"Great." Kirk's gaze drifted over to Diana. She didn't hide her anticipation at all. "Look, I need you to beam myself and one other aboard." As if he knew his first officer would object, he continued on. It was only then that he finally looked away from her, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. He watched her so intently, as if he always had her full attention. It was so much like… "One of the leaders on this planet has offered to come aboard, and seeing as how I think we broke her atmosphere, I couldn't tell her no even if I wanted to. Beam her up first."

"Understood. I trust you will provide more information once we're out of immediate danger."

"I'll give you the full report, Spock, just let me know when we can beam her aboard." Kirk rolled his eyes so hard, she was worried he'd sprain something. It reminded her of working with J'onn. The Martian loved to press an issue until he fully understood it, much to Bruce's chagrin.

"It will take a few moments to configure the transporters. I will signal when ready. Stand by."

With that, Kirk stood and made his way past Diana to the transporter pad. "Ok, this is probably going to feel weird, you might have some nausea and disorientation, but - "

Diana chuckled, stepping into his line of sight so he wouldn't keep rambling. "I, too, have a strong constitution, Captain Kirk. I am sure I will be fine."

"We are ready when you are, captain. Initiate transport."

Kirk fought another chuckle, then motioned for her to step into the pad. "This way, your highness."

Diana fully intended on telling him to stop calling her that, but no sooner than she stood and faced him in the transporter, he disappeared from her view.

And she was aboard a glimmering white vessel.

Such were the things of Elysium.

The transporter room, as Jim had called it, gleamed with panels of white light that seemed at once both like the hospitals of old Earth and like temples she had travelled to in her many years searching for the gods. A few other officers, bearing red shirts in the same style as Kirk's, were watching her intently.

Next to her, something shimmered. She quickly stepped off the pad as the captain materialized on another one of the circles. She turned back to the crew and the one at the actual console with some sort of orange monocle, stood.

"Aye, lassie, when the cap'n said he wanted to bring ye on board, I wasn't quite expectin'... well... "

"Not now, Scotty." Kirk stepped off the pad and motioned for Diana to follow him. "Eyes to yourself, I need you on the bridge." He gently took hold of her elbow and steered her through the door. It was probably obvious that she was taking it all in, and she rather hated that he wanted to steer her away. It was a marvel.

"This is your ship." She remarked, catching sight of the display showing a ship's map. She quickly scanned the text and caught the dimensions of the ship. "There are multiple decks? This is larger than any Kryptonian vessel I have ever seen, even the mothership."

Kirk chuckled, but he quickly grabbed her arm and gingerly kept her moving. "Yes, this is the Enterprise. I promise to give you the full tour, if you like, but it's a bit beat up right now on account of the Romulans trying to kill us, so can we handle that first?"

"Yes, of course…" She agreed, walking with him down the corridor, even though she strained to look around every corner. "In two hundred years, your technology advanced so that you could make this?"

"Yup. In fact, they build these in a shipyard outside my home town." He replied, then paused as they reached a doorway. It slid open and the three of them - Scotty had been straining to keep up - stepped in. Once the elevator began to move, he turned his attention to Mister Scott. "Scotty, the Romulans were on the surface of Themyscira. We need to find a way to stop them from getting back there, or they'll do what they've done to the last four colonies the Federation tried to establish near Neutral Zone space."

Scotty nodded, then paused. "What'd ye call it?"

"Themyscira," Diana answered. "My land. It is called Themyscira. Home of the Amazons."

Kirk waved his hand in dismissal. "That's not important right now. What did we do to the atmosphere when that warbird hit the shuttle?"

"The atmosphere had a very careful balance of ionic turbulence and tachyon particles. When ye lost impulse and hit the atmosphere, tachyons had flooded the engine. That reaction seems to have started some sort o' chain reaction. It's setting off ion storms that are beginnin' to burn off the atmosphere. It'll take time for it to effect the people below, but it's most certainly makin' it possible for them bastards to beam down."

"Storms?" Diana rose an eyebrow. "We've seen no storms."

"Och, ye wouldn't, lass. Ion storms that high up dinnae really turn into a meteorological event. I'm more worried about what happens if'n those storms disappear and the planet's exposed to the sun. It'll bake off all the clouds eventually."

Kirk furrowed his brow. "Wait, how did tachyon particles get into the upper atmosphere of a class-M planet?"

"It wasn't natural, that's for sure. Somethin' created that atmosphere and once it's gone, the planet will be uninhabitable."

Diana's eyes widened as the two men kept talking. "Captain - "

"Well, then how do we fix it, Mister Scott? I'm not leaving here knowing we killed a planet!"

"I've been a bit preoccupied with reroutin' power so we could beam ye back, cap'n - "

"And what do you mean, 'bake off the clouds?' I thought the star was getting cooler -"

"Aye, but the ozone for a class-M planet with a yellow star has a different level of ozone to absorb radiation. Without the barrier, there's nothing to prevent the increased radiation output from the red giant as its mass expands from cooking the planet alive - "

"James." Diana finally said, catching both of their attention from the formal way she addressed him by his first name. The shocked expression she received from him was reward enough, but she couldn't enjoy it. "My people created the barrier when we came to Themyscira. But, I was never privy to how it was created or the full scope of that process. You are telling me that without the barrier, Themyscira never would have been able to sustain life. My people will all die."

Kirk sighed. "I know how it sounds, and I promise you, I am not leaving here until we fix it. But, if we try to do anything with that warbird out there, still cloaked, they will not hesitate to fire on us until we're annihilated." The doors to the elevator opened in another rush of air, and he stepped off the platform first. "Trust me, your majesty, I will fix this."

Diana tried to swallow the cold worry in her stomach as she followed him onto the bridge. Suddenly, the reality of what she had thought would be in space above her planet sank in. It was so much more than a simple crash and a marooned captain.

What exactly had mankind created with their gift of knowledge? What were they going to do with it next?